There are new players joining the siege against Model Y

Author | Wang Xiaojuan

Editor | Zhou Zhiyu

Surrounding the mainstream SUV market, a group of car companies have all shouted slogans to attack Tesla's Model Y, aiming to dethrone last year's best-selling model globally.

Models that have already been launched in September include Aito R7, Leahead L60, ZEEKR 7X, and those launching this month include Avita 07, IM Motors LS6, Voyah Zhiyin, and more. Regardless of energy form and price, in their declarations, they all target Tesla's Model Y. To the extent that Nio's chairman, Li Bin, bluntly stated that this is a joint attack by six major factions against Model Y.

On October 13th, Voyah officially launched its Zhiyin model for the global market. From the pricing, it can also be seen that they are going all out for sales. The original starting price of this car was 196,900 yuan, but Voyah managed to create a limited edition of 3,000 units priced at 179,900 yuan.

Efforts can be understood, after all, Voyah barely achieved over 10,000 deliveries last month with the new Dreamer, so they must seize the opportunity and replicate the success.

However, replicating a success is not that easy. The MPV market where the Dreamer is positioned has relatively few competitors, and the new Dreamer also has the support of Huawei. Past experience has shown that this effect is indeed immediate.

This also means that for Zhiyin to become a hit, they need to show more sincerity and solid strength.

Firstly, in terms of pricing, among the models attacking Model Y, Zhiyin's starting price is the lowest among the six mentioned models, and it is 70,000 yuan cheaper than the main competitor Tesla Model Y, with a series of first-launch benefits.

While others have extended range and Nio has battery swapping, for Zhiyin to compete with these models, they must address users' anxiety about recharging and range.

Therefore, the four SKUs released by Zhiyin this time focus on supercharging and long range. The entry-level battery is 77kWh, the two-wheel drive version has a range of 625km, the four-wheel drive version has a range of 570km, and the ultra-long range version has a range of over 900km.

In terms of recharging, both the long-range supercharging version and the ultra-long range version are based on the 800V high-voltage silicon carbide platform. The 5C super-fast charging technology can recharge 515km in 15 minutes.

Interestingly, at the launch event, Voyah also showcased an intelligent charging robot that can automatically complete the plug-in and plug-out functions, realizing a fully automated mode without the need to get out of the car. Currently, the first batch of supercharging stations will be launched in cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Tianjin, Wuhan, and Hefei.

Zhiyin is also Voyah's first model with all-electric powertrains.

According to Zeng Qinglin, Deputy General Manager of Voyah Automobile Sales Service Co., Ltd., not offering extended range/hybrid is not due to lack of capability, but because current recharging is already close to the convenience of refueling, and the future of extended range is also electric, so it is unnecessary.

Furthermore, in terms of space, intelligent vehicle systems, high-definition AR-HUD, and other aspects emphasized by various industry players, Zhiyin has not fallen behind either.

In addition to wanting to become another hit for Voyah, this car is also a new starting point for Voyah's internationalization. Voyah is also very clear that they are still followers in the industry; therefore, in the vigorous overseas expansion, Voyah must keep up and not fall behind anymore 24 hours after the press conference, Voyah received 8,126 orders. Among them, the long-range supercharged version accounts for more than half. This also means that Voyah's selling points of long range and supercharging have been well received, with the potential to further penetrate the market.

The following is a dialogue (edited) between media such as Wall Street News and the Vice General Manager of Voyah Automotive Sales Service Co., Ltd. Zeng Qinglin, Huang Min, Senior Director of New Energy Technology at Voyah Automotive, and Xu Lin, Senior Director of Styling Design at Voyah Automotive:

Question: What does the Know You (Zhi Yin) model mean for Voyah Automotive? What is its positioning and core competitiveness? Does it signify Voyah entering a new development stage?

Zeng Qinglin: The Dreamer has monthly sales exceeding 5,000 units, becoming Voyah's first popular model. For a brand to continue developing, it is not enough to have just one popular model. To target a broader market, we need one or two popular models to emerge. Know You opens the curtain for the second popular model. From the perspective of Dongfeng Group, this sets higher requirements for Voyah and carries higher expectations.

Know You is also Voyah's first global model. For Voyah, Know You is not only a new starting point in sales but also a new starting point for our internationalization.

What are the core competencies of Know You? In the areas of three-electric systems, luxury intelligence, mechanical quality, and interior space, Know You leads the industry. For example, Voyah Know You adopts a self-developed 800V silicon carbide platform and 5C supercharging technology, which are Voyah's latest core technologies. With a 15-minute charge, the range can reach over 500 kilometers.

