On April 25, the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, which has been absent for four years, finally opened.
According to public data, there are more than 1,500 exhibitors at this year's Beijing Auto Show, with 117 global premieres and 278 new energy vehicles, all of which are higher than previous years. In addition to the general summary of the theme of the auto show, "New Era, New Automobiles", the characteristics of the improvement of the strategic position of the Chinese market and the increase in the focus of brands in the new energy sector can be confirmed at almost every brand booth.
It is undeniable that in the eyes of most people, independent brands have achieved the "first start" on the new energy track, not only many new car-making forces and traditional car companies' new energy brands are the first to break through the sales bottleneck, but also mature supporting supply chains, which have become fertile soil for new energy technology iteration. Of course, in the past two years, joint venture brands have also begun to gradually develop, taking the Honda brand as an example, Honda China, GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda landed at the Beijing Auto Show, which pressed the "acceleration button" for the electrification business in China.
e:N brand "Double Hero": Seize the household pure electric market
When it comes to the "game-breakers" in the field of pure electric vehicles, Tesla Model 3 and Hongguang MINIEV can be regarded as representative works, but the node that really promotes the penetration rate of the new energy market to achieve a phased breakthrough lies in the fact that 150,000-level pure electric products have been affirmed by consumers in the mainstream household market. Therefore, GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda have targeted the core demand, and the official launch of the e:NP2 and the announcement of the pre-sale price and rights of the e:NS2 are also not to be underestimated.
In terms of appearance, both models adopt a young, sharp and dynamic original design, with clean body sides, 18-inch sports wheels, inheriting the sports gene, and the fastback shape and liftback tailgate, which achieve a balance between visual and practical aspects. Similarly, the interior layout of the two can also be eye-catching, with a full LCD instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch central control screen that are stretched and relaxed, which strengthens the technological attributes, and the through-line front row design and abundant storage space give full play to the comfort and practicality advantages of the pure electric architecture.
Of course, in the new energy era, it is indispensable to strengthen the "identity attribute" and improve the recognition, e:NP2 and Lieguang e:NS2 also give the answer. Among them, the former adopts the language of the wrap-around lamp group, giving people an open and free visual experience, while the latter expands the "H" shape from the luminous LOGO to the entire front and rear surfaces, creating a confident and calm aura. Not conforming, not mediocre, laid the first impression of the two in the minds of consumers.
Nowadays, it is not difficult to build a pure electric model, but how to give it outstanding texture and stable performance undoubtedly requires long-term accumulation of core technologies. Therefore, as the embodiment of Honda's sports genes in the new energy era, the two models are based on the "e:N Architecture F" intelligent and efficient pure electric architecture, and have received solid endorsement in terms of power output, chassis response and handling experience. Even if it enters the pure electric market, Honda's performance pedigree is still expected to be favored by the public.
Of course, compared with the subversion of the electric drive system in terms of economy and power, the intelligent performance of the vehicle is more related to the safety, comfort and convenience of daily use. Therefore, the Honda brand has also spared no effort to continuously upgrade the new generation of Honda CONNECT 4.0 intelligent interconnection system and Honda SENSING safety super sensing system, which can cover the intelligent experience of the whole scene of car use.
There is no doubt that in the face of a new pure electric track, even a joint venture brand cannot be achieved overnight in the "closed loop" of R&D, technology, products and sales, but it has to be admitted that past experience and market insight can effectively shorten this process. The addition of e:NP2 and e:NS2 will bring new options to the 150,000-level pure electric market, and the performance of the two is worth waiting to see.
"Ye" brand "Three Musketeers": blow the horn of pure electric charge
In this year's Beijing Auto Show, the "dream linkage" between independent brands has become a hot topic in the market, and each has brought a steady stream of traffic. Obviously, compared with "building a good car", it is also very important to attract the public's attention, enhance brand awareness and reputation, and finally achieve "selling a good car". As Honda's new pure electric brand "Ye" specially created for the Chinese market, it is undoubtedly a milestone.
As early as the middle of this month, Honda released the product plan of the "Ye" brand, inheriting the brand's genes and the latest technology, as well as the background of design based on the young Chinese team, which makes its development in China full of expectations. During the auto show, GAC Honda's "Ye P7", Dongfeng Honda's "Ye S7", and "Ye GT CONCEPT" were unveiled on the same stage, planning a grand blueprint.
It is worth mentioning that the models under the "Ye" brand are not as simple as naming and reconstructing. At the technical level, the new car will be based on the new intelligent and efficient pure electric "W" architecture, which further consolidates the pure electric driving texture, realizing the coexistence of speed and fun, and in terms of experience, it will realize the comprehensive empowerment of intelligent technology on emotional value, giving more humanized thinking and temperature to the same functions. Of course, the styling level will also reflect a more obvious family style to meet the preferences of young consumers, which is also one of the areas that the Honda brand is good at.
As mentioned at the beginning, taking this Beijing Auto Show as an opportunity, the Honda brand is fully prepared to strengthen its strategic position in the Chinese market, accelerate the layout of the new energy market, and also prepare for the global development of the next era. As a sign of its determination, Honda China plans to form a lineup of 10 BEVs by 2027 and achieve 100% EV sales by 2035. The competition in the new energy era may have just begun.
Conclusion: Four years is not a long time, at least for the new energy industry, it is still unable to compete with the fuel market, but it is not short, many new energy brands unveiled at the last Beijing Auto Show have been drowned in the long river of history after experiencing wage arrears, production suspension and bankruptcy. Therefore, the key to the company's continued competitiveness is to grasp the pulse of the times and leapfrog the development cycle.