Testa's new model Y coming this March

Tesla will unveil its fifth car, the Model Y in March of 2019. The new EV is expected to be a crossover SUV that will be smaller than the model X and with a lower price tag.

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The model Y will use much of the Model 3's underlying technology. It should be a hit in the US where SUV sales are booming. Other EV's such as those of Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche will not be in direct competition with the model X. However two new vehicle announcements indicate there will be considerable competition in China a huge market of EVs.

NIOs ES6

The Chinese EV startup NIO launched the ES6 a smaller five seat successor to their first car the larger ES8. The ES6 is a more affordable version of the ES8. It will start at 358 thousand RMB or $51,000 US but that is before government subsidies bring the cost down. The Chinese government is promoting EVs.

The base model will have a 70kwh battery pack that will offer a substantial range of 410 km or 254 miles on a single charge or slightly more in performance trim about 267 miles. However, there will also be a model with a larger 84 kwh battery pack that will go quite a bit further about 480 km or 298 miles with the performance version eking out a bit more at 317 miles.

All versions of the ES6 are outfitted with dual electric motors and will be loaded with Tesla-like tech. There is a 11.3 touchscreen between the dashboard and the center console. There is another screen beyond the steering wheel that replaces the conventional instrument cluster. There is also a heads up display that shows critical info such as speed in the drivers' field of view. There are also sensors that provide driver assistance such as lane keep and adaptive cruise control.

The ES6 has its own unique features such as an AI system called NOMI a robot that sits on top of the dashboard. It even has an intelligent fragrancing system to offer a more pleasant experience to occupants.

The ES8

The ES8 starts at about $68,000 US dollars before discounts and has a range of about 355 kilometers or about 220 miles on a charge. The price is about half of what the Tesla Model X sells for in China. As of now Tesla cars do not qualify for incentives and subsidies since they are imported. However, Tesla has agreed to build a factory in China. Other car makers have partnered with Chinese companies to enter the Chinese market.

The company has developed a quick battery-swapping system that can change the ES8 battery pack in just three minutes. The company intends to build 1,100 battery-swapping stations around China by 2020. This should help with long haul trips.

NIO has financial backing from Chinese tech giants such as Tencent and Baidu. It recently received a $1 billion round of funding. It plans to bring its EVs to the US in 2020.

The Xpeng G3.

Another Chinese EV maker Xiaopeng or Xpeng just officially announced its first all-electric EV the G3. Xpeng is backed by Foxconn and the giant Alibaba and is valued at around $3 billion already. It has borrowed heavily in concept designs from Tesla's Model X.

However the G3 does not seem an obvious clone of the Model X or Model Y. The G3 will start at just 227,800 RMB or just a bit below $33,000 US and that is before any government subsidies. As with the NIO it has a massive Tesla-like touch screen in the dashboard. It has a battery pack that should last around 230 miles on a single charge.

Timeline for the vehicles

Xpeng is already taking orders for the G3 and claims that it is ready to start deliveries. NIO has opened up preorders for the ES6 just this week with deliveries to start in June 2019. Government subsides could reduce the price of cars up to $10,000 depending upon where the cars are delivered.

Tesla's timeline for offering the Model Y in China is not clear. It is not even clear where Tesla will build the SUV. Elon Musk said the target date is 2020 for production but has not yet said where it will be produced whether in the US or China. Both NIO and Xpeng are far behind Tesla in EV production. Production of the ES8 of NIO was begun only in June and it has only made 10,000 or so cars. Xpeng is even further behind. Tesla cars are now sold in China but those manufactured in the US will face tariffs that could make them more expensive than any Chinese competitors.

Previously published in Digital Journal