Flagship SUV Starway Lanyue is listed, can Chery rise again？

On March 18, the flagship model of Xingtu Lanyue was officially launched. The new car launched 6 models with 2 kinds of power, and the price range was 168,900-229,900 yuan. With the flagship product layout of Xingtu in the large SUV market, Chery once again tried high-end development and brand upward breakthrough, but I don’t know how the effect will be this time?

Since its establishment, Chery Automobile has never given up exploring the high-end development of the brand. From Ruiqi to Qoros, from Jietu to Xingtu, Chery has tried many times, but the effect is not as expected. As the latest attempt of Chery Automobile in the high-end of the brand, Xingtu was officially launched in 2018. Currently, its models include Xingtu TX/TXL and Xingtu LX. However, the end point feedback of these models after they were put on the market was not good, and the cumulative sales volume in 2020 was less than 20,000.

Compared with the high-end brand Lynk & Co under Geely and the WEY brand under Great Wall Motors, which were launched at the same time, Xingtu is somewhat bleak in terms of product quantity and end point sales. According to the data, Lynk & Co owns five current cars of Lynk & Co 01, 02, 03, 05 and 06, and the ZERO concept will also be listed within the year; the WEY brand owns four products of VV5, VV6, VV7 and Tank 300, and the new flagship model Mocha has also been unveiled. With the contribution of multiple product sequences, in 2020, the cumulative sales of Lynk & Co reached 175,000, and the cumulative sales of the WEY brand also reached 79,000, far exceeding that of Chery Xingtu.

In the face of a highly competitive market environment and dismal sales results, the listing of Xingtu Lanyue has undoubtedly become an important factor in Chery’s high-end development.

At the press conference, Gao Xinhua, deputy general manager of Chery Automobile joint stock company, general manager of Xingtu brand, and dean of the General Institute of Automotive Engineering Technology Research and Development, said, "Xingtu, as a high-end brand and strategic brand under Chery, is the master of Chery’s technology, the pioneer of Chery’s technology, and the upward breakthrough of Chery. It is also an important mission of Chery to lead Chery, accelerate change, make upward breakthroughs, and fully embrace the era of green and intelligent vehicles. Xingtu Lanyue is based on the 24-year positive R & D accumulation of the Chery brand, as well as the world’s five R & D centers and the top 500 supplier system, and builds the Xingtu flagship product on the M3X Mars architecture."

How much chance does the starry path that has high hopes have of winning?

The positioning of Xingtu Lanyue is a large seven-seat concierge SUV, which belongs to medium and large SUVs. At present, most of the medium and large SUV markets are joint ventures and imported models, and independent brands such as Lynk & Co and WEY do not have a layout. On the one hand, it shows that the market has given Xingtu Lanyue the opportunity to lead other independent brands and seize market share in advance; on the other hand, it also means that Xingtu Lanyue will directly compete with joint venture brands, and the competitive pressure is very high.

In addition, the overall size of the medium and large SUV segment is small, and there is not much room to play. The data shows that there are only 5 models (including imported cars) with a cumulative sales volume of more than 30,000 in 2020. Volkswagen Touon, which ranks first in sales, sold 77,000 cars in the whole year, and Cadillac XT6 sold only 27,000 cars in the sixth place. It can be said that the market environment of medium and large SUVs has determined that it is difficult to bring qualitative changes to Xingtu’s annual sales.

In other words, the biggest significance of the moon to Xingtu is not how much it can boost sales, but to achieve upward breakthroughs in brand perception and product image.

Although the sales volume of medium and large SUVs is not high, it is the model that can test the R & D and manufacturing skills of manufacturers the most. Therefore, many brands will position medium and large SUVs as their flagship models and improve brand perception through the comprehensive quality of medium and large SUVs. The launch of Lanyue has this intention. Chery hopes to enhance the high-end brand perception of Xingtu and achieve brand premium through its level and strength in comfort, intelligence, safety and power. Xu Youzhong, assistant general manager of Chery Automobile and executive director of the product development management center, said, "Xingtu Lunar is built on the M3X Mars architecture, with super five-star safety protection, leading intelligent configuration, comfortable driving experience and surging power performance. It is a’IKEA, IKEA, IKEA ‘concierge-level seven-seat SUV."

From the product point of view, as a medium and large SUV, the wheelbase of the moon reaches 2.9 meters, the car length is nearly 5 meters, and it has a three-row seven-seat layout, with excellent space performance. The official said that the trunk of the moon can still accommodate a 20-inch suitcase when the three rows are full. In addition, the appearance and interior of the new car are all designed with the family style of the Xingtu brand, and on this basis, more quality details are added to further strengthen the high-end image.

In terms of configuration, Lanyue is equipped with Lion Lion Zhiyun 4.0 intelligent interaction system, equipped with L2.5 level automatic driving, supports intelligent identification and monitoring analysis, and has powerful voice interaction functions. At the same time, the whole system comes standard with 12.3-inch LCD high definition screen, keyless entry/start, intelligent start and stop, three-zone automatic air conditioning, fatigue detection and other luxury configurations. The intelligent configuration is equipped to further enhance the technological sense and high-end sense of the whole vehicle.

In terms of power, Lanyue is equipped with 1.6T and 2.0T engines, with maximum power of 145 kW and 187kW respectively, and peak torque of 290N · m and 390N · m respectively. In terms of transmission, the new car is fully equipped with a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, and the high-end model is equipped with the AWD intelligent four-wheel drive system from BorgWarner.

The arrival of Xingtu Laiyue has made Chery take a key step in the high-end layout and upward transformation. As Yin Tongyue, secretary of the party committee, chairperson and general manager of Chery Automobile joint stock company, said at the press conference, "The group will start with Xingtu Laiyue, bring more intelligent, green and stunning series of products to consumers, and contribute to the transformation of China’s automobile industry and the upward transformation of the brand."

Text/Beiqing-Beijing Toutiao, Wen Chong