Exterior Changes
On February 9th, the first day after the release of the Ideal L7, the Lingzhuo Auto got a bit of heat and released the extended-range version of its larger five-seat SUV Lingzhuo C11, with an official pre-sale price of 159,800 to 2,000,000 CNY. It is expected to be delivered in mid-March this year. In addition, Lingzhuo Auto will also deliver the Lingzhuo C01 in around July or August.
In 2022, Lingzhuo Auto achieved good results, with a cumulative delivery of 111,168 vehicles throughout the year, an increase of more than 154% year-on-year. Although it failed to achieve the annual sales target of 120,000 vehicles, it ranked fifth in the new force ranking, only less than XPeng, the first place, by less than 10,000 units. Lingzhuo Auto squeezed into the first echelon of new energy and new forces. In addition, the stock price of Lingzhuo Auto has recently shown a trend of good news, despite the unfavorable overall environment in 2022.
The Lingzhuo C11 extended-range version is 30mm longer than the pure electric version in terms of size, with no other changes, with specific data of 4780/1905/1675mm and a wheelbase of 2930mm.
There are some differences between the Lingzhuo C11 extended-range version and the pure electric version in appearance. In the front part of the vehicle, the closed front grille of Lingzhuo C11 pure electric version was changed to a segmented air intake grille, with dot-matrix chrome decoration replacing the center light strip. On the side of the car body, the Lingzhuo C11 extended-range version adopts hidden door handles, silver chrome skirts, two-tone rearview mirrors and semi-closed hubcaps. The fuel tank inlet was installed on the left rear fender, and the charging port was consistent with that of the Lingzhuo C11 pure electric version on the right side of the vehicle body. There were no changes in the tail part.
In terms of interior design, the NIO C11 extended range version adopts a suede roof lining, and the headrest of the front seats also have hollowed-out processing. It is worth mentioning that the NIO C11 extended range version has added a control panel of the same model as the NIO C01 above the air outlet of the rear air-conditioning, adding convenience to the rear seats.
Why did NIO choose the extended range mode?
NIO is the only domestically-developed enterprise for new energy vehicles that is all-round self-developed. To make urban electric vehicles, long-distance hybrid vehicles, and recreational discharge vehicles, NIO C11 has opened the road of all-round self-development for extended range modes.
In the past few years, the development of new energy vehicles has exceeded everyone’s expectations. The data of the China Passenger Car Association shows that the number of new energy vehicles registered in 2022 reached 5.67 million, and the number of registrations this year is estimated to exceed 8.5 million, with a penetration rate of 40%.
NIO’s founder, Chairman, and CEO Zhu Jiangming said that in the entire new energy industry, hybrid models have also made a significant contribution. From 2020 to 2022, the growth rate of hybrid models far exceeded that of pure electric models. The number of registrations of hybrid models increased from 550,000 in 2021 to over 1.4 million in 2022, an increase of more than double. But the number of pure electric vehicle registrations is less than one, so Mr. Zhu said that the number of new hybrid vehicles registered in 2023 will exceed 3 million.
Hybrid models are divided into three modes: extended range, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid. NIO chose the extended range model. Firstly, from the mechanical structure, the extended range mode is the simplest. It is an extended generator composed of an engine and a generator added on the basis of a pure electric vehicle. The structure is relatively simple, so the cost is relatively low. When the cost is reduced, the saved part can be invested in the battery part, making the battery larger. Correspondingly, the pure electric endurance will be longer, and the economy will be better.
Zhu Jiangming said that from the user’s point of view, NIO has delivered 160,000 pure electric vehicles so far. According to the analysis of the actual user data, high-speed driving above 80km/h accounts for only 3.4%, and overall driving on the highway will not exceed 10%- 15%. Therefore, NIO chose the extended range mode with longer pure electric endurance.
What Makes LYZ Zero Run C11 Stand Out?
The LYZ Zero Run C11 extended-range version is equipped with the same range extender as the IDEAL One, which has undergone certain optimizations. The C11’s fuel tank capacity is 47 liters, and it can be filled with 92-octane gasoline. Under the WLTC test cycle, the C11’s fuel consumption is 0.73 liters/100 kilometers, and its lowest power consumption is 6.8 liters/100 kilometers. Under the WLTC test cycle, the electric power consumption is 19.7 kWh per 100 kilometers.
The LYZ Zero Run C11 extended-range version is equipped with a ternary lithium battery, which comes in two optional capacities. The first option is a version with a 43.74 kWh battery pack, which is currently the largest battery pack capacity in the extended-range sector. It only takes 30 minutes for quick charging, and about 3.8 hours for slow charging, and is equipped with an AI intelligent battery management system for big data full-time. This version can achieve a CLTC pure electric range of 285 kilometers and a total range of 1024 kilometers under CLTC.
The second option is a version with a capacity of 30.1 kWh, which can achieve a pure electric range of up to 180 kilometers under CLTC. Based on the concept of electric power being the main energy source and oil being the auxiliary, from the user’s perspective, Zhu Jiangming stated that 50% of LYZ Zero Run’s users drive less than 200 kilometers per week. Therefore, the long-range version of the LYZ Zero Run C11 can achieve the effect of charging once and driving for a week, greatly reducing the number of refueling and charging.
During the launch ceremony of the LYZ Zero Run C11 extended-range version, Cao Li, vice president and head of the product line for the entire vehicle at LYZ Zero Run, said that the price of the C11 extended-range version is only half of the recently launched IDEAL L7. Relying on the combination of self-developed and vertically integrated technologies, LYZ Zero Run realized luxury and intelligence equality with high performance-price ratio.For long-distance travel users, the NIO C11 Extended Range Edition is like a big power bank. The vehicle has over 8 charging units, including interfaces for wireless charging for phones, a 12V charging interface in the front row, two USB interfaces, a type c interface in the rear row, and a 220V 3.3 kW external discharge gun. With the 43-degree battery pack of the NIO C11 Extended Range Edition and a fuel tank that can be started with 47 liters of gasoline, the vehicle can generate around 140 degrees of electricity, enough to meet users’ electricity needs for external projection, computers, and even hot pots.
In addition, the NIO C11 Extended Range Edition is equipped with a more advanced new generation of Haiglisky electric drive system, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 digital cockpit, a panoramic starry sky roof that blocks 99.5% of ultraviolet rays and improves vision by 8%, and other configurations such as seat and rearview mirror adjustment via facial recognition, Bluetooth keyless entry with phone, frameless doors, and immersive Agamis music cabin.
Conclusion
With a price range of 150,000 to 200,000 yuan, mainstream SUV size, superior configuration, and impressive technological performance, it’s no wonder that Cao Li would call the NIO C11 Extended Range Edition the “terminator” of 150,000 to 200,000 yuan gasoline SUVs. NIO has launched a product layout of pure electric and extended range dual-power to impact the mainstream market, and in 2023, NIO hopes to create a new market pattern through self-research and development and become a year of renewed popularity for NIO.
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.