On February 9th, 2023, nearly a year and a half since the release of the first Li ONE C11, Li ONE has released the Li ONE C11 range-extended version based on the pure electric version. With a presale price of 1.598-2.0 million CNY, it brought me back to October 2021 all of a sudden.
The Li ONE C11 was officially launched at that time, with a medium-sized pure electric SUV equipped with a 78/90 kWh battery pack, 400 kW motor, and full configuration, and a price of only 1.598-1.998 million CNY, which made it very popular among many people.
However, with the subsequent rise in battery raw material prices and the decline in national subsidies, the Li ONE C11 pure electric version has now reached a price range of 1.858-2.358 million CNY, an increase of 26-36,000 CNY. This range-extended version has brought the price range back to 2021.
The detailed configuration of the Li ONE C11 range-extended version has not yet been released, but it can be expected that the main differences in the 1.598-2.0 million CNY price range will be in the battery and motor.
The entry-level Li ONE C11 range-extended version will be equipped with a 30.1 kWh battery pack, and the CLTC pure electric cruising range will reach 180 km, matched with the 200 kW rear motor of the C11 pure electric, which will also be the cheapest range-extended product currently on the market.
The mid-to-high-end Li ONE C11 range-extended version will be equipped with a 43.74 kWh battery pack, the CLTC pure electric cruising range will be 285 km, and the rear motor will still be 200 kW; the top-end model may have a 400 kW dual-motor version. Regardless of the configuration, the C11 range-extended version comes with AC and DC charging ports.
The Range Extender used in the LI (Leapmotor) C11 is the same 1.2T model from Dongan Power as the one used in the Li Auto ONE. It has a maximum net power output of 96 kW and a maximum speed of 5,500 rpm, which is identical to the Li ONE’s engine.
According to official data from LI, the C11 can travel up to 1,024 km on a full tank of gas and battery charge under CLTC comprehensive range testing, thanks to its 47 L fuel tank and a WLTC energy consumption of 6.8 L/100 km for gasoline and 19.7 kWh/100 km for electricity.
The exterior design of the C11 Range Extender is similar to that of the all-electric version, with the main difference being the layout of the front end, which features multiple openings to accommodate the engine’s air intake.
The car’s front end styling has also been updated, with the black air intake replacing the original decorative strip between the headlights. The front bumper also features airflow guides on both sides of the car, which serve the purpose of air intake. However, the small, densely-packed grooves above the front bumper have received some criticism, as they lack the unity of the all-electric C11’s design.
The side and rear of the vehicle remain highly consistent with the all-electric version, with no significant differences apparent.
The interior cabin also remains highly consistent with the all-electric version, however the seats have been replaced with the same seats as the C01, solving the issue of the seats having loud ventilation noises.
The central armrest in the back row has added a control panel with the same features as the C01, including three-zone independent air conditioning, boss key, and seat heating, making it a very practical upgrade.
As for why Leapmotor developed an extended-range version, Zhu Jiangming gave his answer: “Only 3.4% of the 160,000 Leapmotor car owners drive at speeds above 80 km/h, excluding the T03 and similar microcars, which account for 10%. More than 68% of users travel less than 50 kilometers per day, and about 70% of users have home charging.” The C11 range-extended version’s pure electric range of 180 km and 285 km can handle most users’ needs, and compared to the all-electric version, it can effectively control the cost of the battery. In terms of strategic planning, the Leapmotor C11 extended-range version is expected to be delivered in mid-March, and the C01 extended-range version will be delivered in July and August. The B-series pure electric products will be released at the Munich Auto Show in mid-2022.
To be honest, the pre-sale price range of 159,800 to 200,000 RMB for the SERES SF5 EV RWD Extended Range Version is very competitive. Regardless of the brand factor, the battery size, dimensions, and chassis materials of the SERES SF5 EV RWD Extended Range Version have an advantage over the BYD Song PLUS DM-i and it is currently the cheapest extended range product available. However, sales performance cannot be determined solely based on configuration, brand building, maintenance and other aspects also require continued efforts. The introduction of the Extended Range Version of the SERES SF5 will inject new vitality into the sales of SERES.
Source: SERES Official.
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.