A "Lan Tu" (Misty Painting) created in Wuhan - Lan Tu Automotive Press Conference.

Thanks for the invitation from Garage 42, I attended the launch event of Dongfeng’s new energy brand “Voyah”.

First impression: The specifications are really impressive!

At the Hanshow main venue (the highest level of high-tech venue), the vice governor gave a speech, and the chairman of CATL attended, while Tencent and other investors were present. Just introducing the attendees took a lot of time.

As for the car itself, because it is a concept car launch, only the exterior was revealed. The styling is indeed very attractive, but it is still a concept car. Hopefully, the production car will look as good as the concept car.

Here are my concerns:

  1. Claiming to have a “no range anxiety” driving range, the PPT states that it is a plug-in hybrid.

In my opinion, the criterion for determining whether it is truly a “no range anxiety” is whether it can drive to Tibet by itself, driving to Tibet means you can drive to all corners of the country.

As far as I know, only the Ideal ONE can achieve this because it uses an extended-range hybrid powertrain, which can switch to gasoline when there is no charging station available.

During the event, they did not explain how they can achieve “no range anxiety”. I hope Voyah can provide answers in addition to having a high driving range. However, even if the driving range is high, you still need to find a charging station and wait for several hours after you run out of battery, regardless of whether you can drive for 6 or 8 hours on the highway.

  1. The chairman of Dongfeng said that they will release a new model every year, covering various types of vehicles. I can’t help but feel that the new energy market is too crowded.

The launch event repeatedly emphasized that the target customers are those who pursue high-quality and high-end lifestyles, so the price will not be affordable to the average person. I guess it will be more than RMB 300,000.

How can they stand out and attract buyers when facing established players like Tesla and Xpeng, as well as BYD with a strong financial background and newly-emerged players like Evergrande? Now, we can only wait for Voyah’s first mass-produced car to provide an answer.

Finally, I hope this Hubei-based automaker can achieve great results, becoming a source of pride for the locals and not just taking advantage of the support of a major player.

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.