The Three-legged New Energy Era
Recently, have your tears been drained dry?
With the recent hit show “The Founding of a Republic” and the stories of the first eight recipients of the “Medal of the Republic”, not only it explains what is the backbone of the country and the nation to every descendant, but also shows the actions, youth, and even lives that the predecessors have devoted in pursuit of truth.
The most thought-provoking part in the drama is the “Gift of Tu Youyou”. In that era of rampant malaria, antimalarial drugs have developed resistance, while the Chinese herb, Artemisia annua, commonly known as sweet wormwood, was selected as the “top seed player” by many units at that time. However, the toxicity side effect became a major problem to conquer. Regarding this, the Tu Youyou-led research group, field researched more than 2000 kinds of Chinese herbal preparations, and selected 640 possible antimalarial formulas from them. Finally, they discovered the shockingly effective artemisinin. From this, it is not difficult to realize that in the pursuit of scientific truth, it is inevitable to encounter crossroads. So, which path is the correct one? Perhaps by grasping the essence of things, you will find the answer. Just as the era of new energy vehicles in China is surging.
In today’s automobile market, we are also facing a change of era. The era of pure gasoline is bound to be replaced by the new energy era. In this unpredictable new energy vehicle market, we can also see completely different crossroads.
Take Tesla as an example. From its first model, the Model S, to the current Model 3/Y, its main selling point is intelligent technology. Its brand also values technological features such as ADAS, OTA online upgrades and other intelligent functions.
On the other hand, new forces in the automotive industry focus more on user operation and maintenance, and tend to be more intelligent and connected to the internet. Just as NIO has always been committed to creating its own exclusive community, JH and IM and other brands have joined hands with Internet companies to build an intelligent and connected network. They all have a commonality, that is, the brand focuses on the internet product attributes.The traditional automotive industry, represented by SAIC Volkswagen, is committed to building electric vehicles that return to the essence of automobiles. With millions of users, traditional automotive companies do not simply regard electric vehicles as toys or technology products, but rather delve into the basic attributes of electric vehicles and strive for the best. Therefore, the development of SAIC Volkswagen’s ID family models focuses more on the essence of “automobiles”.
Currently, the domestic new energy vehicle market has formed a tripod situation. As the new energy vehicle market gradually matures, the demand for electric vehicles will become more diversified, inevitably leading to the emergence of electric vehicle models with different attributes. However, as the most important means of transportation in our daily life, cars cannot be replaced in the past, present or future. To grasp the essence of automotive mobility is the best choice for the ever-changing new energy vehicle market. Therefore, we believe that the path chosen by traditional automakers such as SAIC Volkswagen to “return to the essence of automobiles” is more suitable for the new energy vehicle market.
SAIC Volkswagen, as a traditional veteran automaker, has achieved great success in traditional fuel-powered vehicles, and the essence of the new energy vehicle market is still automobiles. Handling, safety, and comfort are also key words that have always been associated with automobiles. Therefore, for the SAIC Volkswagen brand, the achievements they have made on traditional fuel-powered vehicles can also be applied to new energy vehicles, and they are doing so.
For example, in terms of handling, SAIC Volkswagen has an extremely professional chassis development team, which allows the ID family of electric vehicles to continue the consistent German handling quality, making users immediately recognize it as a Volkswagen car. In addition, with SAIC Volkswagen’s consistent chassis tuning, if it were not for the lack of engine and exhaust sounds, it would be difficult for you to discover that you are driving a pure electric vehicle.The speed of electric vehicles is well known, but speed is not necessarily good, comfort is the best experience. The ID family of SAIC Volkswagen uses an electric rear-wheel drive platform, which makes the front and rear load distribution more even. In addition, the ID family’s electric vehicles are equipped with a rear five-link independent suspension, which is comparable to traditional fuel vehicles in terms of chassis smoothness and comfort.
Therefore, in terms of comfort, SAIC Volkswagen has already achieved industry-leading performance, but SAIC Volkswagen’s goal is to create Volkswagen’s electric vehicles, and it is not satisfied with just this. SAIC Volkswagen has not only established a Chinese human body database, but also established a database of commonly used items in Chinese cars. Based on this, it has created a series of user-oriented and more localized designs, such as the spacious and luxurious seating space of the ID series, visualization wireless charging modules, and full-size cup holders, bringing Chinese users a more comfortable driving experience.
In terms of the most critical safety of new energy vehicles, we can also feel the reliability accumulated by SAIC Volkswagen over the years. SAIC Volkswagen has a complete control plan to ensure safety in the entire process, and has multiple test sites, test centers and various types of tests. For example, the Heihe test site for testing new energy vehicles can not only observe the battery life under extreme conditions, but also pay attention to the overall safety performance of the vehicle in extremely cold weather.
Therefore, SAIC Volkswagen’s choice of “returning to the essence of cars” in the field of new energy is not only able to give full play to its own advantages, but also can bring users a comprehensive new energy vehicle experience in terms of handling, safety and comfort. Perhaps, electric vehicle models should return to the essence of cars.
In this regard, SAIC Volkswagen has taken the third path of focusing on high-quality electric vehicles, returning to the essence of cars, and user-oriented. With the successive launch of ID.4X and ID.6X models this year, SAIC Volkswagen has not only quickly improved its layout in the field of new energy, but also with its ultra-high quality, it can be said to be no less than luxury brands such as BBA in terms of vehicle driving quality and technology configurations.On October 22nd, just passed, the SAIC Volkswagen ID.3 was officially launched with a surprising price range 15.9888-17.3888 million yuan, and SAIC Volkswagen has launched three electric vehicle models this year, completing not only a rapid layout in the field of new energy vehicles but also laying the foundation for its brand transformation in the new energy sector.
It is reported that SAIC Volkswagen is currently accelerating its layout around the “Co-creation 2025” strategy, focusing on research and development in new energy vehicle models, intelligent connectivity, and assisted driving. Over the next five years, SAIC Group and Volkswagen Group will jointly invest 140 billion yuan to support the transformation and upgrading of SAIC Volkswagen in the direction of new energy and intelligent connectivity.
For this reason, since the second half of this year, the advantages of SAIC Volkswagen’s ID family electric vehicle models have gradually been revealed. In September 2021, a total of 5,001 units of ID.4X and ID.6X were sold, a month-on-month increase of 42.6%. Since its official launch at the end of March, the ID family has sold nearly 15,000 units in half a year. With the addition of sales leader ID.3, we believe that we may again see the SAIC Volkswagen ID family writing a legendary hegemony in the field of new energy vehicle models.
Dolijun Says：
In the ever-changing new energy vehicle market, new energy vehicle models are emerging one after another, and technology configurations are gradually becoming richer and updating rapidly. However, the SAIC Volkswagen brand has set foot on the path of “returning to the essence of automobiles”, user-centered, and has taken the third road focusing on high-quality electric vehicles. With SAIC Volkswagen’s strong platform and accumulated strength in technology for several years, we believe that it will inevitably bring higher-quality new energy vehicle models to Chinese consumers and open up the new era of new energy vehicles.
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.