AION LX Plus Debuts at the 19th Guangzhou Auto Show in 2021

At the 19th Guangzhou Auto Show in 2021, the Guangqi Aion LX Plus made its official debut. Following the completion of the upgrades to the AION V, AION S, and the facelift of AION Y by Guangqi Aion earlier this year, the flagship model AION LX also welcomes the “Plus” version at this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show.

What’s New in AION LX Plus?

Exterior: No More Front Grille Decoration, Latest Aerodynamic Family Design

Similar to the upgrade approach of AION S Plus and AION V Plus, AION LX Plus did not make major changes to the body. The main changes are focused on the front end and color matching, including a brand-new “pulse blue” and a holographic sky gray that changes with the light.

The front end uses the “Starship Ark” design concept, eliminating the decorative strip that connects the left and right headlights. The whole front face becomes more concise and sci-fi. The lower grille also adopts a family-like multi-segment vertical structure with active opening and closing function, which can further reduce wind resistance during high-speed driving.

Compared with the old AION LX model, the basic shape of the side has not changed much. The length, width and height are 4835/1935/1685 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2920 mm. Due to the changes in the surround style, the length of the car has increased slightly compared with the 4786 mm of AION LX, while the wheelbase is exactly the same as the old model.

There are not many changes at the rear end, except for the addition of smoke-black effect to the taillight group. The bottom color of the LED light strip is no longer red, and it appears translucent when the light is not turned on, like a delicate crystal craft, giving a more high-end overall feeling.

Interior: Dual Independent Large Screens and Panoramic Sunroof

The interior of the AION LX Plus has abandoned the previous dual-screen design, instead opting for an independent LCD instrument panel and a 15.6-inch high-definition central control screen, and is equipped with the 7-nanometer technology 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 cockpit chip and the latest ADiGO 4.0 intelligent connectivity system.

The steering wheel has not changed much, continuing to use the luxury two-spoke design, and adding a leather-wrapped airbag cover with double-stitched seams. The steering wheel is thick and feels excellent.

After upgrading to the currently top-level cockpit chip, the car’s system has greatly improved in both smoothness and functionality, with all the currently popular online multimedia, navigation, remote control and other functions available, and the user experience is just as good as the new car makers.

All buttons originally located below the air vent have been removed, and electronic air outlets have been used for the first time, further reducing their “presence”. The automatic wind-scanning function is supported, which is very suitable for the positioning of a flagship model.

The control area in front of the armrest is basically the same as the AION LX, but the independent start button has been removed. As long as you carry the key and sit in the driver’s seat, the rotary electronic gear shifter will slowly rise up, and you can simply start driving by stepping on the brake and shifting gears.

The AION LX Plus has also upgraded to a large panoramic sunroof, equipped with Low-e + double silver-coated glass, while ensuring the feeling of openness inside the car, it isolates most ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and heat radiation.

The one-piece seats are wrapped in NAPPA leather, and the styling, configuration, and riding experience are not much different from the AION LX, but the addition of a large panoramic sunroof has given the AION LX Plus a huge headroom.

The space and comfort in the rear seats are still excellent, with suitable seat inclination and backrest that can be folded down to a half-lying position. In addition, the right seat still supports the optional leg rest.

Laser radar added for further advancement in intelligent driving

For the first time, the AION LX Plus is equipped with three second-generation intelligent variable-focus laser radars, located on the roof and front wheel arches. In addition to 6 millimeter wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, 8 autonomous driving high-definition cameras, 4 surround view cameras, and 2 independent high-precision positioning modules, the 200 TOPS high-computing intelligent driving calculation platform can provide users with unique urban NDA navigation-assisted driving experience in the same class.

Compared with the first-generation mechanical laser radar, the second-generation intelligent variable-focus laser radar has a detection range of up to 250 m, and the refresh rate of environmental perception can be dynamically adjusted between 10 to 30 Hz. The resolution can also be intelligently adjusted between 0.2 to 0.05°, which further enhances the perception ability of the surrounding environment. Subsequently, AION LX Plus will continue to bring users more new features through continuous OTA upgrades.

2.9 seconds acceleration or 1008 km range, take your pick

Previously, the top-of-the-line 80D version of the AION LX was equipped with a dual-motor four-wheel drive system, with each permanent magnet synchronous motor generating 150 kW and 350 N·m, achieving a century sprint time of 3.9 seconds.

This time, the AION LX Plus continues to upgrade the powertrain and uses the world’s first high-performance two-gear double-motor “4-in-1” integrated electronic driving system. Both front and rear motors are upgraded to 180 kW, with a total power of 360 kW (about 490 horsepower), directly reducing the century sprint time to an amazing 2.9 seconds! The 93.3 kWh battery pack still has a range of 600 kilometers.

In the single-motor version, according to previous MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) information, AION LX Plus will match multiple motors with a maximum power of 150/190/200 kW. One of the models will be equipped with Guangqi EA’s latest silicon-carbon negative electrode battery which has an energy of 144.4 kWh, and a system energy density of up to 205 Wh/kg. Under the current new national standard (CLTC) test conditions, the cruising range reaches 1008 km, which basically can achieve “one charge per month” if used purely in urban areas.

Summary

Currently, AION LX Plus has not yet been launched, and we do not know its final price. However, considering its own positioning, it will not become a high-volume vehicle, but rather a “show off” of Guangqi EA’s “advanced, fun, trendy, and high-quality” brand genes.

In the future, Guangqi EA will continue to break through its own technology. The pure electric exclusive platform GEP will evolve to the third generation, achieving “hardware plug-and-play, software frequently updated”. Technologies such as 5-minute charging for 200 km of range and over 1000 km of full charge range will gradually be popularized in other Guangqi EA models, which makes people more expectant of Guangqi EA’s subsequent products.

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.