2023 Guangzhou Auto Show: No band-aids, only scalpels – OFweek New Energy Vehicle Network

Author | Zhen Yao and Chen Tianxiang

Editor|Li Guozheng

Produced by Bangning Studio (gbngzs)

A seasonal cold wave swept across Guangzhou, but the Canton Fair Complex in Pipazhou, Guangzhou was not affected and remained hot and dry.

On November 17, 2023, the 21st Guangzhou International Auto Show will be opened to the media. Here, international mainstream automobile brands will appear together. Major domestic automobile groups will participate in the exhibition on a large scale with a full range of products. Together with new forces and new strengths, a total of hundreds of automobile brands will compete at the same venue.

There are also a series of numbers: more than 1,130 complete vehicles participated in the exhibition (compared to 1,413 vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show in April and nearly 1,600 vehicles at the Chengdu Auto Show in August, 283 and 470 vehicles less respectively); nearly 470 vehiclesNew energy vehiclesaccounting for more than 1/3 of the total exhibition cars; 59 world premiere cars; 20 concept cars…

This year’s Guangzhou Auto Show takes “New Technology, New Life” as its theme. Correspondingly, in today’s automobile industry, electrification has become the consensus of various automobile companies, and intelligent network connection has become a battleground for new military strategists; Chinese brands have gained more market share with the help of technological changes; increasingly More and more new car-making forces have gained a firm foothold.

But the other side of the coin is that price wars continue, and the battle for oil and electricity intensifies. Words such as quantity but no profit, coldness, shrinkage, and survival are the sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of many car companies. The leader is even more worried.

As one of the four major A-class auto shows in China, because it is held last, the Guangzhou Auto Show has always been regarded as the annual finale of the automobile industry, and is known as the “wind vane of the auto market for the next year.” Therefore, the Guangzhou Auto Show is like a mirror, which not only reflects the true appearance of the current automobile market, but also reflects the current development status and future plans of automobile companies.

The biggest danger in an era of change is not the change itself, but the continued use of the logic of the past. Peter Drucker, “the father of modern management,” once said.

The reshuffle is coming and the pattern is reshaped. In the period of great changes in the new automobile era, every car company is facing a watershed, and the foundation of the brand has changed. How should joint venture car companies find the right positioning and strategy for the new energy track? Can Chinese brands continue to maintain vitality and growth? How can new forces and new strength car companies maintain their vitality?

From this Guangzhou Auto Show, we can get a glimpse of the answers to these questions. The common point is that basically we can’t see the small changes like band-aids in the past. The entire show can only see the scalpel of each car company’s determination to transform and upgrade.

Joint venture speeds up electric shock

The fuel era of joint venture brands is fading faster, and farewell comes quietly.

At this auto show, Dongfeng Honda, GAC Honda, Dongfeng Nissan, FAW Toyota, GAC Toyota, FAW-Volkswagen and other joint venture car companies will unreservedly move their accumulation in the field of electrification to the booth and display their new energy products. Place it at booth C.

Since this year, joint venture car companies have faced multiple challenges and pressures. On the one hand, competition in China’s auto market is very fierce, and the rise of Chinese brands has put great pressure on joint venture auto companies. On the other hand, the market share of traditional fuel vehicles has shrunk.new energy vehiclesThe rapid development of the market requires joint venture car companies to accelerate transformation and upgrading.

Against the background of irreversible trends in electrification and intelligence, how should joint venture car companies launch a battle to break the situation?

First, compared with this year’s Shanghai Auto Show and Chengdu Auto Show, the message conveyed by the Guangzhou Auto Show is that joint venture car companies have further implemented localization measures, accelerated the pace of “electric shock”, and used “electric answers”, “all-round electrification” and “flagship” products. Key words such as “product renewal” are used to express the determination and actions of transformation.

Secondly, many joint venture car companies insist on using the three major power paths of fuel, pure electric, and hybrid gasoline and electric to form a parallel route and lay out the entire product sequence.

The pure electric hunting coupe is one of Dongfeng Honda’s electric answers.

