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At 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, a large number of new cars will be unveiled

NIO releases new ES6

NIO announced at the 2023 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition that it will add 200 battery swapping stations every month in the future, and update the Power Journey plan. In terms of models, the EC7 will begin delivery in May, the ES8 will start delivery in June. In addition, NIO also brought the all-new ES6 and the 2023 ET7.

The 2023 NIO ET7 now offers Aurora Gold paint, towing package, N-Box, and heated front windshield trim. The wireless charging panel power has been increased, seat experience optimized, and the center console trim has added chrome ring decoration, while the soft package has been used to cover the lower sides of the front and rear door panels, and the door panel storage box has added a cup holder limiter. The bottom has also adopted velvet technology. This is a small annual update that does not adjust the price, which remains at ¥458,000 to ¥536,000. Pre-order starts today, and delivery will begin in mid-May.

The all-new ES6 and ET5 share the same platform, but many things come directly from the ES8. First of all, the appearance has undergone the biggest change. The car width is 30 mm wider than before, and the car height is 53 mm lower than the old model, and it has removed the air suspension, leaving only the CDC shock absorber.

In terms of details, it is similar to the ES8 and EC7 released at the NIO DAY a few months ago. All chrome-plated parts have been removed, leaving only a few metal strips on the black border. The entire front face has also become a purer X-Bar shape, which looks more sporty, such as the side flow hole similar to the ET5, and NIO’s self-developed four-piston fixed caliper, as well as the same front 150 kW and rear 210 kW dual motors as the ET5. There are also designs that are the same as the ES8, such as flat side windows, floating roof, hidden wiper, high-level brake light, and turn signal.

Although the interior of the new ES6 is not significantly different from that of the ES7 and EC7, I am attracted to some of the details. For example, there is a decorative line on the back of the front seats, which feels like it can greatly enhance the texture for the rear seats. The luxury feel given by this line even makes me feel that it may be more luxurious than the new ES8.

Moreover, the most important thing is that the front row of the ES6 now has adjustable headrests, with 22 electric adjustments that can be manually adjusted back and forth, up and down. The area is also very large, and it is very comfortable, without even trying. The rear row also has electric adjustments.

The all-new NIO ES6 will be officially released in late May, and customers who have already placed an order will receive a complimentary CNY 8,000 option package (Moon theme and Air Illumination Orange calipers).

Xiaopeng G6

According to previous information released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the core parameter information of G6 is as follows:

– Three dimensions: length, width and height are 4,753 x 1,920 x 1,650 mm, with a wheelbase of 2,890 mm;

– Curb weight: Single-motor version: 1,995/2,000 kg, Dual-motor version: 2,095/2,100 kg;

– Tire specifications: 235/60 R18 and 255/45 R20;

– Power parameters: Single-motor version is equipped with a 218 kW motor, Dual-motor version is equipped with a 140 kW front motor and a 218 kW rear motor. In addition, the motor is no longer square, but is a self-developed motor from Xiaopeng Intelligent Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in Wuhan.

The Xiaopeng G6 was exhibited in two colors, and from the orange color matching, we can see that the G6 will be more oriented towards relatively young consumers compared to the G9.

In terms of interior, the Xiaopeng G6 has undergone significant changes compared to other models in the family. The steering wheel style, split-type central control screen and instrument screen, and more leather-wrapped interior design all make the G6’s interior look younger.

Although in terms of design details, the Xiaopeng G6’s interior still has some shadow of other models, it is undeniable that in the overall appearance and high-end atmosphere, the Xiaopeng G6 has made significant improvements compared to other models in the family.

Polestar 4

2023 is the “China Year” for the Polestar brand. At the Shanghai International Auto Show, Polestar officially unveiled the mid-to-large-size pure electric SUV Polestar 3, the 2024 Polestar 2, and the global debut of the Polestar 4.

