On November 17th, Dongfeng NANO’s first pure electric car model, NANO 01, officially began pre-sale at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The new car is positioned as a “beautiful and intelligent national car”, with its unique features such as spacious interior, frameless doors, fully automatic parking with remote parking, and a ten-in-one electric drive, attracting the attention of many young consumers.
After the press conference, Sina Auto had an in-depth discussion with Chen Meng, the general manager of Dongfeng Nano, about the brand and products of Dongfeng Nano, and jointly explored the development vision of Dongfeng Nano in the new energy era. Chen Meng said, “The Dongfeng Nano brand is very new, and we want to create a national car, the second car for families, and also the first car for young people. This car is not a low-quality, low-priced model. It will have higher safety and fashion configurations. We need to abandon the engineer’s mindset and build this car with a customer-centric approach.” Only making high-quality cars priced between 70,000 and 120,000, creating a national favorite car. From 2000 to 2018, the Chinese automotive industry experienced nearly 20 years of rapid growth, and cars have become commonplace in households. Initially, cars were seen as large items, and consumers had high demands for their functionality, which needed to be rich. With the continuous improvement of the consumption level, many families now have a second car, which may be used in the city or occasionally go to the suburbs, with low requirements for endurance, while also being energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, making electric cars more popular. In this context, Chen Meng stated that the Dongfeng passenger car brand wants to launch a brand specifically for national cars, the second car for families, and the first car for young people. However, this car is not a low-quality, low-priced model. It will be equipped with some higher safety and fashion configurations, such as frameless doors, hidden door handles, etc. At the same time, the interior space of this national favorite car should be large, and the technology should be better.
In the national car market, electrification is becoming more and more of a focus for consumers, and Dongfeng NANO has seen this deep-seated need from users and accurately grasped this new trend in the market. As a result, with national cars as the main direction, Dongfeng NANO has brought the new NANO 01 model to users, integrating more prospects for a better life into this model and bringing a unique experience. In our conversation with Chen Meng, we also learned that in the process of creating the NANO 01, engineering thinking was abandoned, and it was completely based on user thinking. It not only has a high level of attractiveness, but also performs exceptionally well in terms of space, energy efficiency, and intelligent configuration. Dongfeng is one of the earliest companies to conduct research and development of new energy vehicles, with strong R&D capabilities and a strong layout of component resources. Chen Meng stated, “Our brand vision is to ‘realize everyone’s dream of a better travel’, and our brand positioning is ‘national pure electric professional brand’. We hope to make good products to give back to the brand and convey the brand’s warmth.”
In addition, he also emphasized that Dongfeng Nano does not produce hybrid models, it is a brand new brand aimed at the national pure electric market, only producing cars priced from 70,000 to 120,000. Dongfeng Nano strives to make the cars in this segment into high-quality products, making the greatest effort to transform the configurations that customers can perceive and some small joys encountered in their lives into customer usage scenarios. From the perspective of users, Nano 01 brings more surprises. Currently, the popular national cars on the market do not stand out in terms of space performance. Either they have a three-door four-seat design with almost no rear space, or they have a five-door four-seat layout, but the rear is too crowded, causing great inconvenience to users. Nano 01 has put a lot of thought into the interior space design. According to Chen Meng, Nano 01 is 4 meters long, but the wheelbase is 2660mm. Since electric cars do not have engines and gearboxes, a shorter wheelbase will result in a longer front and rear overhang, thereby increasing the internal space, with a space utilization rate of up to 66.7%. From this perspective, although Nano 01 may not look big, it has a large interior space. Even with all five seats occupied, the rear passengers still have ample head and lateral space. It is said that beauty is justice, but the current national cars seem to overlook the polishing of their designs. In the sub-market, most national cars take the route of being cute and adorable at first glance, which may seem fresh at first, but after seeing it too much, it can lead to some aesthetic fatigue.
