Sincerity is the ultimate killer move.

The iteration speed of new cars has accelerated, and some models have begun to adopt the strategy of "grinding two swords in a year".

I remember the last time AITO M7 was reported was in May, when Yu Chengdong personally announced its launch. The main upgrades included adjustable shock absorbers and a new front design. It has been less than half a year since the current model was launched, and now a mid-cycle refresh of the AITO M7 has been exposed.

Some netizens have released design patents for the suspected new AITO M7. The direction of change in appearance is the same as the current M7, mainly focusing on changing the front design to better match the "family face" of the HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving Alliance. There is currently no more information on whether there will be significant upgrades in other areas or when the specific launch date will be.

(Image from Weibo user)

As AITO's "hottest commodity," the AITO M7 bears the brunt of the brand's sales volume. Looking at the current sales data, the sales of M7 are almost identical to the more expensive AITO M9, indicating the fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market and the greater challenges faced by AITO M7. With the accelerated pace of refreshes, will AITO M7 also adopt the strategy of "two swords in a year"?

Adopting a family face, but the "foundation" remains unchanged

One thing that can be confirmed is that the purpose of the mid-cycle refresh of the AITO M7 is mainly to align with the family design under the HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving Alliance. The only model that has not yet adopted a unified design is probably the AITO M5.

From the design patent drawings, it can be seen that the new generation of AITO M7 abandons the current small-mouth front design and adopts a similar front design as models like the AITO M9 and Vision-S7, emphasizing the characteristics of HarmonyOS intelligent driving models, but it does not seem to be equipped with the same pixel light group as the M9.

Combining the renderings released by @SugarDesign, it can be seen that the next-generation M7 has a more mature and immediate visual appeal, similar to the M9.

(Image from @SugarDesign)

The long front and rear overhangs, the waistline design that tapers upwards, and the unique tailgate shape are all characteristics of the AITO M7, confirming the identity of the refreshed M7. Therefore, it can be judged that the refreshed AITO M7 will likely still use the original body-in-white and architecture, and the highly anticipated double wishbone suspension may be absent.

Different suspension structures have different impacts on interior space occupation. The double wishbone suspension has an additional control arm compared to the MacPherson suspension, occupying more lateral space and being unfavorable for the layout of a transversely mounted engine. The current AITO M7 uses a transversely mounted engine + conventional MacPherson suspension solution. If it were to be replaced with a double wishbone suspension, the entire body structure and range extender solution would need to be redesigned and replaced, which is no less than developing a new car from scratch.

On the bright side, the next-generation M7 won't directly stab existing owners in the back.

The double wishbone suspension provides better lateral support and has structural advantages for SUVs with a high center of gravity. Many mainstream high-end new energy vehicle models are basically equipped with a front double wishbone solution. Only more compact models consider using MacPherson suspension.

It is difficult to judge from the exterior design alone what other upgrades the next-generation AITO M7 will have. Intelligence has always been HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving's strength, especially in advanced intelligent driving. The current model has been upgraded to the ADS 3.0 version. From the perspective of intelligent driving, the AITO M7 is indeed a benchmark in the 200,000-300,000 yuan price range, and it can still exert considerable influence with this advantage, especially as consumers favor "Huawei Intelligence."

In terms of hardware, Electric Vehicle News speculates that the new AITO M7 will also follow the trend of increasing battery capacity for extended-range vehicles, replacing it with a larger capacity battery pack and enhancing the efficiency of the range extender to maximize the utilization space of the current architecture. Alternatively, a new generation of M7 could be created based on the platform capabilities of the AITO M9, which will certainly result in a qualitative improvement in hard power.

However, China's new energy vehicle technology is iterating rapidly, and extended-range models are also benefiting from increasingly better batteries and range extenders. To maintain the AITO M7's benchmark status in the SUV category, it is time for a complete overhaul to meet the new round of competition in the automotive industry.

Competitors are frantically following suit. How can AITO M7 break through?

Since its initial launch, the AITO M7 has been a representative in the mid-to-large extended-range SUV market. During its peak, it sold 29,997 units per month, propelling HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving to the forefront of sales rankings with just one model, even surpassing Lixiang One's entire brand for a time. Sales have also been good since the June refresh, with monthly sales maintaining above 11,000 units, totaling 15,132 units in October this year.

For a long time, the AITO brand has relied on the M7 model for volume sales, which changed with the emergence of the AITO M9. According to official information, cumulative orders for the AITO M9 exceeded 160,000 units in its first 10 months on the market, and sales have ranked first among luxury vehicles priced above 500,000 yuan in the Chinese market for six consecutive months, stealing some of the limelight from the M7 to some extent.

