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Guangzhou Auto Show Special Edition – New Models Review
Xpeng G9
As the fourth model following G3, P7 and P5, G9 is Xpeng’s first model with a new logo. According to the planning information disclosed in the prospectus, G9 belongs to the Edward platform, the same as P7, and is positioned as a mid-to-large-sized luxury SUV with a price range of around 300,000 to 400,000 yuan. It is Xpeng’s latest product targeting the high-end market, which has caused a lot of speculation.
G9 is equipped with the X-EEA 3.0, which has now moved to a centralized architecture.
X-EEA 3.0 adopts a highly integrated hardware architecture of central supercomputing and regional control, which can support higher-performance chips and concentration of computing power, to enable more advanced autonomous driving and more powerful intelligent cabin functions. G9 has also become the first mass-produced car to feature the XPILOT 4.0 function.
Using the backbone communication architecture of Gigabit Ethernet, which supports multiple communication protocols, enables vehicles to transmit data more quickly. With this, it supports intelligent functions such as highly automated driving, intelligent cabins, and OTA based on large-scale data transmission. Furthermore, based on more standardized design and testing, communication reliability has also been greatly improved.
Salon Machine Dragon by Haval
At this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show, the first vehicle model from “Salon Automotive”, under Great Wall Motors, has attracted a lot of attention; just now, the appearance and some parameters of this vehicle model named “Machine Dragon” have been fully disclosed.
Power and battery specifications:
- Equipped with high-performance permanent magnet synchronous motors front and rear, with a maximum output of 400 kW and a peak torque of 750 N·m, together with Michelin high-performance tires and a four-wheel-drive system, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds;
- Equipped with Brembo four-piston fixed calipers and large-size brake discs, the braking distance is 33 meters;
- Equipped with a large-capacity 115 kWh battery achieving 802 km of range based on the China Light Truck Cycle (CLTC);
- Based on the 800 V platform, the maximum charging power can reach 480 kW, with a peak current of 600 A. Based on the CLTC standard, 401 km of range can be achieved by charging for 10 minutes, and 545 km can be achieved by charging for 15 minutes;
- Machine Dragon is also the first vehicle model to be equipped with Dayu battery technology.
On the advanced driving assistance aspect:
- Equipped with four LIDARs, which achieve full coverage of the vehicle via laser. These four hybrid solid-state LIDARs are from Huawei 96, with a single field of view (FOV) of up to 120° * 25°, and they support cleaning and automatic heating;
- In addition to the four LIDARs, Machine Dragon also features a perception system composed of 38 sensing components, including 7 8-megapixel ultra high-definition cameras, 4 surround cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 1 independent high-precision positioning unit. Equipped with high-precision maps, the detection distance of the vehicle exceeds 500 meters;
- Equipped with a dual MDC intelligent driving computing platform, Machine Dragon is a breakthrough among the driving computing platforms in China. With a DaVinci architecture, NPU computing power is 400 TOPS, and CPU computing power is up to 440 K DMIPS.
BMW iX# Guangzhou Auto Show: BMW Releases All-New BMW iX xDrive50, Suggested Retail Price: 846,900 CNY.
The BMW iX xDrive50 is equipped with the fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology, with dual motors releasing a maximum output power of 385 kW and a peak torque of 765 Nm. It can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, with an energy consumption as low as 18.5 kWh per 100 kilometers. The maximum cruising range under the CLTC standard can reach 665 kilometers.
Interior Picture of IM L7
At the Guangzhou Auto Show, IM unveiled the interior information of the L7. Although the appearance of the IM L7 has been revealed before, this is the first time that its interior is displayed.
The IM L7 adopts the intelligent and borderless IMOS operating system, which enables cross-screen information communication. On the hardware side, the IM L7 car is equipped with a 39-inch smart scene screen, paired with a 12.8-inch AMOLED 2K central screen and a 1,120 W theater-grade smart acoustic system, creating an immersive and stunning audiovisual experience.
At the launch event, IM also showcased its supercar mode: with one-click switching, the screen automatically switches to the half-screen immersive driving mode, with speed light effects displayed on the screen. The sound system also simulates the V8 supercar engine sound. It is worth mentioning that the IM L7 also provides an aerial navigation mode, which switches the display to an overhead view, providing a more intuitive view than the traditional first-person perspective.
In terms of interior color, IM L7 offers three options: Su Ran Zhao Guang (Soothing Light), Yan Mo Xun Zong (Rock Grind Search Brown), and Mi Jing Zhu Hei (Mystery Trail Pursuit Black), and three color combinations recommended by the manufacturer for its vehicles.
The MPV Dream Family of Lynk & Co
Lynk & Co unveiled its new MPV, the Dream Family, at the Guangzhou Auto Show. Based on the ESSA platform, the vehicle measures 5,315 * 1,980 * 1,810 mm in length, width, and height, respectively, and has a wheelbase of 3,200 mm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, has a double-wishbone and multi-link suspension system, and comes with air suspension as standard. With the same powertrain as the Lynk & Co FREE, the Dream Family has a pure electric and range-extender hybrid form, L2+ assisted driving, and OTA upgrade capabilities.
Lotus EMIRA
Lotus, the British sports car manufacturer, showcased its last pure internal-combustion engine sports car, the Emira, at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The debut of the FIRST EDITION in the Chinese market is priced at 858,000 yuan, and pre-orders have opened on its official website, the WeChat Mini Program, and other platforms. Lotus will begin delivering cars to customers in the order of pre-orders they received, starting from the fourth quarter of 2022.
