Will the M7 Smart Driving Edition from Wanjie be able to change consumers’ impressions?

Can the M7 Smart Driving Edition from Wanjie change consumers' impressions?

【PhoneAuto】Recently, the new AITO Wanjie M7 officially landed on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and released some configuration information. The dimensions are 5020×1945×1760mm, with a wheelbase of 2820mm. Compared to the previous model, there is no change in the length and wheelbase, but the height has decreased slightly, which may not be noticeable to consumers. However, for the AITO brand, it does need the Wanjie M7 to boost its sales, otherwise it will be difficult to gain momentum under the “encirclement” of brands such as Li Xiang, NIO, Tengshi, and Jike. At least from the current sales, there is still much room for improvement for Wanjie cars.

Since the release of Wanjie M5 and Wanjie M7, there has been a trend of mixed reviews from consumers. In terms of overall sales, a large part of consumers choose Wanjie M5, while the neglected Wanjie M7 has become the child abandoned by the market. Moreover, since its release, Wanjie M5 has successively launched a pure electric version, an intelligent driving version, and a new facelift, while Wanjie M7 has not yet launched a facelift or an intelligent driving version. It may be seen by AITO and Huawei that Wanjie M7 does need a major operation to pull it out of the mud and create a new product image for the market and consumers.

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Now, based on the information provided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the appearance of Wanjie M7 may not change much, so those who are expecting a major facelift can take a break. From the many messages previously revealed by Yu Chengdong, the new Wanjie M7 will add the HUAWEI ADS 2.0 advanced intelligent driving system, and a 5-seat version will be added on the basis of the original 6-seat version. The body structure parts have also been remodeled, and even the welding assembly line has been reformed for this. Some body structures even use the industry’s strongest submarine-grade high-strength steel, which can withstand a weight of 17 tons per square centimeter, equivalent to the weight of a heavy truck. It is not difficult to see that the main change of this new Wanjie M7 lies in internal improvements, which will bring consumers a better driving experience.

From the information provided by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the new WENJIE M7 includes an intelligent driving version and a standard version. The essence of the intelligent driving version lies in the HUAWEI ADS2.0 advanced intelligent driving system, which can be seen from the laser radar on the roof of the car, just like the WENJIE M5 intelligent driving version. In addition, some sensors around the car are also reflected. As for the number of sensors, it is likely to be the same as the WENJIE M5 intelligent driving version, using a combination of one long-range high-precision laser radar + three millimeter-wave radars + two 8 million pixel high-sensing front-view cameras + nine side-view, surround-view, and rear-view cameras + 12 ultrasonic radars. With high-performance computing platform + Huawei’s personification algorithm, it can achieve intelligent driving assistance close to L3 level.

For example, in the case of a pedestrian crossing, it can recognize the crossing pedestrian and have braking capability, including glare scenes from oncoming vehicles; for example, in the case of automatic emergency braking for irregular obstacles, it can recognize falling stones, cones, and water horses on the ground ahead and have braking capability, including dim scenes at night; for example, the intelligent driving navigation assistance can face various emergency situations and bring a more intelligent driving experience. Moreover, Huawei will first launch the non-high-definition map-dependent urban NCA function in 15 cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Dongguan, Changsha, Xi’an, Wuhan, Ningbo, and Jinan in the third quarter, making driving safer and more comfortable. The WENJIE M7 intelligent driving version is likely to be the first to support this unique product strength, which will lead to a significant increase in sales.

As for the adjustment of the seats, the earlier 6-seat version has actually been criticized by many people. The cramped space in the third row is difficult to meet the needs of families. Some even say, who would buy a car this long with such limited space in the third row? It is expected that the Wanjie M7 Intelligent Driving Version will be optimized internally, first by adjusting the overall layout of the 6-seat version to provide enough space in the third row, and then by adding a 5-seat version to greatly improve overall comfort. However, if a 5-seat version is made, then the zero-gravity seat, which is the main feature of the Wanjie M7, may have to be moved to the passenger seat.

Why did the Wanjie M7 make such drastic changes? It is actually quite understandable. On the one hand, it is indeed the time for an upgrade, and on the other hand, the overall sales of Wanjie cars this year compared to last year are relatively weak. Half a year has passed, and the sales have not met expectations, with the sales of the Wanjie M7 possibly even lower. From the perspective of the positioning of the Wanjie M7, it is clear that its main competitor is Li Xiang. Looking at the competition, Li Xiang has been particularly strong this year, launching multiple models in quick succession, and even achieving immediate success. The delivery volume in June exceeded 30,000 units. Li Xiang’s strong offensive has not left any breathing room for competitors, including the Wanjie M7. Although it has the support of Huawei’s various technologies, the lack of sales growth indicates some other problems.

Of course, in my opinion, if the Wanjie M7 Intelligent Driving Version does not meet expectations after its release, Huawei is likely to weaken its position in the Wanjie system. After all, there will be models co-developed with brands like Chery joining the Wanjie family in the future, and by then, the strength of the Smart Select Cars will further grow. In fact, from the perspective of the overall market environment, the Wanjie M7 still has many opportunities to establish itself and demonstrate its strength in the segmented market. Moreover, this year’s car market is particularly competitive, and a price war is inevitable. The Wanjie M7 faces the spiral decline in prices. How it can maintain market stability and reshape its impression in the minds of consumers has become a huge challenge.

As for the release time of the Huawei M7 Smart Edition, Yu Chengdong previously stated publicly that he is confident in the Huawei M7 Smart Edition and hopes that it can account for more than 30% of the sales task this year. From Yu Chengdong’s words, it can be seen that the Huawei M7 Smart Edition is unlikely to be released at the end of the year, and it may even be earlier than the Mate60 series launch, as the focus will be on the Huawei M9 at that time. Currently, there are rumors that the new Huawei MatePad will be released at the end of this month, which provides an opportunity for the debut of the Huawei M7 Smart Edition. Moreover, the earlier it is launched, the better it is for the Huawei M7 Smart Edition, otherwise consumers may easily lose patience and switch to other brands.

In general, the Huawei M7 Smart Edition plays a very important role for Huawei, AITO, and the market. Choosing to enter the market in the second half of this year is naturally to prepare for a new round of price wars. Only when the Huawei M7 has strong product power and is desired by everyone, can it find a place in this price war.

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