On February 25, the Azera EC6 mass production project was officially launched at the JAC Azera Advanced Manufacturing Base in Hefei. Relevant leaders from Anhui Province and Hefei City, as well as JAC Chairman An Jin, witnessed the official launch of the project together with Li Bin***, founder, chairman and CEO of Azera. At the same time, in the NIOHouse at JAC's advanced manufacturing base, Azure and the Hefei municipal government signed a framework agreement to locate Azure's China headquarters in Hefei.
When the favorable news came out, JAC went straight to a halt.
Part.1
Hefei, JAC, Azalea can't hide from fate
There was news that Geely would invest $300 million in Azalea, and that Geely might integrate production capacity with Azalea, which would produce Azalea models on behalf of Geely. The EC6 is the third model to be mass-produced at JAC's advanced manufacturing base in Hefei, and the successful launch of mass production of three models within two years signals a further deepening of cooperation between Azera and JAC, and also shows that the two sides are working together very happily.
On the other hand, the fact that Azera's Chinese headquarters is located in Hefei means that Azera and JAC will have long-term cooperation. At the same time, the development of Hefei's automotive industry will usher in a new situation, especially in the field of new energy vehicles, autonomous driving, etc., the depth of Azera's participation is expected to play a cluster effect, and further drive the economic vitality of Hefei and even Anhui. According to wheel brother understanding, azalea China headquarters project plan financing 14.5 billion yuan, including the establishment of research and development, sales, production base, to build the Hefei as the center of China headquarters operation system. Overall, this is a win-win layout for Azera, JAC and Hefei.
The smoother the cooperation between Azera and JAC, the more people seem to start to forget, all the way to the outside world on the "JAC OEM" question. In order to prove that there is no problem with JAC OEM, Li Bin has boasted that "Porsche factory is not as good as JAC factory", good in the Azure ES8 and ES6 since the listing and not much about the quality of the complaints, finally did not "hit Li Bin's face".
According to the latest delivery data, JAC Azure produced a total of 33,511 deliveries of the whole brand. 2020 January Azure brand overall deliveries amounted to 1,598 units, of which 1,493 units of ES6 deliveries, ES8 deliveries 105 units. However, according to the strategic cooperation agreement signed between Azalea and JAC in 2016, the two sides plan to produce and sell 50,000 units per year, which has yet to be reached.
The start of the EC6 mass-production project means work has resumed at the JAC Azera advanced manufacturing base in Hefei. Their resumption of work is also under scrutiny as the epidemic has yet to be fully beaten back.
Self-proclaimed Scandinavian-style meetings and gaokao-style meals, the strict management during the anti-epidemic period does not seem to have affected the enthusiasm of front-line workers to go to work. It is reported that factories have been working overtime to ensure that production capacity is restored as soon as possible, but with the disruption in the supply chain, the delivery schedule will inevitably be affected.
Part.2
Azalea EC6 mass production is imminent, but look at the face of Model?Y?
When it comes to the protagonist of this production model, EC6, many consumers may not be very familiar with it.At the end of 2019, at the annual Azalea NIO?Day, Azalea's third production model, EC6, made a shining appearance. According to Roll, the new car's 100-kilometer acceleration is only 4.7 seconds. As the EC6 is a coupe SUV with a big sliding back, the new car was not considered to be Azera's next volume model when it was unveiled. After all, the market and consumers are not very receptive to such a niche SUV.
However, the EC6's biggest draw isn't its styling, but rather the longest combined range of any of Azera's current models. The EC6 will come with both 70kWh and 100kWh battery packs, with the Sport model equipped with the 100kWh pack having a NEDC range of up to 615 KM. While the real-world range of a pure electric vehicle is always going to be discounted a bit, there's no denying that the EC6's ideal range is now among the leading levels in the country.
While Azera hasn't released any more information about the new car, it's widely believed that it's a slinky version of the ES6, so the EC6 won't be too different from the ES6's dimensions, with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm. In addition, the EC6's suspension configuration may be the same as the ES6's, with a double-wishbone front and linkage at the rear.
As the biggest rival of the EC6, the Tesla Model Y has a good chance of going into production in the middle of this year. Considering Tesla's brand appeal and its product advantages in autopilot and range, the rival's pricing will have a direct impact on the EC6, so it's not hard to understand why Li Bin doesn't dare to act rashly now. According to the latest news, the EC6 is expected to announce its price and configuration in July 2020, and deliveries will begin in September. It's a delicate time to think about how to compete with Tesla.
In Roll's view, Azera doesn't have to be pessimistic about the EC6's sales prospects. After all, Azera's owners and potential owners are the ones who don't follow the beaten path (as opposed to the majority of consumers who stick to the fuel-vehicle camp), and their appreciation and trust in Azera have long predisposed them to be more than just ordinary consumers. This has cleared the way for the unique coupe SUV, the EC6. It is reasonable to believe that such a more stylish, sporty and personalized pure electric? coupe SUV, will also become their new favorite.
As the leader of the new car-making forces, Azalea is still the new brand with the most attention in China. Whether it's the release of new products, financing progress, or a variety of innovative power increase, the progress of self-built factories, all are not the focus of public attention. Now that the company has finally returned to JAC after failing to settle in Shanghai due to production qualification issues, it looks like Azera and JAC will be tied more closely together.
Li Bin said at the 2019 NIO?Day? that "three years ago, we and JAC created a new model of manufacturing cooperation, which was once questioned. Today we have proved the strength of Chinese creation plus Chinese manufacturing with actual results! "
This article comes from the author of the automobile home car, does not represent the views of the automobile home position.