It is said that no matter what car they bought and drove when they were young, the final destination of the "househusbands" after starting a family is still an odyssey. This is enough to prove that the largest consumer group of MPV is actually home users. However, looking at the MPV models sold in the Chinese auto market, most of them are mainly business-oriented, and the body length is often about 5 meters, which is very unfriendly to novice drivers and narrow parking spaces in big cities.
Honda is the first car brand to discover this pain point, so in the first 20 years of this century, the Odyssey became the first place in the domestic household MPV market, and in the three months of this year, the Odyssey was still able to achieve monthly sales of about 3,000 units. GAC Trumpchi M6 and Wuling Jiachen, which are also positioned, sold 4,330 and 3,526 units respectively in November, plus the sales of about 3,000 units of the Odyssey, there will be a sales market of about 10,000 units every month. That's a lot for the compact MPV market.
Perhaps smelling the demand of the market, a new MPV camouflage road test car codenamed CM2E by ZEEKR was recently tested by netizens**. From the ** point of view, the second MPV model of ZEEKR has a rounded silhouette and a very restrained length.
In the front face part, CM2E has a front face design in the style of ZEEKR 007, such as a through-type light curtain, "squinting" headlights, and black decorative strips connected to the fenders on both sides to clarify its identity.
On the side of the body, you can see that the body length of the CM2E is very restrained. The arrangement of the wheels is "four wheels and four corners", giving more space and volume to the interior of the car. The CM2E has a double A-pillar design to ensure a front-of-the-side view. There is a high probability that the doors will use concealed door handles. The rear of the car has a very simple design, with the license plate frame positioned on the bumper, and the same continuous taillights as the 007.
The CM2E also features a split side sliding door scheme that is thicker than many MPVs of the present day, and also wraps around the lower edge of the door frame. From the ** point of view, the floor of CM2E is still very low, which is more friendly to the elderly and children in the family car scene. In terms of technology and performance, the CM2E is expected to be based on the vast platform like the ZEEKR 007, equipped with an 800V platform and a silicon carbide rear motor.
Objectively speaking, each model of the ZEEKR or Lynk & Co brand is very stable in terms of materials and overall performance, with a high lower limit. But after all, the family compact MPV is a niche and unpopular market segment, whether the ZEEKR CM2E can break through this limitation and reach monthly sales of about 3,000 units, Xiwen feels hopeful.
First, the same type of "SUV" does not sell badly
Looking back at the models on sale in the market, which are attached to the SUV category and can essentially be classified as MPVs, they are actually not selling badly - GAC Trumpchi Aion Y is an example. The boxy shape, the ground clearance that is not much different from that of a sedan, the four corners of the wheels, the body specially optimized for the riding space, and the iconic triangular windows of the MPV model, all kinds of MPV characteristics appear in an SUV model. Xiwen believes that in terms of chassis, body structure, and functionality, Aion Y should be defined as an MPV model.
In November, the Aion Y sold a total of 22,355 units, ranking fifth on the SUV list. Whether it is the online car-hailing market or a small number of home buyers, they have actually affirmed the functionality of this type of model to a certain extent. In addition to Aion Y, some manufacturers have also launched corresponding models, such as Venucia's VX6, which is nominally an SUV, but in fact it is more like an MPV model.
In addition to the above two models, ZEEKR 001 can also be regarded as an "MPV" model that focuses on space practicality, and the condition for classification is that it is easy to get on and off the car under the floor;The hatchback boot space and openings are large enough to be ideal for home.
Second, the popularity of MPV is gradually rising, and a big favorable environment is coming
On the first day of 2024, Xpeng took the lead in releasing its first MPV model, the X9. At last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, Ideal also unveiled its first MPV model, Ideal MEGA. As the two major Internet car companies and large traffic users, they naturally smell the market demand and want to take the lead.
In fact, as early as two years ago, when Toyota Sena was ready to be introduced, it also set off a lot of MPV popularity, and at that time, many car companies followed suit and launched MPV models. But in the end, it was found that for example, Buick Century, GAC Trumpchi M8, Roewe IMAX8, almost all models are stained with business attributes, and they still can't let go of the business market cake, and they are still involved in the route of business MPV, including ZEEKR 009, which is also focused on business attributes.
But in the end, MPV will return to the home attribute, and it is very likely that it will be the new power brands that focus on the home. At the beginning, the ideal force adopted the extended range scheme, which was spurned by tens of thousands of people, and today, the extended range plug-in hybrid has revitalized many car companies. Think about it, to a certain extent, the ideal has become the foresight of the new force in car manufacturing?Is it true that when the ideal stands on a high place and raises its arms and shouts: "Everyone comes to make MPV", the market for household MPVs can really heat up?
Summary:
Judging from the current point in time, we may think that it is a loss-making business for car companies to build MPVs. But you must know that the commercial cars we can buy in the market actually have a development and project approval cycle of more than 2 years, that is to say, car companies are laying out in advance for the follow-up. Xiwen would like to ask you a question, if there is an MPV model that looks good enough to support the façade, and is small enough to drive a large space, will you choose?I think I would. In Xiwen's view, SUV is not the best solution for family cars, as the domestic road conditions are getting better and better, MPV models that are more convenient to get on and off the car and better use of space will become an alternative to SUVs in the future. Do you think MPVs will become mainstream models in the future?Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.