Attention to those who haven't bought a car yet! A review of new automotive technologies in 2021

When it comes to buying a car, you need to consider price, appearance, and performance, but in addition to these, "new technology" is also the focus of many people's attention. At present, the homogeneity of car design is serious, so if you want to stand out from the countless cookie-cutter car products, you must come up with something different from others.

From traditional power units to cutting-edge interconnected technologies, the installation of each new technology has the potential to become a hot topic for a car product. Therefore, in order to make more money in the increasingly saturated Chinese auto market, domestic and foreign automakers have also put in a lot of thought. The following is a list of new technologies that will be installed in mass-produced cars in 2021. We hope that it will be helpful for your next car purchase.

Tesla - One-piece casting process

On the first day of 2021, Tesla, which loves to stir up trouble, once again "exploded the circle". The price of the domestically produced Model Y high-performance all-wheel drive version was directly reduced from 419,800 to 339,900, which made consumers excited and competitors headache. Why is the price reduction so large? Part of the credit comes from Tesla's "integrated die-casting technology".

In the current automotive industry, the assembly of vehicles is to connect the pre-stamped and cast parts together through riveting, welding or bonding to form a larger structure. There are many parts in this process, which has high requirements for processing equipment and time. In addition, the connection between the parts also requires precise and complex processes to ensure the rigidity and stability of the car body.

In the production process of Model Y, the "one-piece casting technology" is used to cast the molten metal liquid through a large mold, simplifying the original more than 70 small parts into 4 casting parts to form the rear half of the car body. This not only greatly reduces the production cost, but also improves the strength of the parts. It has obvious help for the production capacity and cost of the vehicle.

Great Wall——DHT hybrid system

Hybrid technology has been considered as a transitional means between fuel vehicles and electric vehicles for some time in the past. However, with the development and policy promotion, more and more manufacturers have begun to realize the importance of hybrid technology. Therefore, Great Wall brought its own new DHT hybrid technology at the end of 2020. This technology will be installed in many models under Great Wall this year, including the sales- leading Haval H6, and future WEY brand models.

Great Wall's DHT hybrid includes conventional non-plug-in HEV hybrid and plug-in PHEV hybrid, and each form has high and low power options. The plug-in hybrid version even has an electric four-wheel drive system equipped with a P4 motor.

According to official statements, the HEV architecture focuses on ultra-low fuel consumption in urban areas and instant acceleration capabilities on medium and high-speed roads. The comprehensive efficiency of the power system can reach more than 50%, and the comprehensive fuel consumption of the A-class SUV using HEV power is as low as 4.6L/100km; the PHEV architecture has the industry's highest performance of pure electric range of 200km. In actual tests, taking the HEV architecture B-class SUV as an example, compared with fuel products, the fuel saving rate can reach 35~50%, and the acceleration time from 0-100km/h is greatly shortened by 1.5s to 7.5s.

Mercedes-Benz - M254 engine

This year, the new generation of Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be launched in China. The new car will be equipped with Mercedes-Benz's latest M254 series engine, which has two displacements of 1.5T and 2.0T, providing high and low power matching. The biggest difference is that the 48V mild hybrid system of the new M254 engine has replaced the BSG motor originally equipped with a more efficient ISG motor.

In addition, the new engine has eliminated the traditional belt structure, and the air-conditioning system is instead driven by electricity. The engine start-up is handled by the ISG motor at one end of the flywheel. The vehicle's start and stop are smoother, and the air-conditioning can maintain a longer working time when the engine is off. At the same time, the vehicle's engine-off gliding and kinetic energy recovery effects are better, and the operating quality will be significantly improved.

Nissan - e-Power Hybrid System

It is reported that Dongfeng Nissan will launch its latest e-power hybrid system in China in 2021, which is expected to be applied to models such as Sylphy, focusing on small car platforms. In fact, the latest e-power has been launched overseas. This system consists of a 1.2L three-cylinder naturally aspirated engine, a generator, a drive motor, and a battery pack.

The 1.2L naturally aspirated engine is only responsible for power generation, so this three-cylinder engine can adopt a pure Miller cycle design to improve thermal efficiency and keep the engine running at the highest speed for thermal efficiency, using the lowest fuel consumption to generate electricity for the electric motor. Driven by the electric motor, the vehicle can also achieve the same smoothness and response speed as an electric vehicle. In addition, due to the presence of a gasoline generator, there will be no range issues with electric vehicles.

BYD——DM-i plug-in hybrid

BYD's new DM-i plug-in hybrid technology will be officially applied, and the first vehicle to use this technology will be the compact sedan BYD Qin PLUS, which will be launched this year.

DM-i is a hybrid system composed of BYD's latest 1.5L naturally aspirated engine, E-CVT gearbox, two motors and battery pack, with a pure electric range of 120km. Among them, this 1.5L naturally aspirated engine has an output of 110 horsepower and 135N·m. According to official news, the Qin PLUS equipped with the DM-i system can still achieve a fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km without charging.

The structure of DM-i is similar to that of Honda i-MMD hybrid, and it also has three modes: pure electric, extended-range, and engine-driven, but it has added an additional battery external charging function.

Toyota - M15A three-cylinder engine

The M15A three-cylinder engine is the latest product in the DynamicForce series based on the TNGA architecture. This 1.5L three-cylinder engine will be installed on the new Levin and Corolla to be launched in 2021.

In terms of parameters, the M15A three-cylinder engine has a power output of 121Ps and 145Nm. Fuel consumption will be the highlight of this engine. The thermal efficiency of up to 40% and the smaller in-cylinder energy loss of the three-cylinder engine can further reduce fuel consumption, and the 1.5L version will also lower the threshold of Toyota sedans at a lower price.

Toyota - TSS2.5 driving assistance system

The TSS2.5 Intelligent Driving Safety System is known as Toyota's newest and safest assisted driving system. It is upgraded from the existing TSS2.0 and will appear on the new Camry released in 2021. It will then be gradually popularized to Toyota TNGA architecture models such as the Avalon, ES, and C-HR.

The TSS2.5 Intelligent Driving Safety System strengthens the vehicle's anti-collision warning, emergency avoidance and driving assistance systems. TSS2.5 can identify dangerous situations more accurately. In addition, based on the original TSS2.0 following the track of the vehicle in front, TSS2.5 supports turning at intersections following the track of the vehicle in front, and can also perform anti-collision warning, active avoidance and other functions when turning.

Most importantly, TSS2.5 also adds an active emergency lane change and avoidance function for the first time. When the vehicle detects danger ahead, in addition to braking, it can also use radar to judge the environment around the vehicle body, and actively change lanes to avoid danger while ensuring safety, further avoiding accidents.