Isn't the AITO Vision S7, which wasn't mentioned this month, already considered outdated before it even hits the market? Without surprises, Huawei will unveil the Mate 70 series, dubbed the "strongest Mate ever," on November 20 after this year's Guangzhou Auto Show. According to the latest revelations by Yu Chengdong, during this conference centered around the word "strongest," the HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving Vision New S7 will also be launched simultaneously. Counting this revision, this first model jointly developed by Huawei and Chery, which has been on the market for just a year, will soon undergo its third revision and upgrade. Alone this year, the Vision S7 has undergone two revisions within six months. In summary, besides the upgrade in intelligent driving, the focus is also on driving and riding comfort. What we're more concerned about is, what other changes does the new car bring? How will the price of the upgraded Vision New S7 change?

Will the Pro version, with its new 82-degree battery, lower the price threshold by 20,000 yuan?

Let's first look at the visible changes in the Vision New S7. Based on the current information, the new car will offer four brand-new exterior colors, adding 19-inch starburst low-drag wheel hubs and 20-inch dual-five-spoke low-drag wheel hubs, with the tire specifications remaining the same. The rear window and rear quarter window come with factory-installed privacy glass. Additionally, the seats have been upgraded inside the car, featuring a large amount of Nappa-textured leather material, and the front seat cushions have been thickened. The rear seat cushion inclination has increased from 19 degrees to 21 degrees, enhancing support and improving riding comfort. It also continues the silent design of the Vision R7, with double-glazed front windows and an NVH level 3 decibels lower than the Model S. Aspects such as body size, storage space, and entertainment configuration remain consistent with the current model. Next, let's focus on areas not visible to the naked eye.

For this part, the Vision New S7 has indeed replaced its battery pack, with CLTC providing an 82kWh ternary lithium battery. The current series is entirely supplied by CATL. This was actually disclosed in the MIIT's new vehicle declaration directory in July this year. This battery is the same model currently used in the Vision R7. Referring to the price information of the Vision R7, the official guiding price for the 82kWh Pro version provided by CLTC is 259,800 yuan, while the Max version with the same battery capacity but supplied by CATL is priced at 299,800 yuan, a difference of 40,000 yuan, including a different battery supplier. The latter also includes an additional Huawei 192-line LiDAR. Other differences lie in the functional configuration of the seats, which is almost identical to the current Vision S7 SKU logic. The difference between the Pro and Max versions is 20,000 yuan, mainly due to the LiDAR, with no difference in seat configuration. Following this SKU logic, if there are no surprises, the Vision New S7 with the new battery will most likely be the Pro version, which means the price of the Vision S7 may decrease.

How much might it specifically decrease? We continue to use the Vision R7 as a reference. As mentioned earlier, the 20,000 yuan price difference between the Pro and Max versions of the Vision S7 only lies in the intelligent driving perception hardware. However, there is another product point of the Vision R7 that cannot be ignored: the entire series comes with CDC+air suspension, also known as Huawei's Tuling chassis. Regarding this chassis, we will analyze it later. For now, what we need to note is that the Vision R7 Pro with this chassis is only 10,000 yuan more expensive than the Vision S7 Pro. However, the Vision S7 version with air suspension is only available in the Max RS AWD Performance Edition and Ultra AWD Flagship Edition, priced at 329,800 yuan and 349,800 yuan, respectively. Therefore, based on this situation, we can roughly estimate that the Vision New S7 Pro version will likely decrease by 10,000 to 20,000 yuan from the current 249,800 yuan.

