The Qin PLUS DM-i model has attracted the attention of consumers since its first generation. After the championship version was revamped, the sales of Qin PLUS have been soaring. It is reported that throughout 2023, BYD Qin PLUS DM-i sold a total of 307,411 units, a year-on-year increase of 63.1%, and won the Top 5 seat in the 2023 car sales rankings.
Of course, we cannot deny that in absolute terms, Qin PLUS lags behind Volkswagen Lavida (345,879 units) and Nissan Sylphy (376,109 units), and can only be ranked third among compact cars. This is mainly due to the rear The two brands have a lot of support, and the discounts and price cuts are huge. In particular, the Sylphy Classic once only cost more than 70,000, which allowed them to suppress Qin PLUS in sales last year.
BYD is naturally unwilling to accept this position. It has just begun the new year, and the new Qin PLUS is already on the road. This time, the Qin PLUS will have a new Honor version, and the price will be further reduced.
An insider broke the news that the new Qin PLUS Honor Edition will be released in March this year. In a more sense, this version will lower the price again. The official guide price is only 79,800 yuan, which is less than the previous lowest configuration. The price will be reduced by more than 10,000 yuan. In addition, as the sister model of Qin PLUS, the Destroyer will also launch the Honor version at the same time. The guide prices of the two new cars are the same.
Of course, the new car will still use BYD’s DM-i and blade battery technology. This will not change. Many people feel that if the power mode remains unchanged, it seems that the original car will have almost no configuration that can cut the price.
We need to look at Qin PLUS’s new car this time from two aspects. The first is the sharp drop in battery prices. Since last year, the price of domestic battery raw materials, which had been relatively strong in previous years, has dropped sharply. The entire market has shown a situation of oversupply. Relevant media reports that as of February this year, the number of batteries that can be used for pure electric vehicles ( The price of nickel for EV) battery materials has dropped by 50% compared with the end of 2022, while the price of lithium has dropped by 80%.
It is for this reason that many people speculate that there will be a fierce price war in the new energy industry this year. After all, batteries are so cheap. It is unreasonable for manufacturers not to lower prices to seize the market. BYD’s price reduction this time is actually reasonable. , and there is a high probability that other models will follow suit.
Of course, as far as the Qin PLUS is concerned, it is not that there are no areas where costs can be reduced, such as the fabric seats that everyone is talking about and the size and rotation method of the central control screen (changed to manual rotation). In addition, BYD can also castrate part of the battery capacity and power output.
Replacing a low-power motor and controlling the power output can allow a battery of the same size to have a longer pure electric range. The Qin PLUS Honor Edition only needs to ensure that its battery pack is greater than or equal to 10 kWh and its pure electric range exceeds 50km to obtain a green card. Therefore, BYD It is completely possible to significantly reduce costs by castrating the motor and battery.
Of course, we still hope that BYD will not “castrate” too many things that will reduce the competitiveness of the new car. If the Honor version can maintain the current data of 7.3 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers, 3.8L fuel consumption per 100 kilometers, and a comprehensive range of 1245km, it will be 7.98 The starting price of 10,000 yuan can almost spell the end of A-class joint venture cars.
However, BYD Qin PLUS has experienced two price cuts before. At the beginning of last year, it brought a new 2023 Champion Edition. The minimum starting price reached less than 100,000 yuan, achieving “the same price for oil and electricity”. In the second half of the year, for In response to the fierce competition in the market, Qin PLUS DM-i has reduced the price by 10,000 yuan for a limited time and is on sale at 89,800 yuan.
In these price reductions, BYD has not castrated three electric vehicles. Even the championship version has improved configurations compared to before. From the championship version to the glory version, I wonder if BYD can maintain its “original intention”. If the new car is really is down to 79,800. Personally, I feel that the sales of Lavida, Sylphy and even our own Seagull will be greatly affected.