The focus of this press conference was on the newly released Polestar 4, and the Polestar team expressed great satisfaction with its appearance. As for the headlights, it is my favorite part. The Polestar 4 is the first mass-produced model to achieve the headlight shape of the Polestar Precept concept car, and its split-type headlights are designed with dual-edge daylight running lights.

The tail light is a penetrating and thin back light that keeps the light on whether it is day or night. It improves visibility and enhances the warning intensity to the back, reducing the risk of rear-end collisions.

The Polestar 4 features a wide and low-slung coupe SUV design that sets it apart from all other models currently on the market (such as X4, GLC Coupe, EC6, etc.). Its styling is somewhat similar to the Polestar 2’s cross-border style. The rear windshield has been redesigned, eliminating the traditional design and extending the panoramic sunroof to the rear passenger’s head, improving the headroom for rear passengers.

For power, the Polestar 4 uses dual electric motors with a total output of 400 kW and a 102 kWh battery. In the Chinese market, the Polestar 4 will be equipped with Flyme Auto Core and a landscape-oriented screen. The interface has also been polestarized.

The Polestar 4 will also be available for pre-order from today, in six different configurations based on the single-motor standard range, single-motor long-range Plus, and dual-motor Plus models, with a range of 627, 709, and 637 km, respectively. Prices range from 3.498 million yuan to 5.338 million yuan. What do you think of the price?

Changan Blue S7

Changan Blue S7’s exterior continues the family design of the SL03, which looks familiar at first glance. The young, sporty, and aggressive front face has also become the design theme of Changan Blue’s products. Both the pure electric and extended-range versions of the S7 use a closed-type grille design. In the figure below, the fluorescent yellow represents the pure electric version, while the gray represents the extended-range version.

The exterior design of Changan Shenlan S7 is very sharp, so I personally think that the gray paint version of the extended-range model can effectively neutralize this somewhat “jumping” visual feeling, making the visual effect more coordinated. However, after seeing the actual car, the yellow paint version of the pure electric model is more harmonious than the declaration map of the MIIT, and belongs to the eye-catching and personalized style.

Thanks to the rapidly narrowing window line, the changing light and shadow of the side profile, the black decorative panel with different colors on the body, and the slender taillights that extend to the side of the car, Shenlan S7 looks very streamlined on the side, without any bloated or mediocre feeling. The gray paint version makes S7 look more low-key and reserved, while the two colors of design bring completely different visual feelings.

In terms of advanced driving assistance hardware, we can refer to Changan Shenlan SL03. In February, Shenlan announced that the optional price of the high-end intelligent driving assistance hardware system for SL03 is RMB 30,000, and the hardware differences are as follows:

• Upgraded from 6 cameras to 11；
• Upgraded from 6 ultrasonic radars to 12；
• Upgraded from 3 millimeter-wave radars to 5.

In terms of functions, the advanced version of the driving assistance hardware supports “APA 7.0 remote valet parking”, including in-vehicle parking, remote control parking, remote control entering and exiting, trace reversing, remote moving, and memory parking, etc. It also supports NID 3.0 navigation intelligence assistance and high-speed NOA.

The steering wheel of S7 has made some detailed adjustments compared to SL03: the single color has been changed to two-color splicing; the chrome area has been extended to the bottom, and the area of the safety airbag/speaker has become more three-dimensional, and the style of the buttons has also been slightly adjusted. After the change, the style of S7’s steering wheel becomes more hierarchical, while SL03 will appear somewhat flat by comparison.

The S7 still features a 14.6-inch sunflower screen in the center, with a UI design similar to that of the SL03. However, in order to supplement the information after canceling the dashboard, the floating window on the left side of the S7’s central control screen will add information such as vehicle speed, gear position, and ADAS, similar to the Model 3/Y.

The S7 not only equips the co-pilot seat with a zero-gravity seat with a leg rest, but also the driver’s seat with a leg rest.

It is worth mentioning that the S7 cancels the internal mechanical door handle and adopts the logic of unlocking with an electric control button. In addition, the way the windows are raised and lowered has also become a lever type similar to that of NIO. In the window control area, the S7 uses a design similar to rattan wood, although the shadow of other brands can be seen, at least the visual effect is good.

