From the very beginning of its existence, the car was perceived by manufacturers and customers exclusively as a means of transportation. However, the development of recent years shows that it is becoming a much smarter device and is also evaluated based on how it handles this function. The relatively sudden shift in mindset, closely linked to the transition from internal combustion to electric cars, is therefore tempting big tech companies to also profit from the wave of easier-to-produce battery-powered cars. Most recently, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi presented its first electric car to the world, the boss of which speaks of “dream cars comparable to Porsche and Tesla”.
However, a number of hungry tech companies are jumping into the untapped automotive sector, mostly from Asia, which dominates the electronics sector. Traditional car manufacturers from Europe, the USA or Japan, which for decades have unshakably dominated the automotive trade thanks to being able to masterfully craft them and bring their driving characteristics to perfection, suddenly have a problem.
The criteria for evaluating cars are changing rapidly. The fluidity of driving no longer surprises anyone, the key differentiating element becomes the software and the connection of the car with smart devices, not so much the driver, but rather the user. Beijing-based Xiaomi, founded only in 2010, for example, wants to seize the opportunity.
The SU7 will be available for purchase in China within a few months
Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled its SU7 electric sedan, which will be produced by a division of state automaker BAIC Group in Beijing. Not a concept, but a car that is already in test production and will enter the Chinese market in a few months. The car with a range of up to 800 kilometers on a single charge, which looks strikingly similar to, for example, the electric Porsche Taycan, should offer acceleration from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour in 2.78 seconds and manage two hundred in less than eleven seconds.
Powerful performance and an exceptional driving experience are at the heart of #XiaomiSU7. pic.twitter.com/5PfzRSBsKl
— Lei Jun (@leijun) December 28, 2023
In addition to the incredible acceleration and top speed, which is expected to reach 265 kilometers per hour, Xiaomi will also likely push customers to share the car’s operating system with their smartphone. Despite the options that are significantly higher than the standard, it should be a model intended for the mass market, but the manufacturer has not yet specified the price. “They have a great opportunity to break through because the car is becoming an intelligent device,” commented Bill Russo, head of the consultancy Automobility, on Xiaomi’s intentions.
Customers will receive Huawei’s Luxeed cars early this year
This story is far from unique. The Chinese Huawei, which collaborates with the Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile, is also dedicating itself to electric cars. The Luxeed S7 model will become the flagship of the new Luxeed brand. More than 20,000 pre-orders should already have been received for the sedan, the price of which should start at around 700,000 crowns.
The first cars, which the manufacturer often compares to Tesla’s Model S, are expected to arrive to customers in early 2024. The Luxeed is expected to offer a range of 855 km per charge according to Chinese standards (CLTC). It can supposedly be recharged in just five minutes for a 215 kilometer journey, and should take a quarter of an hour to recharge for 430 kilometres.
Siri will be behind the wheel of Apple’s Titan
For now, it remains a great unknown how Titan, the Apple project, whose target form has changed several times over the years, will end. Currently, there is even speculation about a fully autonomous electric car, the main advantages of which should include connection with the personal assistant Siri, which works on the basis of artificial intelligence. The Apple Insider website mentions a price of the car of up to one hundred thousand dollars, i.e. under two and a quarter million crowns, and a possible market launch no earlier than 2026.
Sony Honda Mobility displayed the Afeela model at the Japanese Motor Show in October. | Professional means
Afeela will be the work of Sony and Honda
The Japanese duo Sony-Honda also wants to take a bite out of the newly formed market. In the summer he founded a joint company, Sony Honda Mobility, in which he develops the electric car Afeela, which means “sensation”. While Honda takes care of the batteries, electric motor and steering, Sony mainly deals with passenger entertainment. The first cars, whose specifications are still largely unknown, are expected to arrive to customers in North America in 2026 and other markets thereafter.
MONA from DiDi and Xpeng will cost half a million crowns
We can also mention the “Chinese Uber”, as the technology giant DiDi is sometimes mistakenly nicknamed. The latter has been operating in the transport sector since its foundation in 2012, but mainly in application-based taxi services, car sharing, financing or goods delivery. However, DiDi has gradually expanded its portfolio to include its own car development. And successfully.
This summer, Chinese automotive company Xpeng invested in DiDi, which became one of the company’s strategic shareholders by purchasing $744 million in shares. Among other things, the partners aim to successfully develop an electric car under the global MONA brand. The price of the car should be around 150 thousand yuan, or about half a million crowns.
Ford has scaled back its plans to build 150 Lightning cars
Consulting firms and automakers expect the electric car market to grow in the coming years, but so far it is not expanding as quickly as experts had predicted in the past. Some manufacturers have already reduced or even temporarily suspended production of some models due to lower-than-expected demand.
Ford, for example, has scaled back its ambitions, which will cut production of the F-150 Lightning model from 3,200 units per week in half starting next year. Likewise, numerous other manufacturers are re-evaluating their original plans. The coming years will show how many of them there will be room for in the electric car market.
2023-12-29 17:30:00
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