Those who often follow variety shows must have heard of “The Voice of Life”, which gathers 16 legendary singers from mainland China and Hong Kong such as Hacken Lee and Miriam Yeung, and brings people back to the golden age of Hong Kong’s music scene.
As an automotive media, I certainly won’t suddenly recommend a variety show to you. In this show, Voyah Motors, as the official designated car, has gained a lot of exposure. It must be said that this is a very clever marketing plan. When the keywords “Hong Kong”, “celebrities” and “travel” appear, it’s hard not to associate it with a MPV.
However, what most people would think of is the Toyota Alphard. As a newcomer in the market, Voyah Motors aims to introduce themselves as a “new species” and “farewell to the classical MPV era.”
The words between the lines are clearly challenging the top players, but the fundamental competition is still based on product quality. As the second product of a new brand, Voyah Motors’ Dream Family, priced not cheap, wants to revolutionize the market. Will it succeed?
The standard battery package is somewhat disappointing
First, let’s take a look at the officially announced prices at the Voyah Motors’ press conference:
-
7-seater Dream Series: CNY 439,900;
-
7-seater Aspire Series: CNY 389,900;
-
7-seater Home Series: CNY 369,900;
-
4-seater Private Customization Edition: CNY 639,900.
Why are the words “series” added to each model? Because the hybrid and pure electric versions have the same configuration and the same price, and customers can choose between the two power modes according to their needs. The battery parameters of the two versions are as follows:
- The pure electric version is equipped with an 82 kWh battery pack, with a CLTC range of 475 km;
- The hybrid version is equipped with a 25.57 kWh battery pack + 1.5 T four-cylinder engine, with a CLTC pure electric range of 82 km and a WLTP comprehensive range of 750 km.
Voyah claims that the Dream Family’s engine can be “directly driven in specific scenes”, and is not entirely a range-extending parallel hybrid, so strictly speaking, it belongs to the category of “hybrid”. This four-cylinder engine was also introduced separately at the press conference:
One interesting thing is that the DreamJet offers three official optional packages: “Wisdom Package”, “Intelligent Driving Package” and “Endurance Package”. The prices of these optional packages happen to be the price difference between different models. According to the logic of ordinary manufacturers, the functions that come standard with high-end models must be more expensive to install on low-end models.
The details of the “Wisdom Package” were not provided at this press conference; the “Intelligent Driving Package” provides hardware and functions for assisted driving; the “Endurance Package” is specifically designed for the pure electric version of the car, allowing customers to upgrade the battery from 82 kWh to 108.7 kWh for 50,000 yuan.
Honestly, when I saw that the seven-seater DreamJet was even cheaper than the pre-sale price at the press conference, I was really surprised and thought it was a true “cost-effective monster”. Compared with the competing products in the figure below, the price of the 7-seater DreamJet is between 36.99-43.99 and the configuration provided is really reassuring:
But I lost my excitement when I saw the battery capacity and endurance.
As an MPV weighing around 2.5 tons, with an 82 kWh battery pack and a CLTC endurance of 475 km, the DreamJet is somewhat embarrassing in 2022. Although there are many short-distance reception scenarios in the daily use of MPVs, the popularity of LanTu’s self-built charging network is still not high. If the total mileage is calculated and the temperature drops in winter, the actual endurance may be less than 300 km.
The “Wisdom Package” 108.7 kWh large battery provides a CLTC endurance of 605 km, and I think this is the best partner for the DreamJet, but the optional price of 50,000 yuan creates a psychological threshold for consumers. In other words, if you add the 50,000 yuan battery pack price to the car price, a price range of 41.99-48.99 may be more acceptable to consumers.
Of course, I have to admit that this is just a way of shifting focus from one aspect to another. I believe that during the pricing process, faced with the expensive battery raw materials, the official of LanTu must have gone through many rounds of “brainstorming” before finally coming up with this seemingly cost-effective price.
However, at least the DreamJet provides an option for a 108.7 kWh battery pack, and the owners of LanTu FREE pure electric version should be very envious now. Moreover, the DreamJet supports a maximum charging power of 230 kW and a charging time of 20% -80% in about 20 minutes. If there is a higher demand for endurance, the DreamJet also has a hybrid version to choose from.Dreamer Auto also offers the following exclusive benefits for first-time car owners. Interestingly, Voyah proposed to build a “Dream Club” to bring together car owners to create a user community. Considering the audience of Dreamer Auto, the potential of this user community would be great if the communication channels for users could be opened up.
For early car buyers, Voyah provides an exclusive upgrade package worth 20,000 yuan for users who place orders for the “Home” series before August 7; users who place orders for the “Wish” series before August 7 can receive 20,000 yuan worth of privileges, and those who place orders for the “Wish” series between August 7 and December 31 can receive 10,000 yuan worth of privileges. Users who place orders for the “Dream” series within this year can enjoy 20,000 yuan worth of privileges.
Conservative in Appearance
As early as the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2021, the design of Dreamer Auto’s appearance was fully displayed to everyone. Here I will do a small review.
