Industry: Apple has applied for a patent for a HUD head-up display system with a full range of imaging functions; Akio Toyoda, the head of Toyota Motor, said that the concept of electric vehicles has been over-hyped; IHS Markit predicts Global new light vehicle sales in 2021 will be 83.4 million units, an increase of 9 from 76.5 million units in 2020; GAC Group agreed to provide a 15 million yuan entrusted loan to the joint venture GAC NIO New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd.; Intel and Didi Chuxing Signed a strategic cooperation agreement; PSA (Peugeot Citro?n Group) and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Group) are accelerating the merger process of the two companies. It is reported that the two parties may officially complete the merger in January 2021; LG Chem plans to start to Tesla supplies its ultra-high nickel NCMA batteries. In terms of new cars: the Yundu π3 E-Shock Thermaltake version will be launched tonight. The new car is regarded as a new model of the current Yundu π3; Baoneng Motors will launch two new cars in 2021.
01
According to the US National Patent Office, they recently approved a patent application from Apple, which integrates a HUD head-up display with full range of imaging functions system. The system projects images and information not only on the car windows, but also on different surfaces that the driver can see. It is reported that this patent was filed by Apple in February 2019.
——Apple’s patents involving cars already include automotive lidar, autonomous navigation systems, cameras that can detect damage to car windows, upgradable CarKey, and even air-conditioning systems with built-in fragrance. You I am afraid no one would believe him if he said he would not enter the automobile industry.
02
At a time when new energy vehicles are being vigorously promoted around the world, Akio Toyoda, the head of Toyota Motor, said recently that the concept of electric vehicles has been over-hyped. The reason is It doesn’t take into account the carbon emissions from the electricity generation process and the cost of a complete transition to electric vehicles. Japan is a country that mainly relies on coal and natural gas for power generation. Akio Toyoda believes that electric vehicles are not very helpful to the environment. On the contrary, the more electric vehicles produced, the more serious carbon dioxide emissions will be. According to him, if all cars were driven by electricity, there would be a power shortage in Japan during the summer. In addition, if the comprehensive transformation of electric vehicles is to be completed, relevant infrastructure needs to be vigorously constructed, which will cost 14 trillion to 37 trillion yen (approximately 135 billion to 358 billion U.S. dollars).
——In fact, not only Japan, China is also a country that mainly produces coal-fired power.
03
We recently learned from IHS Markit that due to the recovery of global industry demand levels, especially major markets, global new light vehicle sales are expected to be 83.4 million units in 2021, an increase from 2020 Year-on-year sales increased by 9% to 76.5 million units. The forecast assumes an effective COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available by mid-2021, although the agency does not expect full vaccination until 2022. IHS Markit expects auto sales in 2020 to be 15% lower than in 2019. From a regional perspective, Europe's recovery prospects are complex, including a resurgence of the epidemic and continued restrictions, divergent economic support across countries, Brexit negotiations, and concerns about a third wave of the epidemic after the holiday season.
——As long as the epidemic is under control, everything is possible.
04
A few days ago, GAC Group issued the "Announcement on Resolutions of the 57th Meeting of the Fifth Session of the Board of Directors of GAC Group", which mentioned that GAC Group agreed to provide the joint venture GAC NIO New Energy Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. provided an entrusted loan of RMB 15 million. It can be seen that the 15 million yuan loan provided by GAC Group to GAC NIO is obviously needed to strengthen the latter's own development.
——For a car company, 15 million yuan is just a drop in the bucket.
05
Recently, Intel and Didi Chuxing signed a strategic cooperation agreement.
It is reported that the two parties will rely on their respective superior resources to carry out in-depth cooperation in the two major fields of cloud computing and autonomous driving, and to optimize and explore around the four dimensions of computing, storage platform, network and software. Specifically, Didi will use Intel's products and solutions to continuously optimize product performance and user experience. At the same time, both parties will also carry out refined management of infrastructure and explore more cooperation models in the field of data center construction. In the field of autonomous driving, Didi will also join hands with Intel to jointly explore the future development direction of autonomous driving based on Intel's IoT autonomous driving solutions and new generation Xeon processors.
——As autonomous driving matures, will Didi drivers be unemployed in a few years?
06
A few days ago, foreign media reported that PSA (Peugeot Citro?n Group) and FCA (Fiat Chrysler Group) are accelerating the process of merging the two companies. It is reported that the two parties may The merger will be officially completed in January 2021, and the new group will be named Stellantis. According to foreign media reports, the EU antitrust approval is expected to be passed by the end of 2020. Even if the time is delayed, the two companies still hope to hold a meeting on January 4, 2021 to obtain shareholder approval. If it is true as reported, with the successful merger of the two companies, the overall operation will save the company 5 billion euros per year, and representatives from both parties confirmed the goal of completing the merger in the first quarter of next year.
——If the merger is successfully completed, Stellantis Group will become the fourth largest automobile group in the world. However, whether it is Peugeot/Citroen or Fiat/Chrysler, their domestic performance is relatively mediocre. I wonder whether it will be able to survive after the merger. Bring new opportunities.
07
Recently, it has been reported online that Baidu may join forces with WM Motor to build cars. The two parties are currently discussing possible cooperation models. As of now, Baidu has said it has no comment; Weimar has not yet responded.
——In fact, Baidu Apollo and WM Motor have cooperated before. As early as 2017, Baidu invested 1 billion yuan in WM Motor. In September this year, WM Motor released its new IdeaL4 technology strategy, so the possibility of further cooperation between the two cannot be ruled out.
08
Recently, media reports stated that LG Chem plans to start supplying its ultra-high nickel NCMA batteries to Tesla within the next year. In terms of specific timing, this battery will be mass-produced in the second quarter of 2021 and is expected to be used in the Model Y and next-generation electric vehicles produced in Shanghai. According to reports, the nickel content in LG Chem’s ultra-high nickel NCMA battery cathode material has been increased to 90, while the cobalt content has been reduced to less than 5, which can provide at least 600km of cruising range on a single charge. News shows that the battery can begin mass production in the second quarter of 2021 and begin supply to Tesla in the second half of the year.
——High-nickel battery technology is already a trend, and CATL is also increasing investment in this direction. Who will become the industry leader deserves attention.
09
Lu Wei, Vice President of Research and Development of Baoneng Automobile Group, shared Baoneng Automobile’s product plans. It is reported that Baoneng Motors will launch two new cars in 2021, one is a luxury BEV (battery electric vehicle) and the other is a REV (extended range electric vehicle). In addition, there is also a PHEV model under development with a comprehensive cruising range of up to 1,000km.
——After successfully developing the xEV platform, Baoneng Motors has accelerated the pace of promoting new products. Whether the market can recognize it depends on its subsequent performance.
10
The Cloud Duo π3 E-Shock Thermaltake version will be launched tonight. The new car is regarded as a new model of the current Cloud Duo π3. Judging from the trailer, the overall shape is similar to that of Cloud π3, with some orange elements added to the details to highlight the contrasting and youthful design language. The front face of the new car uses a chrome trim strip combined with the design of the daytime running lights and the front hood to form a "π" shape, which is similar to the outline of the current Yundu π3. On the side of the body, you can see that the new car has added orange elements to the roof on the original basis.
The body length, width and height of Yundu π3 are 4340/1765/1610mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2602mm.
——With a good hand of cards, can Yundu turn around with new cars?
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.