Author: Jingtao Wu
How can you tell whether I am an L8 or L9?
Ideal L8 MIIT Application
With the Ideal L9 being delivered to users at a fast pace, Ideal is working hard to ramp up production capacity for the September goal of delivering 10,000 units. Recently, Ideal Automotive revealed information about another new model on social media. It is the successor of Idealy ONE, Ideal L8.
On September 9th, we found the Ideal L8 on the latest batch of MIIT application catalog, and we learned more specific information about the Ideal L8 from the application information.
As the successor of Ideal ONE, Ideal L8 is positioned as a mid-to-large-size SUV. Its exterior design language is based on the whole design concept of L9, and the two models look highly similar. If the color of the body of the Ideal L8 is consistent with that of Ideal L9, it may be difficult to distinguish the two directly from the appearance.
In terms of body size, the Ideal L8 is 5,080×1,995×1,800mm in length, width and height, with a wheelbase of 3,005mm, a curb weight of 2,480 kg, and an optional electric pedal.
Ideal L8’s body size is between L9 and Ideal ONE. Compared with L9, the length is shorter by 13.8cm, and the wheelbase is 10cm shorter. Compared with Ideal ONE, the length is increased by 5cm, and the wheelbase is increased by 7cm.
The powertrain continues to use the powertrain of L9, using the same 1.5T four-cylinder turbocharged engine as L9. The comprehensive maximum power of the power system is also 330kW, and the 0-100km/h acceleration time is 5.3 seconds.
According to the application information, compared with Ideal L9, Ideal L8 has made adjustments to multiple configurations:
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Laser radar is optional.
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Comes with 20-inch wheels as standard, and 21-inch wheels are optional.
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The battery capacity has been reduced from 44.5kWh to 40.9kWh.4. The pure electric range of WLTC has been reduced from 175km to 168km.
According to Li Xiang, the CEO of Ideal Motors, the Ideal L8 will be available in two seating configurations, 5-seater and 6-seater, and both can choose Max/Pro packages.
The Max package will be equipped with dual Orin-X chips, lidar, and SS Pro (smart cockpit), while the Pro package will be equipped with a brand new AD chip and SS Pro (smart cockpit).
In the declaration information, the lidar of the L8 is optional, which just confirms the above information. According to official sources, the Ideal L8 will be released in early November and deliveries will begin in the same month.
Model Y’s Monthly Deliveries Exceed 60,000
According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Tesla’s wholesale sales in August were 76,965, an increase of 74% year-on-year and 172% month-on-month.
The export volume in August was 42,463, accounting for more than 55%, and the domestic deliveries were 34,502.
Among them, the performance of Model Y was the most noteworthy, with a total of 62,169 deliveries in August, an increase of 261% year-on-year, setting a new monthly record.
From January to August this year, Tesla’s Shanghai Super Factory has delivered 399,939 vehicles to global customers, only a difference of more than 80,000 vehicles from last year’s annual delivery volume. The growth rate for the entire year is worth looking forward to. Among them, domestic market deliveries exceeded 240,000, and exports approached 160,000.
According to Tesla China’s official website, the estimated delivery time for Model 3/Model Y has been shortened again.The delivery period for both the Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive version and the high-performance version is expected to be shortened to 6-10 weeks, which is 6 weeks shorter than the previous delivery period.
The Model Y Long Range version is expected to be delivered in 10-14 weeks, while the Tesla Model Y high-performance version is expected to be delivered in 6-10 weeks, both 6 weeks shorter than before.
The delivery time for the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive version has been directly shortened to 1-4 weeks. Starting from September, some cities even have new Model Y vehicles in stock.
Tesla stated that the shortening of the delivery period is due to the increase in utilization rate of the Shanghai super factory’s production capacity, and the recent released capacity mainly focused on the domestic market.
BYD sets up factory in Thailand
On September 8, BYD Auto Thailand Co., Ltd. signed land purchase and construction related agreements with WHA Weaving Co., Ltd., which marks the first overseas passenger car factory project wholly funded by BYD being officially launched in Thailand.
