The Emergence of New Energy MPVs

The outbreak of the pandemic in March was the biggest surprise of this spring.

Back in March, the last topic that I worked on in the office was the Ideal L9 exposé series. Now, after working from home for over 60 days, the Ideal L9 has already missed the Beijing Auto Show and will be released at a later date.

But as talent rises in every generation, the automotive industry always has new cars to offer. Every car manufacturer is busy promoting their new energy MPVs, and there is growing demand among netizens for the Ideal MPV.

Today, let’s delve into the legend of the Ideal MPV.

The Sudden Rise of New Energy MPVs

In this passing spring, there were two hot topics in the automotive world: the pandemic, and new energy MPVs.

In 2021, after many established car manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda, and Hyundai launched their high-end MPV models, many domestic brands followed suit and introduced new energy MPVs this spring.

Before 2016, the domestic MPV market had maintained rapid growth for many years, but the main consumers were commercial MPVs, especially low-priced models. The renowned Wuling Hongguang was an outstanding representative. Not just a family vehicle but also a source of income, its exceptional versatility was a significant reason for its explosive growth.

After that, the market experienced a decline until it stabilized in 2021. The primary reason for the decline was the low-priced MPV sector. However, the high-end MPV market has been growing all along; representative models such as the Buick GL8, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Alphard have excellent sales performances.

As seen, the trend of MPV consumption upgrade and high-end concentration is apparent, and the product profits are objective. These new energy companies in the domestic market won’t let this juicy meat slip away, and that includes Ideal.

The Background of the Ideal MPV

The rumors of Ideal’s entry into the MPV market have been around for a long time.

Mr. Li Xiang recently shared his thoughts on the characteristics of MPVs during the pandemic period, which seems to imply that the Ideal MPV will focus on two aspects: longitudinal space utilization and the flexibility of the trunk and third-row space.

Back in 2019, before the delivery of Ideal ONE, there were rumors about the AmpGo brand’s car model for the travel market by Ideal being spied on. It was an MPV with a 1+2+3 seating layout, but the development ended up being terminated.

After that, in March 2020, Li Xiang himself wrote a lengthy analysis on MPVs. The main point of his writing was:

Due to the structure of MPVs, its advantages are:

1. For MPVs and SUVs with the same size, for example, those with a length of 5-5.2 meters, the interior longitudinal space of a well-designed MPV is about 20-30 centimeters better;
2. The height of the car interior will be better by more than 10 centimeters;
3. The width of the third row will be better by 10-20 centimeters;
4. The height of the step for entering and exiting the car will be lower by 10 centimeters;
5. It is simply a paradise for seat layout.

Its disadvantages:

6. The handling, suspension comfort, and sound insulation will all be much worse, and the sound insulation and suspension comfort of the new GL8 are basically a miracle;
7. The safety will decrease significantly, especially in a 25% offset frontal collision, where everything is a space cost.

Physical structure determines that, under the same size, sedan will certainly be the most comfortable, and MPV will surely have the largest space.

The conclusion is that MPVs are strong in space but failed at the cost of space. In the comments, he specifically replied to a netizen’s comment saying “Ideal has no MPV planning.”

More than a year later, in July 2021, when asked about MPVs again by netizens, Li Xiang changed his stance and replied, “This can be done.” It seems that Ideal already has an MPV in the planning phase at that time.

The information about the Ideal MPV is becoming more and more abundant. According to leaked information from Ideal Beijing Factory, a new intelligent manufacturing plant for electric passenger cars with an annual production capacity of 100,000 units is expected to start operation in 2023, and the first model to be produced will be a pure electric MPV. The length of the MPV is between 5.3-5.4 meters, and the wheelbase is between 3.2-3.4 meters. The size even exceeds the current MPV star models, the GL8 and the Alphard.

