Author: James Yang Jianwen

On October 18th, the Hechuang Z03 was officially launched, with a total of four models released and a price range of 132,800 to 168,800 yuan.

This is also the second new car under the Hechuang brand.

Starting with the Products

The Z03 body size is as follows: 4602/1900/1645 (length, width, height in mm), with a wheelbase of 2750, a compact SUV.

Obviously, after introducing Guangqi Ainan as a strategic investor, Hechuang has gained a lot of technical support from the former.

From 007 to Z03, Hechuang’s style has actually changed a lot. Let’s jump straight to the picture:

In terms of interior design, they have abandoned the previous tri-screen and opted for a combination of a 10.25-inch digital dashboard and a 14.6-inch high-definition central control screen. Compared with 007, I might like Z03’s interior better.

(What I’m more doubtful about is whether such a strong leap in style will affect the overall tone of Hechuang.)

Space is also emphasized by Hechuang. The 2750mm wheelbase also brings more space to maneuver. After removing the front headrests, you can achieve a flat-bed mode.

Z03 offers two types of batteries: a 64.6 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery and a 76.8 kWh ternary lithium battery. The corresponding ranges are 510 kilometers and 620 kilometers (CLTC cycle). The data looks good on paper, but it remains to be seen how it performs in practice.

Next year, Hechuang Z03 will also launch a special customized version called EDG, which can be equipped with an optional 800 km ultra-large capacity battery pack.The powertrain of the ChaoWan Edition and Ultra Smart Edition features a 135 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor, which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line and second-tier models are equipped with a 160 kW motor, which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds.

In terms of intelligence, all Z03 models except for the base model feature the HYCAN PILOT assistive driving system, which is essentially the same as mainstream L2 configurations.

Looking at the configuration table, the Ultra Smart Edition (148,800 RMB) and ChaoZhi Long-Range Edition (158,800 RMB) have basically the same configuration, with the only differences being that the latter has a slightly longer range (110 km) and faster acceleration (0.9 seconds).

The configuration differences between the ChaoZhi Long-Range Edition and Z Chao Edition (168,800 RMB) are not significant, with the former offering heated and electrically adjustable front passenger seats, laminated and insulated windows, stronger air filtration, and Pirelli tires.

The price difference between the three models is about 10,000 RMB, which can easily bring the top configuration to its maximum.

In terms of positioning, the Hechuang Z03 is in direct competition with the hot-selling XPeng G3i.

The Z03 is larger than the G3i and has better range and power, but it is priced lower than the G3i.

The top-tier Z Chao Edition has a range of 620 km (CLTC cycle) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds, with a subsidized price of 168,800 RMB.

The XPeng G3i has a range of 520 km (NEDC cycle) and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds, with a subsidized price of 185,800 RMB.

Overall, the Z03 surpasses the G3i in all important parameters, and may take some of the G3i’s market share after its launch.

Since the beginning of the year, Hechuang has undergone a noticeable transformation after receiving financing. Abandoning its previous conservative strategy, the company has worked with Chinese animation “Soul Land” to create a cartoon car, and collaborated with the EDG E-sports club to launch the EDG special edition, which can be equipped with an 800 km range battery pack.The cross-border collaboration of Hechuang reminds me of the successful launch of the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV in the micro-car sector, which once made many cross-border moves and attracted a large number of fans.

Now Hechuang is trying to attract more young consumers through the cross-border combination of esports and Chinese animation. In fact, Hechuang has made some progress. According to Yang Ying, CEO of Hechuang Automotive, the new car has received more than 30,000 orders. This is a good achievement for Hechuang, which has a relatively small market share.

However, although Hechuang has tasted a bit of sweetness through cross-border collaboration, it still needs product strength to sustain sales growth. The reason why the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV was successful is that there were indeed no competitors at that time, and the product had excellent cost performance, enabling it to dominate the market.

Therefore, Hechuang needs to figure out its product definition and core competencies to truly enter the mass market.

In conclusion, in my opinion, the Z03 is not particularly memorable. Although it has some competitiveness, Hechuang’s design style has been changing from 007 to Z03, and it has not yet settled on a distinctive family heritage that can be passed down. Therefore, I think the Z03 is more like a transitional product, and perhaps we can see more of Hechuang’s ideas implemented in the next new car.

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.