Author: Guo Hehe

Actually, when IDEAL ONE was first launched, it was not well-received by the public. There were two reasons: 1) the product was relatively single and the brand only sold one car model, making the audience quite narrow, so it was difficult to satisfy everyone with just one product. 2) As a new energy brand, its technology did not appear to be “advanced enough” because IDEAL ONE used extended-range technology, which did not belong to the same technical genre promoted by new energy brands. Moreover, the most criticised aspect was that the extended-range generator of IDEAL ONE was equipped with a three-cylinder engine and did not have too much anti-vibration treatment. This natural physical characteristic would inevitably bring about shaking to the car’s body during operation. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency was only 35%, which was relatively low compared to the current standard. Therefore, if IDEAL ONE was driven as a traditional gas-powered car, its fuel consumption rate would be unsatisfactory.

However, as we all know, IDEAL ONE went on to dominate the sales of new energy brands year-round and became the top-selling model, unlike those models that receive good reviews but do not sell well. IDEAL ONE deeply touched consumers’ core needs.

The facts have proven the importance of market research. As a home SUV for family use, the four-screen design of IDEAL ONE solved the entertainment problem for passengers in the car. In addition to the naturally comfortable chassis of the SUV and its inherent physical advantages, the key was the power system that could use both gasoline and electricity and be eligible for a green license plate. This allowed many men who had a good knowledge of cars in their families and have financial control to recommend the car model without spending too much energy.

Just when the public was guessing whether IDEAL would shift to sedans for its second product, a spy photo dispelled this speculation. Although the new car from IDEAL was heavily camouflaged, it is still clearly visible that it is a large SUV.

Taking advantage of the dividends of SUVs, IDEAL decided to continue down the road of extended-range SUVs. Recently, IDEAL officially announced that the new car had been officially named IDEAL L9.

From the way the name is determined, it is not difficult to see that “L” signifies larger and longer car body size. From “ONE” directly to “9”, following the trend in the way cars of German Luxury brands are named (i.e., the higher the number, the more luxurious), “9” can be considered the unambiguous ultimate number. Like XPeng G9, this will undoubtedly be IDEAL’s flagship product in recent years.

Several interior renderings of the new car were released on the official Weibo account of IDEAL. From a design perspective, it can be seen that IDEAL L9 has taken a completely different design approach from IDEAL ONE.

The new car did not adopt the three-screen structure of the Ideanomics ONE, and directly canceled the LCD dashboard in front of the driver, replacing it with a large HUD. According to the rendering, a wealth of information can be displayed on the HUD, including speed, navigation, entertainment and other information, which I think will not be too difficult to adapt to, after all, when Tesla canceled the LCD dashboard due to cost, it even didn’t equip HUD, but still managed to transform the habits of so many users. The Ideanomics L9 is still relatively easy to accept in comparison.

This also reminds me of the large HUD on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but unfortunately, this HUD is not an AR-HUD. Compared with some luxury brands, the technology and usability are still somewhat inferior.

The most prominent change in the interior this time is the three 15.7-inch car-grade OLED screens used for the central control screen, the co-pilot entertainment screen, and the rear cabin entertainment screen. They provide unprecedented 3K high-definition resolution and extreme color reproduction for in-car screens. In terms of the car’s electronics, it is equipped with two Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chips, combined with a computing platform composed of 24GB of memory and 256GB of high-speed storage, supporting the switching between two 5G operators to ensure real-time online high-speed networks. It feels like moving the LCD TV and the TV on the plane into the car.

According to the Ideanomics official, the L9 hopes to create a five-screen interaction mode in the car, with three screens plus the HUD mentioned earlier and the safe driving interaction screen on the steering wheel. Oh, by the way, the steering wheel adopts a brand new design style, and the logo position is most likely the safety interaction screen mentioned by Ideanomics.

Although the steering wheel design is highly original, I always feel that I have seen it somewhere. Personally, I think it is not as aesthetically pleasing as the one on the Ideanomics ONE, but we still need to see the actual car to make a judgment.

As a family car, the optimization of storage space details is also the focus of the Ideanomics L9 this time. The center console position in the front row is equipped with multiple water cup holders, two wireless charging positions for mobile phones, and a relatively large central armrest box. The co-pilot rear seat is equipped with a small tabletop, and the second-row seats are equipped with leg supports, storage compartments, heating/ventilation and other configurations. An air conditioning/heating/refrigerator is added under the air outlet in the back row. We can also infer several details from this interior.

Firstly, the seating arrangement still follows the 2+2+2 (or 3) pattern. From the disappearance of the shift lever, it can be inferred that the shift mode may be changed to a gesture control. Now, both the driver and front passenger can charge their phones, and it is said to be fast charging. There are also a milk warmer and refrigerator installed in the back row. For long-distance trips and travel, the needs of the entire family can be taken care of.

Speaking of the needs of the whole family, the official Weibo account of the Ideal car brand said: “The Ideal L9 opens up a new era of [three-dimensional space interaction]. The car has six microphones and 3D ToF sensors. With Ideal’s self-developed multi-modal three-dimensional space interaction technology based on deep learning, interaction in the car will be conducted in the most natural way possible. From toddlers to grandparents, everyone can easily enjoy the intelligent experience of the Ideal L9.”

The function of the 3D ToF sensor can be understood as a 3D motion capture device. That is, it can capture the movements of passengers inside the car. It’s a bit like the gif below.

From this passage, I tentatively infer that the so-called interaction may be able to control entertainment, air conditioning and other functions through gestures, which is not yet possible with any car on the market. I am personally very excited to see what can be achieved.

The most competitive aspect of Ideal car has never been the halo effect of a new force or any high-end gimmicks. It is more about using the interpretation of product perfection to illustrate the concept of cars and homes, and combining familiar, well-regarded experiences with innovation to form a product with the best reputation. As the flagship product of the Ideal brand, the Ideal L9 has a price range of RMB 450,000 to 500,000 (depending on the configuration), and will be launched at the 2022 Beijing Auto Show. This pricing is approaching that of luxury brands. Do you think Ideal can succeed with this pricing?

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.