Writing | Roomy
Editing | Zhou Changxian
Interesting stories mostly happen in the height of summer.
On May 7th, the Dreamer, Voyah’s second car model, was officially unveiled. On the same day, the story continued with the meeting of the ARCFOXx and Huawei Aobao, but even the all-new HI version of the ARCFOXx Alpha S, eagerly awaited by the public, couldn’t overshadow the Dreamer’s eagerness to try.
As a new energy MPV model, the Dreamer has received no less attention than the ARCFOXx Alpha S. Perhaps it is because this market has long been “lacking in vitality” and has not seen a “much-anticipated” car model for too long.
In the past, every MPV model that was launched was naturally expected to stir up this big pond. Slogans were shouted loudly, “stir up the market and become the benchmark,” and the Dreamer was no exception.
Came with great momentum, almost became a similar routine, but lacking in the courage to win, it also became a similar mentality.
In the high-end MPV market where the Dreamer is attempting a major offensive, the miracle of Buick GL8’s dominance for 20 years did not go unnoticed by Toyota Senna, nor by the Dreamer.
In this market, all stories began with benchmarking and seizing the GL8 market. Whether it was a fuel vehicle or a new energy vehicle, every latecomer hoped to become the hero who subverted GL8.
However, the long and bloody battle has prevented competitors who were expected to be able to form a “both the jade and the stone are damaged” situation with Buick GL8 from appearing. As a result, GL8 remains the cold occupant of the market.
Stepping on the quiet ones before, Voyah’s Dreamer, which is the main “world’s first high-end native electric dual-power architecture MPV model,” decided to take a different path, and step on this high-profit subdivision market that has been guarded by Buick GL8 for 20 years with two power solutions, pure electric and intelligent multimode.
Whether it will succeed or not depends on the times and luck.
MPV Market, the Times Are Not Easy
Regardless of the price range or power configuration, the Dreamer does not seem to want to compete with the Buick GL8 in the same arena.
As the “world’s first electric luxury flagship MPV” and a product that “leads MPV into a new era of intelligence and electrification,” it can be seen from the Dreamer’s product positioning that it hopes to entice the nerves of the high-end MPV market with luxury, technology, and performance.
The Dreamer hopes to be the pioneer of this market, but the time given by the market is not ample. Moreover, the clamor for shaking up the high-end new energy MPV market has been going on for some time.<!–
Incomplete statistics show that in the new forces in the auto industry, both Xpeng and Voyah’s second models have chosen high-end MPVs, while Ideale is also preparing to launch a high-end MPV model. In addition, SAIC Datong, BYD Tang, Hongqi, and Lynk & Co will also launch MPV models…
New and old forces are sharpening their knives. A large number of car models are ready to enter the market quickly, including filling the blank of the electric MPV market. With choices of gasoline, hybrid, range-extender, and electric power, and seating for seven, six, or four, the target group is basically included…
Most of the new and old forces reintroducing to the MPV market have chosen the same direction, high-end MPVs. The high-end MPV market of 2022 looks lively, and “who will come out on top” remains a mystery.
Voyah Dreams hopes that it will be itself, otherwise the term “leading” would not have been used so naturally.
This situation is quite in line with the lushness of this summer. With the launch of Voyah Dreams, many old sayings are repeated, “this year is the first year of new energy MPV.” However, the cruelty of the market always proves that the term “first year” and “transformation” are as tasteless as wax.
The MPV market is now six years away from its heyday.
At that time, the data still looked good. In 2016, the domestic MPV market achieved a total sales volume of 2.467 million units, with the top ten rankings except for Buick GL8, all occupied by domestic brands. After that, MPV sales began to decline year by year, and the market share shrank by 50% in five years.
In the past two years, some automakers have launched heavyweight models one after another, making a comeback in the domestic MPV segment market. Domestic brands include BYD Song MAX, Geely Jiaji, SAIC Datong G50, Wuling Kairui, and so on. Joint venture brands have also launched many new models in succession, such as GAC Toyota’s imported Saina, Beijing Hyundai’s first MPV model Kusitu, and Dongfeng Yueda Kia’s fourth-generation Jiahua…
Although the arrival of new models has continued to generate discussion, the overall MPV market has not created big waves due to the addition of new products. “Niche” has actually become a common word to describe the MPV market.
This is the first trend that Voyah Dreams faces after going public. The second trend is centered around the high-end MPV market.
In 2021, MPVs priced above 200,000 yuan accounted for 41.5% of the MPV market, becoming the largest sub-segment market. With several high-end MPVs such as Saina coming to market, the pattern, which was previously monopolized by the Buick GL8, is becoming a fierce competition among multiple players.
“Ongoing” does not mean that an inherent pattern is already established. There is still a gap that needs to be bridged.
–>In the past two years, the monthly sales volume of the MPV market with a price of over 200,000 yuan has remained between 30,000 and 40,000, even with the intensive launch of new products, there has been no significant increase trend. The monthly sales volume of Buick GL8 has also dropped to around 10,000 cars, leaving a market gap of about 5,000 cars, almost offsetting the incremental sales from the launch of new products.
This is the current situation in the high-end MPV market. However, the dream of Voyah entering the market is not only for high-end MPVs but also for high-end new energy MPVs, which is indeed a blue ocean. The trend of electrification and intelligence provides Voyah with greater room for development.
These are the prospects.
However, there are many others who want a share of the prospects, while there are many who have returned without success. In addition, the price range of MPVs also competes with mid-to-large-sized SUVs. For example, whether the ideal MPV model will be suppressed by the ideal ONE, which is also a seven-seater version, has become a new concern.
