Zhiji LS6 is priced at only 196,900 yuan? Fake!

Zhiji LS6 is officially launched, with 4 configuration models launched this time, with an official guide price range of 229,900-291,900 yuan, and a listing equity price range of 214,900-276,900 yuan. However, a user on a certain social platform claimed that "the bare car price is only 196,900 yuan", to which Zhiji Auto officials responded that they were very shocked and warned everyone not to believe such information.

The reason why it caused quite a stir in the automotive industry is that in just a few days, the order volume of Zhiji LS6 approached its annual sales target. Within 48 hours of its launch, the order volume exceeded 6,000 vehicles. The current order volume has reached 38,000 vehicles, which is only about 7,000 vehicles short of the annual target of 45,000 vehicles.

With such internal competition, what unique charm does Zhiji LS6 have that dares to "blatantly" compete with Tesla Model Y and Xiaopeng G6?

Compared with Tesla, how much extra points can it get?

As the third model of Zhiji Auto, Zhiji LS6 is positioned as a medium-to-large SUV. As we all know, among the pure electric medium-to-large SUVs with a price range of RMB 200,000 to RMB 300,000, Tesla Model Y has always been the biggest hit. Nowadays, whether in terms of positioning or price, Zhiji LS6 and Tesla Model Y have a strong "gunpowder smell".

Recently, Model Y has been upgraded in terms of interior, performance, and appearance. The evolved Model Y is currently only sold in the Chinese mainland market. In fact, the Model Y, which has been on the market for a long time, is still in the process of continuous iteration. Whether it can be surpassed by later entrants still requires observation and comparison from multiple parties.

First of all, the second half of the new energy vehicle market is about intelligence, and the application of intelligent driving technology has become a core competitiveness. In terms of intelligence and assisted driving, Tesla's FSD is indeed at the forefront of the world.

Recently, Tesla also released a demonstration video of FSD Beta V12, which showed FSD's point-to-point commuting capabilities on actual roads in Austin. The journey was very smooth and there were no accidents.

Tesla said that today's FSD already has the ability to perceive and understand the world through visual neural networks, and is moving towards end-to-end artificial intelligence rather than relying on traditional software logic.

However, due to problems with data collection and storage, it has not been fully implemented in China, which has laid the groundwork for its development in China. In terms of price, FSD is expensive in China, with the optional prices of the enhanced version and the full version being 32,000 and 64,000 respectively, which makes many Tesla owners reluctant to buy it.

In comparison, the entire Zhiji LS6 series is equipped with a high-end intelligent driving assistance system as standard, which is also its main selling point.

The Zhiji LS6 system is equipped with a 126-line long-range laser radar + OrinX intelligent assisted driving assistance chip with a computing power of 254TOPS. In addition, it also includes 11 cameras, 3 mm-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors and 1 high-precision positioning unit, realizing IM AD high-speed elevated roads and urban NOA. It is worth mentioning that the lifetime use right of Zhiji LS6's intelligent driving package is currently limited to users who order it during the listing rights period (until November 12), which also means that after the listing rights period, the intelligent driving package may become an optional configuration.

Zhiji LS6 is the only smart pure electric SUV in its class that has all-in-one high-end intelligent driving hardware and software. Liu Tao, co-CEO of Zhiji Auto, revealed that according to the plan, Zhiji will start the public beta of high-end intelligent assisted driving in cities at the end of this year, and it is expected to open the commuting mode in 100 cities within next year. Based on the survey of car owners, he believes that consumers will not be able to accept the charging model of intelligent driving software on a large scale in a short period of time, so Zhiji is offering it for free for a limited time to cultivate this market.

In terms of intelligent driving, the performance of Zhiji LS6 is not inferior. So, how about performance and price?

After this upgrade, the Model Y rear-wheel drive version accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h to 5.9 seconds, 1 second faster than the previous model. In comparison, traditional fuel vehicles generally accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 7-13 seconds, which means that this SUV can rival the acceleration performance of traditional fuel luxury sports cars. In terms of power, the rear-wheel drive single-motor version of Zhiji LS6 has a maximum power of 231kw and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, which is comparable to the Model Y before the upgrade.

In terms of battery life, Model Y Performance uses a 78.4-degree lithium iron phosphate battery. The rear-wheel drive version has a CLTC pure electric range of 545km, the long-range all-wheel drive version has a NEDC pure electric range of 640km, and the high-performance all-wheel drive version has a NEDC pure electric range of 566km; the LS6 uses a ternary lithium battery with a maximum of 100 degrees, and even the four-wheel drive version's CLTC pure electric range exceeds 700km.

The three upgraded Model Y models still maintain their original prices, namely, Model Y rear-wheel drive version starts at 263,900 yuan, Model Y long-range version starts at 299,900 yuan, and Model Y high-performance version starts at 349,900 yuan. The strategy of "increasing quantity without increasing price" does have certain price advantages, and Zhiji LS6 has directly dropped to less than 300,000 yuan, which is a huge gap compared to its previous LS7 price of 300,000-450,000 yuan. It is hard to hide the intention of making this car a hit.

Xiaopeng G6 or Zhiji LS6, which one is more "6"?

Tesla Model Y is not the only rival. Zhiji LS6’s strong rival comes from the domestic brand - Xiaopeng.

Just three months ago, Xiaopeng G6 was officially launched on the market. The new car has five versions with a price range of 209,900 yuan to 276,900 yuan. In just 45 days, it achieved sales of over 10,000 units.

Like the Zhiji LS6, the Xiaopeng G6 is also a hit. Thanks to its launch, Xiaopeng Motors' total sales in July and August this year exceeded 10,000 units. Which of the two "6" series is better?

