Author: Rezz

The birth of the Aiways brand can be traced back to 2017, when it was still an era where the ideal was called “cars and homes”. Today, many new forces in the same era of car-making have already fallen silent, but Aiways has still survived.

As the first Chinese new energy independent brand to go overseas, Aiways has already been sold to nearly 20 countries at home and abroad. However, for the domestic market, Aiways has always been characterized as “low-key”. Aiways’ “slowness” always seems to make its progress slower than other new forces in car-making, even by one or two steps. The precedent of the Aiways U5 is evidence of this:

• On November 29, 2018, Aiways’ first model U5 was launched globally.

• On December 19, 2019, Aiways’ first mass-produced model U5 was officially launched for mass production.

• On September 17, 2020, the 2021 Aiways U5 was upgraded and launched globally.

If one does not pay attention to the year and only looks at the date, would they think that Aiways launched, produced, upgraded, and restyled its first new car, the Aiways U5, within only one quarter of a year? It takes three to five years for a fuel vehicle to go from mass production to restyling.

However, if the year is added in front of the dates, it becomes confusing. Each of Aiways’ big moves is separated by at least a year. In 2020, at the Chengdu Auto Show, Aiways’ second new car, the U6, competed with the NIO EC6. It took more than two years for the U6 to be officially launched today.

Time flies, and in today’s pure electric car market, all I can say to Aiways is, “times have changed, my lord!”

What kind of electric cars do young people want?The Aiways U6 is the second mass-produced model of Aiways Automotive, born on the pure electric exclusive MAS platform developed by Aiways Automotive. It is said that the design concept of “global sports aesthetics” is integrated into the appearance of the Aiways U6, because it is jointly created by three design teams from China, Japan and Germany.

I think the exterior and interior design is also a major killer of Aiways, because when many young people choose a car, apart from the brand influence, the outstanding design of the appearance is often a direct factor that can make people excited and place orders. This Aiways U6 claims to be a “pure electric newcomer” and wins the hearts of young consumers with its appearance, materials, and technological cockpit.

“Aiways U6 is not a sedan, not a coupe, and not an SUV.” At the Aiways U6 launch event, Li Hui, vice president of Aiways, described the external design of the Aiways U6 in this way.

Indeed, the overall appearance of the new car basically continues the design of the Aiways U6 ion concept car. As a compound model that combines cross-border vehicles and SUVs, the biomimetic shape of the U-shaped front face of the Aiways U6 just echoes its name, and is matched with two flat sword eyebrow LED daytime running lights, which can be said to be very avant-garde and innovative, and very in line with the aesthetic needs of young people.

The lower bumper of the Aiways U6’s front face also adopts a through-type design, which echoes the through-type taillights inspired by Star Wars battleships. It also has a unique aerodynamic kit made of faux carbon fiber material and a body-colored bright strip decoration. After 23 rounds of rigorous wind resistance testing and analysis optimization, the drag coefficient of Aiways U6 is only 0.248 Cd, which is better than that of most same-level sports car SUVs.

The rear part of the car is equipped with a small carbon fiber-like ducktail, which looks similar to the styling of Lynk & Co 05, demonstrating a sporty and stylish performance.

Interior Materials

In terms of interior materials, Aiways’ new car also presents a simple and technological, trendy and sporty style, like many of the current hot-selling pure electric vehicle interiors, it removes all physical buttons.

The 8.2-inch instrument display screen in front of the steering wheel and the center console are integrated together, and the slender screen is enough to handle driving information for daily use. The 14.6-inch frameless high-definition central control screen in the center uses a suspended design, coupled with a unique interstellar cruise shift lever, further highlighting the sense of technology.

There are also two color schemes for the seats. In addition to the conventional black seat paired with a black cockpit, there is also a red-blue spliced seat paired with a light-colored interior cockpit option.

Moreover, regardless of whether consumers choose the 63kwh version or the 73kwh version with the large battery, the interior configuration is treated equally.Functions like lane departure warning, lane keeping, road sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, door opening warning, 360-degree panoramic imaging, and adaptive cruise control are all readily available. Not only can the infotainment system utilize a customized Android-based system, but the central control system also supports CarPlay and HiCar, providing excellent practicality.

