[Aika Automobile 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show, Original]
The 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show is about to open. As the year-end test of the automotive industry, this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show, major car companies will routinely release their new cars and future development plans. The total number of cars on display reached 1,132. Among them, the new models released are naturally the most worthy of attention. Therefore, we have selected a number of blockbuster new cars worth paying attention to at this auto show, and what are the highlights of these new cars?
The New Toyota Prado: Off-Road Old Cannon Excitement Car
The new Toyota Prado (codenamed LC250) was officially released on August 2 this year. The new car is based on the Toyota TNGA-F architecture and is jointly developed with the new Lexus GX. The exhibitor will be the domestic Prado produced by FAW Toyota. According to the plan, FAW Toyota will be put into production at the Chengdu plant in 2024 and will be officially launched in mid-2024. The estimated price is about 470,000 yuan.
Referring to the overseas version of the model, the new Prado has an ordinary version of the square lamp design and a classic version of the round lamp design. In terms of overall shape, the new Toyota Prado uses a lot of straight lines to make the front of the car have a lot of edges and corners, and the hard style is very rich. The data shows that the new car’s approach angle, departure angle and passing angle are 31 degrees, 22 degrees and 25 degrees respectively, with a minimum ground clearance of 8.7 inches (221mm).
In terms of interior, the new car is equipped with Toyota’s latest family-style design style, with a 12.3-inch (8-inch for the entry version) touchscreen on the center console and built-in Toyota’s latest entertainment system. The configuration will also have T-Connect SD navigation system, a new generation of Toyota Safety Sense system, creep mode and off-road functions such as steep hill descent.
According to previous information, the domestic version will be equipped with a T24A-FTS gasoline 2.4T hybrid system, with a maximum power of 243kW (330 horsepower) and a peak torque of 630Nm. The transmission system will be matched with an 8-speed manual transmission. At the same time, the new car is also equipped with an automatic limited-slip middle lock and a rear axle differential lock, providing a variety of driving modes including mud, rock and sand.
Toyota’s new Prado completely overturned Toyota’s previous design in terms of hard-core off-road vehicles, and its arrival is expected to cause renewed popularity among off-road enthusiasts. However, after the introduction of the new Prado in China, it will also be besieged by domestic hard-core off-road products. At that time, it will depend on whether the pricing of the new Prado is sincere enough, and whether the faith fans have enough faith.
Toyota’s ninth-generation Camry: getting younger and younger
Just before the opening of the Guangzhou Auto Show, the ninth-generation Camry was the first to debut in North America. The new car was built on the TNGA-K platform and continued to use a dual exterior design, showing a more obvious style difference. The overall line profile of the ninth-generation Camry did not change much, especially from the front and side angles. The waist line shape and the smooth outline of the body showed the feeling of the eighth-generation Camry.
The change in design concept is mainly reflected in the front face and rear. The front face part, the front of the engine compartment is receded to create a visual effect of the front part of the car sinking. In addition, the light set is replaced by C-shaped headlights. The grille shape of the front bumper adopts two designs similar to the honeycomb style and the horizontal bar shape. More sporty edge details are also added on both sides of the bumper. The tail design is more concise, and it is also C-shaped taillights, which echo the headlights.
Judging from the interior of the model released in North America, it still has a strong mechanical sense, especially the lines of the trending part of the dashboard, which makes the interior more tough and unconventional. The car will be equipped with a 12.3-inch central control screen, support wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and wireless charging function. In terms of safety configuration, the new car comes standard with TSS 3.0 Zhixing safety package.
In terms of power, the ninth-generation Camry unveiled in North America has achieved full hybridization, and will no longer be available in the fuel version. It focuses on the 2.5L hybrid version and provides a two-wheel drive/four-wheel drive version. Among them, the maximum power of the two-wheel drive version is 168kW; the four-wheel drive version adds a drive motor to the rear axle, with a maximum power of 173kW.
Although Toyota’s sales in the Chinese market have declined slightly, it is still one of the best-selling car companies, especially the Camry, which has been regarded as a benchmark model in its class, which shows its comprehensive strength. According to the news, the domestic ninth-generation Camry will continue the overseas version design in style, but there will be certain differences in the interior and the introduction of the intelligent cockpit concept. The specific highlights of this car will be revealed at the press conference at the Guangzhou Auto Show on the 17th.
The new generation of BMW 5 Series/i5: the first change in the BBA
According to the news, the new generation of BMW 5 Series/i5 publicly unveiled at this auto show is a long-wheelbase version developed by BMW Group for the Chinese market. The official claims that it will better fit the aesthetics and needs of Chinese users in terms of appearance, positioning, and intelligence. The new generation 5 Series and i5 have also been declared at MIIT.
From the styling point of view, the new car as a whole follows the design of the overseas version of the model. Compared with the current model, the headlight group has been re-optimized, the lower grille is very wide, and the air intakes on both sides are also designed with "wind blades" to highlight the movement of the front face. The i5 has a more sharp line design, which outlines a more vivid angular feeling.
The side of the vehicle is younger than before, and the light and shadow changes will be richer. The whole vehicle looks lighter from the side than before. The length, width and height of the new 5-series body are 5060 * 1900 * 1515mm respectively, which is 97mm, 32mm and 36mm higher than the previous generation model, and the wheelbase is increased by 20mm to 2995mm.
The interior follows BMW’s latest family-style design, including a 12.3-inch instrument panel and a 14.9-inch central control screen, as well as a new style of sports steering wheel. In addition, the new car will be equipped with the iDrive 8.5 system, which further enhances the intelligence. The trend of air conditioning adopts a hidden layout, and greatly reduces the physical buttons in the original air-conditioning area to touch operation. In addition, it is equipped with an encircling interactive light strip to make the visual effect in the car simpler.
According to the declaration information, the new generation of BMW 5 Series will be equipped with a 2.0T engine with a maximum power of 156kW. It is not clear whether more power versions will be launched. The i5 is equipped with a HA0001N0 drive motor produced by ZF Electric Drive Technology (Shenyang) Co., Ltd., with a maximum power of 250kW. It is expected that more power versions will be launched in the future.
The BMW 5 Series has always been one of BMW’s main sales models in China. Now the new generation of models has adopted a new design and joined the pure electric i5 model. I believe the arrival of this car will definitely have a significant impact on today’s luxury mid-sized car market.