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XPeng G6 Officially Opens Pre-Sales, Starting from ¥225,000!
On June 9th, XPeng Motors announced that the XPeng G6 officially opened for pre-sales, with a pre-sale price starting from ¥225,000.
Users who pre-order the XPeng G6 through channels like the XPeng Motors App, official website, or WeChat Mini Program with a ¥2,000 deposit will enjoy the following benefits:
- A ¥2,000 deposit deducts ¥5,000 from the vehicle price;
- 2 “Space Bear” (Lin Zhiying’s signature edition);
- Priority on locking in the listing benefits.
Meanwhile, the static XPeng G6 experience vehicles have arrived at the national experience centers. Users can visit the stores for a hands-on experience. However, test drives will still take some time. The G6 will officially go on sale on June 29th and begin customer deliveries in July.
The XPeng G6 is the third model equipped with XNGP intelligent assisted driving features, and the XNGP capabilities are progressively improving, covering more cities. Additionally, XPeng plans to launch the XNGP ‘Commuting Mode’ in the third quarter of this year, offering users targeted commute and high-frequency travel routes in any city. The XPeng G6 further reduces the purchase threshold for XNGP and accelerates the popularization of XNGP technology.
As the first strategic vehicle under the SEPA2.0 ‘Apsaras’ architecture, the XPeng G6 is equipped with the latest technologies in intelligent systems, power replenishment, and vehicle manufacturing.
Previously, XPeng announced that Lin Zhiying would be the product spokesperson for the XPeng G6.
Quick Comment:
According to XPeng’s financial reports from last year and the previous quarter, the company’s current situation is not ideal; hence the significance of the XPeng G6 to XPeng Motors cannot be overstated.
As the first model based on the Apsaras architecture, the G6 is indeed an excellent product. Both the static interior space and the dynamic driving performance leave a great impression.
However, the overall communication pace for the G9 is slightly sluggish. Instead of opting for pre-sales at this stage, they could have directly announced the price or scheduled the pre-sale period earlier, such as during the Shanghai Auto Show or even earlier.We can only hope that on June 29th, XPeng will bring us a delightful surprise with the official price.
NIO releases Q1 2023 financial report
On June 9th, NIO released its financial report for the first quarter of 2023, with the main financial data as follows:
- Total revenue of 10.677 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%, and a decrease of 33.5% quarter-on-quarter;
- Automotive business revenue of 9.225 billion RMB, a year-on-year decrease of 0.2%, and a decrease of 37.5% quarter-on-quarter;
- Total gross profit of 162 million RMB, a year-on-year decrease of 88.8%, and a decrease of 73.9% quarter-on-quarter;
- Overall gross margin of 1.5%, compared to 14.6% in the same period last year and 3.9% in the previous quarter;
- Single-vehicle gross margin of 5.1%, down from the previous quarter’s 6.8%;
- Sales cost of 10.514 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 24.2%, and a decrease of 31.9% quarter-on-quarter;
- Net loss of 4.739 billion RMB, with a net loss of 5.786 billion RMB in the previous quarter.
- The company’s cash reserves (cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and balances of term deposits and short-term investments) were 37.8 billion RMB, compared to 45.5 billion RMB in the previous quarter;
- R&D expenses in the first quarter amounted to 3.076 billion RMB, a decrease of 22.7% quarter-on-quarter, accounting for 29% of the quarter’s total revenue;
- Sales and management expenses were 2.446 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 21.4% and a decrease of 30.7% quarter-on-quarter.
At this point, all first-quarter financial reports for NIO, XPeng, and LI Auto have been released, with the main comparison data shown below.
During the conference call, NIO stated that although last quarter’s financial report data were not satisfactory, with the completion of R&D for eight models on the second-generation platform and the launch and delivery of new models led by the updated ES6, NIO is currently getting out of the trough.
Li Bin also said during the conference call that NIO’s monthly sales target for the second half of the year is more than 20,000 units.
Quick comment:
NIO is the latest of the three companies to release its first-quarter financial report, and from the various data, it is obviously not ideal. Besides the decrease in losses, revenue and gross profit decreased, while costs increased.
Based on the first-quarter financial report data, both NIO and XPeng, like LI Auto, are currently facing short-term difficulties. The ET5, which should have been a hit, has failed to achieve the expected sales due to various reasons such as production capacity. In addition, NIO announced a 30,000 RMB price reduction for all models this morning, which shows that NIO is currently under huge pressure and urgently needs to improve product sales.So, just as the G6 is XPeng’s lifesaver, the ES6 is also NIO’s lifeline. Currently, it does indeed seem to be the vehicle that will turn things around for NIO. However, relying on a single model alone, NIO still cannot completely escape its current predicament.
Volvo’s All-New Compact Electric SUV EX30 Makes Its Global Debut
On June 7th, 2023, the all-new compact electric SUV EX30 from Volvo premiered in Milan, Italy.
Built on the A-class SEA platform like the smart sprite 1/3 and Zeekr X, the EX30 is Volvo’s smallest model to date. Officially, it is interestingly described as an “Italian concentrated espresso” version.
In terms of appearance, the new car adopts a design featuring large wheel hubs, equal length front and rear suspension, a closed front grille, and Thor’s Hammer headlights, showcasing the design style of Volvo’s next-generation electric products. Additionally, the EX30 offers five body color options, such as “Sea Cloud Blue” and “Lichen Yellow,” inspired by lichens growing on rocks of the Swedish West Coast.