The most imaginative thing is what Li Xiang said in the Q1 2022 earnings call in early May this year:

This year and next, including L9, there will be three new products, including a brand-new generation of extended-range products, as well as high-voltage platform products for BEV. Next year, Ideal will have 200,000 to 300,000 new products.

Assuming nothing unexpected happens, this high-voltage platform product for BEV is most likely the MPV.

Speculation on the details of the model

What caused such a change from “there is no MPV” to “it can be there” one year later, and to a new MPV built on the BEV high-voltage platform next year?

Going back to the reasons why Li Xiang refused the MPV in the first place, there were three main reasons: handling, NVH, and collision safety. Presumably, these three aspects have been solved to some extent by now.

In terms of handling, the MPV is greatly limited in terms of vehicle weight and suspension layout. Taller and longer body is not conducive to handling, and the pursuit of the ultimate cabin space greatly limits the suspension layout space.

Due to the placement of the power battery on the car floor, the vehicle’s center of gravity is lowered to some extent, which is conducive to handling stability. As for the suspension, only the Lan Tu Dream electric MPV in the current market adopts the front double-wishbone suspension, which helps to improve the vehicle’s handling stability to some extent but sacrifices part of the interior space.

Of course, even if it is the same suspension type, the design quality may cause huge differences in handling. It is not yet known how Ideal will make trade-offs in this regard, but it is speculated that the Ideal, which focuses on family practicality, will prioritize the cabin space.

Regarding NVH, which determines the sense of luxury when riding in a car, there are many factors related to the noise, vibration, and roughness of the sound and vibration. The advantage of electric MPV is that it eliminates the vibration and noise of the engine, but tire noise, wind noise, and resonance are more difficult to control than sedans and SUVs. It is also a challenge for Ideal, which needs to take care of both aspects.

As for collision safety, it is mainly caused by the vehicle body shape of MPV, which may involve innovations of Ideal for MPV models. Taller body and larger sliding doors are not friendly to the vehicle’s rigidity. The position of the A-pillar that is further forward is also an important factor that makes MPV models relatively less safe.Referring to what Li Xiang mentioned in the financial report conference call:

In terms of pure electric, we believe that producing such a large SUV is not efficient. Therefore, we are exploring new forms for the pure electric sector. In the next two years, after we release our products, everyone will find that the pure electric vehicles we produce are unlike any other products currently on the market. They are specifically designed for the special form of pure electric.

Perhaps in terms of the body shape or material technology of the MPV, Li Xiang has made significant innovations. Firstly, to solve the inherent disadvantages of the MPV body, and secondly, to meet the general needs of the established market population.

At the same time, considering Li Xiang’s special mention of the flexibility between the trunk and the third-row space and the previously exposed patented special seats of Ideals, the third-row seats may adopt the seat style in the patent. This is worth looking forward to.

In any case, Ideal aims to introduce a unique and competitive pure electric MPV vehicle, and they must deliver innovative solutions to important issues such as vehicle engineering, handling, NVH, and collision safety.

In conclusion

What is the most important thing for ordinary people when buying a car?

My answer is: “Space“.

Whether it’s a sedan or an SUV, the real difference in use brought about by the difference in appearance is the size of the interior space.

For an ordinary young person, the interest in cars probably begins with a sports sedan. After a few years, in the process of getting married and having children and gradually becoming the head of the family, it is finally discovered that what a family needs most is a large car, a car that can accommodate all family members and carry warm happiness.

Ideal car deeply understands this.

For an Ideal company focused on family customers, the size of the space is naturally extremely important, and SUVs and MPVs have inherent advantages over sedans in this regard.

According to Ideal’s product layout strategy, in the 200,000 to 500,000 yuan range, products will be classified every 100,000 yuan. There will also be both pure electric and extended range models at the same price point, and the products will be in different forms.

Perhaps in the future, there will be a combination of “extended range SUV + pure electric MPV” in the high-priced range and “extended range SUV + pure electric sedan” in the low-priced range.

Looking forward to more “ideal” MPVs on the market.

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.