Weekly Indices
Weekly News
Musk Announced FSD Beta Open Applications on Twitter
On November 24th, Musk announced on Twitter that FSD Beta is now available for anyone in North America to apply for, but of course, you have to buy FSD first.
Prior to today, the FSD in North America was gradually opened up to more users.
On September 25 last year, Tesla even launched a user driving safety rating feature to prioritize FSD Beta for users with good driving habits in order to avoid accidents caused by immature FSD Beta versions in special situations.
Quick comment:
It only took one year from the announcement of FSD Beta to the full opening of applications. According to the current pace, it does not seem far off for other regions around the world as long as they pass government approval.
Perhaps 5,700 FSD users in China saw the dawn today because of this.
Wuling Air ev Sky Configuration Released, 300 km Range
Today, Wuling Motors released the detailed configuration of its first new energy global car, the Air ev Sky, which has a range of 300 km and supports DC fast charging which only takes 45 minutes from 30% to 80%. Compared to the MINIEV, the car is equipped with safety features such as driver airbags, ABS anti-lock braking system + EBD brake force distribution system, low-speed pedestrian warning system, tire pressure monitoring, and cold/hot air conditioning.
In terms of appearance, the Air ev Sky features a minimalist design style with LED lights in a double lens design. In terms of colors, the Air ev Sky comes in four colors, including white, blue, gray, and brown.
In terms of body size, the standard version of the new car is 2,599/1,505/1,631 mm in length, width, and height respectively, with a wheelbase of 1,635 mm, while the long-axis version is 2,974/1,505/1,631 mm in length, width, and height respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,010 mm.
The whole vehicle adopts a cage-type high-strength steel body structure, with a proportion of 62% high-strength steel for the frame. Large amounts of hot-formed ultra-high-strength steel are used in the front beam, A-pillar, rear beam, and other parts and have undergone full-car collision testing.
In terms of power and endurance, Air EV provides a range of 300 km. The 2-seater and 4-seater versions are equipped with 30 kW and 50 kW drive motors respectively, and coupled with front MacPherson independent suspension, the 4-seater can accelerate from 0 to 50 km/h in just 4.8 seconds.
The 2-seater version is even more compact, with a turning radius of only 3.7 meters.
As for the cockpit, Air EV is equipped with a 10.25-inch dual screen, supports remote vehicle control via a mobile phone app, and can achieve basic functions such as air conditioning control, remote starting, remote door opening and closing, window lifting, appointment charging, and vehicle remaining power inquiries.
Quick Review:
With the amazing market performance of the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, Air EV is the next step for Wuling to gradually exert upward pressure on the low-end electric vehicle market. At present, the attractiveness of Air EV in terms of appearance, product strength, and cost-effectiveness is still very impressive. As for whether this higher-end and more refined Air EV will attract more people, it depends on the soon-to-be-released price.### BYD’s High-end Brand Enranger’s Spy Photos of New Car Revealed
Recently, Enranger, the high-end brand under BYD, has revealed the spy photos of its first new car, the Enranger R1. It can be seen that the newly-disguised car is undergoing road test in a wild environment.
From the previous exposure, the Enranger R1 is positioned as a hard-core off-road vehicle, which is indeed confirmed by the spy photos. The new car not only has the ability to travel on stone roads in the wild but also can pass through shallow water sections, indicating a high ground clearance.
It is worth mentioning that, from the previously exposed design, the Enranger R1 is expected to be equipped with a laser radar, bringing a wave of expectations for its assisted driving ability.
It is reported that the Enranger R1 is expected to be released in this year’s fourth quarter and officially launched in the first half of next year.
Quick Comments:
Currently, the best-known domestic off-road vehicle is probably the Tank 300 from Great Wall Motors. As the first shot of BYD’s foray into the hardcore off-road field and the first model of the Enranger brand, the Enranger R1 is naturally highly anticipated.
As a high-end brand, it is said that the Enranger R1’s price will be around one million yuan, which means that its direct competitors will be the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Land Rover Defender.
The addition of a laser radar is expected to make the Enranger R1 the most intelligent hard-core off-road vehicle. However, in off-road scenarios, how to protect the laser radar from damage during driving still needs to wait for BYD’s answer at the launch event.
