In the pure electric vehicle market, a disruptor emerges

Author | Zhou Zhiyu

Editor | Zhang Xiaoling

Without the traffic boost from celebrity executives like Lei Jun, the Chengdu Auto Show has returned to focusing on selling cars itself, becoming a stage where car companies compete for users based on their products.

At the press conference on August 30th, Voyah Motors' first all-electric SUV, Voyah i-Land, started pre-sale. This is their first "global car" simultaneously launched domestically and internationally. In terms of three-electric technology, smart cabin, and intelligent driving, Voyah i-Land also has its own strengths.

With this, Voyah i-Land aims to break the current market pattern in the mid-size SUV segment. Of course, the mid-size all-electric SUV market is already a highly competitive field, and only players with real capabilities can approach, or even surpass Tesla, to stand out in this market.

Voyah's expectation for i-Land is to become a top 3 player in the segmented market. Lu Fang, CEO of Voyah Motors, also stated that the company will spare no effort to make Voyah i-Land a popular model. As Voyah's first global all-electric model, Voyah i-Land will serve as the representative model for its overseas expansion.

During the post-conference exchange session, Lu Fang did not hide Voyah's ambition. He openly stated that no one's market position is particularly stable, and there will always be newcomers surpassing the old players. With the completion of the product lineup and the gradual implementation of the international strategy, Lu Fang believes that the sales volume of the next few products will also increase, making Voyah one of the giants that will stay on the table in the future.

Breakthrough

Launching an all-electric SUV model in the 200,000-300,000 RMB price range, Voyah i-Land is quite bold. After all, this market is already highly competitive.

Retail sales data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that high-end new energy vehicles in the 200,000-300,000 RMB market have seen the fastest market share growth in recent years. In July this year, the market share reached 19%, far higher than the level of less than 10% in 2018.

This has led to new players like Xiaomi, Nio, Li Auto, and Aito focusing on this market. Industry insiders, including Nio's chairman Li Bin, have bluntly stated that the competition in the 200,000-300,000 RMB market is the most intense. Some predict that the final battle between domestic and joint venture brands will definitely take place in this market.

Looking at the specific situation of the segmented market, besides Tesla's Model Y dominating with sales of 38,700 units in July, the top players in the 200,000-300,000 RMB SUV market are hybrid models from brands like Li Auto and Aito, as well as fuel vehicles from the German luxury trio BBA. The sales volume of other all-electric SUV players in the 200,000-300,000 RMB range is around 5,000 units.

Consumers in this market seek a balance in performance, with certain requirements for range, intelligence, and a focus on interior space compared to sedans. Although all-electric SUVs have significant advantages in performance, issues such as inconvenient charging, poor reliability, and depreciation still deter many conservative consumers.

The emergence of Voyah i-Land may change consumers' inherent perceptions with its all-electric approach.

It has a title called "985 All-Round Scholar", which stems from its significant breakthroughs in three-electric technology "985" is a shorthand for the three hardcore technologies carried by Voyah Lantu, namely a 901km ultra-long pure electric range, 800V high-voltage silicon carbide platform, and 5C super fast charging technology.

In a recent test, Voyah Lantu ran a long distance with models such as Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3. While the fuel tanks of the latter two luxury cars were almost empty, Voyah Lantu still had around 300km of range left. In terms of urban commuting scenarios, this range capability can even achieve "one charge per month".

With the support of the global 800V high-voltage silicon carbide platform, Voyah Lantu's operating efficiency reaches 92.5%, which is at the forefront of the industry; the fast charging is also the only 5C super fast charging in its class, allowing it to charge from 20% to 80% in 10 minutes.

In addition to the three-electric system, Voyah Lantu is also equipped with the self-developed Xiaoyao cockpit, featuring the mainstream 8295 Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, enabling smooth four-zone voice recognition. The self-developed Kunpeng intelligent driving system can also provide consumers with functions such as NOA high-speed navigation assistance and advanced intelligent parking.

The product strength is the confidence of Voyah Lantu to challenge the Model Y. However, Lu Fang also knows well that Tesla has a huge first-mover advantage and brand influence. Only by building the advantage of a Chinese brand with better products and services can there be a chance.