At this auto show, Dongfeng Honda’s second product of the e:NS brand – e:NS2, was unveiled. The new car is positioned as a pure electric hunting coupe and is expected to be launched in 2024.

At the same time, the strong electric smart hybrid series and RV family were simultaneously displayed, and Lingxi new energy brand’s first EV concept car, the “e:N SUV sequence” concept car and other models were launched, covering fuel, EV, HEV, and PHEV technical routes. , covering cars, SUVs, and MPVs. Among them, new energy products account for more than half, which shows Dongfeng Honda’s strength and determination to firmly electrify its transformation.

In July this year, standing at a new starting point for its 20th anniversary, Dongfeng Honda released a new strategy of “Creating the Future 2030”, planning to no longer launch new fuel vehicles by 2027, and to launch more than 10 pure electric models by 2030. With the debut of e:NS2, and the launch of Lingxi L and “e:N SUV” in 2024, Dongfeng Honda will accelerate its entry into the pure electric era.

The new Accord e:PHEV and the new generation Haoying e:PHEV are the highlights of GAC Honda’s booth. The two models integrate smart mobility, smart seats, and smart driving technologies, providing users with new travel options in the electrification era.

Guangqi Honda’s booth has a separate interactive experience area, including the fourth generation i-MMD plug-in hybrid system of Intelligent Technology, Honda CONNECT 4.0 Intelligent Navigation Interconnection, Honda SENSING 360 Intelligent Driving Technology and other technologies, showing a technology to the outside world. , innovative corporate image.

GAC Toyota has always regarded the Guangzhou Auto Show as its home field, and this time it will showcase all-round electrification solutions without reservation.

On the one hand, Quanqing has made great efforts to propose electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric,Hydrogen energyThe electrification strategy goes hand in hand to maximize the satisfaction of the diverse needs of the market.

On the other hand, GAC Toyota debuted with a number of new products. Two pure electric concept cars were on display, namely a C-class intelligent electric drive sedan and an A+ class intelligent pure electric SUV. A new new energy brand, BoZhi, was launched. The first product, BoZhi 4X, was launched, priced from 179,800 yuan. In addition, the ninth-generation Camry made its debut in China, almost simultaneously with North America.

Similar to GAC Toyota, FAW Toyota showed up with 14 models and a total of 16 vehicles. The models on display covered various drive modes such as fuel, pure electric, hybrid, etc., demonstrating FAW Toyota’s diverse layout.

At the crossroads of industry change, Dongfeng Nissan is also attacking with a new attitude.

At the Japan Mobility Exhibition in October this year, Nissan used five Hyper series pure electric concept cars for different groups of people and different life scenarios to show consumers Nissan’s vision of carving the future of mobility with innovation.existPower BatteryOn the other hand, Nissan has formulated a clear plan for the mass production of all-solid-state batteries – launching a pilot factory in 2024 and mass production before 2028.

Focusing on the needs of the Chinese market, Dongfeng Nissan will accelerate the introduction of Nissan’s new technologies and products to inject momentum into the new energy transformation. In the next three years, the Nissan brand will launch four new energy models developed in China into the Chinese market, including sedans and SUVs, with power ranging from pure electric to hybrid. The first new car will be launched on the market in 2024.

Faced with the strong development of China’s new energy market, Korean brand Kia released China’s new energy strategy in March this year, upgrading from channels, products, marketing, brand and other aspects.

At this auto show, Kia unveiled its global model lineup such as EV5, EV6, Lion, Jiahua, K5, and Sethus. Among them, EV5 is launched, priced starting from 149,800 yuan. This car is specially launched by Kia to celebrate its 80th anniversary next year. It is also its first global model to be launched in China.

“China is the largest country leading the global electrification transformation.electric carMarket, success in China is the key to Kia’s success. “At the auto show, Kia Global CEO Song Husheng said that Kia will integrate Kia’s innovative technologies and customer-centered emotional elements to develop more unique and creative EV products.

According to the plan, Kia plans to launch 6 EV models based on the E-GMP platform dedicated to electric vehicles by 2027, striving to achieve the EV year by 2030.Sales volume180,000 units, accounting for 40% of sales.

