The application drawings of new SUVs from Tesla and AITO are exposed, and large-scale pure-electric SUVs have become a super hot topic.
At the beginning of this year, a tweet titled "Revamped Model Y, Feel Free to Compare" sparked a new round of competition in the high - end new energy SUV market. Lei Jun was the first to make a move. Just one hour after its launch, the Xiaomi YU7 received 289,000 large - volume orders, responding to Tesla's challenge with its strength.
However, this doesn't mean the competition in the high - end new energy SUV market this year is over.
Chart by: Electric Vehicle Insights
On July 17th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the "Announcement of the 397th Batch of Road Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Products". Among them, there are quite a few new energy SUVs worthy of attention, such as the Tesla Model Y L, Shangjie H5, and the pure - electric version of the Wenjie M8, which may change some people's car - buying decisions.
Tesla Model Y L: Following the Trend by Adding a Third Row
The Tesla Model Y can be regarded as the "big boss" in the domestic pure - electric SUV market, with high sales. However, its shortcomings such as the "bare - bones style" interior and small space are quite obvious. Many domestic brands generally compete with it by highlighting their high - configuration and large - space features.
Facing the siege of domestic brands, Tesla decided to fight back and plans to launch the larger - sized Tesla Model Y L this autumn.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the length, width, and height of the Tesla Model Y L are 4976/1920/1668mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 3040mm, and it adopts a six - seat layout. In contrast, the length, width, and height of the current five - seat Tesla Model Y are 4797/1920/1624mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2890mm. It's not hard to see that the length, height, and wheelbase of the new car have all been significantly increased.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
The new car has no changes in its exterior styling. Due to the increased length, it looks slimmer from the side compared to the current Model Y. Moreover, the shape of the triangular window has also been adjusted. The most obvious change at the rear is the "Model Y" logo, and it's not just simply adding an "L", which indeed shows some design ingenuity.
As for performance, the currently declared model uses a dual - motor four - wheel - drive system. The maximum power of the front and rear motors is 142kW and 198kW respectively. Compared with the current long - range all - wheel - drive version of the Model Y, these two parameters have slightly increased. However, considering the increased vehicle weight, the acceleration ability of the Tesla Model Y L won't change much.
As early as 2021, the seven - seat version of the Tesla Model Y was offered as an option in overseas markets. However, this model only comes with a third - row seat that can be fully folded flat. Without changing the mid - size SUV category, such space simply can't meet the basic requirements of third - row passengers.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Electric Vehicle Insights believes that if Tesla launches such a three - row SUV in the domestic market, it won't be competitive at all, as there are simply too many three - row SUVs to choose from in China. However, Tesla is quite smart in learning the essence of localization of joint - venture brands. After increasing the wheelbase and length, the positioning of the Tesla Model Y L has been upgraded, and it has a good chance of attracting users who have a demand for space.
Currently, the main question from consumers is whether the headroom of the third - row seats in the Tesla Model Y L will be affected by the sloping roofline. It seems that for the new car to attract family users who have requirements for space, at least the space and configuration should be able to meet the medium - and short - distance travel needs of third - row passengers.
Wenjie M8 Pure - Electric Version: Assisting the Extended - Range Version
On July 15th, Wenjie Automobile officially announced that the pure - electric version of the Wenjie M8 will be launched in August. The new car also appeared in the latest batch of declared information, and more parameters were officially released.
Compared with the extended - range hybrid version, the size of the Wenjie M8 pure - electric version remains unchanged. In terms of power, two drive forms are declared: a single - motor rear - wheel - drive version and a dual - motor four - wheel - drive version. The maximum power of the former is 227kW, while the latter adds a front - motor with a power of 160kW. The power of the dual - motor version is the same as that of the pure - electric version of the Wenjie M9.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Referring to other models of Wenjie Automobile, Electric Vehicle Insights believes that there won't be any differences in configuration between the pure - electric version and the extended - range version of the Wenjie M8. However, at the same configuration level, the price of the pure - electric version of the Wenjie M8 may be 20,000 - 30,000 yuan higher than that of the extended - range version.
There are various opinions on the Internet about the question of "choosing the extended - range or the hybrid version". Obviously, both power forms have their own selling points. The extended - range version has advantages such as no range anxiety and being suitable for more usage scenarios, while the pure - electric version has stronger acceleration performance and lower usage costs. So, the choice still depends on one's own real needs.
