"Car News Weekly" priced at 400,000–600,000 yuan! The official images of Fangcheng Auto’s first model, the Leopard 5, have been unveiled; Tesla’s new Model 3 is already in mass production at its Shanghai Superfactory and may begin deliveries as early as October.

"Car News Weekly" priced at 400,000–600,000 yuan! The official images of Fangcheng Auto’s first model, the Leopard 5, have been unveiled; Tesla’s new Model 3 is already in mass production at its Shanghai Superfactory and may begin deliveries as early as October.

Car News Weekly

The special channel provides you with authoritative, comprehensive, timely, and compelling in-depth coverage, meticulously outlining the latest developments in the automotive industry—including news on autonomous driving, automakers' updates, and cutting-edge AI insights.

The central bank: We must further promote the high-quality development of China's new energy vehicle industry.

On August 17, the central bank released the Report on China's Monetary Policy Implementation for the Second Quarter of 2023. The report noted that in the next phase, efforts will be further intensified to promote the high-quality development of China's new-energy vehicle industry, accelerate the country's transformation into a global automotive powerhouse, and use high-quality supply to drive and create demand, thereby effectively boosting large-scale consumer spending such as automobiles. Specifically, this includes: first, enhancing technological innovation capabilities; second, building a new type of industrial ecosystem; and third, improving the infrastructure system.

Chongqing supports Changan Automobile, China Automotive Research Institute, and other industry leaders in spearheading the establishment of systematic innovation consortia.

On August 17, the Chongqing Municipal Government Information Office held the first press conference for the 2023 China International Intelligent Industry Expo. Chongqing will continue to implement major (priority) science and technology projects, supporting industry leaders such as Changan Automobile and China Automotive Research Institute to focus on national strategies and Chongqing's specific needs. These companies will take the lead in establishing systematic, mission-oriented innovation consortia, collaborating to tackle core technologies and promote their industrial applications.

Meanwhile, we will deeply implement the "Double Growth" action plan for high-tech and technology-based enterprises, continuously nurturing and expanding a group of innovative tech firms in the automotive sector. We will focus on fostering industry-leading companies, promoting integrated development among large, medium, and small enterprises, and building a robust innovation ecosystem for intelligent, connected, and new-energy vehicles.

Weekly Retail Trends of Passenger Vehicles in the National Market for the Second Week of August

Passenger vehicles: From August 1 to 13, retail sales in the passenger vehicle market reached 577,000 units, representing a 5% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year, and an 8% rise from the previous month. Year-to-date cumulative retail sales totaled 11.874 million units, up 2% compared to the same period last year.

New Energy Vehicles: From August 1 to 13, retail sales of new energy vehicles reached 208,000 units, representing a 38% year-on-year increase compared to the same period last year, and a 1% rise from the previous month. Year-to-date cumulative retail sales totaled 3.934 million units, up 36% compared to the same period last year.

In the second week of August 2023 (August 7–13), new energy vehicle sales reached 139,000 units, a 2% decrease from the previous week.

This week, BYD sold 44,400 vehicles, while Tesla delivered 13,800 units—both continuing their upward trend from last week. Aion reported sales of 10,500 vehicles, accounting for 9.9% of the market share. Meanwhile, XPeng Motors achieved sales of 2,800 vehicles this week, representing a 2.0% market share.

The official images of FANGCHENG's first model, the Leopard 5, have been released.

Recently, official images of the Leopard 5 were unveiled, showcasing the new vehicle's striking exterior design. Built on BYD's innovative DMO Super Hybrid Off-Road platform, the Leopard 5 is expected to feature the Cloud Ride-P intelligent hydraulic body control system. The car will make its highly anticipated debut at the Denza Brand & Technology Launch Event on August 16, with a projected market price around 400,000 yuan. Deliveries are scheduled to begin within the year.

The FANGCHENG Leopard also made its global debut with the "Leopard U-Turn," a maneuver achieved by reversing the front and rear wheels, enabling seamless turns even in tight road conditions—with a turning radius as low as 3.4 meters. Thanks to BYD’s Cloud Cushion intelligent vehicle body control system, specifically the Cloud Cushion-P version, the new model also supports adaptive body leveling and delivers up to 6 kW of external power output, perfectly catering to electricity needs for activities like camping.

The Leopard 5 boasts a remarkably comprehensive feature set, including an L2-level driving assistance system, automatic parking, a 50-inch AR-HUD, streaming media rearview mirrors, a -6 to 50°C dual-zone compressor refrigerator, a premium fragrance system, 11 airbags, Nappa leather seats, and a Dynaudio audio system with 18 speakers.

Mercedes-Benz Signs 5G Connected Car Patent Agreement

According to foreign media reports, Mercedes-Benz Group has become the first automaker to sign an agreement with the U.S. patent platform Avanci, gaining authorization to use 5G technology in its smart, connected vehicles. Mercedes-Benz will begin selling cars equipped with 5G technology in Germany starting August 17.

Avanci licenses cellular patents on behalf of telecom companies and other patent holders. Since its establishment in 2016, Avanci has steadily expanded its roster of patent licensors, which now includes Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Panasonic, Sony, and Huawei, among others.

With the growing popularity of smart connected vehicles, Avanci has already signed 4G patent licensing agreements with several automakers. To qualify for early-bird discount pricing, automakers must sign contracts either by February or before the first sale of their 5G-enabled smart connected cars. Notably, Avanci’s 5G initiative currently counts 58 licensors, including Samsung Electronics and Japan’s wireless carrier NTT Docomo.

Tesla's new Model 3 is now in mass production at the Shanghai Superfactory and could be available for delivery as early as October.

The production line for the new Model 3 at Tesla's Shanghai Superfactory was largely completed last month. Latest reports now suggest that the new Tesla Model 3 could debut in October.

It is understood that Tesla has set the initial monthly production capacity of the new Model 3 at 10,000 units, with output potentially reaching 7,000 units by August. Meanwhile, Tesla's Fremont, California factory will soon begin manufacturing the new Model 3—following multiple sightings of test vehicles on California roads in recent weeks.

IM Motors: Unveils "Roadmap for Laying Out Intelligent Driving Products Over the Next 3 to 5 Years"

On August 16, IM Motors held an open lecture titled "The Final Battle Before Full Self-Driving," during which it unveiled the "IM Motors Intelligent Driving Product Roadmap for the Next 3 to 5 Years." The company also announced that it will officially launch the public beta test of "IM AD City NOA" this October, marking its entry into the "City NOA Era" in sync with global industry leaders.

According to the roadmap unveiled by IM Motors, the company will accelerate the rollout of its intelligent driving products over the next 3 to 5 years. High-precision map-free NOA, urban NOA, and commuter mode—among other advanced driver-assistance features—will be launched one after another: "High-precision map-free NOA" will enter public beta testing in September; "Urban NOA," which kicked off internal testing back in April, is progressing smoothly and is set to debut in public beta this October; the "Commuter Mode" is expected to rapidly expand to cover more than 100 cities nationwide by 2024. By 2025, IM AD aims to usher in the "Door to Door" era, offering seamless, all-scenario commuting experiences.

Related news