The comfort of the S7’s rear seats is not inferior to that of the front seats. The thick and soft seat cushion makes for a comfortable ride. The SUV’s ample vertical space allows for the rear seats to be raised appropriately, providing sufficient leg support when sitting. The delicate leather and slightly sinking feeling make the S7’s rear seat experience very enjoyable.

smart EQ fortwo coupé

The all-new smart EQ fortwo coupé adopts the concept of “new luxury sports aesthetics” with the rule of “opposing yet not conflicting”. Compared to the smart EQ fortwo coupe, its body length is 4,400mm, and the wheelbase reaches the same leading 2,785mm in the same level, with the “four wheels at four corners” design, continuing the space design concept of “compact exterior, spacious interior”.

The new car’s front face is designed with the cyber light and shadow penetrating LED matrix headlights, plus the “shark nose” shape and the A-type wide grille. On the side of the car, the A-pillar to the C-pillar extends naturally to the roof contour. At the same time, large-size wheels and lower diffuser board enhance the car’s sportiness.

At the rear of the new car, the C-pillar and bumper elements bring a stored-up tail posture. The new car also has a new luxury design and avant-garde modern elements, such as the dynamic light and shadow penetrating LED taillights with triangle pixel grid elements.

In terms of interior design, the all-new smart EQ fortwo coupé adopts the “T-shaped agile and intelligent cockpit”, using an integrated wrap-around sports coupe seat, design elements of capsule and circle, 3D Mesh soft wrapping technology for the dashboard, stitching design in contrasting colors, headrest smart logo, and seat rivet design. The turbo-style air conditioning vent is similar to that of Mercedes-AMG. At the same time, the whole cockpit also has the comfort of ergonomics. The digital dashboard and the center console with a 12.8-inch suspended large screen complement each other.

The immersive panoramic sunroof of 1.6 square meters brings a broad view and a romantic atmosphere. With the laminated and silver-coated technology, it can block 99% UV rays. The new car also features a 64-color dual-zone intelligent ambient light with music pulse function and a 13-speaker Beats gold medal sound system tailored by a professional sound engineer.

The all-new Smart Fortwo #3 is equipped with intelligent technology configurations that exceed those of the same class. Through UI/UX design and intelligent interaction, it creates a personalized intelligent experience.

On the “Smart Inspiration Planet” intelligent man-machine interaction system, the all-new Smart Fortwo #3 will bring a new Avatar voice elf assistant – Cheetah. The Mercedes-Benz global design team has created 40 image actions and six exclusive actions by drawing from and restoring the cheetah’s native form.

HiPhi Y

HiPhi Y officially debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show and is expected to be delivered in the third quarter. At this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, HiPhi officially released its overseas strategy and will be the first to enter Europe and the Middle East, and the HiPhi Hub in Munich and Oslo is about to open.

In terms of exterior size, the HiPhi Y has a length, width, and height of 4,938 x 1,958 x 1,658 mm and a wheelbase of 2,950 mm.

As revealed by previous news from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the rear-wheel drive version of the Gaohe HiPhi Y uses the lithium iron phosphate battery from BYD (Wuhan Fudi Battery Co., Ltd.), while the four-wheel drive version still employs the ternary lithium battery from CATL.

The Gaohe HiPhi Y will offer three options of 560 km, 765 km and 810 km of driving range, with battery capacities of 76.6 kWh, 115 kWh, and 115 kWh respectively. The curb weight of the vehicle is 2,305 kg, 2430 kg, and 2,340 kg respectively.

In terms of power, there are rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions. The maximum power of the rear-wheel drive version is 247 kW, and that of the four-wheel drive version is 371 kW (front 124 kW/rear 247 kW).

