Auto-First|Linsen
In 2022, despite the impact of the epidemic and other factors, the domestic new energy market will still be hot, with doubling compared with in the same period last year. It is expected that annual sales will exceed 6 million vehicles, setting a new record high. At the same time, as more and more brands fail, the competition in the new energy vehicle market has become increasingly fierce.
In 2022, multinational companies such as Toyota , Honda, Nissan , and GM will launch new vehicles with pure electric exclusive platforms. Joint venture brands begin to work hard to make up for the introduction of smart new energy vehicles . In terms of Chinese brands, new brands such as Avita , Zhiji, new Denza , Deep Blue, Rui Lan and other new brands have entered mass production and delivery, and have begun to accept challenges with real swords and guns. Behind the scenes, there are Internet giants such as Jidu, , Xiaomi , etc. who are eyeing it.
It is undeniable that the arrival of new brands and new forces has brought new models and new development ideas to China's new energy vehicle market, and is an important force in promoting the transformation and upgrading of China's automobile industry. Especially those new brands that have steadily taken a critical step in mass production and delivery. Their models and products are worthy of careful study. For example, Avita has the rigor of traditional car companies and the flexibility of new forces.
According to Tan Benhong, chairman and CEO of Avita Technology, Avita 11 has gone through more than 320,000 kilometers of endurance testing, 440 kilometers of high-speed loops every day, and more than 2 million steering rack tests. After the product was launched, optimization and adjustments were made to seats, electric doors , audio, etc. that have been highly requested by users. For example, the cushions of the front seats of Avita 11 were increased by 30 mm and the rear seats were increased by 15 mm.
Avita 11, a true smart electric car
The first new car of a brand is very important to the brand. They are masterpieces that have been carefully crafted and polished repeatedly. To a large extent, they represent the strength and level of a brand.
Avita 11 is the first new car of the Avita brand. This car combines the top strengths of the "three giants" of Changan Automobile , Huawei , and CATL. After more than 1,000 days of integration and polishing by the three parties, the Avita 11 is finally given the product strength of appearance, comprehensive performance, and intelligence, explaining to the market and users what a true smart electric vehicle is.
In an era where “appearance is justice”, designs that impress young people are a stepping stone. The design of the Avita 11 comes from Avita's design center in Munich, Germany. The leading designer is Nader Faghihzadeh, the former chief designer of the BMW i series. Under the control of an international team, the Avita 11 is comparable to top luxury brands such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche in terms of size and golden body proportions.
From the overall design, Avita's shape is full of futuristic feeling, such as the saucer-shaped front face inspired by the side silhouette of the space vehicle, and the interior cockpit also resembles the space capsule . The suspended body posture, fluid rear windows and sail-type active lifting tail, coupled with the 22-inch large wheels that not every brand can equip, these designs make the Avita 11 look like a smart electric car.
In addition to its futuristic appearance, Avita 11 is more technologically advanced in its detailed design. For example, the front windshield HALO screen can greet you, and the "Vortex emotional vortex" with flowing water welcome animation in the cockpit. Warm and considerate elements run through the interior and exterior, and the "ceiling of beauty" is worthy of the name.
In terms of overall performance, Avita 11 is equipped with Huawei's DriveONE three-in-one drive system, which uses front and rear dual motors with a maximum power of 425kW, which can bring the car 0-100 acceleration performance in 3.98 seconds, which is a level that can only be achieved by million-level gasoline supercars. At the same time, the car uses Brembo high-performance all-aluminum opposing four-piston calipers. The shortest braking distance from 100 kilometers per hour is less than 35 meters, which can not only run fast but also brake stably. In addition, the steel-aluminum hybrid body and all-aluminum chassis are all configurations of luxury cars.
Although performance and parameters are the threshold of high-end luxury, the quietness and comfort of driving are the moat that blocks Chinese brands outside the wall. Moreover, there is no shortcut, only continuous investment and accumulation. Avita benefits from Changan Automobile's century-old manufacturing experience and its self-developed algorithm RNC active road noise reduction technology, which can effectively reduce the noise in the car, and the peak noise can be reduced by 13 decibels. Tan Benhong, who has always been low-key, became quite confident and high-profile when talking about NVH: "You can compare and see. The quietness of Avita 11 is definitely at the same level as Mercedes-Benz S-class ."
smart technology is even more the Avita 11's specialty. Relying on Huawei's technical advantages in intelligent assisted driving, the Avita 11 uses a total of 34 sensors, including 3 semi-solid laser radars, which is at the top level in the entire industry. What’s more worth mentioning is that Avita 11 does not fix the hardware on the roof or windows. Instead, it perfectly integrates 34 sensors into the body design, making them invisible and bringing a high level of visual beauty. This is absolutely impossible without certain skills.