Question: Currently, extended-range and plug-in hybrids have a faster growth rate in new energy vehicles than pure electric vehicles, and the competition in the 200,000-level new energy SUV market facing Know You is very intense. You have only launched pure electric vehicles, why not introduce extended-range or plug-in hybrids?

Zeng Qinglin: Voyah's technological reserves cover extended-range, hybrid, and pure electric vehicles, so there is no problem with introducing extended-range or hybrid vehicles. Why choose pure electric vehicles? A very core selling point is the ultra-long range of 900 kilometers and 5C supercharging.

In fact, the main reason why most people lean towards extended-range and hybrid vehicles is "range anxiety." As you may have seen in Mr. Lu's video yesterday, it takes about ten minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. Know You is the pure electric model closest to traditional fuel vehicles. Since we have achieved a longer range and charging speed comparable to refueling time, there is not much need to focus on extended-range and hybrid vehicles, as the ultimate destination for extended-range vehicles is still pure electric.

Question: What are the sales expectations for Know You set by the company?

Zeng Qinglin: There are high expectations for Voyah Know You, hoping it will become Voyah Automotive's second "popular" product following the all-new Voyah Dreamer.

Question: Model Y and Voyah Know You are in the same price range, and users will compare the two vehicles. The sizes are very similar. I would like to ask, "What are the advantages of Voyah Know You compared to Tesla Model Y?" and why did you say it is the "next generation Model Y" yesterday?

Zeng Qinglin: Whether in terms of space, battery, charging speed, 800V silicon carbide platform, intelligent cockpit, and other areas, we are actually leading Model Y comprehensively. In terms of current configuration and performance, Voyah Know You indeed surpasses the current level of Model Y In the current Chinese pure electric vehicle market, the sales volume of Model Y is relatively high, indicating the presence of a first-mover advantage for the brand.

Of course, whether in terms of sales volume or brand recognition, Model Y sets the benchmark for electric vehicles in its class. However, I believe that its position is not unassailable.

Question: It has been approximately 12 hours since the launch. How has the situation been during these 12 hours? I am particularly concerned about whether the 3,000 units of the 179,900 RMB model have been sold out.

Zeng Qinglin: From the end of the press conference to the concert yesterday, the system was already lagging.

Regarding the pricing of the 179,900 RMB model, this is actually a limited-time promotional price. Based on the backend data, including existing pre-orders, the 179,900 RMB model is not the most popular. The 202,900 RMB and 230,000 RMB models are the best-selling models, reflecting the Chinese consumer group's trust in high-priced technology.

Question: What is the underlying logic behind the pricing strategy?

Zeng Qinglin: We aim to achieve technological equality within the industry. As the sales of LanTu increase, the advantage of scale gradually builds up, leading to a strong supply chain advantage and cost advantage. This gives us the confidence to pursue technological equality. We also hope that LanTu can set a benchmark in the industry in terms of technology and user experience, and become a popular model in the industry.

Question: Is LanTu abandoning the extended-range route?

Zeng Qinglin: There is no question of abandonment or weakening. It's just a matter of making corresponding configuration choices based on the product positioning. Our LanTu FREE series is currently all extended-range. LanTu Dreamer and LanTu Chasing Light have both pure electric and hybrid versions, demonstrating LanTu's comprehensive technological reserves.

When we initially planned LanTu ZhiYin, we aimed to make the range extension experience of LanTu ZhiYin close to that of traditional fuel vehicles to address users' range anxiety. As for whether we will introduce range extension in the future, it is unlikely in the short term.

Question: This year, we have seen a change, with LanTu Night coming out of Wuhan for the first time. Merely communicating in marketing is not enough in the long run. Are there any explosive long-term plans?

Zeng Qinglin: Indeed, we used to have some issues with sales fluctuations, and we recognize that there is significant room for improvement in communication. The biggest change for LanTu this year is to transform the advantage of technology into scenes that users can perceive and language they can understand for continuous communication.

After the launch of Dreamer, we introduced the Leisure Cabin and Super Charging technology. For example, after the release of the new LanTu Dreamer, many users initially came for Huawei, but after experiencing the Leisure Cabin, they also chose LanTu's self-developed Kunpeng version.

We also acknowledge that we were a bit conservative in communication and packaging before because we did not want to engage in unrealistic marketing. However, we believe that by focusing on real technology, language that users can understand, visible scenes, and making users perceive them, this is the direction we are striving for in marketing going forward.

