Changan Deep Blue SL03 opens pre-sale, focusing on cost performance and benchmarking Model 3

(Text/Pan Yuchen, Editor/Lou Bing) On June 25th, during the Chongqing International Auto Show, the SL03, the first model of Changan Automobile’s new energy brand Changan Deep Blue, was officially unveiled offline and opened for pre-sale. The new car has launched three power models: pure electric version, extended range version and hydrogen fuel cell version, and the pre-sale price range is 179,800-231,800 yuan. The new car is expected to be launched before the end of July, and large-scale deliveries will begin in August.

The deep blue SL03 is based on the Changan EPA1 electric platform and is positioned as a B-class sedan. The body size is 4820/1890/1480mm, the wheelbase is 2900mm, the aspect ratio is 0.78, and the axle length ratio is 0.6. In appearance, the front face of the SL03 body is integrated with the hood, and the line trend is virtual and real, with a sense of hierarchy; the large-size sports front shovel reduces the visual center of gravity, and the rear is also equipped with a suspended rear wing to reduce wind resistance.

The daytime running lights of the dark blue SL03 support automatic switching of far and near light, but only the pure electric version supports the star language interactive light function. The lights have 264 LED light sources, which can display vehicle information externally, such as the gear position of the vehicle or special scene animation. The tail lights are designed with a through-type design.

In addition, the new car is optimized for overall aerodynamics through the configuration of the back-mounted body, sports kit, hidden door handle, closed aerodynamic wheel hub, etc., with a drag coefficient of 0.23Cd and a design such as frameless doors and electric hatchback doors.

Inside, the dark blue SL03 is equipped with leather perforated seats, automatic adjustment of the front seats and waist support, electric hidden trend, 14 speakers and other configurations, and the roof of the high-end model is also equipped with a panoramic canopy with an area of 1.1.9 square meters.

In terms of smart technology, the center of the dark blue SL03 is equipped with a 14.6-inch central control screen with a maximum of 15 ° steering left and right. In smart mode, the display screen can automatically perform deflection movements according to the scene, such as welcoming and sending guests, reversing scenes, etc., and supports voice control. The front vision area of the main driver is integrated with AR-HUD function. The pure electric version also has a Galaxy streamer panel, and the brightness and color can change according to the speed, driving mode and music.

In addition, the dark blue SL03 is equipped with a full cockpit intelligent scenario, which can automatically recommend relevant scenario modes according to the current vehicle status, such as in-car care mode, privacy mode, thermostatic cockpit mode, as well as scenes such as smoking, camping, napping, ice and snow, campfires, music light shows, etc. At the same time, the new car supports functions such as NFC card unlocking and Bluetooth key sensing to switch the vehicle on and off.

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the entire system, the deep blue SL03 is also equipped with an intelligent vehicle domain controller "Changan Smart Core", as well as an intelligent cockpit domain controller composed of Qualcomm 8155 chips.

In terms of power, the SL03 pure electric version is equipped with Changan’s new generation of superset electric drive, with a maximum power of 190kW, a peak torque of 320N · m, and a 100-kilometer acceleration time of 5.9S. Under CLTC conditions, the Changan Deep Blue SL03 has two battery life versions of 515km and 705km, of which the former has a power consumption of less than 12.3kWh/100km.

The SL03 extended range version adopts a direct connection structure between the engine and the generator to reduce the energy transfer path, and is supplemented by technologies such as high compression ratio depth Atkinson cycle. The fuel consumption in the feeding state is 4.5L/100km. Under CLTC conditions, the SL03 extended range version has a pure electric range of 200km, which can be increased to 1200km in extended range mode.

At the same time, the SL03 extended range version adopts technologies such as howling-based frequency conversion active control, energy management strategy, and extended range system active vibration suppression to improve fuel economy and vehicle NVH.

The SL03 hydrogen electric version is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell system, with a maximum power of 160kW. The CLTC operating condition feeds hydrogen consumption below 0.65kg/100km, and the comprehensive operating mileage exceeds 700km.

In terms of the chassis, the rear suspension of the new car adopts an H-arm multi-link independent suspension system, and the braking adopts a dual redundant system, which can set two modes of comfort and movement; the steering system architecture adopts brake pitch control and body roll control technology; in order to improve the vehicle handling, the new car also adopts a low center of gravity, a wide body, and four-wheel four-corner designs.

Take a look.

Changan Deep Blue, launched in April this year, is the youngest new energy brand under Changan Automobile. Unlike Avita, which focuses on the high-end market, Changan Deep Blue mainly targets the mainstream mass market.

As the first model released by Changan Deep Blue, the previously codenamed C385 Deep Blue SL03 will compete directly with Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal, two powerful competitors. From a design perspective, the overall shape of the Deep Blue SL03 is similar to Model 3 and Seal, but it has its own characteristics. It mainly caters to the preferences of young consumers, and places more emphasis on the combination of sports and technology.

But from the perspective of body size alone, the deep blue SL03 is significantly larger than the Model 3; in addition to the wheelbase, the length, width and high parameters are also slightly higher than the SEAL, and the rear legroom in the car is nearly 1 meter, which has certain advantages in the riding space. And in terms of configuration, the deep blue SL03 also basically includes the mainstream intelligent and comfortable configuration in the same class of models.

In terms of power, since the dark blue SL03 is the only model among the three that provides plug-in hybrid (extended range) power, in terms of alleviating the mileage anxiety of new energy consumers, the dark blue SL03 with one more choice is expected to achieve more sales incremental space. Even in terms of pure electric version, although the electric drive performance parameters of the dark blue SL03 are slightly inferior to the Model 3 rear-drive version and the Seal long-range rear-drive version, it is ahead of the two low-end models of the Seal, only slightly insufficient in terms of cruising range.

More importantly, as a mainstream market model for the purpose of volume, the price of the dark blue SL03 is much more favorable than that of the Model 3 and the Seal. Even the pre-sale price of the top version is only 230,000 yuan, which is only about 20,000 yuan higher than the bottom version of the Seal, not to mention the Model 3, which has risen to more than 290,000 yuan.

Of course, as a young brand that has only been established for two months, compared with Tesla and BYD, which have been established for more than 10 years, Changan Deep Blue lacks accumulation in terms of brand power. But considering the technical reputation accumulated by Changan’s previous independent achievements such as Blue Whale Power, SL03, which is the head of Changan Deep Blue, may not be able to break through in the fierce competition through technical endorsement and cost-effective advantages.

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