Because of the comprehensive sensing and fusion of lidar , camera and millimeter wave radar , Avita has reached the top level of the industry in intelligent assisted driving and has become a digital life form. A real car tunnel test can reveal the whole story at a glance: Model Y and Xpeng G9 cannot recognize the piles inside or respond as soon as they enter the tunnel, but the Avita 11 does it perfectly, and its strength in smart technology is evident.
In Tan Benhong’s words, Avita’s track is a high-end SEV smart electric vehicle, which carries the important responsibility of Changan Automobile’s brand upward. "This is a marathon. We cannot run a marathon by running 100 meters. It is fundamental to make good products in a down-to-earth manner." Therefore, whether it is appearance, comprehensive performance, or intelligence, Avita 11 has achieved the top level of the first echelon in the industry.
The first year of Avita, bringing more than one Avita to the industry 11
2022 is called the first year of the brand by Avita. From a market perspective, Avita has brought a truly smart electric vehicle to the new energy vehicle market. From an industry perspective, Avita has brought more than just one car to the automotive industry. Its innovations on the SEV smart pure electric track are even more worthy of interpretation. This kind of innovation includes innovation in cooperation models, innovations in platforms, innovations in channels and innovations in energy replenishment models.
The first is the innovation of the cooperation model. Avita is a high-end pure electric brand created by the in-depth integration of Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL. This model pioneered cooperation in the automotive industry.
Changan Automobile's advantages in the automotive field, Huawei in the technology field, and CATL in the energy field have jointly constructed the characteristics of Avita brand smart electric vehicles . It can be said that Avita stood on the shoulders of three giants from the moment she was born. The starting point is so high that it is unprecedented in the automotive industry.
Avita Technology CEO Tan Benhong summarized the cooperation between the three parties in 16 words: create a win-win situation, advance and retreat together, share risks, and share benefits. This determines the cooperation between Changan Automobile, Huawei and CATL. It is an inclusive relationship in which we are among you and you are among us. Whether it is Zhu Huarong, Xu Zhijun or Zeng Yuqun, the big picture is from the highest decision-making level. The resources given to Avita by the three parties are top-notch and unreserved. There is only one purpose, which is to build the Chinese's own high-end smart electric vehicles. This is a common cause and a common sentiment.
The overall pattern of cooperation model has given birth to a new generation of smart electric vehicle technology platform CHN. This platform integrates the unique advantages of Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL in their respective fields, and has the characteristics that the three major smart electric vehicles should have: "new architecture, strong computing, and high-voltage charging." This is the underlying technical support for Avita 11's three major product strength ceilings. It is also the first time that the core technology of the SEV industry is in the hands of the Chinese themselves.
Why does Avita use "new architecture, strong computing, and high-voltage charging" to define smart electric vehicles? In Tan Benhong's view, previous electric vehicles can only be called connected electric vehicles at best, and the so-called upgrades only involve upgrading QQ music or video software in the cockpit, while Tesla 's FSD can achieve comprehensive iterative upgrades, bringing users continuous updates in the field of intelligent driving. This is why for a long time, Chinese brand electric vehicles have been unable to beat Tesla in terms of technology and sales. Because they are not on the same track as Tesla, they have never been able to pose a threat to Tesla.
Tan Benhong said that Avita, which combines the advantages of CHN's three parties, will break this status quo and create China's own smart electric vehicles. In Avita's view, the definition of a smart electric vehicle depends on whether it comes from a new electronic and electrical architecture, because only a new architecture can open up the "seven meridians" of the entire vehicle's electrical components, giving it the ability to iteratively evolve. Take the Avita 11 as an example. Electric doors, electric luggage, electronic steering, as well as electric drives, electric rearview mirrors, and electric seats. Almost all functions are electric. And thanks to the new electronic and electrical architecture, this car has a lot of room for software upgrades in the future, and it can realize L4 or even L5 level intelligent driving assistance upgrades in the future.
Another thing is to have strong computing power. This is the brain of a car. Without a strong brain, even with strong sensors, the data it collects cannot be processed. Avita 11 uses a 400TOPS high computing power chip, which is more powerful than Tesla FSD 144 TOPS. Due to the implantation of this chip, it is like a brain with computing power like a human brain to control algorithms and make decisions, so that true intelligent driving can be achieved.