XPENG Adjusts Versions of Multiple Models on Sale
Recently, we found out that XPENG’s official website quietly adjusted the on-sale versions of multiple old models. Except for the G9, the P7/P5/G3i three model series have all undergone varying degrees of adjustments and some versions have been discontinued.The number of available models for XPeng P7 has been reduced from 22 to 9, with price ranging from CNY 2.399 million to 2.859 million. The available models are divided into 480 version, 586 version, 625 version, and 670 version based on different ranges.
According to previous news, the updated XPeng P7 may be launched in March 2023, but the old models will not be removed from sale and will be sold alongside the updated models.
The number of available models for XPeng P5 has been reduced from 11 to 5, with price ranging from CNY 1.799 million to 2.259 million. The available models are divided into 460 version and 550 version based on different ranges.
The number of available models for XPeng G3i has been reduced from 7 to 4, with price ranging from CNY 1.689 million to 2.019 million. The available models are divided into 460 version and 520 version based on different ranges.
Quick Comment:
It is unclear whether the adjustment of the versions of old models on sale is also one of the results of the restructuring of XPeng’s organization. However, previously, the P7 model had as many as 22 versions, which really made consumers have a hard time choosing and unable to figure out the specific differences between different versions. It is indeed urgent to adjust and streamline the car model SKUs.
However, there are some adjustment parts that I don’t quite understand, such as the discontinuation of the P7 four-wheel drive edition and Pengyi edition.
Looking at XPeng’s October sales volume, the total delivery volume was only 5,101 units. Among them, G9 delivered 623 units, P7 delivered 2,104 units, P5 delivered 1,665 units, and G3i delivered 709 units. In contrast, NIO and Li Auto, both of which are also in the first-tier of new forces, delivered around 10,000 units in October.
At present, XPeng is in a “stagnation“* stage, and the life cycle of the old models is gradually coming to an end and cannot support sales. The new flagship G9 has just started delivery and is still in the stage of climbing up towards full production, which also cannot contribute too much to sales. It may still take some time to reach 10,000 units in monthly sales, which may need to wait until the production capacity of G9 is stable.
The Star Way L Hi·P with a Price of 239,700-253,700 Yuan is Officially Launched
On November 25, the Star Way L Hi·P was officially launched with two new models available:
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The extended-range electric flagship version with a comprehensive subsidy price of 253,700 yuan and a post-subsidy purchase price of 243,700 yuan;
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The extended-range electric supreme version with a comprehensive subsidy price of 239,700 yuan and a post-subsidy purchase price of 229,700 yuan.
Among them, the high-end customized car paint LOMOGrey sandblasted grey is priced at 8,000 yuan; 20-inch particle low-drag wheels can be optionally installed at a price of 3,000 yuan; the interior can be optionally fitted with a starry grey eco-suede double-stitched interior, which is priced at 3,000 yuan.
Note: “stagnation” here refers to the situation where the demand for the old models has decreased, while the new models have not yet had a significant impact on the overall sales volume.
The highlight of the Star Yue L Hi·P Thunder Plus version is the use of a 41.2 kWh large battery plug-in hybrid system. This system can provide a pure electric range of 207 km under WLTP and supports 85 kW fast charging.
The Star Yue L Hi·P is equipped with a 1.5 T engine with a maximum power of 110 kW and a peak torque of 225 N·m. The motor layout is P1+P2, and the gearbox is a 3-speed DHT Pro. The top speed can reach 220 km/h.
In addition to providing engine direct connection, parallel connection, hybrid connection, and pure electric drive, the Star Yue L Hi·P also provides a main plug-in hybrid mode, with a range of up to 1,250 km.
