Electrification and intelligence are transforming every market segment, and the million-dollar market is no exception.
As one of the "world's top three sports car manufacturers", under the guidance of the vision80 strategy, Lotus has taken the lead in the market layout of all in electrification and intelligence, ushering in a period of rapid brand development. After the successive launch of new models such as EMIRA, Evija and Eletre, the first million-yuan pure electric four-door supercar sedan, Emeya, also ushered in its debut at the Guangzhou Auto Show last month.
In this market segment, if the Porsche Panamera is the king of traditional fuel vehicles, and the Tesla Model S is a powerhouse of electrification, then Lotus Emeya wants to rewrite the market pattern, and there is only one way: to be a redefiner of value standards.
The value of design is not only in the service of power, but also in handling and range
The design aesthetics of the million-dollar sedan have actually always had quite mature standards: lightweight, low-lying body posture, ultra-low wind resistance, both the Panamera and the Model S follow this standard, nothing more than the pursuit of a sportier style, and better aerodynamic design to serve the dynamic performance.
In the era of electrification, the high-horsepower motor drive makes it possible to increase the power without technical obstacles, so the value of the design is more to improve the range and obtain better handling stability. In this direction, Lotus Emeya shows the almost "crazy" approach of an established sports car manufacturer.
The pore design inherited from the 20 million yuan track version of the supercar Lotus Evija appeared for the first time on the Emeya, which is also the only model in the million-class sedan that adopts the pore design. Through a series of wind tunnels, excess material is removed and weight is reduced, which not only makes the Emeya more visually supercar-like, but also improves driving stability and prevents thermal degradation of brakes.
To add insult to injury, Lotus has added up to four active aerodynamic packages to the Emeya, balancing drag, downforce and lift with an active grille, active air dam, active rear diffuser and active double-layer rear wing. Among the million-class sedans, there is no other car that can boast so many aerodynamic packages. This results in a drag coefficient of 021, and has a maximum of 150kg supercar-level downforce, and the range has been increased by 23 km.
While other manufacturers were still thinking about how to reduce wind resistance to improve range, Lotus directly delegated the track-level design to Emeya, and raised the aerodynamics to a new level in the million-dollar level for the sake of handling and endurance.
The value of performance should not only be fast, but also stable and efficient
In the era of electrification, the performance value of a car is not only based on power and handling, but also on the comprehensive strength of the entire electrical architecture.
At present, mainstream electric vehicles have begun to adopt a large number of 800V architecture, but 800V is rare in million-level cars. Porsche has long unveiled its own 800V platform, but there is currently only one electric version of the Taycan. Although Tesla has certain advantages in three-electric technology, the overall architecture is still stuck in the 400V platform.
The Lotus EMEYA adopts a true "native" 800V architecture, which is supported by the full 800V high-voltage EPA electric performance architecture, which not only consumes less energy, but also has higher energy replenishment efficiency. EMEYA can achieve a range of 180 kilometers in 5 minutes and from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes.
On this basis, EMEYA is equipped with high-performance dual motors, both of which use SiC silicon carbide modules, with a maximum output of 675kW, a maximum torque of 985N·m, a maximum speed of 256km h, and an acceleration of 100 kilometers in just 278 seconds. Only dual motors can achieve such tuning, not to mention compared with fuel vehicle opponents, even compared with electric vehicle opponents, and have left their opponents behind.
With a set of 6D intelligent chassis and Lotus 75 years of track tuning experience, EMEYA is not blindly stupid and fast, but can still give above the level of handling and comfort performance, this set of 6D intelligent chassis is equipped with dual-chamber air suspension, 48V active stabilizer bar, rear-wheel steering technology, can achieve six dimensions of chassis control, up to 3With 5° rear-wheel steering and a braking distance of less than 33m, it strikes a balance between sporty handling and comfort.
When fast is no longer an unattainable goal, stability and efficiency are the new value of millions of dollars.
The value of intelligence, the luxury standard of the new era
The luxury standard of the new era is changing from the traditional material workmanship to the "technology luxury" represented by intelligence, which is becoming a value that high-end users are increasingly valuing. In this regard, Lotus is clearly more forward-thinking than other overseas brands.
Needless to say, the mainstream intelligent configurations such as voice interaction, panoramic canopy, and streaming ** rearview mirrors are also unambiguous in the underlying intelligent hardware. The EMEYA is equipped with 34 intelligent driving sensors, including 4 lidars and 2 4D millimeter-wave radars, and 2 NVIDIA Orin X intelligent driving chips are built-in.
On the basis of this hardware, EMEYA is equipped with high-speed road assist and full-scene parking assist as standard, which can realize ACC adaptive cruise + lane centering + lever lane change and automatic parking functions in the full speed range. After the optional high-end intelligent driving package, it can also realize automatic overtaking on elevated and high-speed highways, automatic ramp change and other functions. In addition, the multiple computing power redundancy brought by top-level hardware means that EMEYA's intelligent driving capabilities can continue to be upgraded in the future.
The value of intelligence has not yet been seen by most brands, and many superluxury brands are still trying their best to polish and pursue the ultimate performance, but ignore the comfortable experience brought by intelligent technology to users. And Lotus Emeya is already ahead of its competitors.
Conclusion:
The new era requires new value, and the market in the era of electrification will definitely be transformed by a new value system. If car companies are still stuck in the original value system, then the product level will inevitably become more and more lackluster. From the very beginning, Lotus decided to be all in electrification and intelligence, in fact, it was to abandon the baggage of the past and start with the establishment of a new value system. As a niche market segment, the value system of the million-level car market is often the most difficult to change, and this road seems to be difficult, but once it is on the track, it can become a new leader in the market. Now it seems that the time for market change is coming, and EMEYA, the culmination of the Lotus Vision80 strategy, is the best work to redefine the million-level pure electric market, and it is also the active choice of the market.
It is reported that the Lotus Emeya will be officially launched in early 2024 and is expected to be delivered within 50 days, when this car will become the most anticipated and worthwhile product in the million-level luxury market.
Text: Youshi Automobile, Old Cannon).
Note: The picture comes from the Internet, the rights belong to the original author, and thank you!This article only represents the author's personal views and does not represent the position of Youshi Auto.