At the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show, Jichejun really didn't expect that Changan Mazda was the first new energy sedan in the joint venture brand camp to simultaneously launch a pure electric version and a plug-in extended range version......
Interviewee:
Changan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. President Mr. Kei Sumioka (in the picture below)
Mr. Wu Xuxi, Executive Vice President of Changan Mazda Automobile Sales Branch (left in the picture below)
Mr. Yoshito Iwouchi, Chief Designer of MAZDA EZ-6 at Changan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. (right below)
Jichejun: Ask Mr. Wu, the design of the EZ-6 is very amazing, and the original design is very charming. However, in the electric era, it seems that many brands have begun to talk about performance, and the threshold for driving to the electric era has become lower, and driving has always been the most attractive part of our Mazda core. I would like to ask, what is the ethos of the EZ-6 in the electric era, and how can we clearly distinguish it from other brands in the electric era that also emphasize driving?
Wu Xuxi: Not only in the era of electric vehicles, but also in the era of fuel vehicles, all car companies are also talking about driving, but there are not many people who really leave a deep impression on consumers, but there must be Mazda among them. As the teachers mentioned, many other brands are still talking about driving, but Mazda's driving pleasure is deeply rooted in the minds of all consumers, and the next media test drive will be opened across the country, and I also hope that all media teachers can personally feel the experience of Mazda's integrated control in the era of electrification.
ZEZA: Last year, Mazda announced its electrification strategy for the Chinese market. The EZ-6 car we see today is a 0-1 breakthrough, which is very important for Mazda, I want to understand Mazda to this car as a starting point, what to do next?
Kei Sumioka: Let me confirm your question again, one is about Mazda's strategy in China, that is, how to consider the brand strategy, and the other is that the label of Mazda's integrated brand can be conveyed to consumers more concisely or intuitively. I want to answer these two questions separately, the brand strategy in China is answered by me, how the integration of people and horses can be more intuitively delivered to consumers, this involves how to do a good job in the field of marketing, I hope that next, let Mr. Wu answer this question.
Just now you also mentioned that before the Shanghai Auto Show last year, Mazda was officially announced the overall strategy of electrification, but also announced that the next will vigorously develop the Chinese market, today's announcement of the model at the Beijing Auto Show is to confirm the first step of the strategy announced at the Shanghai brand night, we have been moving forward with this strategy, it is expected that this model can be launched on the market within this year, today at the auto show we also showed MAZDA We will have a new model next year, based on this concept model, which will be launched on the market next year, and after this car model, Mazda also plans to launch a third and fourth new energy vehicles in the Chinese market, and continue to introduce new products to the Chinese market.
The products we are going to launch in the Chinese market are all very good products, of course, these products have a lot of possibilities in the future, including where they will be sold, and we are also in the process of further intensive discussions according to the plan, and the results of the follow-up discussions will be announced at the right time.
Wu Xuxi: In the era of electric vehicles, how to better pass on the integration of people and horses to consumers is a technical problem. The parameters of the specific technology of EZ-6 will be released gradually in the future. Judging from my personal test drive experience of this new car, the opening and closing of the throttle and the driving feeling are still very good.
First of all, in order to ensure a smooth driving feeling, Mazda refitted the power output curve of the tram to achieve a new tram calibration that has a Mazda driving feeling and strong power; secondly, in terms of driving mode, there are three driving modes: ECO, Comfort and Sport, and users can choose different driving modes according to their personal preferences or driving scenarios; thirdly, compared with traditional fuel vehicles, EZ-6 has been professionally tuned by Mazda, and our car has achieved 50The axle-to-load ratio of 50 achieves a smooth and natural turning driving experience, and the seat of EZ-6 is also an ergonomic seat, the development of the seat fully takes into account the comfort and sportiness, the spine and pelvis of the human body are closely connected to the seat, so our engineers studied the resonance frequency of the internal organs and trunk during the development, and selected the best foaming hardness to isolate the uncomfortable vibration of the human body. Whether riding or driving, it can bring customers a more pleasant driving experience.
There are still 5-6 months before the new car is launched, the technical parameters and technical standards will be gradually disclosed to the media, we have a very clear positioning of EZ-6, we hope that EZ-6 can be used as a new value standard for joint venture new energy cars, which can not only have the original joint venture brand all the manufacturing heritage, safety, control, but also meet the needs of Chinese consumers for intelligence and electrification.
Today, we also talked about at the press conference, this car is so far, the only new energy model in China's joint venture brand with extended range power, our target group is those who pay more attention to quality, safety, comfort, as well as brand accumulation and brand culture of users, we also hope that EZ-6 can become a "third high-value choice" in addition to independent and foreign brands.
In the future, we will communicate with the teachers one by one about the technical details.
Jichejun: After the release of the Shanghai Auto Show to enter the field of new energy, this speed is very fast within a year, which also reflects that if Mazda wants to do something, it must be very fast and successful to do it, I think it is a good start, but the competitive pressure in the field of new energy is very strong, led by BYD in China, and foreign brands like Tesla. I would like to ask Mazda what are our advantages in matching the core competitiveness of new energy with other brands, and how can we seize market share with them?
Wu Xuxi: Now, under the tide of new energy, joint venture brands are seeking to take the route of "joint venture model 2.0", simply put, it is to use the electrification capabilities of Chinese brands to empower joint venture brands with deep car-making heritage, make up for shortcomings, give full play to the strengths of both parties, and achieve the effect of 1+1>2. There are many joint venture brands that have officially announced cooperation, but only Changan Mazda has really succeeded in running through the "joint venture model 2.0" and will be the first to launch a mass production model in 2024.
As the result of the deepening cooperation between the two century-old car companies, from product development to the world premiere of the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, the EZ-6 has made great strides and taken the lead in entering the joint venture new energy B-class sedan market, proving that Changan Mazda has successfully run through the "joint venture model 2.0" and become the first car company to launch intelligent electrification products in the new joint venture era. The reason for this is that Changan Mazda has several important advantages:
First of all, as a global car company, Mazda operates in more than 130 countries and regions, and has a clear understanding of the development of the global new energy market, the Chinese market is one of Mazda's largest overseas single markets, and is a global leader in the field of electrification and intelligence; secondly, in the course of nearly 20 years of cooperation, Mazda and Changan Automobile have maintained a very good and deepening partnership. In order to promote the continuous development of the Mazda brand in the Chinese market, Mazda Automobile has quickly responded to the changes in the Chinese market by giving full play to the advantages of both partners to achieve the goal of creating a win-win situation. Changan Automobile has absolutely leading strength in the field of electrification and intelligence, while Mazda Automobile has profound attainments in the fields of design, handling and safety.
In the future, with the launch of the second, third and fourth new energy models, Changan Mazda will gradually move towards "independence" in the field of new energy product development, and continue to strive to achieve independent development in the field of design and technology, respond more quickly to the needs of users in the Chinese market, and achieve "no Changan, no Mazda, only Changan Mazda" new Joint Venture Model 2.0".
At the same time, the EZ-6 also sounded the clarion call for Changan Mazda to lead the joint venture automobile brand to open up a larger living space in the field of new energy.