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Audi announces domestic prices for e-tron models
On November 18th, Audi officially announced the domestic prices for e-tron models, with three configuration versions priced at RMB 692,800, RMB 760,800 and RMB 800,800 respectively. Customers who order before Spring Festival can enjoy RMB 40,000 discount.
Let’s review the parameter information of Audi e-tron:
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Body size: 4901 * 1935 * 1628 mm
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Wheelbase: 2928 mm
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Battery capacity: 95 kWh (actual available capacity 83.6 kWh)
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NEDC range: 470 km
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Fast charging speed: 150 kW
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Motor type: Front and rear dual AC asynchronous motor
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Peak output power: 300 kW
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Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 5.7 seconds
Audi also announced the price of Q2L e-tron at the press conference, which ranges from RMB 226,800 to RMB 237,300.
Quick review: After a year of waiting, e-tron finally enters the domestic market. Its price coincides with Tesla Model X to some extent, although its three electric parameters are slightly inferior to Model X. However, e-tron has its own advantages in brand and driving experience. Which one will you choose?
NIO’s new CFO officially takes office
On November 18th, NIO announced the appointment of Feng Wei as the company’s chief financial officer, which will be effective from November 18th.
## Translation in English Markdown:
Feng Wei has nearly 15 years of experience in the automotive industry finance and operations. He has served as the Director General Manager of the Research Department of China International Financial Corporation Ltd. and the Chief Analyst of the Automobile and Auto Parts Industry.
He has won the “Best Automobile and Auto Parts Industry Analyst” presented by Asian Currency and Institutional Investor China Research Team, as well as the “Asia’s Top-Ranked Autos Analyst Award” presented by Thomson Reuters StarMine.
Fast comment: NIO finally bids farewell to the days without a CFO. Looking at the new CFO’s CV, the strength is not bad, but from the financial status of NIO, the challenge facing the new CFO is very severe. We will also continue to pay attention to the changes in NIO.
Tesla’s domestic Model 3 “ready for delivery”
On November 13, the latest batch of “Road Motor Vehicle Production Enterprises and Products Announcement” was released on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. obtained admission and the Tesla domestic car obtained a “provisional production certificate.”
Only two days later, many netizens on Weibo revealed that their orders for domestic Tesla Model 3 had been updated to “prepare for vehicle delivery.” This means that the first batch of users for domestic Model 3 is coming soon.
Tesla has previously disclosed that it is expected to conduct small-scale deliveries of domestic Model 3 by the end of this year, and mass deliveries still need to wait until the first quarter of next year.
However, according to foreign media reports, the initial production capacity of Tesla Shanghai Super Factory is set quite aggressively. The factory plans to produce 17,400 Model 3s by the end of 2019, which means that the Shanghai Super Factory will produce new cars at a “crazy” speed of 2,900 per week as soon as it starts operating.
Fast comment: Recently, Tesla can be said to be “full of joy” worldwide. On the one hand, the production of domestic Model 3 is in full swing, and on the other hand, Tesla’s European plant is officially settled in Berlin, Germany. Next, on the 21st, we will usher in the much-anticipated day of the release of the electric pickup truck “Cybertruck.”
Never stop, never delay, always move forward efficiently. This may be the most admirable thing about Tesla.
XPeng Motors has completed a Series C financing of USD 400 million.On November 13, XPeng Motors announced successfully closing a Series C financing round, with a total amount of US$400 million. This round of financing has introduced Xiaomi Group as a strategic investment partner, and XPeng Motors’ Chairman and CEO He XPeng has once again invested as a personal investor on the basis of rounds A and B.
Apart from the US$400 million equity financing, XPeng Motors stated that it has obtained several tens of billions of RMB of unsecured credit loans from both Chinese and foreign banks, including China Merchants Bank, China Citic Bank, and HSBC.
He XPeng stated that the amount, investor composition, and investor backgrounds in this round of financing have all met XPeng Motors’ expectations, and “XPeng Motors’ Series C financing has not only attracted new strategic investors, such as Xiaomi Group, but also received strong support from many existing shareholders of XPeng Motors. This is a reaffirmation of our long-term strategy, execution capability, and prudent and pragmatic business model in the smart car race.”
Regarding this strategic investment, Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, stated, “Xiaomi Group and XPeng Motors have conducted in-depth cooperation and achieved abundant results in the interconnection between smartphones and smart cars. We hope to deepen the further cooperation between the two sides in the smart hardware and IoT fields through this strategic investment.
Brief comment: After XPeng Motors announced the financing information, various media outlets made fun of XPeng Motors’ “failed” entry into the winter. For XPeng Motors, it is not easy to gain investors’ trust against the backdrop of the capital winter.
The cooperation between XPeng Motors and Xiaomi is not only unexpected but also reasonable. The position of Xiaomi in the mobile phone industry when it was founded is actually very similar to XPeng Motors’ current position in the automotive industry. In addition, Xiaomi Group is currently laying out a full-life-cycle intelligent ecological system for IoT, and it is only natural for it to form a strategic partnership with XPeng, which also emphasizes cost-effectiveness.
NIO unveils the first official image of its new model, featuring visual A-pillars
On November 12th, NIO released a set of official images of the NIO U, its first compact electric SUV. The NEDC-rated range of the vehicle is 500 km and it offers both 2WD and 4WD versions, with the 4WD version accelerating from 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The vehicle measures 4530mm x 1860mm x 1628mm and has a wheelbase of 2770mm.
The biggest highlight of NETA U lies in its transparent A-pillar design. Based on the Volkswagen AR-View system, by installing the OLED flexible screen on the inside of the A-pillar and seamlessly connecting it to the interior, in combination with the independently developed intelligent software algorithm and external high-definition camera, the A-pillar can be transparently visualized, and the angle can be automatically adjusted according to the driver’s head movement to completely solve the blind spot problem.
Quick review: NETA U will be officially unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show, and we will finally see the real picture of its visualization A-pillar. After the subsidy, the price of NETA U starts from 150,000 yuan, which is a similar price and size as the compact SUV G3 under XPeng. Based on the lessons from XPeng G3, NETA U needs to have some unique features that make consumers willing to pay, or else its sales may be worrying.
Two New Vice Presidents Join FF and FF91 is Expected to be Mass Produced and Delivered in 2020
On November 15th, FF (Faraday Future) announced two executive changes. Bob Kruse will join FF as the Executive Vice President of Product, effective this month, and Benedict Hartman will take the position of Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain Organization in January 2020.
Bob Kruse has more than 30 years of professional experience in General Motors and other consulting and startup companies. Before joining FF, he served as the Chief Technology Officer of Karma and Qoros Auto. After joining FF, he will be responsible for FF’s product development, engineering, and manufacturing teams. Benedict Hartman has more than 30 years of work experience in BMW and led many procurement and supplier plans, successfully launching multiple models including BMW 5 Series, X3, 3 Series, and X2. Benedict Hartman has a very strong professional background in China, and he has led the entire China Brilliance BMW global supply chain for three years.FF also announced that it will open the doors to the public for the first time at its Los Angeles headquarters on November 20-21 in the FF 91.
Quick Comment: Dr. BF’s impact on FF is gradually becoming apparent, and the addition of these two executives is the best proof. From last week’s exposure of FF91’s new features to this week’s executive recruitment and next week’s interior display, it seems that FF is heading towards a road of recovery. Perhaps after 2020, we can no longer describe Mr. Jia as “building cars with PPT”.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.