Comparing sales for the same month, the AITO M7 and AITO M9 are similar in scale, with the latter's sales slightly higher on average and a stable sales trend with few fluctuations. The recently launched five-seat version has further solidified the M9's position in the 500,000 yuan price range.

In terms of pricing, the AITO M7 targets the mid-to-high-end new energy SUV market, catering to a broader consumer base. Logically, sales should be higher.

(Image from AITO Motors)

This is actually easy to understand. Firstly, the AITO M9 is a model based on a brand-new platform, with a higher price but more advanced platform and intelligent technology, offering a better experience and potentially attracting a group of users with more abundant budgets.

Additionally, as new options continue to emerge in the 200,000-300,000 yuan price range, SUVs such as the Lixiang L6, ZEEKR 007, AITO 07, and Leapmotor C16 are quickly entering the market. The Vision brand under HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving has also launched the Vision R7, delivering over 10,000 units within 30 days, with an extended-range version to be launched subsequently.

It is worth mentioning that the AITO SUV lineup is continuously expanding, and there will be an AITO M8 model between the M7 and M9. It is said that this model will also be built on a new platform, positioned higher than the M7, and is expected to be a very promising product.

In the view of Electric Vehicle News, it is not that the AITO M7 is not good enough. Its intelligent cockpit and advanced intelligent driving remain top-tier experiences. However, the market environment is changing rapidly, with more options at the same price point and level. To maintain its benchmark effect, in addition to brand influence and software advantages, hardware also needs to be "superior to others." This is the current state of the market.

Facing an increasingly competitive automotive market, it is only a matter of time before AITO "reinvents" the M7. The most noticeable aspect of the newly exposed AITO M7 is its exploration in exterior design, addressing the shortcomings of the previous generation. There may even be many upgrades that we are unaware of, such as more advanced Huawei high-level intelligent driving software and hardware solutions, or invisible hardware improvements. I believe it is worth looking forward to.

As the benchmark effect fades, sincerity is the ultimate killer move

There have been endless controversies surrounding the AITO M7, recently focusing on crash tests and intelligent driving. It is impossible for a series of controversies to have no impact on new car sales. As the main volume driver, the AITO M7's many controversies also mean a large ownership base, prompting officials to pay attention to product improvements.

Although consumers do not necessarily need a car that "can't be crashed," they are still very sensitive to active and passive safety. The current AITO M7's lower configuration has been upgraded to ADS SE visual intelligent driving, and body safety protection has also been enhanced in previous versions, indicating that AITO is indeed paying attention to consumers' pain points when using the car.

Electric Vehicle News believes that the more controversial a product is, the more attention manufacturers will pay to it. With a large user base and fierce domestic automotive competition, ignoring user feelings is tantamount to sending customers to competitors. Large five-seat SUVs are still the most popular category in China, and there are now many more options in this segment than two years ago, posing a siege to the AITO M7. Relying solely on "Huawei Intelligence" may not be enough to keep it in its "comfort zone."

"Grinding two swords in a year" is not entirely a good thing. Generally speaking, it can increase consumers' wait-and-see attitude, reduce trust in the brand, and mean some uncertainty in product positioning due to rapid iterations.

However, we should not prematurely write off the AITO M7. It can be confirmed that as long as HarmonyOS Intelligent Driving does not introduce a product to replace the AITO M7, there is basically no possibility of its collapse. After all, the M7 has accumulated a significant amount of market reputation in the past two years, and users are more recognitive of Huawei's high-level intelligent driving and HarmonyOS intelligent cockpit, which will still be the first choice for many consumers.

However, "going against the current, one either advances or retreats." In the future, automakers will pay more attention to the layout of extended-range models. As more advanced and efficient extended-range systems emerge, pure electric brands will cluster to launch extended-range vehicles, and everyone will also pay more attention to intelligent technology reserves. The benchmark effect of the AITO M7 will be weakened to some extent.

On the other hand, the offensive of traditional automakers is becoming increasingly apparent. Traditional brands that are accelerating their transformation with the help of domestic brands have also made strong moves recently. While they may not have a significant impact on new forces in the short term, the future is uncertain. At least the demand in the Chinese market is changing rapidly, and even AITO needs to keep up because falling behind will lead to being overtaken.

So, what are your expectations for the next-generation AITO M7?

Source: LeTech