Daily Archive: April 18, 2023

Alexander Dennis Repurposes Larbert Facility To Increase Zero-Emission Bus Manufacturing Capability

Alexander Dennis, a division of NFI Group Inc., one of the leading independent bus manufacturers in the world, has announced intentions to convert its current Larbert headquarters located in Scotland into a future manufacturing plant. From August 2023, the Larbert site will concentrate on producing the new Enviro400EV zero-emission bus, putting the newest body on […]

Zeekr releases Europe strategy, 2 models to debut in Sweden and Netherlands in Q4

Zeekr's European headquarters will be in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and its first models in Europe will be the flagship Zeekr 001 shooting brake and Zeekr X urban SUV.

Zeekr releases Europe strategy, 2 models to debut in Sweden and Netherlands in Q4-CnEVPost

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Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle brand of Geely Holding Group, today officially unveiled its Europe strategy, marking an important milestone in its ambitious global growth plan.

Zeekr will offer European customers an electric vehicle experience based on a direct-to-customer business model, it announced on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

Its first models in Europe are the flagship Zeekr 001 shooting brake, which has a range of about 600 kilometers, and the Zeekr X urban SUV, which was launched in China on April 12.

They will begin arriving in Sweden and the Netherlands in the fourth quarter, with other countries to follow quickly, Zeekr said.

"It’s been just two years since we revealed our first state-of-the-art electric vehicle -- the ZEEKR 001. The response from customers to our brand has been incredible with over 93,000 units sold already," said Andy An, Zeekr's global CEO.

Zeekr was valued at $13 billion following its last $750 million Series A funding round, and launching the brand in Europe is a key step in its global strategy, An said.

Zeekr 001 and Zeekr X were developed at Zeekr's global design and R&D center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Zeekr's European team of more than 1,500 engineers and designers is already in place and has produced several models for the Geely Group. Their long-standing experience is a core strength of Zeekr's successful entry into Europe, the company said.

Zeekr's European headquarters will be in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and will have a leadership team that has held senior positions at other premium and luxury automakers.

Zeekr Europe's CEO is Spiros Fotinos, whose LinkedIn page shows he has worked for Toyota, Lexus and joined Zeekr in September 2022.

European consumers are increasingly ready to move to EVs and are more open than ever to new technology brands, especially those that focus on electric vehicles, Fotinos said.

Zeekr was officially launched as an independent company in 2021, with its first model, the Zeekr 001, launched on April 15, 2021, and deliveries beginning in October 2021.

On November 1, 2022, Zeekr's second model, the Zeekr 009 MPV, was launched, and its deliveries began on January 15.

On April 12, Zeekr launched its third model, the Zeekr X, which it hopes will become the benchmark for luxury compact cars.

Zeekr delivered 6,663 vehicles in March, up 271.20 percent from 1,795 in the same month last year and up 22.14 percent from 5,455 in February, according to data it released on April 1.

By the end of March, Zeekr's cumulative deliveries since its inception stood at 93,182.

Zeekr launches Zeekr X SUV to gain further share from market dominated by German luxury automakers

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Li Auto unveils all-electric solution, 1st BEV model to feature CATL’s 4C Qilin Battery

By 2025, Li Auto's product portfolio will include a super flagship model, five EREVs and five BEVs.  |  Li Auto US Li Auto HK

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) today officially unveiled its all-electric solution, following the success of its extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) in China.

The company's all-electric solution, based on the 800 V high-voltage platform, enables a battery electric vehicle (BEV) to get 400 kilometers of range on a 10-minute charge, it announced today at an event on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

With the launch of this solution, Li Auto will officially enter a phase of parallel development of its EREV and BEV product lines.

By 2025, Li Auto's product array will include one super flagship model, five EREVs, and five BEVs, it said.

By then, Li Auto's models for the market priced above RMB 200,000 will fully meet the needs of family users, the company said.

Li Auto's first all-electric model will be the world's first to feature 's 4C Qilin Battery, it said today.

C refers to the battery's charge multiplier, and 4C means that the battery pack can theoretically be fully charged in one-fourth of an hour.

CATL officially launched the Qilin Battery, or CTP (cell to pack) 3.0 battery, on June 23 last year, claiming to bring a new level of battery system integration to a new level.

The 009 is the world's first Qilin Battery-equipped MPV, and deliveries of the MPV equipped with this battery began yesterday. Li Auto previously said that its first BEV will also be an MPV.

