GAC NE, leading from behind?

At the GAC Intelligent Technology Conference on July 28th, GAC NE announced that the Aion LX, the "Luxury Intelligent Super SUV", which will be launched in September, will be equipped with a new generation of ADIGO Intelligent Connected Ecosystem. The GAC NE, which was founded just two years ago, successfully launched its first model, the Aion S, in April. This move has attracted special attention from the market and the industry.

Q: What do you think of the ADiGO system?

A: The system includes L3 autopilot technology, which is the first in China, and there are a lot of unclear functions based on intelligent IoT system, cloud platform, big data platform and 5G technology. Two strategic partners who cooperated with GAC NE to develop this system, one is Huawei and the other is Tencent, which are the top players in the industry. So this system is perhaps the most advanced one.

Nowadays, many manufacturers have introduced a variety of auto-driving and intelligent interconnection systems. Most of them look beautiful and sound attractive. But the experience is not so good. There are always some problems; for example, the automatic driving system is not operated properly, or the human-machine communication is not smooth, or the lack of entertainment function.

It all depends on the personal use.

This time, I attended the GAC Intelligent Technology Conference and tested Aion S on the way to and from the airport. I felt that the lane keeping and the active follow-up performance were good. The timing and strength of the deceleration, acceleration, and braking were reasonable. Of course with the simple traffic situation and the shore driving distance, it is impossible to experience how it cope with the complicated situation. What impressed me a lot is that its voice interaction is superb, it can accurately understand my instructions, including navigation, air conditioning, music, window control, etc., and execute it immediately.

Q: What do you think about other aspects of Aion S in addition to autonomous driving and human-computer interaction?

A: The interior design uses very good materials, and the overall assembly process is also superior, that is, the connection between the instrument panel and the upper edge is a bit rough. The interior space is perhaps the best in its class. After adjusting the front seats, I have a lot of knee space in the back. After all, its 2.75-meter-wheelbase is the longest in its class. In addition, the cruising range of 410 km and 510 km is also the best in its class. Overall, the Aion S is a highly competitive high-end A+ class electric car. In terms of market performance, it was launched for two months, and its sales in June exceeded 2,000 units, surpassing the Geely Geometry A that was launched earlier. 

Q: What do you think of GAC NE's second car, the Aion LX "Luxury Smart SUV"? It has a length of 4.8 meters, a wheelbase of 2.9 meters or more, a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds, and a cruising range of 650 kilometers. It is also the first model in China to adopt the configuration of L3 autopilot. What price it will be?

A: Aion LX's competitors are only BYD TANG EV 600 and NIO ES 6. The price of Tang EV 600 is between 259,900 and 359,900 yuan, and the NIO ES 6 is between 358,000 and 540,000 yuan. With GAC's consistent sales strategy, Aion LX has the advantages of cruising range, acceleration performance and configuration, but the entry-level version is expected to be at the same level as the Don EV 600. The price of the high-performance version may be the same as the corresponding model of the NIO ES 6. The price span will far exceed the Tang EV 600 and enter the price range of 400,000 yuan.

Overall, although GAC NE was not established for a long time, it is likely to lead from behind.