The price of the new Xingtu Lanyue has increased, and Chery’s high-end transformation is struggling

With the overall consumption upgrade of China’s automobile market and the increase in the number of young family users, the market popularity of medium and large SUVs emphasizing comfort is gradually increasing. During this period, with the help of the Dongfeng of new energy vehicles, independent brands are also constantly grabbing the market dominated by traditional joint venture brands in the past. Chery, which has always hoped to make a difference in the high-end market, is no exception, but it has suffered repeated setbacks in recent years.

On April 9, Chery Star Road based on M3X Mars Architecture 2.0 to create a new generation of Star Road Lunar officially launched. The new car launched a total of 6 models, the price range is 189,900 – 233,900 yuan, compared with the previous generation models have risen.

Xingtu Lanyue was first released as a concept car in 2019, originally codenamed Xingtu VX. In early 2021, Xingtu Lanyue was officially named and listed, and the price range was 168,900-229,900 yuan. However, after that, the seemingly good product of Xingtu Lanyue encountered Waterloo when it was sold. The sales volume in the first year of listing was only a little over 1,000 units. After that, it quickly disappeared from the market, and even the specific sales data was difficult to check. In addition to the relatively high price in the independent brand, the use of dual-clutch transmission, central control screen card and other factors have led to the decline of the model’s reputation.

After a lapse of two years, the new generation of Starway with 8AT and triple screens has once again carried Chery’s dream of reaching high.

In terms of appearance, the front air intake grille of the new car adopts a polygonal shape and a straight waterfall-style middle net design; the side of the car body adopts a relatively tough double waist line design, matching the 20-inch dense spoke chrome-plated rim; the rear roof is equipped with a hollow spoiler, and the taillight group adopts a through-type design supplemented by chrome-plated rim decoration.

Xingtu Lanyue is positioned as a medium and large SUV. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4970/1940/1792mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2900mm. The internal space provides two layouts of 6 and 7 seats. In terms of comfort configuration, the new car is equipped with the main driver’s leather seat and heating function as standard. The medium and high-end version adds high-level configurations such as ventilation and massage. In addition to the above configuration, the co-pilot also adds functions such as electric adjustment leg supports; the second-row seats also have heating, ventilation, armrests and other configurations.

The central control of the new car adopts a wraparound design. The biggest change is the triple screen composed of the dashboard, central control screen, and passenger display, with a built-in Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 car-grade chip and a Chery Lion ecosystem.

In terms of power, the new generation of Xingtu Lanyue is equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with a maximum power of 192kW and a peak torque of 400N · m. It is matched with an Aisin 8-speed automatic transmission, and is equipped with a full-speed adaptive cruise system as standard. The high-end model is also equipped with BorgWarner’s sixth-generation four-wheel drive system.

Compared with competing products, Xingtu Lanyue, with an average price of about 200,000 yuan, still has certain advantages in cost performance when compared with joint venture models of the same level. However, Xingtu is limited by its own brand power, which may continue to restrict the play of its products.

At the same time, after the launch of the new generation of Xingtu Lanyue, it is not only facing traditional joint venture medium-sized SUVs such as Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Touon, and Honda Guandao, but also including BYD Tang, Ideal L7/L8, Wei Brand Blue Mountain and other independent brand plug-in hybrid models. To rewrite the experience that the previous generation model was not a success, the difficulty of Xingtu Lanyue is also self-evident.

Title: The price of the new Xingtu Lanyue has increased, and Chery’s high-end is struggling

Editor: He Bao

Editor in charge: Wu Jian

Review: Xu Jing