In terms of benefits, the new car provides 10 major car purchase benefits for customers who lock in and place orders before December 31, 2022 (limited to customers who lock in and place orders before December 31, 2022):
- Deposit Gift: Enjoy deposit expansion, and enjoy a 3,000 yuan deposit deduction for 13,000 yuan;
- Subsidy Gift: Complete the lock-in and order before December 31, 2022, and ensure that you enjoy the national new energy subsidy after the price;
- Renewal Gift: Existing Geely users can enjoy up to 10,000 yuan in exchange subsidies;
- Financial Gift: 5,050 yuan car purchase financial subsidy, 24 periods with 0 interest;
- Energy Supplement Gift: Free home charging equipment and basic installation services, 220 V family charging gun;
- Quality Assurance Gift (First Owner): 5 years or 150,000 kilometers quality assurance, three-electric system lifetime free quality assurance, range extender lifetime free quality assurance;
- Camping Gift: Worth 1,999 yuan Thunder Homie exclusive camping suite and 220 V discharge gun;
- Traffic Flow Gift (First Owner): 5 years of unlimited traffic flow, basic traffic flow is free for life;
- Delivery Gift: Place an order before the end of November and it is expected to be completed by December 31;
- Boutique Gift: Worth 318 yuan for 3D original factory foot pads.
The first batch of major customers who purchase plug-in hybrid flagship versions can upgrade for free to 20-inch low wind resistance particle wheels worth 3,000 yuan. The purchased users can enjoy a free replacement or upgrade within 12 months after registration (if the first batch of major customers change configurations, they will enjoy the right to lock in and place orders without the surprise blind box benefits).
Quick Comment:
From a product perspective, the Star Yue L Hi·P has indeed achieved “comprehensiveness” in many areas.
For example, in the battery and engine section, the 41.2 kWh large battery plug-in hybrid can provide a WLTP pure electric endurance of 207 km and supports 85 kW fast charging. It cannot be denied that the best-selling BYD Song Plus DM-i in the same category can only provide a maximum endurance of 110 km, and Honda’s light hybrid is only an HEV mode with oil as the main and electricity as the auxiliary.
Looking at the engine part alone, the maximum power of the 1.5T engine is 110 kW, the peak torque is 225 N·m, and the thermal efficiency is 43.32%. The motor layout is P1+P2, the gearbox is 3-speed DHT Pro, and the top speed can reach 220 km/h. It cannot be denied that this power system is also advanced enough, and compared with DM-i’s parallel-axis direct drive, it can indeed achieve better high-speed acceleration performance and low-energy consumption performance under low battery levels.
Li Bin responds to NIO Mobile Business Issues in Songshan Lake, Dongguan
- How is the progress of NIO Mobile going?
At the face-to-face meeting at the Niu House in Songshan Lake, Dongguan on November 27th, Li Bin responded to various issues regarding the mobile business:
“NIO currently has teams in Shanghai and Beijing, and the progress is going smoothly.”
“Users who want to change their phones within a year don’t have to, they can wait for NIO’s phones next year, especially for Android users.”
As for the reason why NIO is making mobile phones, it hopes that its own mobile phones and vehicles can achieve complete ecological integration. Currently, Android and Apple have certain degrees of unsupported features on the hardware and software, such as the UWB chip that began to be loaded onto the NT 2.0 platform, which currently cannot be called and recognized by NIO’s vehicles.
So you should be able to feel Li Bin’s confidence in the strength of his own mobile phone from his words.However, based on the current status of the car system, in terms of animation effects, it is difficult to say that it can compete with Apple. So let’s still look forward to next year’s NIO DAY.
- When will NOP+ be released?
Since the earlier announced release date of NOP+ was roughly Q3 of this year, and we are already halfway into Q4, the new release date mentioned by Li Bin is this year’s Q4.
On the other hand, Li Bin also answered the question of whether NOP+ will be free or not:
“NOP+ belongs to the assisted driving part or the autonomous driving (NAD) part on the NT 2.0 platform. We are still discussing this internally and haven’t made a final decision yet.”
Technically, NOP+ is difficult to define as part of NAD, but from a business and regulatory perspective, it is also difficult to define. Therefore, due to several reasons, NIO is still discussing this internally.
Comment:
Expanding business is not at all new for companies. It’s just that in the past, we’ve only seen phone manufacturers turn to making cars, but NIO is probably the only one that makes its own phone after making cars.
Although this is relatively rare in the automotive industry, another similar example may be Gree’s smartphones.
On the other hand, the NP purchase system on the NT 1.0 model will also affect whether NOP+ will be charged or not. After all, previously, only those who spent 39,000 yuan could use NOP, and whether existing car owners will become “leeks” probably also depends on whether NOP+ will be free or not.
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.