**Question: We have noticed the immediate increase in sales volume of Dreamer due to Huawei's influence. Are there any preparations being made for ZhiYin in terms of GanKun 3.0, ADS 3.0, and Harmony Cabin 4.0? Will there be a Huawei version of the model released at some stage, especially given the continuous integration of FSD into Huawei's ecosystem? Zeng Qinglin: Our cooperation with Huawei, as mentioned during the launch of the new Dream House, is a two-way empowerment, a strong alliance. In terms of self-developed technologies such as hardware data, chassis, safety, etc., Voyah has accumulated deep technical expertise. For areas like intelligent cockpit and autonomous driving, our capabilities are improving, and the intelligent cockpit is approaching Huawei's level.

Question: Zhiyin is a global electric platform developed by Voyah. In comparison between the domestic and overseas versions, what are the differences? Can you provide some examples? Was there simultaneous development, such as for right-hand drive models in Commonwealth countries?

Huang Min: For Voyah, when Zhiyin was initiated, it was the first model to consider both the overseas and domestic markets simultaneously, developed for a global audience.

As for areas where overseas standards are higher than domestic ones, unfortunately, such instances are rare.

However, in some overseas regions, especially in Europe, there may be higher requirements for passive safety regulations and conditions, at least different from those in China. This poses a challenge for us in developing a global model.

There are several differences: in terms of design, there are some variations, but fortunately, the overseas version is also sold in China, so Chinese users have the option to choose from all versions of Voyah Zhiyin, while only the overseas version is sold abroad.

Additionally, the current plan for overseas markets is to only introduce 400V, which is also due to the local infrastructure development. Thanks to our great country's infrastructure capabilities, we can enjoy the convenience of 800V, which is not easily accessible to many users overseas, and the expectations for infrastructure development are not as optimistic as in China.

Another minor issue is about right-hand drive models. Currently, there have been no requests for this on Zhiyin. However, in Voyah's overseas expansion plans, we will consider the right-hand drive market in the future.

Question: What technological advancements can we expect in the next step for the intelligent cockpit? Improvements in user experience? Including the popular AI technology that we haven't talked much about, what are the plans in this area for the next step?

Zeng Qinglin: Firstly, the issue with the Xiaoyao cockpit is why we insist on self-developing it while cooperating with Huawei. Any collaboration with external brands poses ecosystem closure issues. What is the biggest difference between our Xiaoyao cockpit and Huawei's version? One aspect is compatibility improvement; Huawei has better interconnection with smartphones, while our Xiaoyao cockpit will excel in cross-platform collaboration.

Secondly, AI large model training has already been implemented in the Xiaoyao cockpit, which users can experience in practice. The reason for the significant progress in the Xiaoyao cockpit is the introduction of AI large model training in the past two years, rapidly enhancing the overall intelligent cockpit experience. In the future, apart from improving compatibility and benchmarking top players through collaboration, we will continue to strengthen AI capabilities in the intelligent cockpit to make it a major highlight.

**Question: Yesterday, I saw a cool robot for automatic charging at the car manufacturer's launch event, which was physically displayed for the first time. I noticed that you have developed two sets, one fixed and one mobile. What are the future plans for the promotion of this technology? Will there be plans to popularize this technology at public charging stations in the future? Huang Min: First of all, let's talk about the charging robot arm. In some scenarios, such as rainy days or bad weather, users have to get out of the car, scan a code, and grab the gun. Traditional air-cooled guns, especially in low temperatures, have heavier charging cables. Every winter, when I go to the coldest places, it's a bit of a hassle to carry them around, not to mention for girls.

The charging robot arm mainly solves this experiential problem. After the user parks the car, if it's a Voyah car, you may not even need to get out of the car. Of course, there needs to be some other support, such as charging piles, either the brand's own piles, like charging on Voyah's piles, or in cooperation with the operator, with backend settlement mechanisms in place, and so on. In addition, the electric cover can help you open or close it electrically, both are possible.

Secondly, the charging robot. Voyah's charging robot can be deployed in specific locations on specific holidays. Imagine this scenario, as a Voyah car owner, you enter a service area, and others are queuing up. You park in any parking space, click on the app for one-click charging, or click on the car's console, and leave the rest to Voyah. My charging robot will come to your car for fast charging based on the vehicle's location or reservation, complete the charging, settle the payment, and even close the charging port cover for you, then it will go back to charge itself. This scenario is excellent.

For Voyah car owners, we hope to address the anxiety of the remaining 5%-10% fast charging with some solutions. Of course, in addition to these two technologies, we will continue to release other technologies gradually.

Zeng Qinglin: This is also a small technology in our energy strategy. Dr. Huang just introduced some B2B aspects, such as how to make charging services more flexible. Of course, we will also launch B2C aspects, combining the autonomous driving experience, and will introduce corresponding products in the future