On March 18, Deep Blue Automobile, a subsidiary of Changan Automobile, officially released the G318, Changan Automobile’s first technology new hardcore SUV. This new car, which pays tribute to the 318 highway into Tibet, has been endowed with many technical capabilities by Changan Automobile and Deep Blue Automobile, including air suspension, four-wheel drive technology, and high-efficiency range extender.
Although there is no mention of "hardcore off-road", the technology and product design of the deep blue car G318 are close to this style. In the new energy hardcore off-road market, there are already brands such as BYD Equation Leopard, Dongfeng Warrior, and Great Wall Tank. Does the G318 enter the market at this time have enough opportunities and what challenges will it face in development?
Deep Blue Deng Chenghao said that the monthly sales target 10,000 vehicles, and the delivery will start in June
In Changan Automobile’s product system, there are sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks, but there has been no off-road model. The debut of G318 may be an action by Changan Automobile to make up for its shortcomings.
Dark Blue G318 Picture/Enterprise Official Website
It is understood that although the G318 does not call itself "hard off-road", it applies a number of "hard off-road" technologies, including central stepless differential lock, magnetic mechanical differential lock, dual motor OurHours four-wheel drive, air suspension, R-ESP steering system, 316 kW maximum power, etc. The vehicle also applies in-situ U-turn, off-road creep, ET all-terrain system and other functions.
In terms of configuration, the Deep Blue G318 has no material. While being hard-core, this car also adds "economical" elements. The G318 still chooses range extension technology, and the feed fuel consumption is 7.4 liters per 100 kilometers under WLTC conditions. The team at Deep Blue is trying to balance fuel economy with off-road hardness.
The once popular Tank 300 was originally in the form of a pure fuel vehicle, but due to the fuel consumption of the vehicle at 100 kilometers and 20 liters, many users complained bitterly and finally gave up their love. But with the passage of time and technological progress, Tank, Equation Leopard, Warrior and other brands have launched new energy models.
Regarding the prospect and planning of G318, Deng Chenghao, general manager of Deep Blue Automobile, said: The target sales volume in the first month is 10,000 units, and the product delivery is planned to start in June.
The new energy hardcore off-road market is blooming, and the final results still need to be tested by the market
The price of the dark blue G318 has not been announced yet, but the market forecasts that its price level is in the price range of 250,000-300,000. If the final price is below 300,000 yuan, then the G318 will compete with BYD Equation Leopard 5 and Tank 400 New Energy. Both products are priced at around 300,000 yuan, starting at 289,800 yuan and 279,800 yuan respectively.
From the sales data, the cumulative sales of Leopard 5 in 4 months are about 13,000, and the cumulative sales of Tank 400 new energy in 5 months are about 17,000.
According to Zhiyan Consulting data, the size of the hardcore off-road market reached 140 billion yuan in 2019. As the epidemic enters a new stage of prevention and control, people’s travel needs and off-road needs will gradually pick up or even upgrade. Northeast Securities data shows that in 2023, China’s hardcore off-road vehicles sold a total of 224,000, an increase of 2.1% year-on-year.
The current market is still growing, but how much of the pie will the G318 get?
Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor at the Yellow River University of Science and Technology, said that the connotation and essence of off-road vehicles are changing. The off-road vehicles purchased by young people may not often run to bad roads to play off-road. They are more attracted to the unique hard-nosed design of new energy off-road vehicles.
In addition, when used in the wild, new energy off-road vehicles can also provide consumers with abundant external power.
"In the past, hard-core off-road was the world of foreign brands, such as Land Cruiser, Tule, Land Rover, Wrangler and other models were the main force. Some good quality used cars cost 400,000 yuan at every turn. With the innovation of domestic brands, the price of new energy hard-core off-road vehicles has gradually decreased, which also allows people to enjoy this kind of life at a lower cost." Zhang Xiang believes that the market where the G318 is currently located is not a red sea competition, and there are still many opportunities. While it has a large space, strong technical force and range extension technology, it can apply for a green card and be exempted from purchase tax, which are all advantages.
But whether the car can be accepted by consumers if it is priced higher remains a challenge. "With the increase in vehicle prices, consumers’ demand for the value brought by the brand is also gradually increasing. Whether the dark blue car can meet this demand of users still needs to be more observed," Zhang Xiang said.
Bai Haotian, Shell Financial Reporter of Beijing News
Editor, Chao Xu
Proofreading, Chen Diyan