Perhaps due to my age of twenty-something, I have not yet developed an appreciation for MPV’s appearance, so the appearance of Dreamer Auto still seems traditional to me. The front face uses a “big mouth” design, which is a common technique used to create a sense of luxury and grandeur in luxury MPVs. In order to reduce the abrupt feeling brought about by the large chrome-plated mouth with huge surface area, the front face of Dreamer Auto is decorated with chrome plating on both sides, creating a “fang” feeling with the black air intake.
The milky white light emitted by the LED light strip that runs through is very soft and does not give a sense of non-mainstream. Overall, although the front of the Dreamer Auto has not completely eliminated some of the “brothers” conventionally designed language, it has its own ideas and belongs to the type of “stable but impressive”.
One detail on the front of the car is worth noting: the rib lines on the front hood were cleverly designed into the Voyah logo style, which is a small Easter egg. As body manufacturing technology continues to improve, there are more and more options for body decoration.
The Dream Seeker’s car retains its stable and reliable design style on both sides and the rear, with chrome decorations on the A to D pillars enhancing the exquisite feel. The silver chrome trim at the bottom of the body resembles a golf club, a design similar to the previous generation 7 series BMW. The shorter front and rear overhang design maximizes the interior space. In addition, as a luxury MPV, the Dream Seeker is equipped with electric sliding doors on both sides.
The privately tailored 4-seater version has a more noble appearance, with the noble feeling largely stemming from the classic two-tone body color and the hidden rear privacy film. The 4-seater Dream Seeker can achieve the feeling of “this car is not cheap at first glance,” which is believed to be the focus of the buyers of this special model.
There are indeed many advantages
Running elephant
If we summarize the traditional luxury MPV’s impressions of power and handling in just a few keywords, they would be “adequate will do” and “stable and reliable.” People generally think that the owners of these nanny cars are either middle-aged or elderly people who have lost their passion or drivers wearing white gloves. However, the LanTu Dream Seeker has made a good start in this regard:
-
Pure electric version motor total power 320 kW, maximum torque 620 N·m, and acceleration time of 5.8 seconds per 100 kilometers; (5.9 seconds after installing the large battery pack);
-
Hybrid version motor total power 290 kW, maximum torque 610 N·m, and acceleration time of 6.6 seconds per 100 kilometers.
If you are the owner of a Golf GTI and hope to see the Dream Seeker at a red light intersection in the future, please do not attempt to compete with it for acceleration. Otherwise, the little hot hatch will be hurt by the MPV’s overtaking, which will damage your self-esteem.
In addition, the LanTu Dream Seeker has not been stingy with its suspension: all models come standard with front double-wishbone and rear five-link suspension; all models come standard with air suspension and CDC electromagnetic suspension with magic carpet function, and the suspension’s material has also generously used aluminum alloy.
As you can see from the comparison chart of competing models in the figure below, regardless of the similarly priced Buick GL8 Avenir and Senna or the more expensive Elfa and Mercedes V-Class, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Dream Seeker is a superior one in terms of chassis and power configuration.
However, because of the serious epidemic in Shanghai, I am unable to experience the feeling of driving the Dreamer on the road, which is a pity.
Interior design
Nowadays, the interior design of new cars is becoming more and more youthful and technological. This is also the most intuitive advantage brought by the competition between new forces and traditional car companies. Without being constrained by the so-called “family-style design” framework passed down for decades, the interior of the LanTu Dreamer is obviously much younger than that of its predecessors.
With a 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel, as well as two entertainment screens on the center console and the co-pilot seat, along with a delicate black and brown leather and elegant ambient lights, the interior of this car is very enjoyable to the senses. Let’s take a look at what the interiors of competitors competing with the Dreamer look like:
It’s easy to see at a glance without me explaining anything. In addition to being more youthful and atmospheric in design, the LanTu Dreamer is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 car chip, and with gigabit 5G network, drivers and co-pilots can smoothly push information such as navigation and music, and you can also use third-party cooperative apps to watch movies or variety shows on the co-pilot screen.
The 7-seat version of the Dreamer has a seat layout of 2+2+3. The second-row seats have a 70-degree electric legrest and a maximum reclining angle of 155 degrees, and the sleep support pillows provide enough support for the head. There is also no shortage of 3-level ventilation heating and seat massage, and the comfort level is not inferior to that of airline seats.
The material of the Dreamer seat has been certified by OEKO-TEX ecological textile, which is the world’s most authoritative and widely influential ecological label for textiles, ensuring the safety and skin-friendliness of the fabric.
Another advantage of not using aviation seats is obvious: the passengers in the third row can get in and out of the car more conveniently. From the beginning of the design of the seven-seat version of the Dreamer, all the seats in the front, middle, and rear were considered, and the design of the super-long slide rails in the second row not only provides a more comfortable adjustment range for the passengers here, but also allows the third-row passengers to have sufficient adjustable space for their legs.
Compared with the practice of some 7-seater MPVs that set the second row as aviation seats, the Dreamer’s approach is obviously more suitable. If I pursue the extreme comfort of the second-row passengers, why not directly adopt a four-seat design?
