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BYD Releases April Sales Report
On May 3, BYD released its monthly sales report. In April, the company sold 105,475 passenger vehicles, including 48,072 DM models and 57,403 EV models. Sales increased by 136.5% compared to the same period last year and increased by 1.1% month-on-month.
Sales by specific models:
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Han series sold 13,421 units, with a 77.9% increase in the Han EV model year-on-year;
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Tang series sold 10,131 units, with a 263.7% increase in the Tang EV model year-on-year;
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Song series sold 25,108 units, with a 1,299.5% increase in the Song DM series year-on-year.- Qin series sold 23,520 units, with Qin PLIUS EV up by 401.4% YoY;
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Yuan series sold 15,168 units, up by 659.5% YoY;
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Destroyer 05 sold 2,040 units, up by 38.2% MoM;
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Dolphin sold 12,040 units, up by 14.7% MoM.
Quick comment:
Since mid-March, many parts of the country have been affected by the epidemic. From April, the production and sales of the automobile industry have encountered significant difficulties. Sales in the controlled areas were directly suspended, and the passenger volume in other areas was also greatly affected.
According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the sales volume of the automobile industry is expected to reach 1.171 million units in April, down by 47.6% MoM and 48.1% YoY. The delivery volume of new energy vehicle companies also saw a significant decline MoM in April. However, in the midst of the difficult times, BYD’s positive MoM growth is astounding.
It is also worth mentioning that BYD announced the suspension of the production of fuel cars on April 3, and the production and sales volume of the fuel vehicles for April were both zero.
Roewe pure electric MPV iMAX8 EV opens pre-sale
On May 5th, Roewe pure electric MPV iMAX8 EV officially opened pre-sale, with a price range of 279,800 to 329,800 yuan, offering luxury, aviation, and intelligent driving configurations with four color options: Yu Guang Silver, Pearl White, Nebula Blue, and Ronglin Gray.
Roewe stated that during the pre-sale period, customers who placed orders through the SAIC Roewe App could enjoy the following benefits:
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An invitation gift worth 5,000 yuan for inviting friends to purchase a car;
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5,000 yuan charging subsidy;
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Lifetime original factory quality warranty coverage for the whole vehicle (including the three-electric system);
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Up to 15,000 yuan exchange subsidy;
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A free gift of a charging pile;
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Successful orders lock in prices (not affected by the rise in the cost of new energy materials);
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3-year VIP housekeeping service;
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2 years of 0% interest/60-term extended loan.
Quick comment:# English Markdown Text
The iMAX8 EV is positioned in the pure electric MPV market with a maximum motor power of 180 kW, a 90 kWh battery pack, 30\%—80\% fast charging time of 30 minutes, and a cruising range of 550 km (under unknown working conditions). Relative to other offerings in the market, the price is relatively competitive.
In addition, pre-sale customer benefits also include 6 VIP user privileges, such as self-service parking at airports, airport VIP rooms, and designated drivers. SAIC Roewe has also launched an “Economist Battery Installment Plan” for this pre-sale, which means users can purchase the car with a 25\% down payment for the car body for 3 years, and zero down payment for 5 years for the battery. Users who choose this plan can therefore save RMB 90,000 based on the pre-sale guide price.
XPeng adjusts configuration, XPILOT 3.0/3.5 software now standard
On May 6th, XPeng announced that starting on May 9th, 2022, for XPeng P5 and P7 models equipped with XPILOT 3.5/3.0, corresponding auxiliary driving and subsequent software updates will be included with the purchase of the car.
However, starting on May 9th, 2022, new users who purchase G3i, P5, and P7 will no longer enjoy free lifetime charging service or free home charging piles and installation rights.
Commentary:
For potential XPeng enthusiasts who are interested in its intelligent features, the adjustment that will take effect on May 9th is undoubtedly good news: auxiliary driving software no longer requires an additional charge, and the overall vehicle price remains unchanged (P5 550P and 600P have slight increases).
XPILOT 3.0 on the P7 is based on the Xavier supercomputing platform, equipped with 5 high-precision millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 4 panoramic cameras, 10 high-awareness cameras, and sub-meter-level high-precision positioning system. The hardware that supports XPILOT 3.5 on the P5 has one less high-awareness camera than the P7, but has 2 extra laser radars.
After opening NGP, P5 and P7 support ACC full-speed domain automatic cruise, LCC lane centering, ALC intelligent lane change assistance, ATC adaptive curve cruise, as well as collision prevention in the forward, lateral, and rear directions, and parking lot memory parking and IHB intelligent high beam lights included in the software upgrade service. P5 additionally supports cross-floor parking lot memory parking, full-speed domain adaptive cruise with follow-up parking, and NGP intelligent navigation assistance driving in the city.
FF releases flagship model R7 interior design
The biggest highlight of the entire cabin is a 43-inch wide true color triple-screen, which looks like the Mercedes-Benz flagship model EQS.
The screen on the Flying Pigeon R7 is enclosed in an optical coating glass panel which has six times the strength of ordinary sodium-calcium glass, and it has the functions of anti-fingerprint, anti-glare, and reducing reflected light.
The three screens under the glass display the following parameters:
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15.05 inches, 2,560 * 1,600 resolution, OLED flexible material central control screen
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10.25 inches, 1,920 * 1,080 resolution, Mini LED material instrument screen
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12.3 inches, 1,920 * 1,080 resolution, Mini LED material co-driver screen
The AMOLED flexible screen with a viewing angle close to 180 degrees can take care of the viewing experience of different seats and prevent the problem of color deviation from side viewing. The highest brightness of the OLED screen design is 800 nit, while the instrument Mini LED screen reaches the same 1,000 nit as the latest iPad Pro. Even in direct sunlight, it is completely visible.