Quick Review:

There were a considerable number of new models showcased at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, with almost every brand presenting new vehicles across all price ranges, of which the majority were domestic brands. From design to products to branding, these new brands have followed the trend of this year’s auto show to various extents, presenting quite eye-catching models. Moreover, from the flow of people on-site, it is evident that consumer attention has largely shifted from traditional brands to these new brands.

YANGWANG U8 officially launched for sale, with a presale price of 1.098 million

On April 18th, YANGWANG Auto showcased its products U8, U9, and YANGWANG architecture at the Shanghai Auto Show. The YANGWANG U8 officially opened for presale, offering two versions, a luxury edition and an off-road warrior edition. The official presale price is RMB 1.098 million.

YANGWANG U8 is based on two independent research and development core technologies—Easy-IV technology and Yun-Nian-P Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System. Easy-IV technology can achieve extreme stability, emergency floating, U-turn, and agile steering in various scenarios. The maximum power output of U8 exceeds 1,100 horsepower, and the acceleration time to reach 100 km/h is as fast as 3.6 seconds. Yun-Nian-P system can achieve high autonomous adjustment. The total travel adjustment of YANGWANG U8 suspension is 150 mm, and the maximum water wading depth is 1,000 mm without any issue. Yun-Nian-P has 3-level stiffness adjustment and supports continuous adaptive damping adjustment to cope with different road conditions quickly and intelligently.

U8 also supports practical functions such as four-wheel drive, one-key leveling, super high lifting, and height adaptation. The RTI ramp driving index of the U8 reaches 600. At the same time, the new car has 17 + 1 driving modes, including 17 specific road condition modes and custom modes, which can intelligently identify and adjust terrain and road conditions.

In terms of endurance, the U8 has a maximum CLTC comprehensive endurance of 1,000 km. The equipped blade battery can ensure a pure electric endurance of more than 180 km under CLTC working conditions and supports 110 kW DC fast charging, which takes only 18 minutes to quickly charge from 30% to 80%. The U8 also supports VTOL external discharge function, with a maximum discharge power of 6 kW.

In terms of appearance, the new car has a square body shape and is equipped with interstellar cross headlights. In addition, design details such as roof detection system and D-pillar energy tower enhance the intelligent interaction experience between humans and cars.

In terms of interior, the star ring cabin uses multiple curves to create a sense of embrace. The 12.8-inch galaxy curve screen breaks the limit of straight screens on interior design. The car-grade curved OLED central control screen is based on real human body data, with a selected tilt angle of 37°.
The U8 has a wheelbase of 3,050 mm, which provides comfortable space for both front and rear passengers. At the same time, it is also equipped with intelligent active seat, which can actively support the waist wings according to real-time road information.

The U8 is equipped with the Hi-End level stereo system of the Evidence series, starry sky dynamic skylight, active fragrance and other configurations, with U8’s NVH quality. In terms of intelligent cockpit, the U8 adopts an open ecology, multi-tone area human-car interaction, and 70-inch AR-HUD function.

Upward U8 offers luxury and off-road player models, which feature 22-inch forged wheels, electrically retractable side steps, and a five-screen linkage system. The five-screen linkage system supports movie sharing and navigation sharing among family and friends in both front and rear rows.

Meanwhile, U8 luxury models come with advanced intelligent driving assistance system equipped with 38 high-precision perception devices, including 3 lidars, 5 millimeter wave radars, 14 ultrasonic sensors, and 16 cameras.

U8 off-road player models are equipped with a thermal management system, AT tires, night vision system, roof luggage rack, water-fording duct, and other off-road configurations. The models also come with in-car satellite communication and optional onboard drone systems, while reducing certain smart hardware to reserve more space for vehicle modification.

U8 luxury models will be officially delivered from September this year, while U8 off-road player models will start delivery at a later stage.

Upward U9 unveiled its brand-new appearance at the press conference. It follows the family design language and uses interstellar headlights. The body side lines are dynamic with large diffusers, rear spoilers, and shark fins on the tail section, as well as aerodynamic design.

