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**β Tesla Model Y Will Be Delivered in the United States This Month
Since last week, American customers have received emails about the delivery of Model Y. By now, all “5-seater models”, including performance version, four-wheel-drive long-endurance version, and rear-wheel-drive long-endurance Model Y, will be delivered.
According to reports from foreign media, the delivery date will start from March 15th. Officials have also sent emails to customers who previously ordered the 7-seater version of Model Y: they can change to the 5-seater version for earlier delivery. According to the official response, the 7-seater version of Model Y may not be put into production until next year.
Quick Comment: According to the current official website, the rear-wheel-drive long-endurance Model Y has been discontinued. Tesla’s official response is that customers who previously ordered it will continue to have their orders fulfilled, but the company will not accept new orders for this model. It seems that those customers who previously ordered the rear-wheel-drive long-endurance Model Y have purchased a limited edition once again.
Model Y was released in March 2019 and started delivery in March 2020. The whole process only took one year, which is really impressive.
Looking at the Chinese market, the domestically produced Model 3 standard endurance version has started delivery. However, the progress of the domestically produced Model Y still depends on the construction of “Shanghai Super Factory Phase II”.
Currently, the construction of Phase II has been listed in the list of major construction projects in Shanghai. After all procedures are completed, construction can begin. If everything goes smoothly, the domestically produced Model Y will meet with everyone before the beginning of 2021.## NIO’s China Headquarters to be Established in Hefei
On the 25th, the People’s Government of Hefei announced that according to the cooperation framework agreement signed between NIO and Hefei, NIO’s China Headquarters project will be established in Hefei.
This project includes the establishment of NIO’s China Headquarters, the construction of research and development, sales, and production bases in Hefei, and the creation of an operational system for NIO’s China Headquarters centered on Hefei, with project financing plans exceeding RMB 10 billion.
The signing ceremony was held at the NIO Hefei factory, where the production project of Jianghuai NIO EC6 was also launched.
Remarks: First of all, it should be noted that NIO’s “China Headquarters” mentioned in this agreement will be established in Hefei, while its “Global Headquarters” will still remain in Shanghai. These two points are not contradictory. Garage 42 has confirmed this with Qin Lihong, the founder and CEO of NIO.
The fact that NIO lacks money is not a secret. From the financing that ended in Huzhou, Zhejiang in 2019, to the recent high-profile news that Geely might invest, to the two financing projects worth as much as 200 million US dollars at the beginning of the year. It is clear from any of them that NIO is eager to survive.
The cooperation with Hefei was first announced by the government, and later confirmed by NIO. At this stage, the two sides have signed a framework agreement. If NIO can really integrate the resources of Anhui’s auto industry and drive the development of the local industry, then NIO might really survive this time.
NIO Announces Lifetime Quality Assurance Purchase Plan for Ideals ONE
On the 28th, the Ideals official announced the launch of the “First Owner Lifetime Quality Assurance” purchase plan, which can be purchased through the Ideals app from the vehicle order to delivery. The price is RMB 4999, with a limited-time discount of RMB 2999. After purchase, the first owner can enjoy the quality assurance service for the whole vehicle and the three-electric system without any time and mileage limitations.
In addition, Ideals also launched a “Bank of China five-year period” financial policy, with an annual rate of 4.4%.Quick Review: Here it should be mentioned that the first owner has a lifelong quality guarantee, only responsible for the first owner. In other words, the guarantee will be nullified once the vehicle is resold. In fact, some brands like NIO have already given away the lifelong guarantee on purchase, while Tesla has a corresponding paid extended warranty policy.
It can be seen that many car owners still have concerns about new car-making powers. Many people previously bought the ideal lifelong guarantee number from Xianyu, so are you satisfied with the limited-time price of RMB 2,999 for the official sale this time?
β£ Polestar Precept, a brand-new concept car, is released by Polestar
On the 25th, Polestar released a brand-new model, “Polestar Precept,” by live streaming on the internet. This car is positioned as a pure electric 4-door GT coupe, and it is also the first model to adopt a brand-new design language since the independence of the brand.
The biggest change in the front face is the cancelation of the traditional intake grille design. LED headlights have become a split design, which is different from the “Thor’s Hammer” design.
The biggest highlight of the vehicle side is the use of cameras instead of glass rear-view mirrors. It was mentioned during the release that the cameras can reduce wind resistance and increase technology sense. The rear of the vehicle is still designed with a light bar, and the roof glass extends significantly.
Quick Review: Polestar Precept is the third car of the brand, and it is unclear whether it is due to production capacity or not, but the first two cars, Polestar 1 and Polestar 2, are rarely seen on the road. The new car released this time can tell that the influence of Volvo is reserved and abandoned.
At the conference, an environmental-friendly tone frequently mentioned throughout the vehicle. The entire interior of the vehicle is made of advanced environmental-friendly materials, which is a point that Polestar has been advocating and wants to differentiate itself from other car companies.
That being said, there is no clear mass production time for this car yet. In fact, not only for the Polestar Precept new model, I hope that the Polestar brand can enter ordinary households and accept public judgment as soon as possible.
β€ Last week, General Motors’ Hamtramck Factory in Detroit officially ceased production.Last week, General Motors officially discontinued the production of gasoline-powered cars at its Hamtramck plant in Detroit. The company will invest $2.2 billion to convert the plant into a facility solely for the production of electric cars, with a construction period of 12-18 months.
The Hamtramck plant was opened by General Motors in Detroit in 1985, and over the course of 35 years, it produced 4 million vehicles. With the last gasoline-powered car rolling off the assembly line over the weekend, the era of fossil fuel vehicles has come to an end at this facility.
Quick take: Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles is not only an automotive industry trend in the U.S., but a global development direction. According to the German Association of the Automotive Industry, Germany’s auto industry is expected to cut 830,000 jobs in the next decade, nearly one-tenth of the entire workforce.
About 800 workers were affected by the closure of the Hamtramck plant, but they will have the option to transfer to other General Motors facilities in Ohio or Michigan before ultimately returning to Hamtramck after the plant’s conversion is completed in the future.
Authored by Changhao Lewis
Edited by Song Song
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.