At Changan Ford’s booth, new members of the Mustang family – the 2024 Ford Electric Horse and Mustang Dark Horse were unveiled. As a new product of Mustang embracing new energy travel, the 2024 Ford electric horse has been fully upgraded on the basis of inheriting Mustang’s performance DNA, bringing consumers a new pure electric driving experience.

Next, the 2024 Ford Electric Horse will gradually arrive at authorized dealer stores.

New energy is undoubtedly the main theme of the future development of the automobile industry, but currently, fuel vehicles still have a deep user base.

While accelerating the transformation of new energy sources, joint venture car companies such as Dongfeng Nissan, Beijing Hyundai, FAW Toyota, Changan Ford, and Changan Mazda have not ignored the market demand for fuel vehicles.

The introduction of PATHFINDER (Chinese famous detective Lu) is a proof. With 38 years of overseas history, it has gone through 4 iterations of evolution and achieved sales of nearly 2 million units, making it a global star SUV model.

Tanlu is positioned as a flagship SUV for a 6-seat large family. The body size is 5130×1981×1767mm, and the body wheelbase is 2900mm. “When choosing a big car, it all depends on Dongfeng Nissan’s exploration of the land.” Gao Guolin, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Nissan, said at the press conference.

FAW Toyota released two classic models, the new Crown and the new Prado. The former will be launched in the first half of 2024, and the latter is expected to be introduced into FAW Toyota channels in 2024.

Beijing Hyundai unveiled its two flagship models – the 11th-generation Sonata and the 5th-generation Santa Fe.

2024 is a critical year for the implementation of Beijing Hyundai’s “2025 New Plan”, and the fifth-generation Santa Fe is its flagship product for 2024. This car will form a new generation SUV family together with the fifth-generation Tucson L, ix35 upgraded version, Musa and other models to compete in the market.

Although no press conference was held, the Volkswagen brand also had some highlights: ID.3 2024 model debut; ID.Next is an all-in-one high-end pure electric sedan concept car built by SAIC Volkswagen, and the mass-produced car is expected to be launched in the domestic market next year; ID.Buzz Will be introduced into the country by SAIC Volkswagen. This pure electric MPV will, together with the ID.3, become the two brand ICONs of the SAIC Volkswagen ID. family, “one high and one low”.

In addition, SAIC Volkswagen’s Tourang family, Tiguan L, Passat, Veran, Lingdu L and other models also participated in the competition.

02

Chinese brands move towards high value

“It’s hard to judge beauty and ugliness. Being extremely ugly is also a kind of traffic.” A live broadcast blogger said while standing in front of the Ideal MEGA show car.

This car is a well-deserved “top performer” at the auto show. At the Li Auto booth, people can see foreigners holding measuring sticks squatting in front of cars to measure, they can see executives from domestic and foreign car companies coming to observe and learn, and they can see anchors and media people flocking…

Li Auto officially announced that one hour and 42 minutes after opening reservations for MEGA at the auto show, the number of reservations for MEGA with a deposit of 5,000 yuan exceeded 10,000. MEGA is priced between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan. It will be launched in December and will be delivered in late February next year.

Xpeng X9 also started pre-sale at the auto show, with the pre-sale price starting from 388,000 yuan. From the perspective of delivery time, Xpeng X9 is one step ahead of MEGA and will gradually enter stores across the country in December, with delivery starting in January next year.

The price ranges of the two cars are quite different, and each has its own characteristics.The ideal MEGA is attractive not only for its appearance, but also for its first launch features.Ningde era5C Kirin battery——Charge12 minutesBattery lifeUp to 500 kilometers. The design of the Xpeng X9 is also attractive, with active rear-wheel steering as standard, and the third row space is very comfortable.

In contrast, JAC Refeng RF8 is much more low-key, perhaps because the Hongmeng version has not yet been pre-sold and has not received as much attention as expected. “Users should look forward to the Hongmeng version more and let the bullets fly for a while. Moreover, from the perspective of pricing, the Refine RF8 Hongmeng version is not necessarily the one (high-end MPV) based on Huawei’s smart car selection model.” An industry insider said .