First of all, from the perspective of intelligent driving, the Xiaopeng G6 is equipped with the industry's only mass-produced high-end intelligent assisted driving system XNGP. It has 31 high-performance intelligent driving sensors including lidar and dual Orin-X chips with a total computing power of up to 508TOPS, which can see through every detail of the road.

At present, Xiaopeng Motors has successively opened the city NGP function in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, and the weekly user penetration rate of XNGP has reached 94.6%.

In contrast, the specific scope of the NOA function of Zhiji LS6 currently only includes provincial highways in Hebei Province, Jiangxi Province, Fujian Province, Anhui Province, Gansu Province, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as well as elevated highway sections in Shijiazhuang City, Nanchang City, Xiamen City, and Hefei City. In other words, Zhiji LS6 currently only supports highway and elevated NOA functions, and urban NOA is still in the testing stage. In terms of high-level intelligent driving assistance, Xiaopeng G6's capabilities are significantly better than Zhiji LS6.

However, the Zhiji LS6 also has advantages in driving control, especially the top-equipped four-wheel drive performance version, with a maximum comprehensive output power of 579kW, a comprehensive maximum torque of 800N·m, and an acceleration of 100 kilometers in just 3.48 seconds; the Xiaopeng G6 four-wheel drive performance version has a maximum comprehensive output power of 358kW, a comprehensive maximum torque of 660N·m, and an acceleration of 100 kilometers in 3.9 seconds. Compared with Tesla Model Y and Xiaopeng G6, the Zhiji LS6 is indeed better in terms of control.

In terms of battery life, the four configurations of Zhiji LS6 have a battery life of 560km, 680km, 760km and 702km respectively, while the corresponding Xiaopeng G6 has a battery life of 580km, 755km and 700km respectively. The difference between the two models is not much. What may stimulate consumers' sensitivity is perhaps the price level and the cost-effectiveness in high-level intelligent driving.

Zhiji's first model, the L7, is positioned as a mid-to-large flagship sedan, focusing on intelligence and driving control. The price starts at 338,800 yuan, and the highest price exceeds 500,000 yuan, which sets the tone of high-end luxury for the brand. However, due to its low popularity, consumers are not willing to pay for this price. This time, Zhiji has kept the price within 300,000 yuan. Although it has been reduced, the price advantage is not obvious compared with the Xiaopeng G6. Whether the high-end brand positioning created previously will affect consumers' choices remains to be seen.

Which one to choose? It depends on what you need

There are many factors that influence consumers' choice of a car model. In addition to the above-mentioned comparison, appearance and space are also key factors that cannot be ignored.

Tesla Model Y has the simplest appearance among the three models. When it was first launched, it became popular with its unique shape such as the closed catfish-like front face and the large fastback rear. However, due to its long time on the market, Chinese consumers may have aesthetic fatigue with its appearance. Xiaopeng G6 cleverly adopts the illusion floating roof design, with a long wheelbase of 2890mm and an axle length ratio of 60.8%, which brings it the leading front and rear headroom and rear legroom in its class, balancing the fastback design of the coupe shape and the user's demand for extra space in the car.

In contrast to the above two models, the overall shape of Zhiji LS6 is relatively simple and rounded. The design of the whole vehicle follows the golden ratio. The length, width and height of the car are 4904mm / 1988mm / 1669mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2950mm. The fastback design is very dynamic while taking into account the practicality of the space. Although it is positioned as a coupe SUV, due to the high window line position of the new car and the body positioning of a medium and large SUV, the interior space of the new car, especially the head space in the back row, is not affected.

In terms of interior, Tesla Model Y and Zhiji LS6 are a collision of extremes. Model Y is a classic "rough" design with only a 15-inch central control screen in the entire car; while the interior design of Zhiji LS6 can be described as "luxurious", equipped with a through-type liftable central control screen, and an LCD touch screen on the sub-instrument console. The car also uses POPO Sofa seats, with full heating and ventilation in the front rows, a two-way thigh rest for the driver, a 517mm deep rear seat cushion, and an adjustable backrest of 10°. The riding experience is better than Tesla.

The interior style of Xiaopeng G6 is similar to that of Tesla Model Y, which also adopts "modern and simple style". The difference is that in addition to a larger central control screen, Xiaopeng G6 is also equipped with a 10.2-inch full LCD instrument screen, which is convenient for viewing real-time information of the vehicle while driving, such as mileage, remaining power, etc. However, in terms of "luxury", it is still far behind Zhiji LS6.

In general, whether Zhiji LS6 can become a hit is not determined by a single factor. Consumers will have their own considerations when buying a car. With the rise of domestic brands in recent years, the obsession with Tesla is waning, replaced by a competition of product strength. Whether it is Xiaopeng G6 or Zhiji LS6, they are comparable to Tesla in terms of comprehensive cost performance. Both models are cheaper than Model Y and their performance is not inferior.

As for the two domestic models, Xiaopeng G6 and Zhiji LS6, if consumers pay more attention to intelligent driving capabilities, Xiaopeng G6 is undoubtedly a good choice with a relatively high cost-effectiveness; if consumers have limited requirements for intelligent driving capabilities and pay more attention to the riding experience and endurance of the car itself, then the more refinedly designed Zhiji LS6 will be more in line with what they want.

Although Zhiji officials have repeatedly stated that this model is not comparable to the Xiaopeng G6, the high-specification configuration plus the starting price of 214,900 yuan after the listing rights package undoubtedly makes it a natural benchmark for the Xiaopeng G6 and Tesla Model Y. Any car company wants to create a hit, but a hit also requires opportunities. For Zhiji, increasing brand awareness and recognition and increasing sales are the top priorities.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.