Moreover, since the functionality of perception hardware such as LiDAR and millimeter-wave radar remains unchanged, the upgrade in the intelligent driving aspect of the Vision New S7 this time is more on the software level. On the 18th of last month, the Max and Ultra versions of the Vision S7 received an OTA upgrade to Huawei's Kunlun Intelligent Driving System ADS 3.0. The latest ADS 3.1 version has been in public beta since October 25. Based on this timeline, the Vision New S7 has a high probability of being one of the first new cars to use this new version. Regarding its specific effects, we have previously conducted an in-depth analysis. After integrating the BEV network, the GOD large network has stronger perception and decision-making capabilities than the ADS 2.0 version. The occupancy network algorithm, which divides the world into countless grid units, accurately defines occupied cells through data obtained from cameras and radar sensors, thereby obtaining 3D occupancy network imaging of different volumes. The PDP network responsible for prediction processes cases that the GOD network has not seen before, while marking and learning, which are quite computationally intensive, are handled by Huawei's backend server. Through continuous learning and training, the effect of the entire GOD large network is that it can drive autonomously upon seeing the road. In summary, the new version provides a more human-like experience, with a significantly lower system takeover rate throughout the intelligent driving process from parking space to parking space.

Unlikely to come standard with the Tuling chassis, will the Vision S7's extended-range effect be better than Huawei's?

The Vision R7 Pro, which is only 10,000 yuan more expensive but also comes with CDC+air suspension, may evoke some envy among Vision S7 Pro owners. So, will the Vision New S7 also adopt Huawei's Tuling chassis technology in this revision? The answer is likely no, and we can find clues from the curb weight of the vehicle. If classified by battery capacity, it can be seen that the current Pro RWD Long Range and Max RWD Long Range Intelligent Driving versions, both equipped with an 82kWh battery, have a curb weight of 2010kg. The Max+ RWD Ultra Long Range Intelligent Driving and Ultra AWD Flagship versions, equipped with a large 100kWh battery, have curb weights of 2050kg and 2215kg, respectively. The larger the battery pack, the heavier the car; this is a simple principle.

Next, let's look at the versions equipped with CDC+air suspension. Both the Max RS AWD Performance and Ultra AWD Flagship versions exceed 2.1 tons, of course, also including the added weight of an additional front motor. However, the curb weight of the Vision New S7, which has already completed MIIT declaration, has not changed. This is sufficient proof that there have been no significant changes to the chassis of the new car. After all, to fulfill the functions of the Tuling chassis, it is essential to have CDC+air suspension to cooperate with the perception system for dynamic adjustment. Typically, the lightest air suspension used in sedans exceeds 100kg. Therefore, with a curb weight of 2010kg after the third revision, it indicates that the Tuling chassis, which is available across the entire Vision R7 series, will still not be standard in the Vision New S7. However, on the other hand, since the Vision S7 Pro version does not use the Tuling chassis, repricing seems easier after replacing the battery and upgrading seat details, which indirectly addresses the price issue mentioned earlier.

This raises another question. Not only does the Vision R7 come with the Tuling chassis across the entire series, but its extended-range version has also been officially exposed in the latest batch of MIIT announcements. Its future price may even fall within 250,000 yuan. For the Vision S7, if it does not come with the Tuling chassis across the entire series, to compete with other C-segment new energy sedan rivals in the market, it will have to introduce an extended-range version as a powerful weapon. After all, Yu Chengdong previously stated clearly at the Vision R7 launch event, "We must not only make the Vision R7 successful but also bring up the Vision S7." As such, we do not rule out the possibility that the new car will also introduce an extended-range power version in the future.

(Picture: MIIT declaration drawing of the Vision R7 extended-range version)

Regarding this speculation, we can already see some general information outlines. Referring to the extended-range declaration information of the Vision R7, the range extender code is SQRH4J15, which is actually Chery's fifth-generation engine with a pre-combustion chamber that can run on low-octane gasoline. With the same displacement of 1.5 liters, the cylinder bore of this model is 72mm, and the stroke of 92mm is directly about 4mm longer than that of AITO's H15RT, making the cylinder narrower and longer. This allows the piston to travel farther due to inertia, with the primary effect being fuel efficiency. Referring to the Star Era ET, which already uses the same engine model, future extended-range vehicles in the Vision series will aim for a fuel consumption of less than 5 liters per 100 kilometers when the battery is depleted. At that time, price may once again become a powerful weapon for the Vision S7.