The core technology of Li Auto's 800V solution is a high-voltage electric drive system based on third-generation power semiconductors, and the 4C supercharger pile will reach a maximum output of 480 kW.

By the end of May, Li Auto's first 25 supercharging stations will open for trial operation and be available to all electric vehicle owners, it announced today.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Each station will be equipped with three regular fast-charging piles and one 4C super-fast charging pile, it said.

By the end of this year, Li Auto will have completed the construction of more than 300 supercharging stations located along highways, it said.

By 2025, Li Auto will have 3,000 supercharging stations covering 90 percent of China's highway miles and major cities, the company said.

In addition to announcing the all-electric solution, Li Auto today also unveiled its latest-generation assisted driving system, AD Max 3.0, and said the software will be free for life.

Li Auto's current assisted driving systems include AD Max and AD Pro.

AD Max 2.0 is powered by NVIDIA's Orin X chip and Hesai's LiDAR, while AD Pro 2.0 is powered by Horizon Robotics' Journey 5 chip.

AD Max 3.0's all-scenario Navigation on ADAS (NOA) will kick off internal testing this quarter and will cover more than 100 cities by the end of the year, Li Auto said.

Li Auto delivers 20,823 vehicles in Mar, up 25% from Feb

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XPeng G6 debuts at Shanghai auto show

The G6, a new energy SUV with a price range of RMB 200,000-300,000, will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter, XPeng said previously.

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XPeng's (NYSE: XPEV) new model G6, its first model based on the next-generation architecture, was officially unveiled today on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

XPeng said the G6 is the ultimate form of vehicle before full is achieved, saying the model is equipped with XNGP intelligent assisted driving that provides powerful environmental awareness and can generate high precision maps in real-time.

The model is based on an 800 V high-voltage platform and can get 300 kilometers of range in as little as 10 minutes of charge, XPeng said. The company's other 800 V-based model is the flagship G9 SUV.

XPeng did not announce specific specifications or pricing information for the G6, which are expected to be known at a future official launch event.

XPeng unveiled its next-generation architecture called SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0 at an event in Shanghai on April 16, saying the G6 will be the first model to be built on it.

The architecture will shorten the development cycle of future models by 20 percent and optimize development efficiency significantly, it said, adding that interchangeability and interoperability of common and modular components between new models will reach 80 percent, enabling XPeng to meet diverse customer needs at an optimized cost.

Early last month, a regulatory filing revealed that the XPeng G6 has a length, width and height of 4,753 mm, 1,920 mm and 1,650 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

For comparison, the (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,921 mm in width and 1,624 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

The two single-motor versions of the XPeng G6 feature a 218 kW peak power motor, while the dual-motor version has an additional 140 kW peak power motor.

All three versions of the XPeng G6 in the filing are equipped with cells supplied by 's local competitor CALB, and battery packs are manufactured at XPeng's plant in Wuhan, Hubei.

On March 17, XPeng management said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that the G6, a new energy SUV with a price range of RMB 200,000 ($29,090) to RMB 300,000, will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter.

XPeng's monthly sales target for the G6 is two to three times that of the P7, the company's chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said during the call.

The G6 will have a significantly improved range that will exceed expectations and will have much more interior space than similar offerings from competitors, he said previously.

In a research note sent to investors on March 22, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said the G6 will be the swing factor and that the model will need to succeed in order to make XPeng truly relevant in the market again.

(1 $= RMB 6.8761)

G6 will be swing factor for XPeng, says Deutsche Bank

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XPeng G6 debuts at Shanghai auto show

The G6, a new energy SUV with a price range of RMB 200,000-300,000, will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter, XPeng said previously.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

XPeng's (NYSE: XPEV) new model G6, its first model based on the next-generation architecture, was officially unveiled today on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

XPeng said the G6 is the ultimate form of vehicle before full is achieved, saying the model is equipped with XNGP intelligent assisted driving that provides powerful environmental awareness and can generate high precision maps in real-time.

The model is based on an 800 V high-voltage platform and can get 300 kilometers of range in as little as 10 minutes of charge, XPeng said. The company's other 800 V-based model is the flagship G9 SUV.

XPeng did not announce specific specifications or pricing information for the G6, which are expected to be known at a future official launch event.

XPeng unveiled its next-generation architecture called SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0 at an event in Shanghai on April 16, saying the G6 will be the first model to be built on it.

The architecture will shorten the development cycle of future models by 20 percent and optimize development efficiency significantly, it said, adding that interchangeability and interoperability of common and modular components between new models will reach 80 percent, enabling XPeng to meet diverse customer needs at an optimized cost.

