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On October 1st, the i-EA 01 model of Kaiyi was officially named "Jiyue". It is understood that the new car is based on Kaiyi's i-EA pure electric platform, positioning pure electric minicar, the overall size is larger than Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, the power provides 35 kilowatts and 40 kilowatts of motor power version models, the new car is expected to be on the market in November this year, after listing will compete with Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, Changan Lumin and other similar models.

In terms of appearance, the new car adopts a cute and cute design style, with a large trapezoidal closed design on the front face, black decorative strips on all sides, triangular contours for headlights and a penetrating strip in the middle, so the visual effect is quite sharp. The side of the body, the new car C-column shape is very personalized, the bottom is a penetrating design, and the use of cool two-color rims, although the size is small, but increases the overall sense of fashion. In the rear part, the new car also uses a triangular taillight group with a black decorative strip design, which visually forms a penetrating light group effect and echoes with the front face. Black decoration continues to be used at the bottom of the rear bumper to further increase the layering of the vehicle.

In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 3360/1700/1600mm and the wheelbase is 2160mm. As a comparison, the length, width and height of the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV are 2917/1493/1621mm and the wheelbase is 1940mm. By comparison, except for the body height, the other dimensions of the new car are larger than the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV.

Interior part, the new car uses a simple design style, the car adapts to blue and pink two colors, equipped with embracing three-dimensional layout, looks very fashionable. According to reports, the new car is equipped with floating instrument, 10.25in central control screen, multi-functional steering wheel, hidden air conditioning outlet, PTC air conditioning, front seat armrest, electric external rearview mirror adjustment, keyless entry / start, remote control and other functional configurations. In terms of seat layout, as a positioning three-door mini model, the new car adopts a 2-door 4-seat layout.

In terms of power, the new car is equipped with a single front motor, which is divided into 35 kilowatts and 40 kilowatts. In addition, the new car will also use lithium iron phosphate battery pack, CLTC mileage options of 155km, 210km and 301km.

What brand is Kaiyi car? At the launch conference of Kaiyi Kunlun, the official answer was an unknown big brand. Kaiyi Automobile, founded in March 2014, is a state-owned joint-stock enterprise controlled by Yibin Automobile Industry Development and Investment Co., Ltd., Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., and Sichuan Yibin Pushi Group Co., Ltd. In 2017, Chery sold a 51 per cent stake in Kaiyi to the Sichuan Yibin State-owned assets Supervision and Administration Commission, which is directly under the Wuliangye Group, while Wuliangye Group formally bought a stake in Kaiyi and became a major shareholder.

Although the Kaiyi is backed by Chery, its sales performance is very mediocre. Data show that in the three years from 2019 to 2021, the annual sales of Kaiyi cars were 32900, 33300 and 20300 respectively. As for the reasons for the low sales, the industry believes that it has something to do with Kaiyi's lack of core support in terms of products and brands.

From the positioning of "pick up the moon", the new car is located in a pure electric minicar. As far as the current car market is concerned, the mini electric vehicle market continues to be hot. Since SAIC GM Wuling launched Hongguang MINIEV as a popular model, there have been more and more imitators in China, including Chery QQ ice cream, Chery new energy small ant, Reading Mango, punk Duoduo, Lingbao BOX and scenery MINIEV, and the price of the model is very close to Hongguang MINIEV. However, since its launch, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV has become the best performing model in the A00 market and occupies a large share of the market segment. It will not be easy for these models to surpass Hongguang MINIEV in the short term.

According to the latest data, a total of nearly 580000 A0 new energy vehicles were sold in China in 2022, a year-on-year growth rate of 167%, making it the fastest growing market segment of new energy vehicles last year. In August, wholesale sales of A0-class pure electric vehicles reached 171000, accounting for 31 per cent of the market share of pure electric vehicles, up 12 per cent from a year earlier.

As for whether Kaiyi's i-EA 01 model can get a piece of the pie in this market segment after its subsequent launch, it will take more time to give the answer.

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