Entered with extended-range hybrid technology, Lantu's first car will be released next month

stands at the crossroads of destiny, the correct route choice may be more important than hard work.

In 1990, GM General Motors released a two-door concept sports car called Impact Concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show that year. Because of its disruptive impact in terms of design, technology, and topicality, the GM Impact concept car received unprecedented attention after its release. In addition to the introduction of the California Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Act in 1990, GM finally Take action and put the Impact concept car on the market in 1996 under the name EV1. EV1 is therefore regarded as the prelude to the wave of contemporary pure electric vehicles. Although

is equipped with a series of advanced technologies, such as wireless charging, ultra-low wind resistance, aluminum alloy frame, and the most advanced lithium lead-acid battery pack at the time, the EV1 did not get the expected market response after it was actually launched. After only 1,117 vehicles were produced, the EV1 was officially discontinued. Because of the high production costs, GM not only incurred a large amount of development and production costs on the EV1. EV1 was also rated as one of the most failed models in history.

GM's trial and error on new energy vehicles has not stopped at EV1. At the North American Auto Show in January 2007, the Chevrolet Volt concept car was officially unveiled. This is the first extended-range plug-in hybrid model in the contemporary automotive industry.

In 2007, when the Chevrolet Volt was born, the wave of contemporary new energy vehicle development has just arrived. For the future development of new energy vehicles, major mainstream automakers and the industry are still in the exploration stage. In the midst of uncertainty, various technical routes were naturally born. The extended-range plug-in hybrid system used in the Chevrolet Volt concept at least solved the mileage anxiety of pure electric vehicles at the time, while also balancing fuel consumption and emissions.

Chevrolet Volt's prospects look bright. Therefore, GM once again mass-produced the Chevrolet Volt concept car and introduced it to the Chinese market. The Chevrolet Volt was named Volt in Chinese and officially announced the price in China at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2011-498,000 yuan. The result of such a high result is naturally conceivable. Although the Chevrolet Volt has launched two generations of models, it has been lost in the long river of automobile history within a few years. The general line selection is wrong again.

Compared with the current mainstream plug-in hybrid solutions, although extended-range plug-in hybrid models are also equipped with an engine, this engine is only used to charge the battery pack and will not directly participate in driving the car. Therefore, from a certain perspective, this is purely complicating simple tasks and is suspected of "taking off your pants and farting". Therefore, currently there are very few new energy vehicles on the market that use extended-range plug-in hybrid solutions. In addition to Ideal ONE, the other one is Lantu.

On November 6, Dongfeng Motor announced that its first mass-produced car of its high-end new energy vehicle brand Lantu Motors has rolled off the production line. From the launch of the first concept on July 29 to the pre-production of the new car in November, Lantu's model production promotion work can be described as rapid.

Lantu's first model will be based on the Lantu iFree concept car. The new car is positioned as a medium and large SUV, and will use extended-range plug-in hybrid and pure electric drive schemes. Equipped with a four-wheel drive system and equipped with air suspension, the official production version of the model will be officially released on December 16 this year, and will be officially launched in the third quarter of 2021. Compared with other high-end new energy automobile brands in China, which use pure electric vehicles as the core technology development, Lantu Automobile's approach to extend-range plug-in hybrid technology as a development route is really puzzling. Since it has been determined that a pure electric model will be launched, why spend more research and development costs on the extended-range plug-in hybrid system?

Standing on the analysis of the current market environment, whether it is a traditional foreign automobile manufacturer or the current new car maker, in the future development of new energy vehicles, it is nothing more than pure electric vehicles with battery technology as the core, or Fuel cell vehicles with fuel cells as the core. The ultimate form has actually been determined, and what remains is only technically which side will have greater breakthroughs and more convenience. The current hybrid technology is only a transition and supplement to future market development. Therefore, in this context, choosing the three-electric technology of pure electric vehicles as the core of development is undoubtedly a one-step approach.one. However, Lantu uses the extended-program plug-in hybrid system as the foundation of the brand's development, which is indeed a practice that runs counter to the market.

In fact, Chevrolet Volt has learned lessons from failures, and the market has not approved extended-range plug-in hybrid models. Compared with cheap pure electric vehicles, in the luxury new energy vehicle market, battery life anxiety is not the most fundamental pain point. These fresher experiences such as service and intelligence are what consumers in the luxury new energy vehicle market are pursuing. Both Weilai and Xiaopeng rely on these elements to gain a foothold in the market.

Today, Lantu Motors has entered the game with extended-range plug-in hybrid models. It is really putting the cart before the horse and has not figured out the market rules. In addition, as one of the pioneers in the development of contemporary pure electric vehicles, Nissan has many years of technical support for Dongfeng Motor's pure electric vehicle projects. In the case of absorbing the relevant technologies of Nissan's electric vehicles, it should be easier for Lantu to develop pure electric technology as the core. Therefore, Lantu's detour is really puzzling.

Building a brand new car brand, especially a luxury car brand, cannot be completed in a short time. It requires a long-term plan and correct decision-making. Standing at the crossroads of destiny, GM’s two trials and errors proved that a correct route is more important than hard work. Today, Lantu Motors is also standing at a new starting point for its destiny. One side is an obsolete technology that has been verified by the market, and the other is a vigorously developing future. If Lantu wants to grasp both hands, it needs to do what it can. (Wen: Louis)

original author: Louis