On the evening of July 23rd, the highly anticipated second-generation AION V finally unveiled its mystery and officially entered the market. Compared with the first-generation model, the starting price of the second-generation AION V has dropped by 20,000 yuan, bringing consumers a more affordable choice. And the pure electric mileage of the entry-level model has been increased to 520 kilometers, and the mileage of the middle and high-end models has reached 650 kilometers, and some models can even break through the 750 kilometers mark, making it the SUV with the longest mileage within 200,000 yuan, bringing users an unprecedented pure electric driving experience. So, what are the considerations of the second-generation AION V in terms of design and development, intelligent driving technology, pricing strategy, service advantages and global strategy? After the press conference, we had the honor to interview Gu Huinan, General Manager of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., Xiao Yong and Zhang Xiong, Deputy General Managers, and Feng Yu, Director of Aion Brand Design of GAC Research Institute, to listen to the voices from Aion's senior management.
It can be said that GAC Aion faces many challenges in the development of global models, and Gu Huinan elaborated on this. He pointed out that in order to create global products, it is necessary not only to have excellent products themselves, but also to support them in many aspects such as services, industrial chains, manufacturing, education, science and technology and culture. In particular, he mentioned that overseas products must meet the challenges of educating and training highly skilled personnel, localizing the industrial chain to reduce costs, adapting to local industrial policies and safety regulations, and considering differences in vehicle use environments and charging facilities.
Gu Huinan also emphasized the importance of positive development, that is, considering the needs of the global market from the early stage of product development to ensure the quality and safety of products. He shared the challenges of safety regulations, left-right rudder design, cultural differences, and gave examples of the critical role of cultural sensitivity in product development.
When discussing pricing and sales expectations, Xiao Yong said that GAC Aion's pricing strategy is very sincere, aiming to provide consumers with better products, services and lower thresholds. He mentioned that the second-generation AION V has significantly improved its product strength, technology content and interior level, and the price is more competitive. Xiao Yong expressed his ambition for market share and hopes to compete for the top two positions in the segment, and emphasized the importance of the second-generation AION V as a pioneer of new generation models and global classics.
Gu Huinan further elaborated on GAC Aion's global strategy and overseas layout. He announced that the completion of the Thailand plant marks the official operation of the company's first overseas factory, and revealed that the company also plans to start production in Indonesia and layout in Malaysia this year to complete the comprehensive layout in Southeast Asia. At the same time, the company is actively exploring the markets of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia, and hopes to establish corresponding bases in these regions in the next 2-3 years. In the face of trade barriers to China's new energy vehicles in the European and American markets, Gu Huinan believes that GAC Aion needs to take the initiative to "go global" and carry out industrial layout to help the industry increase its efforts to go overseas.
In terms of service, Xiao Yong emphasized that Aion's service ecology is not only satisfied with making car owners worry-free, but also taking this as a starting point to provide more comprehensive services. He introduced Aion's many-to-one service model, that is, after registering the APP, car owners will immediately receive support from an exclusive service group composed of four experts, including technical experts, service experts and life consultants. Xiao Yong also mentioned that Aion APP not only serves car owners, but also attracts 8 million high-quality users and more than 6 million non-car owners for daily use, especially in terms of charging convenience, Aion has gathered a strong "circle of friends" to achieve coverage of 80% of the national charging piles and 90% of highway charging piles.
Xiao Yong further elaborated on Aion's efforts in energy replenishment ecology, pointing out that despite the large investment and low output of supercharging pile construction, Aion still invests huge resources in this area. He mentioned that Aion has indeed paid a great deal of money in terms of energy replenishment to ensure that car owners can enjoy convenient charging services. He also humorously mentioned that although Aion is willing to provide charging services for owners of other brands, the needs of Aion car owners will be met first when resources are scarce.
In terms of products and technology, a reporter asked Xiao Yong about Aion's consideration of LiDAR models at a price of less than 200,000 yuan, as well as the advantages of NDA (navigation and driving assistance) and the time for full landing. Xiao Yong explained that in this era of fierce competition, Aion hopes to show its seriousness in the field of intelligent driving through hard-core technology. He emphasized that Aion does not want to provide semi-finished products or "castrated" versions of performance, but is committed to providing the ultimate user experience. Xiao Yong also mentioned that Aion's 5R 11V 1L LiDAR version is an indispensable configuration for high-end intelligent driving at this stage, aiming to make customers feel at ease and enjoy the fun of intelligent driving. As for the price, Xiao Yong said that Aion has become the first in the industry with a sincere price of 189,000 yuan, and is committed to popularizing high-end intelligent driving.
Zhang Xiong added plans for the full implementation of NDA in urban areas. He pointed out that Aion has made long-term considerations and choices in terms of maps and algorithms, launched a solution that does not rely on high-precision maps, and adopted an end-to-end perception model based on BEV+Transformer in the algorithm, which significantly improves the generalization ability. Zhang Xiong revealed that Aion will open the urban NDA to some early bird users in August, and fully open it to users across the country in September. He emphasized that Aion's goal is to allow users to experience the functionality of urban NDAs at the time of listing.
Feng Yu answered a question about the design of Aionsaurus rex. He explained that Aion's design team determined the design tone of "technology and love + life" when considering the global market and the aesthetic habits of users. Feng Yu pointed out that the design of the Aion-T-Rex is neither too tough a square box nor too popular an urban SUV, but has found a balance between the two. He mentioned that the image of Tyrannosaurus Rex is not only a cultural symbol, but also a kind of care and companionship that Aion hopes to pass on to users. Feng Yu also revealed that the image of the Tyrannosaurus Rex may be continued in the subsequent versions and derivatives of the AION V, and even have different expressions in other products.