Compared to the high popularity of Xpeng and Ideal, NIO, which did not release a new car at the Guangzhou Auto Show, looked much deserted at its booth. “It seems that Weilai, which has just experienced a round of layoffs, will inevitably experience a downturn during the auto show.” Netizens commented.

This round of traffic high ground has obviously been occupied by domestic high-end new energy MPVs, and the participants include Weipai Gaoshan. At the Guangzhou Auto Show, the Wei brand Alpine four-wheel drive executive extended version was finally unveiled to the public, bringing a more luxurious experience.

It’s not just the MPV field that’s improving. Judging from the new cars and new strategies launched by Chinese brands at the Guangzhou Auto Show, it is becoming a trend to move towards high value.

“The automobile market is very complicated, but many car companies are focusing on price and superficiality. Geely Galaxy is focusing on core technologies such as architecture, three electrics, and safety, and focusing on high value.” Gan Jiayue, CEO of Geely Automobile Group, said at the Galaxy E8 stated at the press conference.

Galaxy E8 is the third model in the Galaxy series, positioned as a B-class pure electric sedan. The new car is developed based on the SEA architecture and is the first car under this architecture. It shares the same platform as Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, Polestar, and smart, which shows Geely’s determination to make it a benchmark in the B-class pure electric car market.

This car brings together many high-performance and high-tech configurations, such as 800V ultra-fast flash charging, high-performance SiC silicon carbide electric drive, high-performance four-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension, as well as an integrated illuminated front face and 0.199 wind resistance. coefficient, a 45-inch 8K unbounded smart screen and the currently most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.

Also under the Geely Automobile Group, the fourth model of the Jikrypton brand, the Jikrypton 007, has started pre-sale, with the pre-sale price starting from 229,900 yuan.This car hopes to use the “three 800” strengths to eliminate the mileage and energy replenishment anxiety of electric vehicle users, namely 800V high-voltage architecture, over 800Km battery life and 800 exclusive seats.charging station.

Judging from their official positioning, both the Galaxy E8 and Jikrypton 007 focus on the B-class pure electric sedan market, but each has its own focus. In terms of size, the Galaxy E8 is over 5 meters tall, more like a C-class sedan. Its price is expected to be between 250,000 and 300,000 yuan, positioning it slightly higher than the Krypton 007. “If the price difference is not large, it may create constraints on each other. This is a problem.” An industry insider said.

Also targeting the mainstream B-class sedan market is eπ007, the first model of Dongfeng eπ. After its debut in Wuhan on November 10, it is now on display to the public. Empowered by Dongfeng SOA smart cockpit, L2+ level parking and integrated high-computing smart driving system and Mach E power, eπ007 launches an impact on the 200,000-yuan sedan market.

At the Guangzhou Auto Show, eπ, Fengshen and Nano were unveiled as the three major sub-brands of the “Dongfeng” brand.In terms of positioning, Fengshen continues to delve into the mainstreamPassenger carmarket, providing fuel vehicles, hybrid and pure electric vehicles; eπ is taking advantage of the trend as the main force in the mainstream market of Dongfeng’s independent new energy; Dongfeng Nano is positioned as a “national pure electric professional brand”, based on the Chinese market and going global.

“Advertising by manufacturers is called slogans, and advertising by users is called word-of-mouth.” “Yesterday cannot beat tomorrow, and the new era must have new standards…” Lu Fang, CEO of Lantu Motors, frequently used wise words at the press conference. On the same day, Landu Motors’ first electric hybrid sedan, the Chasing Light PHEV, started pre-sale, with the pre-sale price starting from 266,900 yuan.

At this point, Lantu Automobile has formed product coverage across three major categories: high-end SUVs, MPVs, and sedans. “After completing the ‘Three Categories in Three Years’ strategic goal, Lantu Automobile has entered a new round of rapid development period. It is currently further accelerating the production schedule and shortening the delivery cycle.” Lu Fang said.

