"When Tesla starts to do range extensions, we'll think about it." "Both NIO and Ledao will only do pure electricity, that's for sure." A few days ago, in the media sharing on the day after the launch conference of Ledao, Li Bin, chairman and CEO of NIO, once again reiterated that he adheres to the pure electric route.
With the soaring sales of hybrid vehicles and the launch or planning to launch hybrid models by a number of car companies, NIO has almost become the "only seedling" among China's new power car companies that is still adhering to the pure electric route. 01 Sales soared, and car companies have entered the hybrid game
Counting down, there are very few car companies that have not set foot in or have not planned hybrid models.
Xpeng Motors, one of the three brothers of the new force, has been reported by a number of media that has switched from the pure electric route to the range extender. According to recent news, Xpeng Motors' first extended-range SUV has entered the full development stage, and is expected to achieve mass production in the second half of 2025, and is expected to be officially launched no later than the fourth quarter of next year.
Not long ago, AVATR held a press conference to officially release the Kunlun range extension technology and enter the range extension market. Zhu Huarong, chairman of Changan Automobile, introduced that in the fourth quarter of this year, the pure electric and extended range dual-power models of AVATR 07 will be officially launched, and the two pure electric products that have been released, AVATR 11 and 12, will also be launched in extended range versions.
At Geely Automobile's 2024 interim results conference, An Conghui, CEO of Zeekr Intelligent Technology, revealed that Zeekr's large flagship SUV model will be equipped with two power forms, including pure electric and super electric hybrid, and is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2025.
According to sources, Xiaomi's extended-range model codenamed "Kunlun" is likely to be launched in 2026 as its third model, which is a cooperative research and development project with BAIC before obtaining independent car manufacturing qualifications.
The ideal and the question world are mainly extended-range models; Deep Blue, Leap, Nezha Automobile, etc. have launched a variety of range extension products. In this way, almost all the mainstream new car companies have invested in the camp of hybrid models, and NIO and Tesla are among the few car companies that adhere to the pure electric route.
Among the traditional car companies, Volkswagen is also targeting plug-in hybrid models. Recently, it was reported in the market that the main brand of Volkswagen plans to launch three new plug-in hybrid system products in 2026. According to previous reports, FAW Audi will launch more than 20 models covering pure electric models, plug-in hybrid vehicles and new-generation internal combustion engine vehicles in 2024 and 2025, of which plug-in hybrid models will compete with mid-to-high-end range-extended electric vehicles such as Li and AITO. There are also multinational car companies such as Hyundai Motor, Ford, and Stellantis are also preparing to launch extended-range electric vehicles.
Tabulation: Zhao Lingling Source: According to the public release of data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in August, the production and sales of new energy vehicles were 1.092 million and 1.1 million respectively, an increase of 29.6% and 30% year-on-year, respectively, and the sales of new energy vehicles reached 44.8% of the total sales of new cars. Among them, plug-in hybrid models have a strong growth momentum. In August, sales of pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles increased by 8.3% and 81.6% year-on-year, respectively. The growth rate of plug-in hybrid models is almost 10 times that of pure electric models. 02 NIO: Adhere to pure electric and focus more
In contrast, Li Bin has reaffirmed his determination to stick to the pure electric route on several occasions. On September 19, NIO's second brand's first model, the Ledao L60, was officially launched, which is a mid-size family electric SUV. The day after the launch conference, Li Bin said in a media group interview that the extended range and plug-in hybrid models are indeed selling well now, but Weilai, including the Ledao brand, still insists on pure electric from beginning to end, "When Tesla starts to do range extension, we will consider it." So both NIO and Ledao will only do pure electric, that's for sure. ”
This is in stark contrast to the current trend of car companies getting involved in hybrids. "NIO's insistence on pure electric vehicles is related to their core strategic positioning." Wu Zhao, a global partner at Roland Berger, told China Automotive News that from an ecological point of view, the battery swap model is one of NIO's core differentiating capabilities, and it has also built a diversified business model around batteries.
According to the data, in May this year, NIO delivered 20,544 new vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 233.8%, setting a new monthly delivery record for the company; In June, NIO delivered 21,209 new vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 98.1% and a record high. In July, NIO delivered 20,498 new vehicles, exceeding 20,000 for three consecutive months. Although sales declined in August, deliveries remained high.
The price of the newly released Ledao L60 standard version is 206,900 yuan, which is 43,000 yuan cheaper than the Model Y. Li Bin said that the price of the battery after rental, even if the purchase tax incentives are not considered, is more competitive than the traditional joint venture brand and the traditional oil vehicle. And according to Li Bin, after Ledao went public, "the order exploded, the server expanded by 5 times, and there is still a little card." ”
I also have to mention the battery swap layout of NIO. On June 13 this year, NIO's fourth-generation battery swap station was launched, which shortened the time by 22% compared with the third-generation battery swap station. According to NIO's plan, it will add 1,000 fourth-generation battery swap stations in the domestic market in 2024, and a total of 3,310 battery swap stations will be built. Up to now, NIO has successively reached strategic cooperation with Guangzhou Automobile Group, Changan Automobile, Geely Holdings, Chery Automobile, Jiangqi Group, Lotus, China FAW and other car companies. NIO has also reached battery swap cooperation with China Southern Power Grid and Anhui Provincial Traffic Control Group.