The press conference officially launched Upward architecture, which covers six core technologies: Easy Square, Cloud Carriage, Blade Battery, Super Body, Intelligent Cockpit, and Intelligent Driving Assistance, on which both U8 and U9 were created.

Comment: Upward has attracted attention since its establishment, not only because it was born under BYD and carries many of their latest self-developed technologies, but also because of its positioning as “BYD’s high-end brand”.After the official release of the price of the U8, looking up, the price has indeed risen to over one million. This has given the brand a high-end start, and we are also looking forward to seeing if there will be lower-positioned versions after the two versions of the U8, as well as the actual performance of the luxury edition that will be delivered in September.

Ideal Releases Pure Electric Strategy

On the first day of the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show on April 18th, Ideal Automobile officially announced its pure electric solution at its “Dual-Energy Strategy” press conference. At the same time, with the release of Ideal AD Max 3.0 version, Ideal Automobile also announced that its intelligent driving had officially entered the 3.0 era.

It is necessary to explain here that Ideal Automobile’s defined “dual-energy” refers to “intelligence” and “electricity”.

Specifically:

• “Intelligent Strategy” refers to the AI intelligent driving experience provided by building “Intelligent Driving” and “Intelligent Space” technology platforms based on software 2.0 capabilities.
• “Electric Power Strategy” refers to the energy strategy of parallel development of “extended-range electric vehicle” and “high-voltage pure electric” based on the latest high-voltage pure electric solution.

In addition, Ideal also announced the advent of intelligent driving 3.0 era.

In fact, the reason why it is called intelligent driving 3.0 is that Ideal Automobile has gone through two relatively significant iterations in the field of intelligent driving. Specifically:

• The era of Intelligent Driving 1.0: In 2021, Ideal Automobile’s full-stack self-developed achievements in the field of intelligent driving made their first appearance on the Ideal ONE model, achieving high-speed NOA.
• The era of Intelligent Driving 2.0: In August 2022, with the release of Ideal L9, Ideal’s intelligent driving was divided into two product lines, AD Max and AD Pro. Among them, AD Max 2.0 uses NVIDIA OrinX chips and lidars from WeRide at the hardware level, which can achieve NOA; AD Pro 2.0 uses the Horizon Journey 5 chip, which can achieve high-speed NOA based on pure visual perception.And now, the reason why the ideal car emphasizes on Intelligent Driving 3.0 is that its core has expanded from the high-speed NOA to the urban NOA. The latest version that achieves urban NOA is the recently released Ideal AD Max 3.0. According to the official statement, it can get rid of the dependence on high-precision maps and make real-time perception, decision-making, and planning just like human drivers.

As for the specific rollout plan, Ideal Cars stated that the urban NOA function of Ideal AD Max 3.0 will start to be rolled out to internal test users in this quarter and will be rolled out to 100 domestic cities by the end of the year.

At the same time, a heavyweight message is that the software and service price of the Ideal AD Max 3.0 urban NOA is lifetime free- meaning that every AD Max user will be able to upgrade to the full-scene NOA function of AD Max 3.0 for free, including urban NOA and high-speed NOA, without any subscription fees.

During the conference, Ideal Cars also announced that the first 25 supercharging stations of the Ideal Car Supercharging station will start trial operations before the end of May and will be open to all electric vehicle owners. Each station will be equipped with three fast charging piles and one 4C super charging pile.

Along with the announcement of the pure electric solution, Ideal Cars also announced the model plan for the next three years:

Through the strategy of parallel development of extended-range and pure electric, by 2025, Ideal Cars will have the product layout of “1 super flagship + 5 extended-range electric models + 5 high-voltage pure electric models”, aiming at the market with a price over 200,000 RMB, fully meeting the needs of family users.

It is worth mentioning that in the concluding session of the conference, Ideal Cars also announced that the first pure electric model under the Ideal brand will become the world’s first model equipped with NCM 4C Kirin batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) — Li Xiang, CEO of Ideal Cars and Zeng Yuqun, Chairman of CATL, signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between the two companies at the scene.

