Tesla sets new quarterly delivery record in Q3; Taycan orders exceed expectations, Porsche expands hiring again

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Tesla Q3 Delivers Record 97,000 Vehicles

On October 3, Tesla released its Q3 sales figures, delivering a total of 97,000 vehicles. Although it did not exceed the 100,000 mark, this is a new quarterly delivery record for Tesla!

16318 Model S/X vehicles were produced and 17400 were delivered.

79837 Model 3 vehicles were produced and 79600 were delivered.

A total of 96155 vehicles were produced and 97000 were delivered.

Comment: Although it did not exceed the 100,000 mark, this is a new delivery record for Tesla! Tesla has been constantly breaking its own delivery record this year, and the Model 3 is a major contributor to its sales. Most importantly, Tesla stated that “the vast majority of Model 3 delivery orders came from customers who did not previously have a reservation.” This is the most powerful response from Tesla to rumors of weak demand for orders.

By the end of September 2019, Tesla delivered 252,000 vehicles worldwide this year, still 104,000 vehicles away from its global delivery guidance of 360,000-400,000 vehicles set at the beginning of the year. If Tesla’s China super factory can achieve mass production and delivery before December, Tesla may be able to achieve its annual delivery target as planned.

Taycan Orders Exceed Expectations, Porsche Expands Another 500 jobs

Recently, Porsche announced that it will once again expand its German headquarters in Zuffenhausen’s sports car manufacturing plant by adding 500 new positions to meet the needs of high-quality Taycan production!

The current orders for Taycan have exceeded 32,000 vehicles. Therefore, Porsche has to initiate a new recruitment plan once again. Of the previously expanded 1,500 positions, 1,000 were filled in July, and the remaining 500 positions will be satisfied in the next few days. The newly added 500 positions are expected to complete the recruitment process at the end of the second quarter of 2020.

Comment: When most domestic car fans and media are still thinking that the price of Taycan is too high, and the sales volume is difficult to achieve, Porsche has broken everyone’s doubts about the order volume with practical action. It has to be said that the accumulated brand appeal of traditional manufacturers is still a huge advantage once they make an effort.

Audi releases teaser image for a new electric vehicle model on the same platform as Taycan

Recently, Audi released a teaser video of a new electric sports vehicle, which is reportedly built on the same PPE platform as the latest Taycan released by Porsche. The car has a body size and shape similar to Audi A5 and a range of up to 483km.

From the teaser image, it can be seen that this new electric vehicle adopts the design concept of a coupe, with a sleek streamlined body shape, large-size wheels that are very eye-catching, and segmental design for daytime running lights in contrast to Audi’s usual linear style. The new electric vehicle will adopt a rear-mounted electric motor and rear-wheel drive form with four-wheel steering, torque vector allocation system, and air suspension. The high-end version will add a motor on the front axle to achieve four-wheel drive.

In addition, the vehicle will also adopt an 800V charging system, the same as the Porsche Taycan, with a charging power of up to 350 kW, which can charge 80% in 15 minutes.

Comment: The PPE platform of Volkswagen Group was jointly developed by Audi and Porsche, specializing in high-end electric vehicles. From the current situation, the PPE platform is becoming more and more popular among car companies. Besides the already released Porsche Taycan developed on the PPE platform, the high-performance GT version of Audi e-tron, which was previously unveiled, has been confirmed to be developed on the platform. At the same time, Bentley is also developing a new pure electric vehicle based on the platform. It is believed that the first Audi coupe pure electric vehicle model unveiled this time will be a high-performance car.

The exterior image of the Volvo XC40 EV is exposed.Recently, Volvo released the official teaser image of their pure electric XC40, revealing more details about the vehicle. As the first pure electric vehicle under the Volvo brand, the new car adopts the “Scandinavian” design philosophy, emphasizing practicality and functionality while reducing the design elements of the body. The new car will be officially released on October 16th.

The pure electric XC40 adopts a closed front grille design. It continues the family design language of the gasoline version, with Volvo’s iconic Thor’s Hammer daytime running lights. Due to the elimination of the internal combustion engine, the official has designed a front trunk with a capacity of about 30 liters for the pure electric XC40, improving the cargo space. In addition, ADAS sensors have been added. This advanced driver assistance system will be composed of multiple radars, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors, and the technology will be developed by Zenuity, a joint venture between Volvo and Veoneer.

Quick Comment: The fastest country on this planet in the development of new energy vehicles is not China. In 2018, the top three countries with the highest proportion of electric vehicles in new cars were Norway, Iceland, and Sweden. Among them, the proportion of electric vehicles in Norway reached 49.1%. After the independent brand Polestar was released, Volvo, originating from Sweden, will finally launch a pure electric vehicle under the Volvo brand.

Personally, I think that the XC40 is the most harmonious and best-looking among several SUVs from Volvo. From the official images, except for the fully enclosed grille, there are almost no changes compared to the gasoline version. We have to wait until the 16th to see if there are any exciting changes in the interior and powertrain parameters.

500 km Range: Hyundai Kona Electric will be launched in October

The pure electric version of the compact SUV Hyundai Kona, the Kona Electric, will be officially launched this month. In terms of appearance, the Kona Electric version has not changed much in terms of styling from the gasoline version, only making “electric elements” changes to the details. The biggest change compared to the gasoline version is the installation of a set of 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels with special aerodynamic design, which looks full of futurism. Of course, due to the elimination of the exhaust pipe, the rear bumper has been adjusted, giving it a very full and solid appearance.

In terms of power, the Beijing Hyundai ix35EV will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery from Ningde Times with a capacity of 64.2 kWh, an energy density of 141 Wh/kg, and a maximum charging power of 70 kW. The maximum power of the electric motor is 150 kW, and the maximum torque is 310 N·m. The official claimed that the NEDC cruising range can reach 500 km, and the maximum speed is 170 km/h.

Quick comparison: As the first pure electric model of Beijing Hyundai, ix35EV’s goal is very clear: to solve the biggest pain point of electric vehicles – cruising range. ix35EV is the first NEDC model with a range of 500 km in joint venture brands. Although there is no comprehensive innovation in appearance, based on the cost-effective strategy of Korean cars, the new car may be priced “very well”! We hope that the ix35EV can become a “catfish” that stirs up the entry-level pure electric car market, and allows more cost-effective electric vehicles from joint venture brands to come soon.