Following the launch of Mercedes-Benz EQV and EQT two pure electric MPV, Audi also announced a new MPV concept car - urbansphere not long ago. In the future, if BMW responds, there may be an additional field of competition between the three major luxury brands of the BBA, but in the face of Buick GL8 and many new forces of MPV in China, what kind of good drama will be staged?
First look at the performance of Mercedes-Benz EQV, the appearance of Mercedes-Benz EQV basically continues the design style of Mercedes-Benz V-Class, and even the "grille" has been retained, but it is mainly decorative. The headlight style has been upgraded to be more refined than the fuel version of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, and the front fenders have been decorated with the word EQ to indicate their pure electric identity. The wide and long body makes it look a little thick, but this also makes the space inside the car more fully utilized, and there are losses and gains.
In terms of interior, it basically copied the design of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, there was nothing new, and it could not see the concept of science and technology of pure electric models. The most important second row of seats in MPV models does not even have leg rests, which is difficult to associate with luxury. Fortunately, in the country, various modification parts are more abundant, and they can be replaced and upgraded by themselves. At the same time, the seat supports 360-degree rotation, can sit face-to-face with the third row of seats, and has the function of moving the conference room, which also enhances its business attributes.
In fact, mercedes-benz EQV was officially launched abroad as early as two years ago, but it did not enter domestic production and sales, because in the eyes of most people, this is just a Mercedes-Benz V-class "oil to electricity model". Referring to the situation of Mercedes-Benz EQC in China, even if it is introduced into China, it is difficult to obtain the recognition of consumers. Obvious business attributes are destined to be difficult to win the favor of home users, and the home market must also look at the performance of EQT.
Although the official EQT is a compact MPV, but with reference to the 4945/1863/1826mm of length, width and height, the interior space performance should be basically enough. In terms of appearance design, EQT adopts the iconic design of the Mercedes-Benz EQ series, and the closed central network composed of large black trim with star pattern has a strong sense of visual impact. The door handles are concealed and pop up automatically when unlocked, while chrome trims are added to the window bezel and side skirts for added luxury. The rear shape of the car is relatively simple, and the design of the through-type taillights is adopted, which is relatively recognizable.
In terms of interior, EQT also looks more traditional, the size of the LCD instrument and the LCD central control screen is not large, and there is no configuration such as the Dalian screen, the iconic Huai block is replaced by a conventional in-line barrier, and the commonly used physical buttons and knobs are retained under the central control screen, which is practical.
The Mercedes-Benz EQT's seven-seat model adopts a 2+3+2 seat layout, although the comfort of the second row may not be as good as the independent seats, but the practical performance is still good, and it is expected that there will be more seat layouts to choose from after the official launch. If it enters domestic production and sales, what luxury configuration upgrades will be carried out that are worth looking forward to.
Unlike Mercedes-Benz, which gradually introduces global models into China, Audi pays more attention to and relies more on the Chinese market, and the recently released MPV concept car, urbansphere, is expected to achieve mass production in China as early as possible. From the official map released, we can make some speculations about the future production car, the appearance of this concept car is different from the MPV of most square shapes, similar to the previous Mercedes-Benz R-Class, and a bit like a crossover model between SUV and MPV, which has a bit of freshness. The luminous parts of the front of the car are very large and have a strong sense of visual impact, which should not be a problem to achieve on new energy models.
The arc of the roof is relatively smooth, and the tail has added a slipback design, which has a strong sporty atmosphere, and the taillights adopt a design that echoes the front of the car, the area of illumination is very large, the recognition is relatively high, and the warning effect is good.
Many functions of the interior part of the car are relatively difficult to implement, such as the steering wheel that can be folded into the center console, and at present, the two major difficulties of technology and cost are relatively difficult to overcome. The through-the-wall dalian screen on the center console is one of the most promising designs to be preserved.
The concept car canceled the B-pillar, and the door adopted the form of a two-way door, which was basically impossible to appear on the mass production car. However, the four-seater model is very likely to appear, because now Audi urgently needs to find a breakthrough in the ultra-luxury field, and the Audi A8L Horch edition debuted in China. The four-seat luxury MPV model is undoubtedly a more reasonable breakthrough. However, if you want to "go" with a model, there is a high probability that a 6-seater/7-seater model will be launched as the main model.
Overall, urbansphere is still based on Audi's relatively good scientific and technological means to create, while the appearance of young sports design for young users will be more attractive. In short, to establish their own unique advantages, so as to compete with the new forces of pure electric MPV in saic maxus MIFA 9, Lantu Dreamer, Denza D9 and other independent brands, it is also the key to winning the market.
Returning to the question raised at the beginning of the article, will BMW launch an MPV model? At present, BMW only has a 2 Series multi-purpose station wagon, which seems to be not cold to the luxury MPV market, but in fact, BMW's domestic partner, Brilliance has many years of experience in the field of commercial vehicles, and has long used the "double kidney intake grille" in a well-known micro-surface model series, and also has the technical ability to produce special vehicles. As long as the luxury MPV cake is big enough, it should only be a matter of time before BMW enters the game. (Text/UVIS Auto Ride)
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