Written by “Transforming from a Chinese automotive manufacturer to a global technology mobility company” is the strategic direction proposed by Wei Jianjun on the 30th anniversary of Great Wall Motors. This is also the choice made by Great Wall Motors, which sells over a million vehicles annually, at a pivotal moment in the century-long transformation of the automotive industry.How to transform is the question Great Wall Motors is contemplating, and what changes will occur in their vehicle models after becoming a technology company? What impact will this have on consumers’ car buying and usage? These are the questions that AutoLab is most concerned about.
With these questions in mind, I visited the Great Wall Motors joint exhibition booth during the Beijing Auto Show and interviewed Song Dongxian, Vice President of Technology at Great Wall Motors, and Li Peng, Digital Executive Officer of the Product Digitalization Center at Great Wall Motors, focusing on the “Lemon Platform” and “Coffee Intelligence”. The “Lemon Platform”, “Tank Platform”, and “Coffee Intelligence” are important carriers of Great Wall Motors’ transformation into a technology company. Understanding these platforms will help us address the questions raised earlier.Lemon Platform: More Cost-Effective New Cars and a Wider Range of ChoicesWhat is the Lemon Platform? The official explanation is that it is a high-intelligence modular platform launched by Great Wall Motors for the next decade, covering 438 basic modules and 113 standard modules. The “Lemon Platform” can accommodate A0 to D-class SUVs, sedans, and MPVs, and will be compatible with various power types including traditional, hybrid, pure electric, and hydrogen fuel cell. The third-generation Haval H6, Haval Chulian, and Ora Good Cat showcased at this auto show all come from the Lemon Platform.
Although named the “Lemon Platform”, it resembles a “framework” more than a traditional platform. The term “platform” is commonly used in the automotive industry, while “framework” is more of a software industry term. Compared to traditional automotive development platforms like “MQB” and “Delta 2”, the approach of the “Lemon Platform” is entirely different; it does not have a fixed physical chassis or a uniform layout and powertrain combination scheme, making it difficult to compare with any well-known platform.
The operation of the “Lemon Platform” is more akin to the “ARM architecture” in the software field. Similar to the “ARM architecture”, the “Lemon Platform” also develops many excellent, universal, and quickly deployable “modules” that help shorten the R&D cycle and enhance product performance.The “Lemon Platform” is like building with Lego, breaking down the vehicle development into different modules, and then developing core components like engines and transmissions that meet various performance needs, ultimately selecting and assembling modules according to the vehicle model’s requirements. This not only increases the parts sharing rate among different models, reduces development costs, and shortens the R&D cycle but also makes vehicle development more flexible, avoiding the “nested doll” approach.
“When developing the ‘Lemon Platform’, one principle was to ensure that each product has sufficient competitiveness while also ensuring the platform’s modularity and series production. Therefore, we need to invest more effort into detailed modular development, which is the biggest difference between the ‘Lemon Platform’ and other platforms,” explained Song Dongxian, Vice President of Technology at Great Wall Motors, when discussing the advantages of the “Lemon Platform”.
Such a highly compatible and high parts-sharing rate, along with the detailed modular development of the “Lemon Platform”, can bring many benefits to consumers. The most obvious is improved product quality; the “Lemon Platform” can effectively control R&D and manufacturing costs, thereby enhancing the performance of each vehicle model. For example, the third-generation Haval H6 has applied a higher proportion of high-strength steel compared to its predecessor, achieving a weight reduction of 100 kilograms, resulting in a better driving experience and improved fuel economy. Additionally, the high compatibility of the “Lemon Platform” allows for the development of models that meet different user needs, providing consumers with a wider range of choices.Coffee Intelligence: Smarter Companionship and Safer Vehicle ConnectivityThe “Coffee Intelligence” system consists of three main components: a new electronic and electrical architecture, autonomous driving, and intelligent connectivity. The trendy concept car showcased at this Beijing Auto Show is equipped with “Coffee Intelligence”, and the first mass-produced vehicle featuring “Coffee Intelligence” will be the flagship model of the WEY brand, set to be released by the end of this year.
The core concept of “Coffee Intelligence” is the integration of dual intelligence, which connects the intelligent cockpit and autonomous driving technology, providing users with a unified AI service. As Li Peng, Digital Executive Officer of the Product Digitalization Center at Great Wall Motors, stated: “Our autonomous driving technology will perfectly integrate with the intelligent cockpit, not only providing users with different levels of autonomous driving but also allowing them to experience the convenience brought by autonomous driving during actual interactions.”
In terms of electronic and electrical architecture, “Coffee Intelligence” is designed with foresight, supporting gigabit Ethernet, 5G, V2X, etc., providing strong scalability for autonomous driving and intelligent cockpits. Great Wall Motors has also taken the lead in implementing functional safety and information security analysis processes for the entire vehicle, becoming the first automotive company to receive information security certification from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center.
The intelligent cockpit displayed by Great Wall Motors at the Beijing Auto Show What kind of experience can cars equipped with “Coffee Intelligence” bring to consumers? Li Peng, Digital Executive Officer of the Product Digitalization Center at Great Wall Motors, explained that “Coffee Intelligence” will turn cars into mobile smart terminals that constantly sense and meet the owner’s needs, making cars a smart companion.The “Lemon Platform” and “Coffee Intelligence” embody Great Wall Motors’ reflections on how to transform from a Chinese automotive manufacturer to a global technology mobility company. As consumers, we also feel the upgrades in product experience brought about by this transformation, and we look forward to more models derived from the “Lemon Platform” and equipped with “Coffee Intelligence” that can provide us with a user experience filled with humanistic care.
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