For propulsion, the Single Motor Extended Range model, equipped with a ternary lithium (NMC) battery, offers a driving range of up to 480 km on a single charge, suitable for short-distance urban commuting;
The Twin Motor Performance variant features an additional electric motor on top of the ternary lithium battery, raising the power output to 315 kW and achieving a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.6 seconds, making it Volvo’s fastest model;
Regarding charging speeds, the standard range model supports charging power up to 134 kW, while the dual-motor four-wheel-drive model reaches a maximum charging power of 153 kW, being able to charge from 10% to 80% in just 25 minutes;
In terms of interior, there is a 12.3-inch display located in the center of the dashboard, with built-in Google apps, 5G connectivity, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon® intelligent cockpit platform;
The center console features storage functions, offering slide-out cup holders or phone holders, and the front seatbacks provide dedicated pockets for additional storage space;
The EX30 also offers five different themed ambient lighting options, each inspired by various aspects of Scandinavian landscapes, including sunlit forests, the sunset on Sweden’s west coast, the world’s famous northern lights, golden Swedish summers, and soothing urban sunsets. Each theme comes with matching ambient music for an even more immersive experience.
For safety measures, the car is equipped with a door warning system and features a standard driver sensing system that detects the driver’s state.In terms of sustainability, the EX30 uses more recyclable materials, with 25% of recycled aluminum, and a high proportion of carbon-neutral energy, including 100% carbon-neutral electricity. The EX30 is designed to be Volvo’s smallest carbon footprint model to date, reducing total carbon emissions over 200,000 kilometers of driving to less than 30 tons.
Quick Review:
Even as Volvo’s smallest pure electric model, the EX30 still inherits the brand’s traditional strengths. Family-style exterior design, environmentally friendly recyclable materials for interiors, and strong safety features are all part of Volvo’s strong suit.
With a four-wheel drive version accelerating to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds, it also becomes a hot hatch model like the Sprite 1/3 and Zeekr X. Its promotional video also demonstrates Volvo’s powerful creativity.
However, there are some design flaws, such as the elimination of the dashboard screen in the central control, integrating all dashboard information into the vertical screen, and the absence of a HUD. Personally, I think this design is not convenient for the driver to obtain driving information.
The EX30 has not yet announced its price. What do you think is the right price for the joint venture luxury brand Volvo?
MileZero Assisted Driving Mileage Breaks Through 50 Million Kilometers
On June 6, MileZero announced that its user-assisted driving mileage has officially exceeded 50 million kilometers.
MileZero CEO Gu Weihao said, “MileZero’s user-assisted driving products are gaining more market and user recognition and trust, and MileZero’s data closed-loop capability is being fully verified. Data intelligence is the moat for MileZero’s technology development. In the future, MileZero will continue to iterate product technology advancements, accelerate the R&D of the generative large model Xuehu·Hairuo on the vehicle side, and sprint into the era of autonomous driving 3.0.”
As of June 6, 2023, MileZero’s user-assisted driving mileage reached 50.27 million kilometers. The three generations of assisted driving products HPilot launched by MileZero have connected high-speed to urban full-scene smart travel and have been installed on nearly 20 star models such as WEY Mocha, TANK 300 City Edition, WEY Machiato, WEY Latte, Haval Hladuni, TANK 500, Latte DHT-PHEV, New Mocha DHT-PHEV, WEY Blue Mountain DHT-PHEV, ORA Lightning Cat, ORA Ballet Cat, and Great Wall Cannon.
Hao Mo Intelligence is a company dedicated to autonomous driving artificial intelligence technology. Since its establishment, Hao Mo has been actively promoting the research and development of autonomous driving technology. China’s first mass-produced, heavy-sensing urban NOH will be initially launched in Beijing, Baoding, Shanghai, and other cities, starting the generalized testing and gradually landing in 100 cities by 2024.
In December 2021, Hao Mo released China’s first autonomous driving data intelligence system MANA. As of now, MANA’s learning time has exceeded 620,000 hours, and the virtual world driving age is equivalent to 75,000 human driving years. In January 2023, Hao Mo launched China’s largest intelligent computing center for autonomous driving, MANA OASIS Xuehu·Oasis, with a computing capacity of 67 exaflops per second.
In April 2023, Hao Mo released the industry’s first autonomous driving generative large model DriveGPT Xuehu·Hairuo and opened it for collaboration, with a parameter scale of 120 billion. At the same time, Hao Mo DriveGPT Xuehu·Hairuo has officially opened to the public, launching a limited number of first-time customers, with Beijing Jiaotong University School of Computer and Information Technology, Qualcomm, Volcano Engine, Huawei Cloud, JD Technology, NavInfo, Wei-pai New Energy, Intel, and others joining.
Quick Comment:
Among all domestic traditional manufacturers, Great Wall has become a leader in intelligent driving with the support of Hao Mo Intelligence. Several models under its Wei-pai brand are equipped with Hao Mo’s assisted driving solutions.
At the same time, many models are gasoline vehicles, which not only stand out among numerous gasoline vehicles but also do not require energy replenishment during use.
Soon, Hao Mo’s LiDAR solution will also be officially installed. By then, Hao Mo will extend its use cases from highways to urban roads.
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.