Chen Meng also shared some key points about this. In terms of design, Dongfeng Nano has also devoted a lot of effort. It is reported that the Nano 01 showcases “big beauty intelligence”, equipped with frameless doors, hidden door handles, and LED headlights, enhancing the overall smoothness and fashion sense of the vehicle. In terms of intelligence, the Nano 01 is equipped with a 12.8-inch intelligent central control screen, with simple and direct touch operation. At the same time, the Nano Cloud Smart Connection system has functions such as travel appointment and real-time intelligent car search, greatly improving the car experience.
The NANO 01 is the only one in its class with fully automatic parking and remote parking, a feature typically found only in cars in the 200,000 yuan (27990$) range. As for “capability,” it refers to energy efficiency. Dongfeng NANO has developed a ten-in-one electric drive that is smaller in size and lighter in weight, with excellent energy efficiency. With the same battery or the same amount of electricity, it can run longer than other vehicles, making it more energy-efficient and cost-effective. As Dongfeng NANO insists, the national car we want to create is not low-priced or low-configured, but rather high-quality. It may be small in form, but its interior space is not small at all. The Dongfeng NANO brand targets the national car market, positioning itself as a “national pure electric professional brand,” focusing on pure electric vehicles for the national market, not entry-level or small cars, but national cars. With extreme quality and attention to detail, the brand’s philosophy is conveyed. “Products without a brand have no soul, and brands without strength cannot go far,” said Chen Meng. “The Dongfeng NANO brand is very new, and its brand influence is still in its infancy.” According to Chen Meng, in terms of brand building, Dongfeng NANO chooses to return to the essence of automobiles. After a long period of communication, collision, and continuous research, Dongfeng NANO defines its users as “designers of a better life.” Regardless of the economic conditions in your home, everyone aspires to a better life.
So, how to meet the pursuit of a better life by users? Dongfeng Nano combines user usage scenarios, conducts market research, investigates user car usage scenarios, car usage duration, charging habits, and so on. At the same time, Dongfeng Nano meets users’ demands for large space and easy parking through a short front and rear suspension design. It not only has a large space but also makes parking simple. It is also equipped with L2 level intelligent assisted driving. It is reported that the Nano 01 is the only model in this category equipped with fully automatic parking and remote parking functions. In addition, Chen Meng also shared some examples of user scenarios. He said that many of the target users’ car usage scenarios involve picking up and dropping off children at school or going to training classes. During the waiting time, they often browse Douyin, rest or put on makeup in the car. During the sharing, he proposed, “Why not take a rest during these fragmented times?” So the Nano 01 meets user needs, with a width of 1.8 meters and a wheelbase of 2660mm. The main and co-driver seats can be laid flat, and after removing the headrests, they can be connected to the rear seats, equipped with inflatable cushions, turning into a double bed seamlessly. While waiting for the children, you can take a nap in the car; when camping, you can let the children sleep comfortably inside. At the same time, the car’s interior quietness and sound system should also be improved. He also used scenarios as examples, such as taking a nap in the car, turning on the air conditioning, lying down for a while, if you can’t sleep, listen to music on the sound system, if you don’t want to listen to music, browse Douyin, our 12.8-inch large screen can directly mirror the phone to watch movies. At this moment, you will find that this car is your own space.
It is worth mentioning that the NANO 01 is also very user-friendly in terms of storage. It specifically provides a pair of shoes for female users in the car, and has a large storage box in the front compartment as well as one underneath the co-pilot’s seat, which can fit two pairs of high heels. In addition, the NANO 01 also has a drawer-style storage space for the co-pilot, with many grids inside for items such as lipstick and hair clips. Furthermore, there is a space specifically designed for handbags under the center armrest, where two handbags can be placed. With numerous detailed settings, Dongfeng NANO aims to let users experience the ultimate in quality and detail in the third space, conveying our brand concept of “ultimate beauty.” In summary, the appearance of the NANO 01 has shown the new power of the national pure electric vehicle. This model not only has a high aesthetic value, but also excels in space, energy efficiency, and intelligent configuration. It will become the vanguard force that Dongfeng Motors urgently needs to break through, and is also the leading role in proving the product value of Dongfeng NANO.