The Dongfeng Warriors booth attracted numerous fans. At this auto show, a total of 5 models of the Warrior 917 were displayed. The car was launched at the Chengdu Auto Show this year and has now entered the user delivery stage.

BYDOcean Network is strengthening its high-value product layout. At the Guangzhou Auto Show, Haiyang.com introduced Hiace 07 EV, its first medium-sized pure electric SUV. It is an advanced product of BYD’s e-platform 3.0. It is equipped with BYD’s latest generation of smart driving technology and adopts the “marine aesthetics” design concept.

As of the end of October, Haiyang.com had sold more than 1.7 million vehicles in three years since its establishment. From January to October this year, Haiyangwang’s sales exceeded 1 million vehicles. In the future, Haiyang.com will integrate SUV models into Hiace IP and sedan models into Seal IP, forming a twin star strategy.

BYD also released an Yi Sifang concept car this time – it has no traditional steering gear or traditional braking device, but uses three-in-one technologies such as driving, braking and steering, and no longer relies on traditional mechanical mechanisms for braking. , steering. They also unveiled the U8 deluxe version and U9 that have been put into production.

Yangwang U9 is built on Yangwang Architecture, an architecture specifically designed for high-end new energy vehicles. The platform covers Yi Sifang, Yunnan,blade battery, super body, intelligent cockpit, intelligent assisted driving and other six core technologies. As a result, the looking-up architecture can be flexibly combined like a Rubik’s Cube to achieve coverage in multiple scenarios such as outdoor cross-country, racetracks, and cities.

Changan Automobile also showed off its technical muscles at the Guangzhou Auto Show, releasing its self-developed battery brand Changan “Golden Bell” and a series of battery strategic plans. It plans to launch 8 self-developed battery cells including liquid, semi-solid, and solid by 2030, creating a battery production capacity of no less than 150GWh.

Changan Automobile President Wang Jun said that in a few days, the first self-developed standard battery cell will be put into production at the world’s leading factory jointly owned by CATL and CATL. At the same time, the first CTV technology vehicle will begin mass production in 2024, achieving a group efficiency of ≥86%.

Changan Automobile hopes to create a complete renewable energy ecosystem through the expansion of technology, products and business models, with energy as the main line, and form an industrial closed loop of energy production, storage and utilization, thereby maximizing the value of the entire industry chain.

The highlight of Great Wall Motors is the first limited edition of the Tank 700 Hi4-T. The new car is equipped with the only large-displacement hybrid architecture among Chinese brands, the 3.0T Hi4-T. The first batch of pre-sales is limited to 70 units, with a pre-sale price of 700,000 yuan. Sold out within 55 seconds.

Hi4 (electric hybrid four-wheel drive) is Great Wall Motor’s signature technology, including Hi4 and Hi4-T (exclusive hardcore off-road). At this auto show, the Shanhaipao PHEV based on Hi4-T made its global debut, including the Tank 500 Hi4-T, Tank 400 Hi4-T, and the Hi4 family consisting of the Haval Raptor and Haval Xiaolong MAX equipped with intelligent four-wheel drive electric hybrid Hi4. exhibited together.

Chery Automobile, on the other hand, was set up by the group, and the four major brands performed the show, bringing a total of 16 new energy vehicles. The core attraction is the Fengyun A8 and A8 Pro under the Chery brand new energy Fengyun series, which are the first mass-produced models in the Fengyun series to make their global debut. In addition, the high-end brand Xingtu Star Era has started pre-sale, with the pre-sale price starting from 248,000 yuan.

As of October, Chery Group’s cumulative sales this year exceeded 1.45 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 41.6%, with sales in October exceeding 200,000 vehicles for the first time. Empowered by the “Yaoguang 2025” and new energy strategies, Chery Group’s four major brands, including Chery, Xingtu, Jietu and iCAR, have comprehensively accelerated their adoption of new energy sources.

On the field, car companies competed in a peak showdown; outside the field, flowers bloomed on the banks of the Pearl River.

2023 is coming to an end, but the competition and development of the automotive industry will not end, but will only enter a new stage of more dramatic changes.

Original title: 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show: No Band-Aids, only scalpels