It is precisely under this kind of thinking that the Dreamer has made the four-seat version more extreme:
As early as the static experience at the end of last November, I felt the luxurious atmosphere in the back row, the eye-catching partitioned rising and falling TV, the intelligent control armrest on the hollow armrest, the luxurious and comfortable seats, and the four-seat version of the Dreamer is “prestigious” enough. However, due to the differences in the target audience for the 4-seater and 7-seater models, the interior atmosphere created by the 4-seater model is more exaggerated and heavy. Compared with this, I prefer the simple and bright interior style of the 7-seater version.
But it still needs to be emphasized that the price of 639,900 yuan is 200,000 yuan more expensive than the top-equipped model of the 7-seat version, and this is still the “starting price”, implying that if you have more personalized and customized content, this price will be further increased. Of course, even the price of 639,900 yuan is nearly 200,000 yuan cheaper than the entry-level version of the Alphard, and the effect of transforming into a 4-seat Dreamer in the after-market may not cost much.
It’s just that I feel that car owners who can afford to spend money on a 4-seat Dreamer should not be price-sensitive users. Even if it is 20,000 yuan more expensive than the Alphard, they may be willing to pay an additional 200,000 yuan. At this time, facing the traditional MPVs with higher awareness and the new-born Lan Tu Dreamer, what choice will they make?
Complete auxiliary driving functions
In terms of the hardware of assisted driving, the Lan Tu Dreamer uses the Mobileye EeyQ4 chip. In the year of 2022, this chip’s computing power can only be said to barely meet the requirements, but it is also worth noting that the performance of the Volkswagen ID.4 with the same chip for assisted driving is remarkable, so the “only computing power theory” is incorrect.
The Dreamer is equipped with 24 sensors in the whole car, including:
- 5 millimeter-wave radars
- 7 cameras
- 12 ultrasonic radars
In terms of functionality, the official website of the Voyah Dreamer claims that this hardware can achieve 26 functions, including lane change with turn signal, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and visual fusion automatic parking. As I haven’t yet had the opportunity to experience the system in practice, I cannot assess its excellence at this time. However, MPVs are most commonly used on city expressways and highways, so a useful advanced driver assistance system and a comfortable MPV are a perfect match. I sincerely hope that the Voyah Dreamer can deliver an excellent experience for its smart driving assistance system.
Safety is also a selling point
Three years ago, China Insurance Research Institute conducted a crash test on the Buick GL8. The tested models were the 2017 Comfort and Premier Edition with 28T engine. The crash test results were catastrophic. The internal passenger protection of the GL8 only received a score of M (average), and even a grade of P (poor) in the 25% overlap crash test.
Although in the latest China Insurance Research Institute test, the GL8 has already achieved a score of A (good) for internal passenger protection, it is still not quite up to G (excellent). The design of MPV models with short front and rear ends compresses the deformation and energy-absorbing areas of the vehicle, which is a crucial part of crash safety. In addition, the larger vehicle body mass will bring greater impact forces to the A-pillar during a collision. Furthermore, due to the larger body cross-section, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body is reduced, making MPVs generally less safe.
At the Voyah Dreamer launch event, CEO Lu Fang spent a lot of time introducing the safety features of the Voyah Dreamer’s body structure. The 2,000 Mpa integrally formed hot-stamped laser-welded door surround, the 2,000 Mpa aluminum-silicon coated anti-collision beam, and over 70% of high-strength steel used throughout the vehicle make the Voyah Dreamer look like it has gone to great lengths in terms of safety.
During the test drive, a fan of the Voyah Dreamer raised this question: why can’t the third row seats be completely flat with the trunk when they are folded down? At this event, Lu Fang also gave an answer: in order to ensure the safety of third-row passengers in the event of a high-speed collision at the rear of the vehicle, this part was correspondingly structurally optimized at the expense of space.
## Conclusion
In terms of hardware, Voyah’s Dreamweaver has almost no rivals in terms of chassis, power and intelligent configurations in the MPV market. In terms of interior design, it adopts a simple and luxurious style that is more favored by young people.
It should be noted that the average age of the global high net worth population is gradually decreasing, even executive sedans are turning to technology and intelligence. Capturing the hearts and minds of this group is equivalent to capturing the pulse of the high-end car market.
In terms of price, even with the addition of a 50,000 yuan optional range package, the price of less than 500,000 yuan and the luxury configuration make Dreamweaver have a good price-performance ratio. The sense of quiet and intelligent experience brought by electric drive is also something that Voyah’s “classical MPV” cannot provide.
So, let’s go back to the question we raised at the beginning: Can Voyah’s Dreamweaver challenge the established players in the MPV market?
It’s difficult for me to draw a conclusion right now. Although the strength of the product is the basic factor for competition, the level of brand awareness is the core point for market recognition. Therefore, when we see Voyah sponsoring variety shows and calling itself a “nanny car”, I believe they will have more promotional decisions to win consumer awareness in the future.
Changing people’s minds is not easy, but the world of new energy vehicles is full of miracles and legends. We have seen too many stories of brands rebelling and revolutionizing from the past to the present. So, let’s give Voyah and Dreamweaver more time.
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.