#### Quick Review:
Anyway, facing Li Xiang’s “three-year elimination for intelligent electric vehicles” (from 2023 to 2025), Ideal’s “double-energy strategy” seems to be a move made by Ideal Car actively or passively to cope with this elimination game.

At present, Ideal Car’s product layout of “1 super flagship + 5 range-extended electric vehicle models + 5 high-voltage pure electric vehicle models” has also been locked in until 2025-before this product layout is finally determined, Ideal Car cannot stay stagnant with its current version and can only continue to iterate and move forward.

Tesla’s Q1 earnings report released

Overall, Tesla’s Q1 2023 report is a seemingly dangerous but still healthy report.

Let’s take a look at the revenue and net profit situation:

• Total revenue was $23.329 billion, a year-on-year increase of 24\%, and a quarter-on-quarter decrease of 4\%.
• Automotive business revenue was $19.963 billion, a YoY increase of 18\% and a QoQ decrease of 6\%.
• Total gross profit was $4.511 billion, a YoY decrease of 17\%, and a QoQ decrease of 22\%.
• Overall gross margin was 19.3\%, a YoY decrease of 9.77\%, and a QoQ decrease of 3.49\%.
• Gross margin per vehicle was 18.9\%, a YoY decrease of 11\% and a QoQ decrease of 5\%.
• Sales costs were $18.818 billion, a YoY increase of 49\%, and a QoQ increase of 1\%.
• Net income was $2.513 billion, a YoY decrease of 24\% and a QoQ decrease of 32\%.
• Net profit margin was 10.77\%, compared to a net profit margin of over 19.2\% in the first quarter of 2022 and a profit margin of 16\% in the fourth quarter of 2022.

As can be seen, although Tesla achieved a 24\% increase in revenue in the first quarter, key indicators such as gross profit, gross margin, and gross margin per vehicle all showed varying degrees of year-on-year decline- the most noticeable of which is the net profit, with a drop of up to 24\%.

# Teslar’s Q1 2023 Financial Report Highlights

Aside from the key data mentioned above, Tesla also achieved the following important indicators in Q1 2023:

• Cash and cash equivalents balance of $22.402 billion, a YoY increase of 24% and QoQ increase of 2%.
• Research and development expenses of $771 million, a YoY decrease of 10% and QoQ decrease of 5%.
• Selling, general, and administrative expenses of $1.076 billion, a YoY increase of 8% and QoQ increase of 4%.

Overall, while the profitability indicators for this quarter showed some decline compared to Tesla’s performance in Q1 2022, the financial report remains promising, particularly in terms of revenue and profitability.

Tesla CFO Zachary Kirkhorn summarized that Tesla’s financial performance remains healthy.

During the earnings call, aside from Tesla’s vehicles, Musk emphasized on autonomous driving.

He stated that Tesla has gone through over 150 million miles in mileage testing with FSD Beta, and that number is growing exponentially, providing Tesla with a competitive advantage that other players do not have. Musk emphasized that Tesla is also very focused on improving its neural network training ability, which is the key to achieving full self-driving.

In order to achieve this goal, Tesla will continue to purchase Nvidia GPUs in large quantities and invest heavily in the Dojo supercomputer — which can increase the cost-effectiveness of model training by an order of magnitude.

It is worth noting that Musk mentioned that the Dojo supercomputer may become a service that can be sold externally, similar to Amazon’s AWS. In the earnings call, he stated that Dojo is a long-term project, and its return on investment can be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in the long run.#### Quick Comment:
One premise for this financial report release is that Tesla conducted a large-scale price reduction worldwide this quarter. Especially in the Chinese market, the main models Model 3 and Model Y reduced to 230,000 and 260,000 respectively in the beginning of the year, hitting their respective historical lows.

On the other hand, with major global automakers all turning to energy transformation, Tesla has to face increasingly fierce external competition.

Under these circumstances, the Q1 performance report that Tesla delivered is actually an effective supplement to Musk’s planned Tesla’s future development strategy.

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.