"From a long-term perspective, there is no problem for NIO to stick to the pure electric route." Zhao Chunzhang, head of the automotive industry and senior consultant of Reese category innovation strategy consulting, told the "China Automotive News" reporter that with the improvement of pure electric cost and technology, and the improvement of consumers' awareness of pure electric vehicles, Rees judged that the pure electric category will occupy a larger share in the new energy category in the future, but it will take a certain period of time, especially in China, which may take at least ten years. From NIO's point of view, only pure electric vehicles will be more focused and more beneficial to its production supply chain. At the same time, NIO chose the differentiated route of battery swapping, which is to make up for the shortcomings of pure electric battery life.
But as for Li Bin's mention of "when Tesla starts to do range extension, we will think about it", Zhao Chunzhang believes that from a practical point of view, this is not a good strategy in China. China and the United States have different national conditions, United States the degree of pure electric competition is low, and the history of automobiles is also different from China, and the per capita ownership of cars in China is much smaller than United States, so they are more cautious in the choice of energy forms. At the same time, China's range extender and hybrid technology are far ahead of foreign countries, and can provide consumers with products that have both pure electric experience and no range anxiety, so range extender and hybrid will coexist with pure electric for a long time in China. 03 What is the future success or failure?
So in the long run, can NIO's strategy of sticking to the pure electric route accumulate and have the last laugh?
"The biggest risk is in the battery swap station. First, in terms of quantity, after increasing Ledao, the number of car owners will be greatly increased, and whether the original battery swap station can meet the needs of car owners. Once the number can't keep up, the car owner waiting time increases, then Weilai will lose the original 'no mileage anxiety' biggest advantage;The second is that Weilai and Ledao belong to two brands, one for the high-end market, the other for the mass market, and for a long time Weilai is known for its service, now the two types of car owners gathered in a battery swap station, will definitely face practical problems such as order and waiting, how to appease the old owners of Weilai will also be a problem. Zhao Chunzhang pointed out that from the perspective of market demand, pure electric is still the most mainstream energy form of domestic new energy vehicles, with the maturity of battery technology, charging and swapping system and battery ecology, the advantages of pure electric will be further highlighted, but for NIO, the number of battery swap stations and carrying capacity can keep up is a great challenge.
It is true that NIO's adherence to the pure electric strategy comes with certain disadvantages and risks. The R&D and application of pure electric technology requires huge capital investment. At the same time, as the hybrid market continues to expand, NIO may face fierce competition from competitors and a squeeze on market share. In addition, changes in the policy environment, market demand and other factors may also have an impact on NIO's pure electric strategy.
Wu Zhao said that the advantage of sticking to pure electric vehicles is that it can help NIO focus on R&D resources in a fiercely competitive environment, give full play to the core three-electric technology and battery ecology that has been gradually accumulated in the past few years, and focus resources on intelligence and platform architecture iteration. In the short and medium term, as hybrid products have been favored by many consumers due to certain advantages, many car companies have adopted a product strategy of combining pure electric and hybrid routes, which can better cover the needs of different types of consumers and improve the reach of target customers. Relatively speaking, car companies that only have pure electric products will suffer a little bit in this regard, but this is related to the choice of strategic routes, target sales expectations and resource endowments.
"Pure electric is still the most important long-term solution in China. In the next few years, with the continuous upgrading of battery technology, the development of fast charging technology, the improvement of the charging and swapping ecology, and the sound battery recycling system, the penetration rate of pure electric products will be further improved. The success of car companies that adhere to pure electric vehicles also depends on the accumulation of intelligent technology, battery ecology and supply chain, comprehensive hard power of vehicle products and customer experience in the process of moving towards the long term. Of course, the market performance of sales in the short and medium term, which is reflected in these capabilities, is equally important. Wu Zhao said.
It is worth tasting that judging from the details of the Q&A at this media sharing meeting, the media's question was "Will Ledao or Fireflies do range extensions?" Li Bin's answer was "Weilai and Ledao still insist on pure electric", and did not mention fireflies. Does this mean that NIO's plan for Firefly will not necessarily stick to the pure electric route?
"There is indeed this possibility, based on Reese's judgment on the Chinese market, there will still be a window period of about 10 years for range extension, and we have found a phenomenon: the more popular the market, subject to its use scenarios and actual needs, the acceptance of pure electric vehicles is relatively low, and the acceptance of range extension and hybrid is relatively higher. Therefore, if Firefly is planning to face a more mass market, extended range is undoubtedly a good choice. Zhao Chunzhang said.
Text: Zhao Lingling Editor: Xue Yapei Layout: Li Peiyang
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