Aiways also places emphasis on the back-row passenger experience, equipped with a panoramic glass ceiling of the largest area in its class, extending to the back of the rear seats. The double-layer laminated tempered glass comes equipped with a special heat-insulating coating from a top US supplier, not only bringing an obstructed view of over 2 square meters but also effectively isolating ultraviolet rays and blocking a significant amount of external heat from entering the car, providing a comfortable driving and riding experience.

As for the increasingly valued audio experience, the Aiways U6 also performed exceptionally well. In terms of creating a music atmosphere, Aiways developed this sound system with German well-known audio brand Meilike. Together with excellent NVH performance, high airtightness cabins and variable ambient lighting, the actual experience is also excellent.

Driving Experience

In fact, on this short test drive in early autumn in Beijing, it is evident that the Aiways U6 not only puts in a lot of effort into the design of its exterior and interior, but its power and handling also meet the expected level for its class.

As a purely electric vehicle, it can provide sufficient power and a tight handling feel whether driving in the city, on winding mountain roads, or on highways, freely moving without the need to wait for gear shifting or experiencing the lag of turbo charging. This alone is enough to surpass the driving experience of many gasoline-powered vehicles.

In the powertrain section, Aiways uses a single electric motor structure in the U6 with a maximum horsepower of 218 and a maximum power of 160 kilowatts. Its peak torque is 315 N·m and the electricity consumption is about 14kwh per hundred kilometers. It is fully sufficient for a pure electric SUV mainly used for urban commuting. The 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds can also beat many 2.0T gasoline vehicle players, but it is not very prominent in the pure electric vehicle market. The 63kwh ternary lithium battery is not large, but enough to provide a CLTC driving range of 505km and 590km respectively.

Can Aiways, a company that goes abroad and returns home, stand firm?

If you know Aiways, you may know that Aiways has achieved good results and capital survival by relying on the overseas export market, and has also tried the “curve salvation” path of shell listing on the U.S. capital market.

However, just like many international students who return to China to enter the workplace, Aiways has also encountered the dilemma of being easily “unaccustomed to the local environment”. In fact, just like the company’s HR treats international students, Chinese car consumers have changed their views on domestic, new energy and even joint venture models, and whoever has stronger product power and cost-effectiveness can win sales and attention.

Although Aiways has hired an international team for design and material sourcing, it still “missed the boat” and encountered “the most competitive year” in the domestic SUV market.When oil prices have skyrocketed, the accumulated hybrid technology of domestic giants such as BYD, Great Wall, Chery, Geely, Changan, and GAC has pushed the market of 150,000-300,000 yuan hybrid SUVs to compete with pure electric SUVs in the market.

Similarly, the new forces and joint venture pure electric SUVs have also had a concentrated outbreak this year. AITO asked the M5, Audi Q4\Q5 e-tron twin stars, Ford Mustang Mach-E, FF R7, Toyota bZ4X, and even the bZ3 sedan co-developed by Toyota and BYD continue to erode the price range of about 300,000 yuan from top to bottom.

What’s even more frightening is that Tesla officially announced on the morning of October 24th that the Model 3 and Model Y have lowered their prices across the board, with the highest price reduction reaching RMB 37,000, and the entry-level Model Y has even entered the RMB 300,000 range, making it eligible for national subsidies. This turns the original blue ocean of more than 200,000 electric cars into a red ocean, and if Aiways wants to survive, or even thrive, it will certainly have to go through a bloody market battle.

It is obvious that Aiways does not want the Aiways U6 to be drowned in the car market. Therefore, the manufacturer hopes that the Aiways U6 can express its individuality, modernity, and fun through its appearance and interior design, so as to accelerate the return of this “returnee” brand to the domestic market.

From the presentation point of view, the Aiways U6 does not disappoint. This “Lamborghini” yellow is definitely an eye-catching and distinctive new car that will make people recognize it at a glance when it is walking on the street.

But as the saying goes, “Talk is cheap, show me the data.” The future survival or death of Aiways still relies on sales volume and stock price.

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.