Bitauto Original In the past 2022, domestic sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles (hereinafter referred to as: PHEV) exceeded one million units for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 136.8% to 1.5184 million units, and the penetration rate increased from 2.6% in the previous year to 6.2%.
Therefore, 2022 is also regarded as the first year of the PHEV market.
However, this list of achievements mostly contains BYD DM’s name, and there are few products of joint venture brands. As early as 2016, joint venture car companies such as SAIC Volkswagen and SAIC-GM have launched their own PHEV products, but almost all have failed. Is there no chance for joint venture brand PHEVs?
Joint venture VS independent battle PHEV
In fact, joint venture brands have been successful in the PHEV market. Perhaps the independent brands are now so dazzling that people have forgotten the glory of the joint venture.
Looking at the PHEV report card in 2020, it is not difficult to find that among the top ten sales, joint venture models such as Passat PHEV and Magotan GTE are on the list. Only three independent brands, Han DM, Roewe ei6, and Qin Pro DM, are on the list. .
In 2021, things will start to become magical, and independent brands such as BYD will begin to rise. Among the top 10 PHEV sales in 2022, BYD occupies 6 seats, Geely occupies 1 seat, and the only foreign brands left are Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
BehindThe reason is that many independent brands, led by BYD, integrate the efficiency advantages of engines and motors under different working conditions through a series-parallel structure to optimize fuel consumption.
On the one hand, new technologies have completely eliminated the pain point of "one company has electricity, but one has electricity". On the other hand, the new round of PHEV products of independent brands tend to have the same price as petrol and electricity. Taking Tang as an example, after replacing the DM-i system in 2021, the starting price dropped from the old model's 239,800 yuan to 209,800 yuan.
The two key advantages have allowed independent brands to usher in a major explosion, and the release share of joint venture brands and luxury brands has been continuously reduced. In 2022, the share of independent brands in the PHEV market has exceeded 90%.
On the other hand, there is generally a significant price difference between PHEV models under joint venture brands and fuel vehicles. The difference between the still warm Passat PHEV and Magotan GTE and the fuel version is about 50,000 yuan. Although the terminal discount is about 30,000 yuan, there is Price has no market value.
What's more, some like the Corolla/Ralink E+ are sold for more than 200,000 yuan. If consumers do not consider green cards, they can buy the gasoline-electric hybrid versions of Accord and Camry.
At the same time, the pure electric range of these models is generally low, and the fuel efficiency and power are not ideal when the battery is starved. Due to the above reasons, joint venture brands and luxury brands have gradually become marginalized.
In this context, Guangqi Honda recently officially released the eleventh-generation Accord e:PHEV to replace the old hybrid version. As the absolute benchmark in the B-class sedan field, Accord has stood firm for 47 years. Now it has entered the PHEV market, which seems to announce that a new era is coming.
However, the current average monthly sales of rivals Passat PHEV and Magotan GTE are only about 1,000 units. As a latecomer, how can Accord e:PHEV break the curse of joint venture brands in the PHEV market?
Can Accord strike later?
Unlike the Passat/Magotan PHEV, which uses a single-motor parallel structure, the eleventh-generation Accord e:PHEV uses a dual-motor series-parallel structure.
The former has a single working condition and cannot charge and generate electricity at the same time in the hybrid state, resulting in high fuel consumption due to power loss. The Accord e:PHEV is mainly electric and can intelligently switch between EV pure electric, HV hybrid, and ENG engine direct drive modes.
The Accord e:PHEV uses the latest fourth-generation i-MMD system, which is powered by Honda’s latest 2.0L DI Atkinson cycle engine, E-CVT (including high-power dual motors), PCU power control unit and IPU intelligent power It is composed of core components such as units (including high-power battery packs).
Compared with the third-generation i-MMD system, it has been optimized and upgraded in the engine,motor, and electronic control system, and has been replaced with a larger-capacity high-density battery.
Generally speaking, its basic principles are similar to BYD's DM-i hybrid system, but each has its own differences in actual driving.
In our actual testing, the average 0-100km/h time of the Accord e:PHEV was 7.61s when fully charged, and the fastest time was 7.57s when fully charged. The fuel consumption when running out of electricity is 4.87L, which has similar energy efficiency to HEV.
In terms of pure electric range, the Accord e: PHEV officially promotes that it can provide 73 kilometers of pure electric range under WLTC operating conditions. Our actual measurement is 99.7km, which can meet the daily commuting needs of most users.
In comparison, the Han DM-i (121km version) has a range of 0-100k when fully chargedThe average m/h acceleration score is 7.93 seconds, and rapid acceleration is slower than that of Accord e: PHEV. In the state of power loss, the fastest acceleration time from 0-100km/h is 8.01 seconds, and the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is better than that of e:PHEV, which is 4.2L/100km.
In terms of pure electric battery life, due to reasons such as larger battery capacity, the measured pure electric battery life of Han DM-i (121km version) can reach 103.1km.
Pure electric range and fuel consumption when running on electricity are key technical indicators that reflect the overall level of a PHEV. Judging from the overall performance of the Accord e: PHEV, its practicality is not inferior to that of its strongest rival Han DM-i (121km version). Its power performance, fuel consumption and ride comfort are at the same level in both full and low-power states.
As for whether it can take advantage of the situation later, it all depends on the final pricing of the Accord e: PHEV.
Written at the end: When PHEV becomes a necessity
The underlying logic of the rise of independent brands is to provide inclusive benefits to consumers through technological iteration, and meeting needs is always the first priority.
Even though the new energy era has arrived, it is still difficult to install private charging piles. Charging piles are scarce in highway service areas. Pure electric vehicles that rely entirely on charging for energy will obviously dissuade some people.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be powered by gas or electricity, can solve this problem. In addition, plug-in hybrid vehicles also have the pleasure and quietness of electric vehicles. These multiple advantages allow them to usher in their own spring.
Here you can take a look at two sets of data:
First, the state subsidy for new energy has been officially withdrawn this year. From January to February, the retail sales growth of PHEV (79.7%) significantly exceeded that of pure electric vehicles (5.5%);
Second, the share of plug-in hybrid vehicles in cities without purchase restrictions will increase from 63.7% in 2021 to 72.9% in 2022, an increase of 171.1%, an increase that far exceeds that in cities with purchase restrictions.
It can be seen that plug-in hybrid vehicles are no longer just a "tool" to solve the problem of license plates and purchase restrictions, let alone a transitional solution, but a fuel substitute that can improve the driving experience. The PHEV market has truly shifted from policy-driven to demand-driven. .
It is foreseeable that more and more fuel-powered vehicles will eventually become hybrids, like the Accord, adding to the competitiveness of products through the two major advantages of energy saving and performance.
Especially for joint venture brands, strengthening the two weak product lines of PHEV and EV and further enriching the product matrix to meet different groups of people and different needs has now become their top priority. After all, it is left to them to perform in the new energy market. Time is running out for punches and kicks.
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