BEIJING: In China, electric vehicles (EVs) with built-in fridges and even in-car karaoke systems are considered passé. Instead, carmakers are turning to increasingly novel add-ons from beds to cooktops to boost sluggish sales.
Top EV makers are facing a slowdown in demand at home as consumers curb spending, just as geopolitical tensions with major Western economies cloud the outlook for exports.
Meanwhile for smaller players, the ability to think creatively is core to their survival, with the cut-throat industry bracing for a likely wave of consolidation as China looks to rein in the excesses left behind by years of generous subsidies.
The high-tech offerings also highlight the risk for Western manufacturers should they fall even further behind in carving out market share in the world’s biggest auto market.
China-made vehicles are viewed by local customers as better suited to their extensive technology demands and preference for high levels of connectivity.
“While legacy automakers still only focus on the drivability of a car, Chinese companies are not satisfied with that,” Wang Binggang, an Xpeng Inc salesperson, said in a showroom in central Shanghai. “We are extending the possibilities to all kinds of living and recreational scenarios, and that’s part of the reason why customers love e-cars these days.”
Just one click on the in-car display in Xpeng’s G9, a sport-utility vehicle (SUV) with a starting price at 263,900 yuan and it turns into a bed that comfortably sleeps two people.
Drivers who install the so-called sleeping kit feature are able to make both front and back seats lay completely flat, then watch as a double-size air mattress unfolds and is automatically inflated.
The company is looking to muscle in on China’s increasingly popular camping culture, but the car may also prove a hit with desk jockeys enduring the country’s notoriously gruelling office hours and looking for a place to nap.
The feature was an unexpected saviour for some families during February’s Lunar New Year holiday. Long waits at charging stations, traffic jams that lasted for hours and snowstorms that left tens of thousands of drivers stranded across the country saw many in sudden need of a safe place to sleep.
One of the most notable features of an EV is how much quieter, and smoother to accelerate, it is compared with a combustion-engine car. But the downside is that it can cause or worsen motion sickness. And the way an EV’s brakes work can also add to the feeling of imbalance for some drivers and passengers.
Hangzhou-based Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd says it has solved that problem in its Galaxy E8 electric sedan, which vibrates at 1.25 hertz – the same as a human heartbeat – when the car is driving on undulating terrain.
The car, which went on sale on Jan 5 and starts at US$24,450, also has a braking system that minimises the jerking sensation often noticed by people when they first start driving an EV.
Li Auto Inc’s L-Series has become one of the most popular SUV ranges in China, offering spacious interiors, extended-range capabilities and in-built massagers in its seats. While that’s seen a sales boom, it’s also given rise to challengers looking to make their own mark among the country’s middle-class families.
That includes Rox Motor Tech, a startup established in 2021 by the founder of a robot vacuum maker, which is looking to win over lovers of the outdoors. Its first production model, the Polestones 01, includes a rear-mounted camping-style kitchen with an induction cooker and water dispenser. — Bloomberg
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