Preface:
Star Era ES will be officially announced to be launched on December 20. However, is it a bit late for Xingtu to launch its first pure electric model at this time? After all, this level of pure electricity is being shipped by all manufacturers, so there is no first-mover advantage. However, Xingtu's late move also has the advantage of product strategy, and its product strength cannot be underestimated, which may be more attractive. So, can Star Era ES be played?
The logic and key points of making a late move
High-standard pure electric cars are actually still a new category from the perspective of the entire history of automobile development. No matter from the perspective of design, structure, adjustment or even the industrial chain, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Since it is a growth track, it means that previous products are not as complete as subsequent products, and cost control capabilities are also lower. This is the greatest logic of striking later.
When products of this new category begin to emerge one after another, after iteration and improvement one after another, new products that surpass the previous ones can be developed without spending staggering R&D expenses. Pay attention to two key points: controllable costs and superior performance. This seemingly irreconcilable contradiction can only be achieved in the post-emptive stage.
Of course, the prerequisite for achieving this is that the person who strikes first must also be a master. So, what are the core competitiveness of Xingtu, known as the "science and engineering man", in surpassing the product power of Star Era ES?
Fully equipped chassis: the combined force of confidence and late-mover
When Wei Xiaoli launched a front double-wishbone rear multi-link suspension combination with a rear-drive architecture, it was regarded as a pioneering work. It’s not that this suspension combination is new, it’s just that it has not been very successful when used on Chinese brand products. Facts have proved that the wisdom of this approach cannot be covered by just "McPherson + front-wheel drive is enough". The logic behind it is the essential difference between electric drive and oil drive - the volume of the electric drive unit is much smaller than the oil drive unit, and the most difficult point of the double wishbone is not the structure and cost, but the layout interference (the engine compartment is limited). The electric drive can be placed in the front, rear, or front at will, and it also bypasses the biggest cost and efficiency obstacles of the rear drive. This natural advantage and wise combination have made people increasingly realize that it is actually very inconsistent to use a front MacPherson front drive for "medium and large" pure electric drives.
Star Era ES, which is a late striker, can naturally easily bypass this dispute process and directly implement the best combination. At the same time, based on the experience and lessons provided by more and more existing models, Xingtu has more energy and resources to "improve and improve". Finally, there is Star Era ES which is almost “fully equipped” at the chassis level. How does
understand this "full configuration"? First, from a purely structural perspective, it is true that the front double wishbone is a multi-link rear, but the double wishbone uses an upper and lower double ball joint structure. That is to say, the upper and lower "wishbones" are not real "wishbones", but two separate connecting rods combined through ball joints. The benefits are self-evident. It has a larger adjustment space than a simple double wishbone and can achieve more ideal suspension performance. A structure like this in a fuel vehicle often requires a very high level to have it.
This alone is definitely not enough. The second fully equipped point of the Star Era ES chassis is the standard air suspension. Air suspension has been a hot topic in recent years. It is well known how "high-end" it is in the era of fuel vehicles, so we will not go into details here.
This is not over yet. Star Era ES is also equipped with CDC, which is variable suspension damping. Air suspension + CDC, this combination is rare (because the air suspension itself is also an adjustable suspension), which shows how much Star Era ES cares about achieving a balance between all aspects. Of course, you can also understand it as the "volume" on the equipment.
In fact, the chassis of Star Era ES has not been "rolled" to the end. For example, rear-wheel steering is supported by the Star Era ES platform, but it is limited to positioning and is not yet equipped. But even so, in horizontal comparison. The chassis of Star Era ES is also "fully equipped".
Electric drive, intelligent full configuration: You have it, I have it all
Let’s look at the key electric drive unit. Through cooperation with CATL, Star Era ES is basically in the current full configuration state in the industry. For example, 800V high voltage, 4C fast charging, ultra-low power consumption (corresponding to high battery life), etc., are all available.
