Reporter Miao Shiyu
Lotus will gradually reduce the use of LiDAR and improve the perception ability of large model technology to more accurately judge road conditions, "said Feng Qingfeng, CEO of Lotus Technology, in an interview with Daily Economic News during the 2024 Chengdu Auto Show.
At this year's Chengdu Auto Show, Lotus unveiled models such as the EMEYA Fanhua R+Black Gold Edition, EMEYA Fanhua Dark Edition, EMEYA Fanhua Platinum Edition, EMIRA Champion Road Racing Photo Training Edition, as well as the world's first pure electric supercar SUV ELETRE, further showcasing Lotus' achievements in the fields of electrification and intelligence.
According to Feng Qingfeng, Lotus plans to release a new car by the end of 2025 and launch a new car in the first quarter of 2026. In addition, Lotus will also be the first to release new vehicle technologies at this year's Guangzhou Auto Show.
We will make a 'subtraction' on the intelligent driving technology roadmap
With the acceleration of the transformation of automobiles to new energy, intelligent driving technology is constantly being promoted, and the emergence of various technological routes has made the market's discussion on the future direction of intelligent driving technology increasingly fierce.
Lotus, as a brand positioned as a million level luxury pure electric vehicle, is the first supercar brand to propose "All in" electrification and intelligence. Regarding the exploration of technological routes, Feng Qingfeng told reporters that Lotus' technological route is to do "subtraction", and in the future, "pure visual+end-to-end" will be the technological trend.
In Feng Qingfeng's view, "end-to-end" can be understood from two aspects. The first understanding is the physical location. From end A to end B, no matter what technology route is used, as long as it can be implemented, it can be from end A to end B. Another approach can be understood from a technical and software perspective, which is the "end-to-end" big model.
For Lotus, the 'end-to-end' big model is the first thing we need to achieve. We will first integrate the front-end perception and regulation together, then integrate other aspects, and finally become a big model. Feng Qingfeng told reporters that the production of the big model is not done overnight, but is achieved step by step, first achieving high-speed NOA, then achieving urban NOA, and finally integrating.
However, Feng Qingfeng stated that Lotus will not remove the laser radar on the car until it has been trained to a certain degree of perception. Lotus currently uses four laser radars and will reduce it to one in the future. Before training the pure visual large model to 99.99999%, this LiDAR is necessary, "said Feng Qingfeng.
I will never get involved in a price war
According to Lotus' first half of 2024 performance report, Lotus achieved a total revenue of $398 million during the reporting period, a year-on-year increase of 206%; The sales revenue of goods was 383 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 207%; The gross profit was 21 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 246%.
However, in the current competition in the automotive market, having good technology is not enough to impress consumers, especially in the current environment of price competition to achieve higher "cost-effectiveness". The market space of luxury brands has been compressed, and many multinational luxury brands have adopted price reduction marketing measures.
Regarding this, Feng Qingfeng emphasized to reporters that "Lotus will never be involved in a price war, and car companies will one day end the price war." According to Feng Qingfeng, Lotus already has an E-Class SUV and will launch a D-class SUV in the future, with prices continuing to decline.
Photo by journalist Kong Zesi (source image)
In addition, Lotus has proposed a new strategy of "Win26" to further optimize internal processes and structures, readjust product plans to cater to the diversified global market, and achieve EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) and operating cash flow normalization by 2026.
In terms of the technology investment period, Lotus' peak investment has passed, and we will mainly continue to upgrade and iterate our technology in the future, "said Feng Qingfeng. Lotus is a lightweight operating company that will further reduce costs through research and development, branding, and marketing, and the increase in sales volume will also share more costs.
Feng Qingfeng told reporters that Lotus will maintain sales in the United States, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region in the future, while increasing sales in China and Europe.
But currently, some countries have changed their policies towards China's electric vehicles going global, and going global also faces new risks. Regarding this, Feng Qingfeng said, "So far, Lotus has been continuously raising prices. After Europe imposed tariffs, Lotus will also raise prices in Europe. The United States is also imposing tariffs, and we will reposition electric vehicles. The definition of products in the United States will also change. Eletre in the United States will officially start delivery in the first quarter of next year
We expect to deliver 2500 to 2600 vehicles in the US market this year. Our delivery target for next year is approximately 18000 vehicles, "said Feng Qingfeng. In addition, the reporter also learned that the Chinese name of Lotus brand will be changed from Lotus to Lotus in the future, and the relevant procedures are currently being promoted.