pothead wrote:
> On 2024-09-15, John Smyth <smythlejon2@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Big trouble ahead.
>>
>> 'How Chinese Cars Like The XPeng Mona M03 Will Impact The Global Auto
>> Industry'
>>
>> <https://cleantechnica.com/2024/09/05/how-chinese-cars-like-the-xpeng-mona-m03-will-impact-the-global-auto-industry/>
>>
>> 'n this article, I analyze the competitive landscape of electric
>> vehicles (EVs) in China, focusing on the Xpeng Mona M03 and others’
>> effect on the global auto market. About 3 years ago, I wrote about cars
>> that seemed to be impressive before, like the Xpeng P5 and the BYD
>> Dolphin. The sales of both have been disappointing to me. I don’t know
>> the exact reasons for that, but in the brutally competitive Chinese
>> marketplace, it could be competition or it could be the manufacturer
>> just didn’t plan for it to be a volume model based on their factory
>> plans, so they don’t promote it aggressively.
>>
>> Xpeng Mona M03
>> Zachary recently published an article on the release of the car and it’s
>> impressive starting price under $17,000! CnEVPost recently reported that
>> they received over 30,000 orders in only 48 hours. So, this XPeng may
>> have caught lightning in a bottle with this one. But the P5 and the
>> Dolphin are also impressively prices, so what do I think is special
>> regarding the Mona? Below are some ideas.
>>
>> Value for the price is the most important thing for many shoppers. The
>> Mona starting price is RMD 119,800 ($16,880) and the model with advanced
>> driver assistance features is RMB 155,800 ($21,960). That compares to
>> the current price of the Dolphin at RMB 99,800 ($14,070) and the Xpeng
>> P5 at RMP 160,000 ($22,550). My other points will show how the Mona M03
>> is now offering much of the value of the P5 at a price just a little
>> above the Dolphin. It is also about half the price of the cheapest Tesla
>> Model 3 in China, which starts at RMB 231,900 ($32,680).
>>
>>
>>
>> Physical size and utility is just right. It’s length/width/height (in
>> mm) of 4780/1896/1445 is almost identical to the Tesla Model 3’s and the
>> Xpeng P5’s, and substantially larger than the BYD Dolphin’s (490 mm or
>> 19 inches longer). The hatchback is just like what the Tesla Model S
>> offers, and it’s what I wish Tesla would have done with the Model 3 so
>> that you can get bikes and other large things into the hatch. The volume
>> of 621 liters is much higher than the Model 3’s 425 liters, the Xpeng
>> P5’s 450 liters, or the BYD Dolphin’s 345 liters. Although, of course,
>> it’s less than the Tesla Model Y’s 854 liters. You can see that the Mona
>> M03 is competitive in size and utility with more expensive models.
>>
>>
>>
>> Range and charging speed are always primary considerations. The Mona M03
>> has either a 51.8 or 62.2 kWh battery with a CLTC range of 515 or 620
>> km, respectively. They claim charging from 30% to 80% in as little as 26
>> minutes. This is more than the more expensive P5 (500 km and 30 minutes
>> for the 30% to 80% charge). The BYD Dolphin has recently increased its
>> range to 420 km for the entry level to 520 km for the most expensive
>> model costing RMB 129,800 ($18,290). The reported time to go from 30% to
>> 80% is 29 minutes. The Tesla Model 3 entry level model has a range of
>> 606 km and typically takes 20 to 25 minutes to charge 30% to 80%. So,
>> you can see the Mona M03 is competitive in range and charging with more
>> expensive models. One reason for this is the Mona’s extremely low
>> coefficient of drag of 0.194, which is the lowest in the world for a
>> production car!
>>
>> It also comes with standard lane centering and adaptive cruise (similar
>> to Tesla Autopilot) and even assisted parking in the entry model. The
>> top of the line model has the company’s XPILOT system, with an AI
>> driving experience similar to Tesla Supervised FSD. The BYD Dolphin &
>> the Xpeng P5 features are also similar to Tesla Autopilot plus parking
>> assist. The P5 had more advanced features previously, but in a recent
>> redesign, removed the LiDAR sensors. The Mona M03 has 7 cameras, 12
>> ultrasonic sensors, and 2 radars to understand its environment.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Attractive and distinctive design are subjective, but that is how I
>> would describe the images above.
