AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)02/27 Report--

On February 27, Harvard's second-generation Big Dog officially went on sale, and the new car launched a total of models with a price range of-10,000 yuan. According to previous reports, the Harvard II Big Dog is the second generation of the Harvard Dog, the third model of the Harvard Dog category, and the first model of the dog category to enter the new energy field.

In terms of appearance, the Harvard II Dog uses the 3x4 scale family gene, and the front part of the car is similar to the Haver Dog, but the grille has a more design sense. the polygonal narrow front grille is supplemented by dot matrix chrome plating similar to the rounded rectangle, and the round headlamp is the same as the big dog's design, with a well-defined front bumper below and a large-size narrow strip trapezoidal air intake. In addition, the Harvard II Dog will adopt a new Harvard brand logo, which will not only improve recognition, but also let others know at a glance that it is a new energy model.

On the side of the body, the Harvard II big dog uses the usual design techniques of off-road models, such as a high body, a muscular wheel eyebrow and a rich waistline, with outstanding visual effects. At the same time, the car adopts a flat roof design, which can provide sufficient head space for passengers to a certain extent and bring a more comfortable ride experience. In the rear part, the new car uses a polygonal taillight group, together with the English logo of the Harvard brand in the center, to further broaden the lateral perspective of the car. In terms of size, the length, width and height of Harvard II dogs are 4705/1908/1780mm and wheelbase 2810mm respectively. For comparison, the length, width and height of Haverdog are 4620/1890/1780mm and wheelbase 2738mm respectively.

In terms of interior decoration, the Harvard II Big Dog adopts a new design style, the size of the suspended central control screen is further enlarged, and a row of physical buttons are retained below to enhance the driver's operation while driving the vehicle. The steering wheel and dashboard are basically the same as the Haver Dog. At the same time, the new car uses a block handle shape similar to the tank 300 model, with a power switching knob behind it.

In terms of power, the new car will be equipped with a 1.5T+2 block DHT-PHEV powertrain with a maximum power of 240kW, a peak torque of 530Nm, a pure electric mileage of 105km, a comprehensive mileage of more than 1000 km and a fuel consumption of 1.85L for 100km when full of fuel and 5.52L for 100km under power supply. In other ways, the car is equipped with two locks and a Bogwarner intelligent electronically controlled all-wheel drive system. It is understood that the Harvard second-generation Big Dog will also launch a fuel version, with a 2.0T engine, matching four-wheel drive system, or named "Harvard Dog MAX", but when it will be put on the market is unknown.

In August 2022, Harvard held a new energy strategy conference to announce the brand's comprehensive transformation to a new energy track. According to the plan, the proportion of sales of Harvard new energy models will rise to 80% by 2025, and the sale of fuel vehicles will be officially suspended in 2030. According to the insurance figures, the annual sales of the Harvard brand in 2022 was 496846, down 32.65% from the same period last year, of which only 2523 new energy vehicles were sold.

Although new energy vehicles are still a blue sea market, it is not easy to plug in the market. Before Harvard, many car companies were already trying to launch hybrid products, of which BYD was the most successful. BYD Tang DM-i is also a direct competitor to Harvard's second-generation Big Dog, and the two models have many similarities, such as the medium-sized SUV, which costs about 200000 yuan, and the 100km, which has a pure electric range and is equipped with a 1.5T engine. From the perspective of product positioning, there must be a war between Harvard and BYD.

In fact, after the release of Harvard's new energy strategy, there have been a lot of voices talking about the long-term competition between Harvard and BYD in the future. Harvard, which has just announced its transformation, is not only concerned about the third-generation H6 DHT-PHEV or the second-generation dog, but the accumulation of new energy technology of the whole Great Wall Group behind the Harvard brand.

The reason why it is difficult for traditional fuel brands to transform into new energy is that it needs to re-adapt to the rules of the new energy era, from corporate structure, technology reserves to car-building thinking. In the past 20 years, the Great Wall has continuously expanded its technological reserves and gathered trees into forests, forming a forest ecosystem composed of product matrix, intelligent science and technology, new energy, R & D and manufacturing, with vehicle manufacturing as the core. Complete the transformation and layout of new energy and intelligence in an all-round way.

For Harvard, the challenges ahead are enormous. According to the production and sales data released by Great Wall Motor, the Harvard brand sold 616550 vehicles in 2022, down 19.93% from the same period last year, of which 44326 were sold in December, down 53.04% from the same period last year. In 2011, Harvard officially launched H6, which broke through the encirclement of the joint venture brand as soon as it was listed, dominating the SUV market for ten years in a row, allowing more consumers to realize their SUV dream, while under the wave of new energy vehicles, H6 began to go unnoticed by the market, and sales fell again and again. According to data from the Federation of passengers, Harvard H6 sales totaled 250120 in 2022, down 29.1% from the same period last year, overtaken by BYD Song and Tesla Model Y, both of which are new energy models.

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