According to previous foreign media reports, BYD plans to sign a land purchase agreement with WHA, the largest industrial real estate developer in Thailand, to purchase land in Rayong Province in eastern Thailand for the construction of BYD’s first electric vehicle factory in Southeast Asia.
With the signing of the project, BYD becomes the third Chinese-funded automaker to invest in building a factory in Thailand, after MG and Great Wall Motors.
BYD has accelerated its layout in overseas markets this year. On August 8th, BYD and its Thai partner RÊVER Automotive held a brand launch conference in Bangkok, announcing its official entry into the Thai passenger car market.
It is reported that BYD will launch three models, Dolphin, Atto 3 (Yuan Plus), and Seal, in the Thai market from October.Byd’s Thai factory is expected to start production in 2024, with an annual output of 150,000 vehicles. The produced cars will be put on the Thai domestic market, while radiating to other ASEAN countries and other regions.
XPeng G9 release date announced
On September 9th, XPeng Automobile officially announced that the brand’s flagship model – XPeng G9, will be officially launched on September 21st. The launch event will be held online.
As XPeng’s new flagship model, the G9 has received much attention since its release. He XPeng, Chairman and CEO of XPeng Automobile, once said on Weibo: “This will be the best SUV under 500,000.” This shows the importance and confidence of XPeng in the G9.
The XPeng G9 is positioned as a medium-to-large-sized SUV, with dimensions of 489119371680mm and a wheelbase of up to 2998mm. It is available in rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive versions, with a performance version that can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3 seconds. The car’s four doors and two covers are covered with aluminum body panels, and the high-end models are equipped with a double-chamber air suspension with a front double-wishbone and a rear multi-link steel-aluminum hybrid chassis.
In terms of range, the rear-wheel-drive single-motor version CLTC can have a maximum range of 702km, while the four-wheel-drive version can have 650km. Equipped with an 800V high-voltage supercharging platform, it can achieve 5-minute charging and 200km of replenishment efficiency. XPeng Automobile will also begin to gradually deploy the 800V/480kW supercharging network this year.
The in-car system adopts the 8155 chip, using the new Xmart OS 4.0 car system, and the voice assistant supports 4 acoustic zones.
Equipped with the XPILOT 4.0 system, it comes with 31 perception components, including 2 lidars,12 cameras,5 millimeter-wave radars, and 12 ultrasonic radars. At the same time, it uses 2 NVIDIA DRIVE Orin intelligent assisted driving chips, with a computing power of up to 508 TOPS.
Previously, we had a static experience of the XPeng G9, and interested friends can take a look at the previous video “Best mobile cinema under 500,000 yuan? Preview of XPeng G9“.
On August 10th, XPeng G9 officially started pre-orders, and within 24 hours, 22,819 orders were placed, far exceeding the same period of G3, P7, and P5. XPeng officials stated that the order performance was good, and now the key is to see the price announcement on September 21.
BMW recalls some iX models
According to the announcement from the Defective Product Management Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation, BMW (China) Automobile Trading Co., Ltd. has filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation in accordance with the “Regulations on the Management of Defective Product Recall of Automobiles” and the “Implementation Measures for the Regulations on the Management of Defective Product Recall of Automobiles.”
Some imported BMW iX cars will be recalled as of now, a total of 569 vehicles produced between August 2, 2021, and May 12, 2022.
The reason for the recall is that the collision safety module software of the vehicle was not correctly written, which caused the module unable to correctly monitor information such as vehicle speed, traveling direction, and outdoor temperature transmitted in the bus system. The vehicle instrument panel cannot light up warning lights or indicate related warning information, posing safety hazards.
In the first half of 2022, BMW Group’s global total sales dropped slightly, but the sales of pure electric vehicle models bucked the trend with a total of 75,891 units, an increase of 110.3% year-on-year. Among them, BMW iX3 sold 21,548 units, BMW iX sold 12,839 units, and BMW i4 sold 9,294 units.
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.