Men don't cry easily.

Handicraft labor/Shoumei handmade editing/Produced by Jueshu/Unicorn Observation

Jiyue Automobile is a "twisted" kid.

Born from the union of Baidu and Geely, its growth process has been quite tumultuous - in just three short years since its establishment, not only has its shareholding structure changed midway, but even its name has been changed, erasing its previous brand recognition.

Starting from scratch, a higher level of competition has emerged in the entire automotive industry. While following suit, it stubbornly adheres to its "anti-human design," much like its CEO Xia Yiping, who comes from a technical background but is forced into a "internet celebrity" lifestyle.

These factors collectively reflect on Jiyue Automobile, leaving its "face" and "substance" constantly in a state of "twist."

01 Jiyue 07 remains "twisted"

As Jiyue Automobile's second model, Jiyue 07 was recently unveiled to the public.

At the Jiyue 07 launch event on September 10th, Jiyue Automobile showcased its dazzling "face." Not only were Li Yanhong, Li Bin, and Zeng Yuqun present to support, even Li Shufu sent a congratulatory video. On-site, Zeng Yuqun became the first owner of a Jiyue 07. It is said that, at Li Yanhong's suggestion, Jiyue Automobile CEO Xia Yiping has recently focused on becoming the "Dong Yuhui of the automotive industry," even shouting "We're going all in!" at the event, creating an intense and unwavering atmosphere for the entire launch.

However, beneath this dazzling "face," Jiyue Automobile's "substance" appears quite lonely. Xia Yiping's shout of "We're going all in!" is not mere showmanship or an attempt to create atmosphere; rather, it likely stems from a deep sense of peril and a desire to turn things around with Jiyue 07. Last October, Jiyue's first model, Jiyue 01, was officially launched, touted as the "world's first IA automotive robot" with a strong sense of high-tech, but ultimately failed to live up to expectations, with dismal sales figures. Public data shows that in the first half of this year, Jiyue 01's cumulative sales were only 2,700 units, with a monthly low of just over 100 units. In the new energy vehicle industry, where monthly sales of over 10,000 are considered the survival line, this is a clear "losing at the starting line." Against this backdrop, Jiyue 07 naturally became the "hope of the village" for Jiyue people.

On September 12th, 48 hours after the launch of Jiyue 07, it was announced that orders had surpassed 5,000 units. For Jiyue Automobile, this is a significant improvement over Jiyue 01. However, compared to its peers, the gap remains glaringly large. Zeekr, Geely's new energy vehicle brand, is Jiyue's "sibling" of sorts. In August, Zeekr sold over 18,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 46%; its cumulative sales for the first eight months exceeded 120,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 81%. Xiaomi SU7, which Xia Yiping has repeatedly criticized and satirized, sold 10,000 units in just 4 minutes, 20,000 units in 7 minutes, and 50,000 units in 27 minutes after its launch. Its founder's edition of 5,000 units sold out within seconds of opening pre-orders, setting a sales record in the new energy vehicle industry. Despite these sales anxieties, Jiyue 07 has yet to shake off its inherent "twisted" nature.

As a "second-generation" automotive brand, Jiyue Automobile naturally leverages Geely's renowned SEA architecture and Baidu Apollo's intelligent driving assistance. Learning from the marketing pitfalls of Jiyue 01, Jiyue 07 no longer focuses solely on "intelligent driving" but also highlights its advantages in range, energy efficiency, handling, and space. Xia Yiping spent two hours explaining these features, describing Jiyue 07 as a "hexagonal warrior." Safety is also a key selling point, with Xia Yiping repeating the phrase "Safety is the ultimate luxury" three times during the launch. While this shows that Jiyue is "listening to advice," Jiyue 07 still stubbornly adheres to its previously heavily criticized "anti-human design," such as door handles, integrated screen shifters, half-steering wheels, and the absence of slow charging ports. These innovations, while futuristic, Invisibly increasing the threshold for consumers to use 。

However, Jiyue Automobile believes that these "anti-human designs" represent the future of technology and will eventually become part of everyday life. To this end, prior to the launch of Jiyue 07, it conducted a rollover test to demonstrate that the handle-less doors can still open in the event of an accident. This exemplifies Jiyue's "unyielding" nature, as it continues to perpetuate its "twisted" characteristics.

02 The anxiety of "comparing everywhere"

"Comparing everywhere" is another defining trait of Jiyue Automobile.

Naturally, this aspect was not missing from the Jiyue 07 launch event. Xia Yiping delivered memorable quotes: "If Musk were to create a larger sedan than the Model 3, called the Model 5, there would surely be traces of Jiyue 07 in it." "Tesla hasn't made the Model 5, but Jiyue has." In addition to Tesla, Xia Yiping also compared Jiyue 07 to Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi during the launch. Before changing its name to Jiyue, the brand was known as Jidu, and its first model, Jiyue 01, was previously referred to as Jidu ROBO-01 during its development stage. Even then, Xia Yiping frequently compared it to Xiaomi. When Jiyue 01 was officially launched, Xiaomi SU7 had not yet been released, so Tesla, the benchmark of new energy vehicles, was the natural "comparison target." Xia Yiping stated at the time, "When we defined this product in 2021, we wanted to compete with Tesla." Jiyue 01 was to be compared to Tesla's Model Y. However, besides similar pricing, the two models differ significantly in reputation, sales, technology, and service.

