On July 12, after meticulous preparation spanning four years, Lunte Free+ made its grand debut in Wuhan, amassing an impressive 11,583 pre-orders within just 15 minutes—a fervor that surpassed even the city's sweltering summer heat.

Shao Mingfeng, CBO of Lunte Auto and General Manager of the Sales Company, shared in an interview that while a colleague suggested celebrating with champagne, he felt it was premature to uncork the bottles just yet.

In terms of sales performance, Lunte recorded substantial growth but fell short of initial projections. The total sales volume for 2024 stood at 85,697 units, marking a year-on-year increase of 70%, yet still missing the target of 100,000 units.

For 2025, rather than scaling back, Lunte doubled down on its ambitions, setting a target of 200,000 units. As of the first half of the year, cumulative sales reached 56,128 units, representing an 85% year-on-year growth but still leaving a gap of nearly 150,000 units to meet the annual target. To maintain its 200,000-unit objective, Lunte must achieve an average monthly sales volume of at least 20,000 units in the second half—a race against time to the finish line.

Amidst such pressure, when questioned during a communication meeting about potential adjustments to the sales target, both Lu Fang, CEO of Lunte Auto Technology Co., Ltd., and Shao Mingfeng responded firmly: "The target of 200,000 units remains unchanged." They emphasized their aspiration to rank among the top 5 or even top 3, pledging to strive for this goal over one, two, or even three years, always aiming to achieve it while striving to shorten the timeline.

The cornerstone of their strategy lies in creating exceptional products that offer the best value to users—the very essence of Lunte Free+.

From organization to product, Lunte listens intently and adapts swiftly. While the success of Free+ in securing over 10,000 pre-orders is undeniably attributed to its robust product features, it's the philosophy of listening and responding to user feedback that truly resonates with customers behind the scenes.

For Lu Fang, being a "user-centric technology enterprise" is not merely a slogan but a set of deeply ingrained organizational principles and working methodologies. He emphasizes, "Users offer advice because they care. When they stop, that's when the real danger lies." This commitment to listening extends beyond meetings and statements; Lu Fang personally tested the air purification function of Lunte Free+ by wearing a gas mask in a smoke-filled car and blindly tested the AEB braking function, even backing into a garage on the edge of a cliff.

Faced with queries about these unconventional tests, he stated, "I have experience in R&D and understand the intensity required." Lu Fang is willing to be the first user, experiencing extreme conditions that customers might encounter, thereby verifying the products before confidently recommending them.

"I personally use and test any feature I recommend to users, and I stand by it," Lu Fang declared, underscoring his fundamental product philosophy.

To translate the philosophy of listening into action, Lunte has established a comprehensive feedback and improvement mechanism encompassing both internal management and external products. The company has set up multiple user-facing communication channels spanning marketing, R&D, quality, and other aspects, incorporating metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS) into departmental assessments, creating a closed-loop system.

The birth of Free+ epitomizes this culture. Over four years, focusing on intelligence, comfort, and driving control, Lunte invested over 500 million yuan in R&D, completing a total of 1,366 optimizations, both major and minor. Addressing user concerns about configuration details, Lunte not only includes "color TV, refrigerator, large sofa" as standard but also continuously iterates and upgrades core technologies like chassis tuning and driving quality, fostering a product mindset that evolves alongside user needs. Facts prove that listening not only satisfies existing users but also wins the recognition of new ones.

Particularly in terms of intelligence, although Free+ is not part of the "Jie" series, it stands as the first model on the market to implement Huawei's Kunlun Intelligent Driving ADS4 and HarmonyOS Cockpit 5 at the 250,000 yuan price point. The synergy of million-level driving control with top-tier intelligent assisted driving and cockpit experiences forms the core competitiveness of Lunte Free+.

While the spotlight is on the Huawei content in Lunte Free+, it overlooks Lunte's robust independent R&D capabilities. For instance, the Xiaoyao Cockpit and Kunpeng Intelligent Driving are highly competitive in the market. Empirically, before the mass delivery of the Lunte Dreamer Kunlun version, the Kunpeng version, relying solely on self-developed solutions, secured the top sales position in the new energy MPV segment.

Leveraging its self-developed system and resource accumulation, Lunte achieves higher execution efficiency in its deep cooperation with Huawei while significantly reducing resource waste. Lu Fang illustrated, "While others need 500 people for a project, we can efficiently implement it with just 50." Creating better market impact with shorter project cycles may be the key reason why Lunte Free+, despite not being a "Wu Jie" model, can bring Huawei's latest and most advanced technical solutions to the market with the lowest price threshold.

"If you have strong capabilities, many resources will come your way," Lu Fang noted.

Debuting in a Pivotal Battle: Delivery and Service as Critical Factors

Beyond products, fulfilling promises and enhancing delivery experiences determine whether users will convert their trust into repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth.

Shao Mingfeng views Free+ as "debuting in a pivotal battle." He stated, "Users' willingness to place orders is a good sign, but it's not enough. We've made a good start, but now we must ensure smooth deliveries, provide excellent service, and make users feel it's worth it. Only then can we claim victory in this battle."

Currently, Lunte boasts nearly 400 channel outlets nationwide, with plans to expand to 700 within the year, and the terminal service personnel scale is expected to grow by 20% to 30%. By offering denser coverage and more accessible test drive resources, making users "see it, touch it, and try it well" is crucial to achieving Lunte Free+'s monthly sales target of 20,000 units.

Regarding service quality, Lu Fang noted that Lunte maintains an NPS score above 60, a high benchmark in the industry. With the implementation of the "One Heart and One Mind" service brand and a multi-point test drive strategy, Lunte aims to earn trust through word-of-mouth and boost sales through exceptional service.

Currently, the Chinese new energy vehicle market has entered a new era of comprehensive competition based on cost-effectiveness, brand strength, and system capability. Lu Fang emphasized that Lunte chooses to "roll up its sleeves and work hard" rather than engage in a price war.

This "rolling up one's sleeves and working hard" manifests in the pursuit of excellence in R&D, configuration, and service, as well as in organizational and process innovation. Lunte has long been committed to process optimization, and the highly competitive pricing of Lunte Free+ is a direct reflection of its continuously improved efficiency.

It is reported that Lunte's internal operating indicators clearly stipulate annual efficiency improvements and the resolute elimination of all non-value-creating links. Through management innovation and technological breakthroughs, the company continuously consolidates its overall system competitiveness and enhances the combat effectiveness of the entire organization.

With the initial success of Free+ firmly in place, we have every reason to believe that a better Lunte Auto will emerge more clearly in the decisive battle of the second half of the year.