In addition, due to the convenience of charging and energy replenishment for consumers, Avita did not choose to invest in a larger battery swap mode, but proposed a high-voltage charging mode that is more feasible at this stage. Thanks to 750-volt high-voltage fast charging, Avita 11 can achieve a range of 200 kilometers after charging for 10 minutes, which greatly alleviates users’ charging anxiety.
Based on the above thinking, Avita believes that only electric vehicles with the three major characteristics of new architecture, strong computing, and high-voltage charging can truly compete head-to-head with Tesla on the same track. Through CHN's platform architecture, Avita can truly enter the smart electric vehicle track. Tesla FSD can provide consumers with updates and iterations, and Avita 11 can do the same.
In fact, the threshold for new architecture, strong computing, and high-voltage charging is actually very high, and the competition behind it is technology. According to Auto-First, at this stage, products that can compete with Tesla FSD include Avita 11, NIO's NT2.0 (ET7, ES7, ET5), and Xpeng's G9. However, unlike Wei Xiaoli, Avita chose the CHN model of win-win cooperation. Tan Benhong revealed that there are 30,000 people behind Avita’s R&D personnel: 10,000 Changan Automobile, 10,000 Huawei, and 10,000 CATL. At the same time, Avita itself has a research and development team of 1,300 people, and this number will double to 2,500 next year. "We rely on the CHN cooperation model to tighten the ties between each other, thereby safeguarding continued product upgrades and iterations in the future."
In addition to its innovative strength in platforms and products, Avita has also found its own unique path in sales and service channels.
Avita is a step late. To seize the market, channel construction must be fast. Because channels are crucial to a brand, especially after it reaches scale, it will be very difficult to maintain the huge sales and service system by yourself. Therefore, Avita is very flexible in channel construction, adopting various models such as self-construction, co-construction + Huawei store entry, etc. The main purpose is to provide users with more diverse and more convenient services in the shortest time, and to prepare for the launch of more products in the future to increase the volume to 100,000, 200,000 or even larger.
Although it will only start official operations in 2022, as of now, network channels including Avita Center, Avita Experience Center and city exhibition hall have covered key cities across the country such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Hangzhou, and can meet the needs of consumer product experience, delivery, and services. According to the plan, by the end of this year, Avita will have more than 200 channel touch points across the country. This speed is astonishing. It can be said that Avita has done what others have done in three years in one year. As for the channel planning for 2023, Tan Benhong even set a target of 500+.
In addition, thanks to the comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement signed by Avita and Huawei in June this year, the two parties have further deepened their cooperation in product technology research and development and channel sales. Recently, Avita 11 has entered Huawei's Beijing flagship store and Shenzhen Bantian G District flagship store, which will play a positive role in helping Avita target more high-end users and enhance brand awareness and influence.
In terms of energy replenishment innovation, in order to better realize users’ extremely fast energy replenishment experience of “10 minutes of charging, 200 kilometers of range”, Avita also cooperated with bp to build customized high-voltage fast charging stations. The high-voltage fast charging network will be deployed in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in 2022. By the end of 2023, more than 100 standardized sites will be built, covering 19 cities across the country, and users can find nearby bp sites on the map through the Avita App.
View of the momentum: The second half of the competition depends on the real strength
From the above, it can be seen that Avita has found its own unique development model in the field of SEV smart electric vehicles. As a case of the Chinese automobile industry and Chinese brands, Avita's development has many aspects worthy of interpretation.
Judging from the current performance of Avita, Avita has taken a steady first step in both the consumer market and the capital market. In 2022, Avita completed Series A financing. After the completion of this round of financing , Avita Technology's overall financing scale is nearly 5 billion yuan, and its post-investment valuation is nearly 10 billion yuan. This is the investment community's recognition of Avita's development prospects. In addition, Avita also released plans to develop independently in the future and seek capital listing independently.
According to Avita's plan, after Avita 11, there will be 4 new products based on the CHN architecture launched before 2025. The second new model has been finalized and the third product will be launched soon, covering multiple market segments. Such a fast launch of new products is the result of the in-depth cooperation among the three parties of CHN.
As Tan Benhong said, building a car is like running a marathon. A 5-kilometer lead at the beginning doesn’t mean anything. The further you go, the more you can see the gap. Indeed, in 2022, some car brands with insufficient stamina have already been thrown off the smart new energy track. The second half of this marathon is a competition between brands like Avita that have strong technical capabilities and great stamina. What will be the result? Time will give the answer.
