In the current China auto market, we can see that the market trend between independent brands and joint venture brands is changing obviously: driven by technology, the prices and sales of independent brands are rising all the way, while the prices and sales of joint venture brands are falling all the way. Especially in the mid-to high-end car market, it used to be the dominant position of joint venture brands. However, taking Buick LaCrosse as an example, its monthly sales volume has dropped to 1,000 or 2,000 at the lowest before the replacement, while new cars have to be traded at a price, and the main sales models have been fully retreated to 200,000, and the price of the 1.5T entry-level version is only 179,900 yuan. On the other hand, China brands, such as the champion BYD Han series, have an average transaction price of more than 260,000, with a cumulative sales volume of more than 480,000 vehicles, even exceeding 30,000 vehicles for four consecutive months.
On May 18, 2023, BYD, which dominated the list in an all-round way, made another effort to launch the Han DM-i Champion Edition and the Han DM-p Ares Edition, and once again launched an impact on the mainstream fuel B-class car market with the market strategy of "the same price for oil and electricity". Among them, the price range of Han DM-i Champion Edition is 189,800 yuan to 249,800 yuan, which is 28,000 yuan lower than the entry price of 2022 models. The price of Chinese DM-p Ares Edition with 3.7-second acceleration performance is 289,800 yuan.
First of all, let’s look at Han DM-i Champion Edition, which takes Xiaoyun-plug-in special turbocharged 1.5Ti high-efficiency engine, EHS electric hybrid system and DM-i super hybrid special power blade battery as the core, and brings subversive experience in power, economy and comfort. It accelerates in only 7.9 seconds, which is comparable to the 2.0T engine. According to the different battery capacity, 121km and 200km pure electric endurance versions (NEDC working condition) are provided. When driving in urban areas, the motor is used for driving in 99% working conditions, and the engine is used for auxiliary driving at high speed. Therefore, it not only has the driving feeling infinitely close to pure electric vehicles, but also has the lowest fuel consumption of 4.2L/100km and the longest comprehensive cruising range of oil and electricity of 1260km.
In terms of appearance, the Han DM-i Champion Edition adds the color of glacier blue car, and adopts two core materials technologies of BASF, which not only has a light and moist color, but also has a special metallic texture, which complements the national tide design of the Han DM-i Champion Edition. In addition, Han DM-i Champion Edition comes standard with NFC car keys, which supports Android and Apple devices, greatly improving the convenience of car use. At the same time, BSD blind spot monitoring and W-HUD head-up display are also on board, and active safety is strengthened. In addition, the Han DM-i Champion Edition comes standard with ten core high-end configurations, which are high at the beginning, which once again puts pressure on the poor joint venture B-class sedan.
As the first super hybrid coupe modified for mass production, the Han DM-p Ares Edition pays tribute to Huo Qubing, the God of War, which is a model of luxury coupe in China, both in internal and external design and performance. Basf’s third-generation black paint is used to match the black color, which is deep and shimmering. With blackened sports wheels, matte black logo, black metal triangular windows and frames, it shows the powerful visual impact of performance cars. A series of sports elements and high-grade materials have also been added to the interior of the Ares edition, such as extremely black high-grade suede covered seats, door panels, passenger side panels, central control armrest boxes, etc., supplemented by black carbon fiber materials, and equipped with integrated sports seats and golden yellow seat belts. The interior and appearance of the whole vehicle complement each other and the sense of sports is bursting.
In addition to the design highlights, the performance of Han DM-p Ares Edition is even more amazing under the blessing of DM-p King. Its peak horsepower reaches 580Ps, the maximum torque reaches 822N·m, and the fastest acceleration of 100 kilometers takes only 3.7 seconds! At the same time, the golden yellow high-performance four-piston fixed pliers can escort the ultimate performance output. In addition, in terms of energy efficiency, it can be powered by oil and electricity. Under NEDC working conditions, the battery life is 200km, the fuel consumption is only 5.2L, and the comprehensive battery life is 1120km.
As a subversive of traditional fuel vehicles, BYD Han has mastered the market dominance in the field of more than 200,000 mid-to high-end cars. Compared with the Buick LaCrosse (with a price of 179,900 to 239,900) recently listed, the body size is very close, and the prices are highly overlapped. However, BYD Han DM has stronger power than LaCrosse, lower fuel consumption than LaCrosse, more configurations than LaCrosse, and can drive purely by electricity. No matter which dimension is compared, it is obvious which is better or worse, so the future sales performance can be imagined.