Flying Pigeon R7 is also not weak in the AR-HUD, launching the Huawei Vision Enhancement AR-HUD front view system. From the picture, the display area is indeed not small, and the displayed content includes speed, speed limit, and auxiliary driving status, and navigation information can also be projected.
According to the introduction of the Flying Pigeon, this HUD can realize lane-level real-time navigation and superimpose the display screen on the road surface. It sounds a bit similar to the system on the new Mercedes-Benz S, but there is currently no actual demonstration available.
Quick Comment:
Because of certification issues such as automotive regulations, the screens on cars have always lagged behind mobile devices by at least one generation. However, the screen parameters disclosed by the Flying Pigeon R7 this time are luxurious. Even when compared to mobile devices, they are leading. The combination of central control OLED + instrument Mini LED on the Flying Pigeon R7 also appears on products such as the NIO ET7, and will probably become the mainstream car screen configuration for high-end products this year.
The resolution of the AR-HUD system is also worth looking forward to because the Flying Pigeon claims that this HUD can also be used as a giant cinema screen when parking, so it is expected that they have made corresponding preparations in terms of resolution.Except for the cabin, the auxiliary driving hardware level released by R7 in March last year was also strong, with 1,550nm LiDAR, 4D imaging millimeter wave, 8 million pixel camera, NVIDIA Orin chip, and comparable to the top-tier level of new forces.
Arcfox Alpha S New HI version is Available
On May 7th, the new HI version of Arcfox Alpha S was launched with two configuration models: the advanced version and the high-end version. The prices are 397,900 yuan and 429,900 yuan, respectively, making it the first model equipped with Huawei’s smart car solution.
Arcfox Alpha S New HI version body parameters and configuration:
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The length, width, and height of the body are 4,980×1,960×1,599mm, and the wheelbase is 2,915mm;
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The trunk volume/rear folding volume: 550/1,290L;
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Drag coefficient: 0.246;
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0-100km/h acceleration: 3.5s (fierce/race mode);
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Maximum power: 473kW;
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Battery capacity: 74.5kWh.
Arcfox Alpha S New HI version’s advanced driving assistance hardware configuration includes:
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3 LiDARs (Huawei’s 96-line long-distance LiDAR);
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9 ADAS cameras;
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4 surround view cameras;
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6 millimeter-wave radars;
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12 ultrasonic radars;
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Huawei MDC computing platform (400 TOPS of computing power).
The Huawei self-developed 96-line LiDAR installed in the new HI version of Arcfox Alpha S is small in size and low in cost. When it was first released, Huawei stated that the cost of this LiDAR was only a few hundred dollars and would be compressed to 200 dollars in the future.
The new HI version of Arcfox Alpha S will realize point-to-point full-scene auxiliary driving capabilities, including active ramp access, automatic lane change, and self-passing through ETC. It will also be equipped with Hongmeng car machine functions and advanced-level AVP valet parking functions. However, Yu Chengdong also stated that these functions may not be delivered to customers so quickly, but with the development and iteration of software, users can experience these functions by upgrading through OTA shortly after receiving the car.
Quick Comment:The new HI version of the Alpha S from Lynk & Co has received a lot of attention, largely because it embodies Huawei’s achievements in the smart automotive field. As the CEO of Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solutions BU, Richard Yu, said at the launch event, despite its partnerships with many carmakers, covering areas such as intelligent driving, smart cockpit, and powertrain, the new HI version of Alpha S is unique in terms of the depth of its cooperation, the comprehensiveness of its functions, and the difficulty of its engineering. Therefore, the release of this car is significant for both parties.
Launch of the LanTu Dreamer MPV and Its Price
On May 7th, the LanTu Dreamer MPV announced its prices at an official launch event:
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7-seat “Dreamer” series: 439,900 yuan;
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7-seat “Think” series: 389,900 yuan;
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7-seat “Family” series: 369,900 yuan;
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4-seat Private Custom version: 639,900 yuan.
The hybrid and electric versions of the Dreamer have the same price and configuration, and customers can choose between the two power modes according to their needs. The battery specifications for the electric and hybrid versions are as follows:
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The electric version is equipped with an 82 kWh battery pack with a CLTC range of 475 km.
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The hybrid version is equipped with a 25.57 kWh battery pack and a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, with a CLTC pure electric range of 82 km and a WLTP comprehensive range of 750 km.
The LanTu Dreamer offers three official optional packages: “Smart Package,” “Driving Assistance Package,” and “Extended Range Package.” Although the launch event did not provide detailed information on the “Smart Package,” the “Driving Assistance Package” provides hardware and functions for assisted driving, while the “Extended Range Package” is aimed at the electric version of the car, allowing customers to upgrade the 82 kWh battery to 108.7 kWh for an additional cost of 50,000 yuan.
With regard to the hardware for assisted driving, the LanTu Dreamer uses the Mobileye EyeQ4 chip and is equipped with a total of 24 sensors, including:
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Five millimeter-wave radars
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Seven cameras
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Twelve ultrasonic radars
Quick Review:
In terms of hardware, the Dreamer has almost stronger chassis, powertrain system, and intelligent configuration than its fuel-powered competitors, and it also adopts a simple luxury design style popular among young people for its interior.In terms of price, even with the addition of a 50,000 yuan extended range option package, the Dreamer still has a good price-to-performance ratio with a price of less than 500,000 yuan and its luxurious features. The quiet and comfortable driving experience from the electric drive and the technology-oriented feeling from intelligent features provide a better experience compared to traditional fuel-based MPVs.
As for sales performance, we can only wait for the market to provide an answer.
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.