The lion growls again？ Roewe D7 cross the rubicon and lift the table B-class auto market.

(Text/Editor Pan Yuchen/Zhang Guangkai) About 20 years ago, the ill-fated British national brand Rover moved around the world and finally settled in China: it became the first international brand of China automobile industry under the name of Roewe.

After the circulation of classic models such as Roewe 550 and Roewe RX5, Roewe has made its own sound in China’s own brands, but it is always one step away from touching the real industry head …

As the initiator of the concept of "new four modernizations", in recent years, SAIC has also faced the impact of a wave that has not changed for a hundred years. Roewe, backed by SAIC, has once again faced the key node of "elephant turning around" after crossing the ocean for more than ten years.

In 2006, the nascent Roewe brand

With the debut of "D Family" and the first model D7 at this year’s Chengdu Auto Show, the brand history of SAIC Roewe has finally opened a new chapter.

On November 8th, Roewe’s first medium-sized and large-sized car D7 was officially launched, and a total of six models were launched in plug-in hybrid DMH and pure electric EV. The price range of DMH version was 125,800-145,800 yuan, and the price range of EV version was 149,800-176,800 yuan.

At the same time, SAIC Roewe provides a series of preferential policies for car booking users, including the deposit of EV models in 1000 yuan to 7,000 yuan and the deposit of DMH models in 1000 yuan to 5,000 yuan; The price range of rights and interests of DMH version is reduced to 121,800-141,800 yuan, and the price range of rights and interests of EV version is 143,800-170,800 yuan.

In addition, Roewe D7 related benefits include: replacement subsidy of up to 5,000 yuan; 2,500 yuan for EV models to increase purchase subsidies; 24 installments with 0 interest; 6-year or 150,000-kilometer vehicle warranty for the first non-operating vehicle owner (lifetime warranty for three power systems); Free charging pile and installation service for the first non-operating owner; 3 years of free traffic in all fields.

The soul of two cars

Roewe D7 is positioned as a family car, but the overall design style also combines the aesthetic hobbies of young consumers. Its brand-new inductive design language is adopted, and the front face design with different styles is also applied according to different models.

Among them, the front face of the plug-in hybrid version of D7 DMH uses lightning integrated headlights, and the air intake grille adopts extended design elements to expand the visual effect of the whole vehicle; The pure electric version of D7 EV uses a closed front face and split headlights, which are slim in shape and simple in overall vision without losing the sense of technology.

Roewe D7 DHM

Viewed from the side of the car body, Roewe D7 forms a sporty but unobtrusive slip-back shape, the waistline adds a little muscle to the new car, and a hidden door handle is integrated. The specifications of the two lower five low-drag rims are unified as 225/50 R18.

Roewe D7 rear styling is more rounded, and the upper edge of the trunk is duck-tailed, which further increases the sense of movement. The taillights with inductive wings are slender and extend to both sides like wings.

Roewe D7 EV

In terms of body size, the Roewe D7 has a length, width and height of 4890/1890(1872)/1510mm and a wheelbase of 2810mm, which is slightly smaller than the standard B-class cars such as BYD Seal DM-i and Deep Blue SL03, but larger than the A+ class cars such as Geely Yinhe L6.

The car cockpit has been regarded as "the third living space" by some young users nowadays. Entering the interior, Roewe D7 is equipped with Yunsu intelligent cockpit, while emphasizing comfort and intelligence. The center console adopts the embracing horizon design theme, with straight lines and double color matching design, and the whole system comes standard with a 12.3-inch central control panel and a full LCD instrument panel, which significantly enhances the sense of fashion and technology of the vehicle;

In terms of comfort, Roewe D7′ s front zero-gravity cloud somatosensory seat adopts advanced suede and perforated seam design, 9 layers of materials, including high-thickness soft foam, adopts ergonomic U-shaped embracing design, and the inclination angle of the rear backrest reaches 118 to improve driving comfort. In addition, the Roewe D7 comes standard with the front seat reclining function to create a multi-scene switching interior space.

Thanks to the wheelbase of 2810mm, the rear legroom of Roewe D7 reaches 933mm and the knee space reaches 116mm.

Zero gravity cloud somatosensory seat

In addition, as a car, the trunk volume of Roewe D7 reaches 450L, which can accommodate four suitcases. The EV version is also equipped with a front reserve box with a volume of 101L L..

In terms of configuration, Roewe D7 comes standard with electric adjustment of main driver’s seat, front and rear central armrests, rear cup holder, automatic air conditioner, USB/Type-C interface, main and auxiliary airbags, front side airbags, keyless start/entry, and fixed-speed cruise;

Except for the minimum DMH 125km Beyond Edition, all other models are equipped with 10 speakers, indoor ambient lights, 360-degree panoramic images, transparent chassis, and front and rear air curtains;

At the same time, the three flagship models are also equipped with advanced configurations such as front seat heating, seat memory and main driving seat ventilation, and integrated with L2-class assisted driving system, including full-speed adaptive cruise and lane centering.

Car-machine interconnection has become an indispensable part of attracting young consumers. Roewe D7 is equipped with a brand-new zebra intelligent driving machine system, which supports dynamic wallpaper, "poached egg" battery life display (intuitive display of accessible range), seamless flow of handcart navigation, one-button synchronization of WeChat address, and also supports functions such as diverse voice reply, multi-meaning in one word (10 instructions are executed while speaking in one sentence), flashing assistant car memo, automatic planning of long-distance charging, etc. Navigation adopts the brand-new high-tech 650 engine, which can provide dynamic information display.

