Zero Run finally looks like a new force in the car manufacturing industry and has set its sights on the mainstream pure electric SUV market.
At the Guangzhou Auto Show this morning, Zero Run’s first high-end pure electric SUV model, Zero Run C11, was officially unveiled globally. The new car is built on Zero Run’s independently developed modular electric platform, the C architecture, and is the first to be equipped with two “Lingxin 01” intelligent driving chips with completely independent intellectual property rights. It has a maximum range of over 600 kilometers and is pre-sold for 160,000 to 200,000 yuan, and is available in two models: a dual-motor intelligent four-wheel drive version and a single-motor rear-wheel drive version. It is planned to be officially launched next year.
As a mainstream pure electric SUV, Zero Run C11 seems to have missed the best window to enter the market, but two years of hibernation have allowed it to fully absorb market experience. Will it be able to seize the pain point of consumers purchasing pure electric SUVs?
Product Power Geometry?
In summary, although Zero Run C11’s price falls into the same category as vehicles like WM EX5, XPeng G3, and Nazha U, its product power can compete with NIO ES6, LI ONE, and even the upcoming domestic Tesla Model Y. It can be said to be full of sincerity.
In terms of range, Zero Run C11 directly surpasses the 600 km threshold, leaving behind the classic 520 km range of WM EX5-Z and XPeng G3. In addition, the new generation Haikeles electric drive system developed by Zero Run provides a maximum output power of 400 kW, and the acceleration of 0-100 km/h is less than 4 seconds, reaching the same level as NIO ES6.
However, it should be noted that with the continuous increase in battery capacity, various car companies are expected to reach the level of 100 kWh in 2021, which means that increasing the range to more than 600 kilometers is not difficult. However, by doing it all at once, Zero Run C11 avoids the problem of large product iteration spans and users feeling like they are being taken advantage of.
In terms of intelligent technology, Zero Run C11 adopts the most advanced third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in the industry, which can greatly improve the smoothness of user operations and the stability of system operation. At the same time, the new car also adopts the popular three-screen design language, with the size of the driving screen, central control screen, and co-pilot screen being 10.25, 12.8, and 10.25 inches, respectively. With the latest generation of intelligent voice interaction system from iFlytek, users can control and manage all the hardware in the car, including doors, windows, air conditioning, seats, thermal management, and charging.A noteworthy feature of the Zhidou C11 is that it fully caters to the comfort of the front passenger by providing a separate Bluetooth interface and dual-audio-zone voice interaction, allowing the front passenger to enjoy an immersive cabin experience while watching iQiyi videos or listening to music. This is an understanding that other vehicles in the same class do not have. We have only seen the same approach on the Ideal ONE, which is worthy of praise.
In terms of assisted driving, the Zhidou C11 boasts a total of 28 high-precision sensing hardware devices, including 10 body cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 1 face recognition camera, all of which are standard across the entire lineup and on par with the Model Y. It is also equipped with two self-developed Lingxuan 01 chips to support the Leap Pilot 3.0 intelligent driving assistance system’s 22 functions.
To be frank, the Lingxuan 01 chip is worth discussing more at the product launch conference because, to my knowledge, only Tesla and Zhidou are the two companies worldwide that have integrated autonomous driving capabilities into the perception, decision-making, and execution layers. Even NIO, a strong competitor, relies on Mobileye’s foundation and their self-developed algorithms. However, Zhidou’s strategy of “hardware-first, software OTA” for the early stages of the S01 led to some misunderstandings among users, and therefore the C11 has to be more cautious.
Here’s the key point: according to Zhidou’s official statement, the C11 will be able to achieve eight functions such as AEB automatic emergency braking and APS intelligent parking system during next year’s mass production stage, and 14 additional functions such as ALC automatic lane change assistance can be achieved through OTA upgrades. While they haven’t emphasized the so-called Level L standard, the actual functional aspects are also somewhat vague, so everything still depends on next year’s mass production.
Finally, let’s talk about the exterior design of the C11, which I think is the most interesting aspect of Zhidou as a car company. If you’ve been following this new car company a bit, you’ll know that the three products they’ve rolled out have very different designs. From the S01’s trendy tech-play attributes to the T03’s small and rounded neutral style, to now, the Zhidou C11, perhaps because the product positioning differences are quite significant, all three products are quite an eye-catcher.Zero Run C11 advocates a combination of technology, natural aesthetics, and digitized intuitive design in its design. It features popular closed front faces and hidden door handles, as well as unique designs such as the cloud-like LED headlights, arched three-dimensional waistline, digital wave front face, frameless doors, water drop-shaped LED external rearview mirrors, and signature “battle axe” sport wheels.
Compared with competing models such as the WmAuto EX5, XPeng G3, and Nio U, Zero Run has planted a seed in consumers’ minds with its distinctly different exterior design, making the launch of the C11 more unique and identifiable.
Competitive analysis: According to the recently released October list of pure electric SUV accident rates, only the NIO family has a significant advantage over other car companies in the domestic pure electric SUV market, while other companies fall behind. Zero Run is wise in avoiding direct competition with NIO ES6 and setting the price range at the level of entry-level SUVs. As a result, Zero Run C11 has a more obvious advantage compared to WmAuto EX5, XPeng G3, and other models.
Using the official push of the ultra-long wheelbase as an example, the length, width, and height of the C11 are 4750, 1905, and 650mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2930mm, which is more advantageous than the 2703mm of the WmAuto EX5, the 2625mm of the XPeng G3, and the 2770mm of the Nio U. Additionally, the C11 also provides a luxury cabin with a large area of Nappa leather wrapping, allowing users to enjoy a superior internal space comfort experience.
In addition to the two years of lurking and precise understanding of user core demands, Zero Run’s development philosophy of “self-research and self-manufacturing” is also worth mentioning. In just three years, Zero Run has mastered core technologies such as intelligent driving systems, intelligent network systems, and “three-electric” systems, and has built an AI intelligent manufacturing factory in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, that produces electronic and electrical equipment. The large amount of early investment has resulted in today’s high cost-effectiveness of the C11.When it comes to entering the market, the Leading Ideal C11 is almost two years behind its competitors in the pure electric SUV market, which means that if it fails to offer enough surprises, it may not meet consumers who have been educated in this market for two years. At least, in my opinion, what the Leading Ideal C11 has shown so far is not surprising enough.
As for the range, the Leading Ideal C11 seems to have a great advantage at present, but it is hard to say what will happen when it goes on sale in 2021; as for the assisted driving, because of the lessons learned from its predecessors, the Leading Ideal C11 is quite conservative this time, but it still cannot show the same strength as Tesla, which is not eye-catching enough; finally, in terms of exterior design, I personally like the design of the Leading Ideal C11 very much, but this is a product point where there are different preferences, so it cannot be considered as a surprise for everyone.
In summary, in my opinion, the Leading Ideal C11 still has a long way to go to stand out from numerous competitors in 2021 and withstand the impact of the upcoming domestic Model Y. However, the good news is that the Lingxin 01 chip is a strong selling point, and if the Leading Ideal can focus on producing Leap Pilot 3.0 and bring it to a new level, this will give a great boost to the C11.
In the past October, Leading Ideal’s sales reached 1743 vehicles, an increase of 66% compared with September, achieving a certain level of progress. However, T03, Euler R1, and Hongguang MINI EV still account for a large portion of sales, which has not fundamentally solved the sales predicament of Leading Ideal. Therefore, the heavy burden of sales volume on Leading Ideal C11 is even more pressing.
Although November in Guangzhou is still hot in everyone’s heart, Leading Ideal must be more determined to move forward.
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.