However, judging from the market performance of the Wenjie M9, only 1,363 units of the pure - electric version were sold in June, while the sales volume of the extended - range version reached 12,355 units. It's not hard to see that most consumers prefer the more worry - free extended - range version that is suitable for more scenarios, rather than pursuing lower usage costs and stronger acceleration performance.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
The price of the Wenjie M8 pure - electric version will definitely be lower than that of the Wenjie M9 pure - electric version, and it will be more attractive in the market. However, when it comes to the best - selling model in the entire series, it will still be the Wenjie M8 extended - range version. It seems that the main role of the Wenjie M8 pure - electric version is to supplement the product matrix and prevent competitors like the Li i8 from dominating the market.
Shangjie H5: Even More Pleasant Surprises in Price?
Along with the official announcement of the Wenjie M8 pure - electric version, the Shangjie H5 was also announced. Based on previous information, Electric Vehicle Insights speculates that the price of the Shangjie H5 will be around 200,000 yuan, and the starting price may be around 170,000 yuan. With the release of the declared information, the comprehensive strength of the Shangjie H5 has become clearer, and these data are particularly crucial for the final price.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Data shows that the length, width, and height of the Shangjie H5 are 4780/1910/1657 (1664) mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2840mm. It is positioned as a mid - size SUV, and its length and wheelbase are slightly smaller than those of the current Wenjie M5 Ultra.
In terms of power, the Shangjie H5 offers two powertrains: a pure - electric version and an extended - range version. The former provides two drive motors with different peak powers, 150kW and 180kW respectively, and the maximum CLTC pure - electric range can reach 655km. The extended - range version is equipped with a 1.5L engine, and the CLTC comprehensive range exceeds 1300km.
In comparison, the range of the Shangjie H5 is actually more prominent than that of the Wenjie M5 Ultra, so it has stronger market competitiveness. However, the maximum power of its drive motor is lower than that of the Wenjie M5 Ultra. Moreover, the Wenjie M5 itself is not weak, but due to the "internal competition" among the Wenjie M7 and Zhijie R7, the sales data of the Wenjie M5 series are not very impressive.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
The brand awareness of Shangjie is not as high as that of Wenjie Automobile. The Shangjie H5 must find a way to create differential advantages to have a chance of going further.
According to the optional equipment information released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Shangjie H5 is very likely to further enhance the cost - performance advantage of the whole vehicle. Although the official has confirmed that the Shangjie H5 will be equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADS 4, in the optional equipment information, all three powertrains offer an option without a lidar.
Electric Vehicle Insights speculates that in order to create a price advantage, the Shangjie H5 may be standard - equipped with the basic version of Huawei ADS SE across the whole series, while the Huawei Qiankun ADS 4 is expected to only be available as an option. In contrast, the Wenjie M5 Ultra is standard - equipped with a lidar, but higher - level assisted - driving technology needs to be selected as an option.
The configuration strategies of the two are significantly different. The Shangjie H5, without a standard - equipped lidar, can save on higher hardware costs.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Of course, the key to enabling the Shangjie H5 to lower its price also lies in the powertrain. The starting price of the current Wenjie M5 Ultra has reached 229,800 yuan, and the starting price of the Shangjie H5 will most likely drop below 200,000 yuan, and may even be lower than 170,000 yuan.
IM LS9: The First Hybrid Model Going Head - to - Head with the Li L9
In addition to the above three SUVs, there is another SUV in the declared information that is also worthy of attention, which is the IM LS9.
The market sales of IM Automobile are not very high. Only the IM LS6 and IM L6 have relatively good performance, with sales of 3,228 units and 2,635 units respectively in June. Now, IM Automobile seems to have realized the root cause of its poor sales: the target group of pure - electric vehicles is relatively small. The IM LS9 declared this time is the brand's first hybrid vehicle.
Image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
What surprises Electric Vehicle Insights is that the length of the IM LS9 has reached 5279mm, and the wheelbase is as long as 3160mm. These two figures are even more prominent than those of the Li L9. In terms of power, the IM LS9 uses an extended - range hybrid system, and it has been previously confirmed that the IM LS9 will be the first in the world to be equipped with CATL's new - generation sodium - lithium hybrid AB battery.
Although the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has not disclosed details such as the specific capacity of the battery, according to the information previously released by CATL, the sodium - lithium hybrid AB battery actually integrates a sodium battery and a lithium battery into the same battery pack. The sodium battery can improve the low - temperature range of the whole system, and the lithium battery can also make up for the shortcoming of the low energy density of sodium ions.
Therefore, Electric Vehicle Insights believes that the pure - electric range, comprehensive range, and low - temperature resistance of the IM LS9 will be a major highlight, and it will directly compete with large - sized SUVs such as the Li L9 and Denza N9 in terms of powert