From the launch of the R car brand on May 10, 2020 to the announcement of independent operation of Feifan Automobile on October 29, 2021, SAIC Motor has invested a lot of money and resources in it in less than two years. In 2021, Feifan Automobile delivered 18,436 units throughout the year, which is a certain gap from the sales target of 30,000 units confirmed at the beginning of the year. In 2022, the highly anticipated ES33 model was renamed the R7 and deliveries were confirmed to begin in August. A few days ago, Wu Bing, CEO of Feifan Automobile, revealed that the delivery target of R7 this year must exceed 10,000.
The highly anticipated ES33 was named the Feifan R7
Why is the FYV R7 defined as an "extremely intelligent high-end pure electric SUV"
At the communication meeting site, we saw the engineering prototype. Unfortunately, as it is not the final version, it is not possible to take pictures on site. From the details seen at the scene, the homework done on the official website in advance, and the communication with Wu Bing on the spot, we can confirm that the body size of this model positioned by Feifan as a "high-end pure electric SUV" is 4900 *1925 *1655mm, and the wheelbase is 2950mm. In terms of smart driving, smart cabin and three electrics, SAIC's self-developed solutions are adopted.
In terms of intelligent driving, R7 adopts PP-CEM pixel-level point cloud fusion high-level intelligent driving solution, using industry-leading pixel-level ultra-dense point cloud fusion perception technology, equipped with 33 perception hardware. LuminAR lidar unsurprisingly appeared in the R7 IQ, through the eye-safe 1550nm light source technology makes the detection distance up to more than 500 meters. PP-CEM is equipped with a Premium 4D imaging radar as standard, and with cutting-edge intelligent driving configurations such as NVIDIA Orin supercomputing intelligent driving chip, it can achieve more accurate multi-scene object recognition. In the smart cockpit solution, the R7 uses qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chips, coupled with a 43-inch true color triple screen and a 70-inch giant screen AR-HUD, the visual experience has surpassed SAIC's previous mass production models. Momenta, which was previously rumored to appear on the R7, was not carried in the end, and Feifan still chose to integrate and utilize SAIC's existing technical strength and resources.
For electric vehicles, the user's most concerned about the endurance and battery pack capacity, Wu Bing said that the endurance will definitely exceed 600 kilometers, and will also provide high and low with two kinds of battery capacity. However, judging from the mileage of the current model of the same level, it is very likely that the low battery capacity version will not appear. In terms of motors, the four-wheel drive version of the R7 can reach a maximum peak power of 400KW, a maximum peak torque of 700 N·m, and zero hundred acceleration will be within 4 seconds, and the athletic performance does not need to worry.
In the introduction related to the battery, we found that R7 supports "rechargeable and replaceable", and the power can be replaced in as fast as 2.5 minutes in the quick-release and replacement mode. At last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, Feifan announced that it would provide battery rental solutions in the future, so it seems that the separation of vehicle and electricity has also appeared in the next step of R7's plan.
The Giant Screen AR-HUD Heads-Up System of the Feifan R7
Sales and replenishment, Fei Fan must grasp both hands and both hands must be hard
According to Wu Bing, Feifan has laid out 188 experience centers and 18 delivery centers in 85 mainstream cities across the country, and 123 after-sales outlets can also cover 80 cities, providing users with a full range of services.
Different from the direct operation model currently adopted by the new forces, Feifan's channel construction adopts a mixed model of direct operation and agency. Wu Bing stressed that SAIC's channel advantages throughout the country must be fully utilized, and these dealers are also part of Feifan's co-creation partners. On the one hand, Feifan will use data tools to empower these traditional dealers, and at the same time, all user data and feedback are managed and controlled by a unified platform. All this stems from the "asset-light operation model" mentioned by Feifan Automobile when it debuted.
In terms of the construction of energy replenishment channels, Feifan is currently expanding the user's travel radius by laying out brand charging stations, rights charging stations, and accessing third-party charging piles. At present, it has laid out 114 brand charging stations and 1,006 rights charging stations nationwide, and has joined hands with 44 mainstream charging service providers such as Special Call, State Grid, Anyue Charging, and Star Charging to access more than 420,000 third-party charging piles.
Unfortunately, for the replacement station planning that matches the R7 vehicle-to-electricity separation scheme, Wu Bing is only thoroughly deploying, but the relevant planning details are not yet at the stage where they can be publicly communicated, but Feifan can ensure that it can provide services related to power exchange. At this point, Fei Fan's pace may need to be further accelerated, otherwise the competition with friends may be left behind.
Focusing on the mid-to-high-end new energy market, Feifan will have at least one new car per year for the next four years
Light assets, heavy incentives, there is no plan to introduce external investors this year
When it comes to SAIC's subsequent production and supply capacity, the asset-light model that Feifan has repeatedly emphasized so far is to integrate and make good use of SAIC's existing resources, technologies and capabilities, and not to make repeated investment and construction. At the R&D end, Feifan integrates the superior resources of SAIC In design, R&D, intelligent manufacturing, supply chain management, etc., and establishes a design co-creation center, a smart driving co-creation center, a smart cabin co-creation center, and a three-power co-creation center with R&D and engineering departments, and establishes a co-creation technology research and development system of Feifan Automobile, forming a unique technological development and accumulation model. At the manufacturing level, SAIC's Lingang base provides OEM for Feifan, and taking advantage of the group's resources, SAIC's manufacturing base fully guarantees the listing of Feifan Automobile this year.
Will such a simple shareholding structure change in the future? After all, Extreme Kr, which is very similar to Feifan's origins, has also introduced five ecological partners, Intel Capital, Cathedale Times, Bilibili, Hongshang Group and Boyu Investment, to promote the layout of the ecological field together. Is Feifan Automobile unmoved by such a strategic investor? Wu Bing said that everything is possible, "We are considering more diversified strategic investment options, but this year we do not consider the entry of external capital, we still want to put products on time, quantity and quality to the market." We hope to impress the market and impress consumers with our products and services. ”