During the 2019 Guangzhou Auto Show, Chevrolet’s first domestically-produced pure electric vehicle, the Changtu, made its debut, immediately becoming the longest-range product among joint venture brands in the domestic market, and attracting attention from the pure electric vehicle community. As Chevrolet’s frontrunner in the domestic new energy market, will Changtu be appealing enough to harvest users with an attractive price? Today, we will make a prediction.
First, let’s take a look at Changtu. The appearance of the Chevrolet Changtu is derived from the FNR-X concept car design, incorporating the concept of vital beauty aesthetics. The front face’s electroplated decorative strip and LED headlight shape blend together, broadening the frontal visual width of the vehicle. The side lines are dynamic and smooth, with a compact and powerful body proportion. The upward window lines and the lowered floating roof at the back fully demonstrate the beauty of new energy vehicle design. Compared to the majority of new energy vehicles in the same price range, which mostly rely on modified gasoline car shells or minor changes, Changtu’s sporty and sharp appearance has a very high degree of restoration to the concept car, with extremely high visibility, reflecting Chevrolet’s full sincerity in the new energy market.
Regarding the powertrain, Changtu is equipped with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor of maximum power 110 kW, a 52.5 kWh ternary lithium battery pack, and an NEDC range of 410km, unmatched by joint venture brands in the same price range. Its official 0-50km/h acceleration time is only 3.6 seconds, perfectly suitable for urban commuting needs.
In terms of configuration, the new car is fully equipped with a one-key central door lock with auto-lifting windows and anti-pinch function, as well as Auto Hold, EPB electronic parking brake, keyless entry and one-key start, automatic folding and unlocking of the external rearview mirrors, and other practical functions. In addition, the new car will also provide a 10.1-inch color touch screen, equipped with MyLink+ intelligent connectivity system, with intelligent voice recognition function, capable of realizing OTA remote upgrade, supporting Apple CarPlay and Baidu CarLife mobile phone projection function.
# In today’s diversified new energy vehicle market in China, although joint venture cars have certain advantages and accumulations in terms of brand and quality, their living space in the new market for pure electric vehicles is constantly being squeezed due to the rapid emergence of domestic and new-made cars. As the first domestically-produced pure electric vehicle of Chevrolet, Bolt EV must offer a sincere price. Looking at same-level models of joint venture brands in the market, the Golf Pure Electric is priced between ¥147,700 and ¥168,800, and the Sylphy Pure Electric is priced between ¥159,000 and ¥166,000. In terms of domestic brands, the popular Aeolus S is currently priced between ¥139,800 and ¥205,800 in the market. Bolt EV has started pre-sale before the Spring Festival, and according to the news from its 4S stores, its price will be within the range of ¥150,000 to ¥200,000. This price belongs to the reasonable range for this type of vehicle.
In addition to the maximum power of 110kW, maximum torque of 350Nm and 13.1kWh per 100-kilometer power consumption, Bolt EV’s entire series comes with practical features such as heated front seats, automatic parking, electronic parking, keyless entry, and one-key start. There is also a large 1.147 square meter sunroof that extends to the back of the second row of passengers’ heads, as well as a cool 10.1-inch color touch screen, balancing practicality and comfort. Bolt EV is fully qualified in hardware and software and has certain advantages compared to its competitors.
As for whether to choose a joint venture or a domestic brand for this level of new energy vehicle, let me analyze it for you. As far as electric vehicle technology is concerned, although countries around the world are basically on the same starting line, traditional car companies, thanks to their accumulation in fuel vehicle technology, have a much deeper understanding of car manufacturing technology than new forces in the car industry. Apart from the power system, there is no major challenge in terms of technology transfer. In addition, traditional joint venture brands have a lot of patents in the field of automotive technology, and although domestic brands have slightly higher values in terms of endurance and the like, they may not have the strength for overtaking in a short period of time, especially in terms of driving comfort and vehicle assembly. In terms of residual value, joint venture brands offer higher residual value for their vehicles than domestic brands. After all, electric vehicles are mainly used for city commuting. If you care more about driving comfort, you should pay more attention to joint venture brands when choosing a car that suits your actual needs.
Based on the sub-segment market environment and competitor pricing strategy described above, considering the price difference in pre-sales and Chevrolet’s brand value positioning under General Motors on the Chinese mainland, there is a high possibility that Bolt EV’s market positioning price will be slightly lower than that of same-type joint venture competitors. Therefore, this translate predicts that Bolt EV’s starting price is likely to be ¥155,800. The high-end price will be slightly lower than Buick’s soft-blue of the same family. The prices of the entire series will be within the range of ¥150,000 to ¥190,000.
It is worth mentioning that currently Chevrolet has launched a pre-order activity for the Chevy Changchun. From now until the Lantern Festival in 2020, customers who pre-order the Chevy Changchun at the dealership can enjoy a discount of ¥10000 with only ¥599 paid if they decide to purchase the car. Otherwise, they can get a refund. Due to the cost and other factors, there is little room for discounts in new energy vehicles. Therefore, if you are interested in the Chevy Changchun, it is recommended to pre-order it in advance and enjoy a discount of nearly ¥10000.
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.