>>
>> Other Models & Trends In China
>> But this article isn’t just about the Xpeng Mona M03. Rather, it’s to
>> show how far the industry has come in the last 3 years. More upscale
>> compact SUVs, the Zeekr X and Volvo EX30, are two more impressive models
>> that are moving the needle. BYD’s newly redesigned Seal is a bit more
>> expensive than the Mona M03, but it shows the company has made a lot of
>> progress also. As I was submitting this article, I noticed the Geely
>> Geome Yingyuan is coming out at RMB 80,000 ($11,000), with the size and
>> power of the BYD Dolphin but RMB 20,000 ($3,000) cheaper! Here is
>> another article with a few more details.
>>
>> As Zachary noticed a week ago, though, even the Chinese automakers that
>> are doing well with battery electric vehicles (BEV) like Zeekr and Avatr
>> are introducing plug in hybrids. This really can’t be about cost, since
>> you can see that pure EVs are now very affordable in China (and I’m not
>> even mentioning the BYD Seagull that starts at under $10,000). This
>> clearly has to be about either a real charging infrastructure issue or a
>> perceived one. And to buyers, perception is reality. I don’t worry as
>> much as others that plug-in hybrids (PHEV) will just be used as gas cars
>> for 3 reasons.
>>
>> It seems most PHEVs in China have an all-electric range of more than 100
>> km that makes them worth plugging in. I’ve owned a Ford C-Max Energi
>> with 13 miles of electric range that was barely worth plugging in. It’s
>> not the same.
>> I’ve written about PHEVs as the gateway drug for EVs. I’ve know several
>> people who bought PHEVs (Chevy Volts in the US) who just weren’t
>> comfortable making that big of a step all at once. Once they own a PHEV
>> and find they rarely need to go to the gas station and how much they
>> enjoy that, they buy an EV as their next car. Yes, it is a slower
>> transition than if everyone was an early adopter like me, but not
>> everyone has that tolerance for risk.
>> China has substantially stronger government and less personal freedom
>> than many other countries, with all the advantages and disadvantages
>> that come with that. I have no doubt when the central government thinks
>> it is a good time, they can switch the people buying PHEVs to buying
>> BEVs with some incentives, and by raising gas prices and lowering
>> electricity prices, they can encourage the people that already own PHEVs
>> to use them as BEVs most of the time. They must not think the charging
>> infrastructure is ready to do that now. I don’t know if it is or not. It
>> does seem like a good compromise selling PHEVs to those afraid to buy
>> BEVs, and then, as the infrastructure improves, you can motivate those
>> people to use almost no gas.
>> Effect On The Rest Of The World
>> As we have been saying for a while, this innovation is going to affect
>> everyone. I wrote about how it would affect the Chinese and US markets a
>> few weeks ago.
>>
>> The legacy automakers in China (VW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, GM, Ford,
>> Stellantis, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and even Hyundai & Kia) are just going
>> to be crushed in China. The domestic products are just too good for them
>> to compete. Tesla had better accelerate its development or it faces
>> serious trouble too. Tesla has a little more runway than the rest, but
>> you saw how the Xpeng offered most of what you can get with the newly
>> designed Tesla Model 3 at about half the price. For the legacy
>> automakers, their market was people not ready to buy a BEV. Now that BYD
>> (and others) offer PHEVs at the same prices as the legacy gas cars but
>> you get some of the NEV incentives with none of the risks of going to a
>> BEV, there really isn’t any reason to buy a gas car anymore in China
>> (unless you like the sound of the motor or are just a BMW fan or for
>> some other sentimental reason).
>> This same dynamic spreads to significant markets like Mexico, Malaysia,
>> Indonesia, Australia, Russia, South Korea, UK, and Japan which have low
>> or no tariffs on Chinese vehicles. These automakers will export PHEVs to
>> the markets with poor charging infrastructure and BEVs to the areas with
>> sufficient chargers (or as second cars to people wealthy enough to own
>> two vehicles). Brazil and Saudi Arabia have low tariffs on Chinese
>> vehicles, so those markets have some potential also.
>> Europe has imposed tariffs that in combination with the shipping costs
>> will be sufficient to insulate the market for a while. But BYD and
>> others will be welcome to build the vehicles in Europe and then they
>> won’t have significant shipping costs or tariffs to deal with.
>> The US and Canada have recently imposed tariffs of 100% or more, and
>> this will significantly insulate the market from competition. The
>> Chinese can build plants in Mexico to get around this, but it is likely
>> politicians will find a way to block them to protect their domestic
>> automakers if consumers don’t realize what they are missing.'
>
> If negotiating fair trade practices with China fails then the solution is to put tariffs on these
> cars wherever they are being produced.
> It can be done.
>
>
>
i'm glad pothead posted ,
that way we get steve carrolls opinion