After an 8-month delay and cancellation, the 2022 car market feast kicked off in Chengdu.
Unlike previous auto shows that were purely for work, I had a “personal” interest in the Chengdu auto show this time, which was to find a new car for myself. The high gasoline prices made me part ways with fuel cars. With a newborn baby, I set my sights on 7-seater models. At the age of 26, I seemingly could not accept driving an MPV. In the end, my choice was a 200,000-yuan pure electric 7-seater SUV.
To be honest, even though I am an experienced car market expert, I couldn’t find a car that met my expectations. All the 200,000-yuan pure electric SUVs were 5-seaters—yes, all of them. If you want 7 seats, your budget has to come to the 300,000-yuan level. Just when I was sighing and at a loss, I met it at the Chengdu Auto Show—The 2023 AION V Plus.
Meeting Users’ Needs and Filling the Gap for 200,000-Yuan Pure Electric 7-Seaters
In fact, friends familiar with Guangzhou Automobile Aion know that the current AION V Plus on sale, with a body length of 4650mm, benefits from the GEP2.0 pure electric exclusive platform, which allows its wheelbase to reach an exaggerated 2830mm. I’ve personally experienced the current AION V Plus and exclaimed at the almost luxurious space it has.
Fortunately, the 2023 AION V Plus fully utilizes this exaggerated wheelbase, adding a 7-seater version on top of the existing largest 5-seater model in the same class. It not only fills the gap for 7-seater 200,000-yuan pure electric SUVs but also provides users with a new premium option on the backdrop of China’s three-child policy.
In Guangzhou Automobile Aion’s words, the 2023 AION V Plus is a “magic 7-seater.” That “7” means 7 seats, and what makes it magical? With a 2830mm wheelbase, it can accommodate 7 people in three rows of seats. There is even space for a “geyoutan” (a lying down pose) in the third row, which can be easily achieved with a 25° infinitely adjustable angle. This riding experience is not just for emergencies but can provide a comfortable travel experience.
This level of spatial performance is already amazing for a compact pure-electric SUV, but the 2023 AION V Plus has even more magic. While seven seats are useful, they are not always necessary. Therefore, flexible and versatile spatial performance has become a top priority.
The front seats of the 2023 AION V Plus can be completely folded down, turning the interior into a starry sky room in seconds. It can also achieve single-side linkage of the third row of seats, effortlessly accommodating a 2-meter long surfboard, allowing us to invite a few friends to enjoy water sports in the hot summer.
You think that’s all? The 2023 AION V Plus can also move the second-row seats forward and backward, completely stow the third-row seats, and expand the trunk volume to 1563L, easily moving an entire household in one car and save trips when helping friends move. Overall, the 2023 AION V Plus with its true 7-seat spaciousness and flexible seating layout deeply attracts every potential customer who wants to buy it, including me.
Smarter and Safer, Comfortable Travel Life Begins
If we consider the flexible and versatile “miraculous 7” spatial performance as a “must-have”, what really impresses me about this AION V Plus are its intelligence and safety. With the fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, the benchmark for comparing between each other is no longer zero to one hundred acceleration, but the level of intelligence. While major car companies compete with each other, the ultimate beneficiaries are all of us potential customers.
As Guangqi Aion’s flagship model in technology, the intelligence level of the AION V Plus’ current models on the market can be called excellent, and this 2023 model has many upgrades in terms of intelligence. In the ADiGO SPACE intelligent cockpit, it has upgraded to a dual-edged screen and a dual-core processor with “one frame of picture, two cores in use”. Plus the eight-fold sound surround system, we can even have a great time playing 3A games inside the car.
After playing games, we still need to return to driving. At this time, tiredness strikes, and our loved ones are also sitting in the car. How can we ensure their safety in all aspects? This requires mentioning ADiGO PILOT intelligent driving system carried by the 2023 AION V Plus, whose algorithm has been optimized to greatly improve lane centering and system stability. When the female owners see us driving so easily, they must also want to try this “divine 7-seater car”.
Female car owners may have difficulty parking to some extent. In fact, our male counterparts do not have to worry at all, because the AVP memory parking system of the 2023 AION V Plus not only supports conventional parking but also added diagonal parking and OTA active obstacle avoidance, enabling every female driver to have parking skills like a pro.
After viewing various active and passive safety auxiliary configurations, we still need to return to the crucial question of whether the 2023 AION V Plus is safe. Because this summer, we have already seen too many new energy self-ignitions. Therefore, for users who want to buy new energy models, safety must come first.
In terms of battery safety of the 2023 AION V Plus, its full range is equipped with a magazine battery that won the first CCTV Power Battery Technology Award, which not only has the advantage of being unafraid of needle punctures but also highlights its non-self-ignition in summer and non-shrinking in winter. This provides users with an extremely safe new energy vehicle experience with a long-lasting battery life. In addition, the 2023 AION V Plus also has a luxury car-level steel and aluminum hybrid body, which not only brings users comfortable and pleasant travel but also comprehensively protects the safety of drivers and passengers.
The appearance must be outstanding, and the Eastern aesthetic spirit should be the core.Actually, when it comes to meeting my expectations for space, intelligence, and safety, I am no longer “allergic” to the appearance design. For someone like me who has seen countless cars, appearance and design have always been subjective. But who says every girl isn’t obsessed with looks? After satisfying my male counterparts, naturally, outstanding aesthetics are needed to impress women who hold the “financial power”.
In terms of appearance, the overall design style of the 2023 AION V Plus still continues the fashion style of the current model. The fully enclosed front grille combined with the split-style headlamp group is visually appealing enough and also avant-garde in terms of design sense. When we turn our gaze to the side of the car, the floating roof design and the mech-style wheel hub shape still exude a strong sense of fashion on the side of the car.
In the creation of this sense of fashion, design is one aspect, but the more important thing is the use of the car body color. In the current model of AION V Plus, it already has up to 12 exterior colors for users to choose from. For this 2023 model, a new color called “yanyuqing” is added. Under the fashionable exterior design, yan-yu misty green, matching the ink landscape of the Jiangnan region, collides with fashion and Chinese style, highlighting the implicit and calm spiritual core of Oriental aesthetics while demonstrating its cutting-edge technology.
Entering the interior, the 2023 AION V Plus also adds a new “Chinese medicine masterpiece” interior model, which creates an affable and natural sensory experience with a combination of blue and white. Even when sitting in the car, we will have a momentary illusion that we are in nature.
Strictly speaking, it takes great courage to apply the yan-yu misty green and Chinese medicine masterpiece colors on a car, because such “fresh and simple” colors can easily look “outdated” if mishandled. But luckily, the 2023 AION V Plus has no ounce of “outdated” vibes, instead, it exudes a strong sense of Oriental elegance. In the calm, steadfast, and composed demeanor, this “miraculous 7-seater car” is still so trendy and fashionable.
Dolly’s words:Many people have asked us what defines an excellent intelligent electric vehicle. In the past, I would often spend hours talking to them about design and hard power. But today, the answer to this question has become simpler, as all they need to do is to gain a deep understanding of the AION V Plus 2023 model, which exceeds expectations in every way. Perhaps it is as magical as GAC AION has positioned it, as the “magical 7-seater 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.