Specifically, in overcharge mode, the fastest charging time of Star Era ES is only 15 minutes from 30-80%, and it can recharge 150 kilometers in 5 minutes. The lowest power consumption under CLTC operating conditions can reach 11.7 kWh/100 kilometers. This is not just about "saving money", but it lays the foundation for ultra-long battery life. In addition, the Star Era ES equipped with the Shenxing battery will also perform well in terms of low-temperature fast charging, low-temperature battery life, and low-temperature discharge. In short, in terms of Sanden technology, although Star Era ES will not take the initiative to say that it is "far ahead", it can definitely be regarded as the first echelon and is also "fully equipped".
In terms of vehicle model combination, Star Era ES also has similar characteristics. That is to say, it does not blindly target a certain audience group, but has a wide range of combinations such as low battery life, high battery life, and high performance. The version with the longest battery life can exceed 900 kilometers, and the version with the fastest acceleration can achieve 3.7 seconds. And these combinations are not blindly either/or, that is, the high-endurance version does not simply sacrifice performance. For example, the acceleration of its 905-kilometer long-range version can also reach 5.6 seconds, which is quite impressive. The same is true for the
smart level. At first glance, it seems that there is nothing that can be regarded as "far ahead", but it has also achieved "you have everything, I have everything". For example, the central control screen is not only large and narrow, but also has a resolution of up to 2.5K. Chip, mainstream 8155, no suspense. The audio, with 23 speakers, is definitely not a bargain and comes standard! Panoramic sound effects, headrest speakers, everything is not lacking. what else? Four-area voice wake-up/speak when visible/continuous recognition and face recognition are not only available, but also standard. The same goes for smart driving. The low- and mid-range Horizon Journey 3 and the high-end dual NVIDIA Orin-X are both quite hard-core configurations. High-end models also have lidar, including smart driving for city navigation and high-speed navigation, all of which can be realized (mid-range models are also optional). The same is true for other detailed configurations of
. For example, wireless charging is directly 50W ultra-fast charging. Electric memory seats, heated and ventilated seats, and even on-board KTV are all available.
Price is the last resort,
At this point, the logic of late strike at the beginning of the article is no longer empty talk, and the final trump card of Star Era ES is the price. And this price is precisely due to the late strike. That is to say, it does not have to go through so many detours at the research and development level in order to achieve top-notch configurations in all aspects and set a staggeringly low price. Is
low?
Star Era ES will only be launched in a few days, so it is difficult to make a detailed horizontal comparison and evaluation. But one thing is certain, the final price cannot be higher than the pre-sale price. So let’s look at the pre-sale price and compare several key points horizontally to see how exciting the price of Star Era ES is.
For example, the starting price of the Star Era ES is less than 250,000 yuan, a medium and large sedan, and then: standard air suspension! We often said before that Chinese brands have rolled up Kongxuan to the 300,000 level. Now Star Era ES has made another success, earning 250,000 yuan!
Another example is the super long-range version of Star Era, which has a pure electric range of more than 900 kilometers, and the corresponding pre-sale price is 308,000 yuan. You can also look around to see if there are trams that cost 300,000 yuan and cover 800 kilometers. You can continue to look for similar examples of
. Or, after Star Era ES is launched, and then compare it horizontally, you will find how powerful Star Era ES is as a latecomer.
Summary:
When many people chatted with the group leader about Star Era ES before, they always asked: What’s new about this car? The meaning is probably that the trams have already been used for this purpose, why should latecomers come in and grab the territory?
Obviously, after seeing this, everyone should be able to see a common misunderstanding, that is, it is always believed that the success of a car must have a winning idea. However, in the field of pure electricity, the gameplay also changes with the different stages.When a new technology gradually matures, a preemptive move at a certain key node can often achieve miraculous results. Based on the above analysis of Star Era ES, everyone should be able to understand this logic. Of course, this logic needs to be confirmed by the excellent performance of Star Era ES after its launch. I believe that Star Era ES will never disappoint consumers.