Lu Fang stated that Lantu has many technological highlights that lead its class, demonstrating its high value. In addition, in terms of pricing, although the official price has not been released yet, the pre-sale price already shows Lantu's sincerity.

According to the pre-sale price of 209,900-266,900 yuan announced at the conference, the upcoming listing price of Voyah Lantu is expected to bring more surprises.

Voyah Lantu's performance after pre-sale is also good. At a communication meeting, Li Boxiao, assistant general manager of Voyah Motors, stated that Lantu's sales have met expectations. Data shows that as of September 1st, Voyah Lantu has accumulated orders exceeding 10,000 units.

Outbreak

Today's Voyah, with the launch of new models, has a different look. After completing its product lineup, Voyah has found new growth points, which can also lead to a sales outbreak.

In the first 8 months of this year, Voyah's cumulative sales exceeded 42,500 units, a year-on-year increase of 90%. Li Boxiao pointed out that this achievement was made without the support of new products and without being involved in market price wars. With the recent launch of two new products, they are confident for the next few months and achieving the annual sales target.

Before the pre-sale of Voyah Lantu, the new Voyah Dreamer, jointly created by Voyah and Huawei, was officially launched.

Shao Mingfeng, general manager of Voyah Automotive Sales and Service Company, told Wall Street News that when users choose new energy vehicles, they also consider advanced intelligent driving as a key factor. Voyah can meet the diverse needs of users. In the current orders for the new Voyah Dreamer, 30% to 40% choose the Gan Kun version.

According to Voyah's data, since the pre-sale of the new Voyah Dreamer started on August 28th, as of September 1st, cumulative orders have exceeded 14,000 units. With the pre-sale orders of Voyah Lantu, Voyah is one step closer to achieving its annual sales target of 100,000 units Shao Mingfeng revealed that in the future, Voyah will launch flagship SUVs and sedans. In addition, based on different user needs and usage scenarios, Voyah will introduce family cars and even more niche personalized vehicles.

Shao Mingfeng stated that Voyah's pace in the early part of this year was a bit slow, but will accelerate later on. He pointed out that Voyah is also accelerating its layout in domestic channels to enhance terminal reception capabilities. By the end of this year, the number of offline stores is expected to reach 350-400.

Going global is also a key part of Voyah's strategy.

As the first global pure electric vehicle model launched by Voyah after announcing the Let's VOYAH "共岚图" international strategy, the Voyah KnowYou and Voyah KnowYou Global Edition were shipped to Chengdu and Italy on August 26. At the pre-sale launch event, Voyah officially announced that the English name for the Voyah KnowYou model is "Courage," and the Voyah KnowYou Global Edition will be officially unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in September.

Lu Fang stated that "Courage" represents the confidence of Voyah KnowYou as a "985" academic overachiever and the ambition of Voyah as a national team. With the courage to face challenges, it will step onto the world stage and showcase the strength and responsibility of Chinese brands to the world.

According to Voyah's plan, by 2030, it aims to have a presence on all six continents globally, enter 60 countries, establish 500 sales and service outlets, and achieve cumulative overseas sales exceeding 500,000 vehicles.

Of course, Voyah will also need to address and resolve issues such as cultural differences, diverse policies and regulations, complex supply chain management, and technological adaptability.

Lu Fang believes that despite current factors such as European tariffs, the trend of Chinese automotive products going global is irreversible. Whether it's Voyah or other manufacturers, Chinese automotive products will definitely go global. "We also have a responsibility and obligation to let people around the world use better Chinese electric vehicles."

Today, new energy vehicles are bringing about revolutionary changes in energy and technology, reshaping the global automotive industry chain. At the same time, production and business models are undergoing significant changes, and the seating arrangement of players in the industry chain is being disrupted and rearranged.

For Chinese car companies, from introducing technology to exporting products, to Chinese technology output and brand globalization, this is a new era. Relying solely on cost-effectiveness to gain market share overseas is not a sustainable strategy. Only by leveraging local technological advantages, expanding across regions, and creating a synergistic effect across multiple regions can a path of increasing influence and strength be forged, becoming a true multinational automotive giant.

With the success of the Voyah KnowYou in the pure electric vehicle market, Voyah Automotive is poised to take another step towards becoming a global giant