Newcomers are not strong enough to compete, and competition continues to intensify. It is much more difficult to get a share in the high-end MPV market than in the sedan and SUV markets. Moreover, Buick GL8, with a 20-year reputation, is still an insurmountable threshold. Speaking of this, I suddenly thought of a point of view on Zhihu, that “luxury and comfort are the demands of buying an MPV, not pursuing new energy.”
It is obvious that the trend of the high-end MPV market is not as straightforward as the great rivers.
How will Voyah cross the river?
Will Voyah Dreamer become a disruptor of the existing pattern?
At least Voyah’s expectations for Dreamer are clear and resolute. Or, it can also be understood as a “confidence in product strength.”
Lu Fang, CEO of Voyah Motors, said, “The launch of Voyah Dreamer not only enriches Voyah’s high-end product matrix, enhances its high-end brand image, but also expands a new high-end electric MPV category for the industry, redefining luxury MPVs.”
Whether the wish will come true remains to be seen, and the core that blessings “luck” is product strength. Only with good product strength can there be a chance of getting a foothold.
Inevitably, it is difficult to follow the old way to seize the high-end MPV market. To churn out new flavors, different formulas are needed. Voyah Dreamer’s focus is on luxury and technology.
As Voyah ESSA’s native high-end intelligent electric powertrain architecture’s strategic work, Voyah Dreamer is equipped with a new generation power system “Lanhai Power”. It is the only dual-power technology platform that supports high-performance pure electric and intelligent multi-mode power systems.
Voyah believes that there is currently no MPV in the market that truly meets the needs of both family and business travel, that there is no MPV that truly meets the needs of economical family travel while enjoying high-end quality, and that there is no high-end electric MPV that meets current development trends.
This statement sounds a bit ambitious, reflecting Voyah’s ambitious dreams.
To seize the track, we must have accurate positioning and fast entry. “We hope to create a completely different category in the MPV market.” This is the vision of Voyah engineers. From the perspective of technology configuration, Dreamer can be regarded as a personalized MPV.
Designs such as dual motors, four-wheel drive, and double wishbone suspension have established a connection between an MPV and keywords such as easy handling and control. Just as Zhao Changjiang, the former general manager of the DENZA Sales Division, said before, “High-end MPVs must solve the problem of easy handling and change the inherent image of the driver. It should be easy for a family to travel!”
Voyah Dreamer strives to solve the pain points of uncomfortable driving experiences in MPVs by optimizing seat design and equipping intelligent central control triple screens as well as L2+ assisted driving configurations, further reducing driver fatigue. In addition, Voyah Dreamer is equipped with 5 millimeter wave radars, 7 cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars throughout the vehicle, supporting 26 advanced driving assistance functions, including automatic lane changing when turning on turn signals, fully automatic parking in all scenarios, and remote control parking, etc…
Within Voyah, there is a saying that Dreamer’s design only accounts for 50% of its effectiveness, while manufacturing accounts for the other 50%. So, they have made many innovations in handling. The engineers say, “It will be more obvious when driving on a mountain road. The handling is completely different from previous MPVs.”
Creating a core selling point is the key to MPV competition. For example, selling points for family travel mainly focus on seat comfort and intelligent cabins, and match core scenarios with core functions. From the perspective of luxurious technology configurations alone, Voyah Dreamer is a vehicle worth looking forward to.
Moreover, I also agree with Lu Fang’s perspective.
“In the current MPV market, user’s full-range demands for comfort, safety, and technology have not been fully met. As automobiles enter the era of electrification and intelligence, the low-carbon travel method is gradually becoming popular, and the market needs a truly electrified and intelligent MPV, an MPV with electric vehicle genes, not simply a “Gasoline-to-Electricity” conversion.”Indeed, as the dream-chaser, Voyah bears the burden of “probing the way through hardships”, not only for Voyah, but also for the high-end MPV market. However, pioneers always face difficulties, and whether it will be smooth sailing or fall into a whirlpool while crossing the river by feeling for stones is yet to be seen.
Only two days after going on presale, Dream-chaser’s orders exceeded 3,000, giving Lu Fang some confidence. “We do not have very specific sales targets, but we are confident in Dream-chaser’s sales.”
However, some market research shows that the reality Dream-chaser faces still lies in the price.
The seven-seater version of Voyah’s dream-chaser is priced at RMB 369,900 to RMB 439,900, while the personalized custom version is priced from RMB 639,900. Voyah believes that the MPV market below RMB 300,000 is a red ocean and that only the GL8 has successfully occupied the market above RMB 300,000. Future MPV new products will focus on breaking through this high-end market.
Idealism is plump, but reality is skinny.
According to the iResearch consulting report, among the target user group of MPVs, only 1.7% of users have a car-buying budget of less than RMB 100,000. 67.9% of users have a car-buying budget of more than RMB 200,000, and 17.7% of users have a car-buying budget of more than RMB 300,000. The RMB 300,000 market is difficult for the Buick GL8 to shake, while Toyota’s The Sienna, which has both product strength and market share, is growing fast.
High prices for new energy MPVs may be a major limitation faced by Dream-chaser. Another limitation is the brand accumulation that is bound to make it difficult to compete with old brand automakers such as Toyota, Honda, and General Motors.
At present, Voyah, the so-called “zero-worry high-end intelligent electric brand”, is already somewhat anxious. Some users believe that its first product, Voyah FREE, cannot support its RMB 330,000 selling price, “The appearance and performance are not as ideal, and the selling price is still so high” and “forcing it to be high-end, the sales have been cut in half.”
In addition, the MPV market has a huge difference in rules of the game from sedans and SUVs. Even domestic brands lack experience in playing the high-end MPV market, with newcomers like Voyah particularly lacking experience.
Will Voyah Dream-chaser be able to pass this surging and turbulent river?
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.