The power system is the core of the car. The Roewe D7 is equipped with two different power systems-the "soul" from SAIC:

The plug-in hybrid version of Roewe D7 DMH is equipped with a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine and a front permanent magnet synchronous motor. Relying on the electromechanical integration architecture of SAIC Everest, it adopts P1+P3+ one-gear direct drive arrangement, which can realize five driving modes.

Among them, the thermal efficiency of the 1.5L hybrid engine is more than 43%, the maximum power is 82kW, the maximum torque is 135Nm, the total power of the matched motor is 150kW, the total torque is 330Nm, and the 0-100km/h acceleration time is 7.9s. The lithium iron phosphate battery used for energy supply comes from SAIC Jiexin with a capacity of 21.4kWh. The fuel consumption of this system is 4.3L/100km, the cruising range of CLTC is 125km, and the comprehensive cruising range is 1400km, and it can charge the power from 30% to 80% within 30 minutes.

It is worth mentioning that Roewe D7 DMH also won the honor of "Top Ten Engines and Hybrid Systems" in the "China Heart" 2023.

The pure electric Roewe D7 EV is based on the pure electric platform of SAIC Nebula, and is designed with rear-drive architecture. According to different versions, the VGA six-in-one electric drive it is equipped with has the maximum power of 145kW and 155kW, the maximum torque of 310Nm and the acceleration of 0-100km/h of 6.5s；; According to different versions, the battery capacity of SAIC Times Rubik’s Cube for power supply is 59.2kWh and 69.5kWh respectively, and the corresponding CLTC pure battery cruising range is 510km and 610km respectively, and the power consumption is 12.9kWh/100km, and it can charge the battery from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes.

Aiming at battery safety, Rubik’s cube battery in SAIC Times has built a five-fold progressive protection system of "pre-guide, lie, separate and sparse" and passed the double acupuncture experiment. In terms of passive safety, Roewe D7 EV adopts a cage body with higher torsional stiffness, with a high-strength steel ratio of 64.64% and a torsional stiffness of 29 200 N m/deg.

The chassis of Roewe D7 DMH adopts the common front McPherson rear multi-link suspension combination at the same level; EV models are equipped with a five-link rear suspension, which matches world-class chassis suppliers such as SKF, Weiback and GF, and the chassis of SAIC Innovation and Research Institute is systematically adjusted to improve the driving quality. In addition, Roewe D7 also integrates CST comfort braking system to reduce brake nodding and avoid carsickness.

Constant ambition

It is worth mentioning that at this listing conference, SAIC Roewe also released the Roewe D Strategy, and announced the product plan for the next three years: after D7 and D5X, which will be unveiled at Guangzhou Auto Show, Roewe "D Family" will also launch pure electric medium-sized cars and pure electric medium and large SUV；; Plug-in medium-sized SUVs, plug-in large flagship MPVs, plug-in medium-sized MPVs, plug-in medium-sized SUVs, plug-in large SUVs and plug-in medium-sized cars, etc., and will complete the sales target of 1 million in 2025.

As the first model of Roewe "D family", Roewe D7 blew the offensive horn of SAIC Roewe, a traditional independent brand, on the new energy track. Therefore, its future market feedback is undoubtedly of great significance to the transformation of the "D family" and even the Roewe brand.

As far as the product itself is concerned, Roewe D7 has an overwhelming advantage over the joint-venture B-class cars represented by Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, not to mention the A-class and A+-class joint-venture cars with obvious premium such as Sagitar and Civic.

However, in the current China market, Roewe D7′ s real competitors have already been replaced by their own brand peers who "you sing and I come on stage". BYD Seal DM-i, Deep Blue SL03 and other advanced plug-in hybrid cars have taken the lead by virtue of their brand advantages. At the same time, Geely Yinhe L6, which is relatively small in size but low in price, is also an opponent that cannot be ignored by the former.

From top to bottom, from left to right: Roewe D7 DHM, BYD Seal DM-i, Deep Blue SL03 and Geely Yinhe L6.

In the relatively small pure electric market, in addition to Tucki P5, Deep Blue SL03 pure electric cars of the same class, BYD Seal EV, Tucki P7 and other pure electric cars with a price of more than 200,000 yuan are also putting pressure on 150,000-200,000 yuan models in the form of dislocation competition.

Therefore, the price has become the decisive threshold for Roewe D7 to create explosions; Therefore, SAIC Roewe needs to make a desperate decision.

So we can see that, on the premise of close size and matching configuration, the top model of Roewe D7 DHM (145,800 yuan) is lowered to the starting price of its direct rivals, Seal DM-I (166,800 yuan) and Deep Blue SL03 (156,900 yuan), which reshapes the market structure of B-class cars with the price of "more volume than volume".

In the pure electric car market with less competitive intensity, Roewe D7 EV is also expected to play a brand-new world with a starting price of less than 150,000 yuan under the pure level stage.

Compared with the former Roewe, the Roewe D7 has changed the design language, upgraded various configurations from comfort to technology, and introduced remarkable technologies … However, at the moment of frequent new brands and repeated iterations of new LOGOs, SAIC Roewe still retains the classic lion logo on D7, while retaining its ambition to conquer the market behind it.

Roewe Lion Image Source: vision china

The lion is the king of all animals. It represents auspiciousness, majesty and solemnity in China culture, and it is also a symbol of king and courage in the west. Driven by the core technology, Roewe D7′ s cross the rubicon this time has really realized the space and value of B-class cars, and has become a fierce competition with the price of A-class cars, showing the king’s bearing that a lion should have.

Although its sales prospects have yet to be verified, it is certain that the loud roar of SAIC Roewe after awakening is enough for the whole market to hear.