The new car is equipped with front and rear four-piston AP RACING callipers and a factory variable valve exhaust system that can provide an enjoyable exhaust sound. The lightweight aluminum extruded and bonded chassis, combined with a double-wishbone front and rear suspension system, doesn’t compromise its “road sports car” position. The unique Lotus DPM dynamic performance management system allows drivers to switch between different driving modes with just one click, meeting more scenarios.
The addition of Geely has finally enabled the interior design of Lotus to be decent. In the past, Lotus owners consoled themselves with the belief that performance matters more than interior design. Now, while retaining the pure driving pleasure, Emira also offers a touch screen, digital instrument panel, KEF audio system, and a smart car system with Carplay, which can be considered a major improvement of the Lotus brand.
Quick Review:
With the theme of “New Technology · New Life”, this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show showcased 54 global debut cars, of which the number of new energy vehicles on display reached 241, accounting for 1/4 of the overall exhibits. Among the many models available for sale, a large portion are domestically made cars.
In recent auto shows, domestic popular models have accounted for an increasingly high proportion, indicating that the domestic car manufacturing power can now stand on the same stage and compare with international car companies. At the same time, it can also be seen that domestic new energy vehicles are not willing to only produce low-end cars for the volume market but are beginning to develop and lay out towards the high-end market. We can look forward to seeing whether these new vehicles will give us another surprise in the future new energy vehicle market sales performance.
Tesla Official Website Removed the Standard Range Model 3 and Released a New Version with Increased Price
On November 19, Tesla removed the Standard Range Model 3 from its official website and released a rear-wheel version of the Model 3.
Changes are as follows:
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The price increased from CNY 235,900 to CNY 250,900, with an increase of CNY 15,000;
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The range changed from the previous NEDC 486 km to CLTC 556 km;
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The second-row seat heating and steering wheel heating configurations were added.
Quick Review:From the changes in parameters and prices, it appears that the Model 3’s battery capacity has increased, but has not yet reached the size of the previous long-range model, staying in between the standard and long-range. As for the power, the zero-to-sixty acceleration has also slowed by 0.5 seconds compared to before. With the release of the Model Y, both the standard range and power have changed, with the zero-to-sixty becoming 1.3 seconds slower.
In terms of range, there may be speculation that the country is promoting the use of the CLTC range standard. Nowadays, most of the newly-launched car models have adopted the CLTC range mileage; but as for the power reduction, we need to wait for a response from Tesla’s official representatives.
Former COO of Ford China, Mr. Zhu Jiang, Announces Joining Jiudu Auto
According to Mr. Zhu Jiang’s previous experience, he has been working in the automotive and cross-auto industries for over 20 years, serving as Vice President of BMW China and Deputy General Manager of the MINI brand, as well as Vice General Manager of Lexus China. In 2017, he joined “New Forces of Automobiles” NIO, serving as Vice President of User Development.
On June 1, 2020, Mr. Zhu Jiang left NIO to join Ford China as the head of the Mach-E project for Ford’s pure electric vehicle. He was mainly responsible for the operation and management of Mach-E-related businesses such as the market, public relations, sales, service, and customer experience, directly reporting to the CEO and president of Ford China, Mr. Chen Anning. During his tenure, he led his team to complete the domestic production, release, channel construction, and charging pile network construction of Ford’s first pure electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E.
In 2021, after leaving Ford’s electric vehicle department, just as multiple internet and transportation giants entered the auto industry, rumors circulated that Mr. Zhu Jiang had received invitations from several giants, including Xiaomi and Didi. There were also rumors that Mr. Zhu Jiang had already joined Jiudu Auto in June of this year, but had not yet been made public due to non-disclosure agreements. As for why he chose Jiudu Auto, it was largely because he recognized the concept of Jiudu Auto’s “car robot.”
Quick comment:
Mr. Zhu Jiang’s joining Jiudu Auto this time, is mainly responsible for the establishment of Jiudu Auto’s marketing, channels, and after-sales, building from scratch. According to the Baidu Index, Jiudu Auto’s popularity is far behind NIO and XPeng, even if compared to Xiaomi and “fellow-disciple” Zeekr who announced the establishment of car production at nearly the same time, it lags behind a lot. We look forward to Mr. Zhu Jiang’s joining to change this situation.
You Can Now Listen to Dolby Panorama Sound in “NIO” VehiclesOn November 16, NIO announced a partnership with Dolby to bring 7.1.4 channel audio experience powered by Dolby Atmos to the NIO ET7 in time for Chinese New Year.
According to NIO, the ET7 comes with 23 speakers with a 1,000W amplifier output, surpassing the upgraded audio parameters of BBA in the same segment, except for the audio branding of a high-end audio manufacturer. NIO Radio will also offer Dolby Atmos content through subscription.
Quick Comment:
We believe that those who have experienced Dolby Atmos in a cinema will have a deep impression of the immersive audio experience, especially the promotional video played before the movie begins. It feels like the sound of rain and bird chirping in the forest is happening around you.
Unlike other car makers who simply focus on audio branding, the actual auditory experience is what can truly touch the soul. Will the NIO ET7, with its 7.1.4 channel audio system, allure you to experience it?
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.