Early last month, a regulatory filing revealed that the XPeng G6 has a length, width and height of 4,753 mm, 1,920 mm and 1,650 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

For comparison, the (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,921 mm in width and 1,624 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

The two single-motor versions of the XPeng G6 feature a 218 kW peak power motor, while the dual-motor version has an additional 140 kW peak power motor.

All three versions of the XPeng G6 in the filing are equipped with cells supplied by 's local competitor CALB, and battery packs are manufactured at XPeng's plant in Wuhan, Hubei.

On March 17, XPeng management said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that the G6, a new energy SUV with a price range of RMB 200,000 ($29,090) to RMB 300,000, will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter.

XPeng's monthly sales target for the G6 is two to three times that of the P7, the company's chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said during the call.

The G6 will have a significantly improved range that will exceed expectations and will have much more interior space than similar offerings from competitors, he said previously.

In a research note sent to investors on March 22, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said the G6 will be the swing factor and that the model will need to succeed in order to make XPeng truly relevant in the market again.

(1 $= RMB 6.8761)

G6 will be swing factor for XPeng, says Deutsche Bank

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NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show

The 2023 ET7 is already taking order lock-ins, with deliveries to start in mid-May. The new ES6 is now available for pre-order, but the official launch and delivery will be in late May.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

NIO (NYSE: NIO) today officially launched the 2023 model year ET7 sedan and gave the debut of the revamped ES6 SUV as planned.

The 2023 ET7 is now available for pre-order and order lock-ins, with deliveries to begin in mid-May, William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, announced today on the first day of the Shanghai auto show.

The new ES6 is also available for pre-order, but the official launch will be in late May.

New ET7

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The ET7 is NIO's flagship sedan, originally launched at the NIO Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, with deliveries beginning on March 28, 2022.

The 2023 ET7 brings more than 15 updates and upgrades, including improved seats and a 40w wireless charging panel for cell phones, but at the same prices.

With a more comfortable ride, more refined interior and a smarter experience, the improved ET7 continues to lead the direction of change for premium smart electric mid to large size sedans, said Li.

Including the battery, the new ET7 starts at RMB 458,000 ($66,600) for the version with the 75-kWh pack and RMB 516,000 for the version with the 100-kWh long-range pack.

If customers choose the BaaS (battery as a service) option, both models start at RMB 388,000, with monthly battery rental costs of RMB 980 and RMB 1,680 respectively.

In addition to these two versions, the new ET7 is also available in a signature edition with a 100-kWh battery pack for a starting price of RMB 536,000 including the battery. The model starts at RMB 408,000 under the BaaS plan, with a monthly battery rental fee of RMB 1,680.

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

NIO is offering a 10-year unlimited mileage warranty, four free battery swaps per month, and free lifetime internet connectivity for 2023 ET7 customers.

Customers who pay a deposit for the ET7 before June will receive a free home charger worth RMB 7,500. If they choose to forgo the home charger, they can 2 more free battery swap services per month.

Customers who order before June will also receive two years of free NOP (Navigate on Pilot) Plus worth RMB 9,120.

The formal version of NOP+ will be available in subscription mode starting July 1 for RMB 380 per month.

NIO's intelligent driving software NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) will also be available on a monthly subscription basis for RMB 680 per month. There is no clear timeline for the software's availability.

New ES6

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

The new ES6 made its debut today at the Shanghai auto show. NIO did not announce the exact specifications or prices of the SUV, and its official launch will be in late May.

Nonetheless, NIO has begun allowing customers to pay a RMB 5,000 deposit to reserve the model, which Li said will move quickly from official launch to delivery.

Customers who purchase the model by July 31 will receive benefits including a Moon theme package with orange calipers worth RMB 8,000 and NOP + two years free access worth RMB 9,120.

First-time owners of the new ES6 will also receive a 10-year unlimited mileage warranty, up to six free battery swaps per month and free internet access.

Deliveries of the new ES6 are expected to begin in late May, roughly in the order of order lock-in and reservation payment, according to an article in the NIO App. This means that deliveries of the ES6 are expected to begin the month of its official launch.

The show cars of the new ES6 and the vehicles used for test drives are expected to be available in NIO stores in May.

NIO launches new ET7, unveils new ES6 at Shanghai auto show-CnEVPost

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

($1 = RMB 6.8768)

NIO keeps goal of doubling sales this year despite price war causing greater challenges

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