Especially when mentioning Jiyue 01's monthly sales of just over 100 units, Xia Yiping shed tears at the Chengdu Auto Show in August. He expressed that many mistakes had been made and that they had been searching for their own path. Unable to compete with Tesla, Xiaomi SU7 was released in March, and its sales became a miracle in the automotive industry. Jiyue Automobile then refocused its comparison target on Xiaomi. At the April Beijing Auto Show, Jiyue Automobile's booth was set up opposite Xiaomi SU7. Shortly thereafter, Xia Yiping even posted a video stating, "Jiyue is building cars faster than Xiaomi." He also criticized competitors for "paying homage to classics" and "imitating Porsche," which many believed to be directed at Xiaomi. In addition to Tesla and Xiaomi, Xia Yiping also criticized American automaker Jia Yueting. In late June, Xia Yiping posted a video stating, "An FF91 without intelligent driving capabilities will be thrown into the trash can of history."

Not only has Xia Yiping, who aspires to be the "Dong Yuhui of the automotive industry," frequently made outrageous statements, but even Jiyue's PR head Xu Jiye has joined the fray. On August 22nd, Xu Jiye posted on his WeChat Moments that Xiaomi and Lei Jun's loss-making car sales were a form of dumping, the worst kind of business practice. This sparked heated discussions as "Jiyue's PR head criticized Xiaomi's loss-making car sales." Xu Jiye subsequently responded multiple times, stating that his WeChat Moments were merely personal opinions, and Xia Yiping issued an internal disciplinary notice against him. While vigorously satirizing and criticizing its peers, Jiyue's "twisted" nature is once again on display. In particular, the Jiyue 07 launch event was criticized by outsiders for having details that "imitated Xiaomi."

Criticizing competitors for imitation while imitating them themselves, such contradictions reflect Xia Yiping's anxiety. After changing its name and erasing its previous brand recognition, Jiyue Automobile is eager to introduce itself to the public. However, in this process, it has unconsciously fallen into the traffic trap of "comparing everywhere." As the helmsman of Jiyue Automobile, Xia Yiping, originally from a technical background, feels somewhat forced into his role as an internet celebrity, which is also a manifestation of his "twisted" nature. Xia Yiping's original intention was to become the "Dong Yuhui of the automotive industry" and create an internet persona to drive public discourse around the Jiyue Automobile brand. This is understandable, as successful precedents like Li Xiang, Li Bin, and He Xiaopeng exist. However, traffic is a double-edged sword, and its negative effects are already evident.

In early August, Xia Yiping posted a video claiming that a competitor had recently used online trolls to smear Jiyue's brand and him personally. Previously, Jiyue had also dismissed an employee who purchased a Xiaomi SU7. When a new energy vehicle brand becomes associated with negative news, even if it gains high public recognition, it may damage its brand reputation, with far-reaching and difficult-to-resolve negative impacts. It is clear that the relationship between brand buzz and reputation is a proposition that Jiyue Automobile urgently needs to re-examine.

03 Can it turn things around against the odds?

Jiyue Automobile's "twisted" nature stems from its noble but somewhat "unfavored" origins. Its "father," Geely, is more prominently known for brands like Zeekr and Lynk & Co, while its "mother," Baidu, is most renowned for its Apollo Go self-driving taxi service.

With wealthy "parents," Jiyue Automobile pales in comparison. In March 2021, Baidu and Geely's respective affiliates jointly founded Jiyue (formerly Jidu). Xia Yiping recalled that "when he took over Jiyue, the company had only three employees and didn't even have an office." The company underwent several changes, officially renaming itself Jiyue in August 2023, with Geely increasing its shareholding from 45% to 65%, overtaking Baidu as the majority shareholder. Jiyue's first model, Jiyue 01, was officially launched at the end of October 2023. With Jiyue 07 now representing the "hope of the village" and sales starting off well, can Jiyue Automobile turn things around with Jiyue 07? Notably, Jiyue 07 is priced between 199,900 and 289,900 yuan, positioning it in the same 200,000-yuan automotive market segment as its predecessor.

While this price range is popular among consumers, it is also fiercely competitive, with new energy vehicle brands like Huawei, Xpeng, and NIO all vying for a slice of the pie. This means that Jiyue has chosen a highly contested racetrack. On September 19th, NIO's Ledao Automobile announced the official launch of its first model, the L60, with seven color options and a starting price of 206,900 yuan for outright purchase or 149,900 yuan with battery leasing. In terms of pricing, Jiyue 07 has no advantage. Although Jiyue 07 no longer solely focuses on "intelligence" as its selling point, it remains a key highlight. Equipped with Baidu Apollo's ASD high-level intelligent driving system, Jiyue 07 boasts a pure vision-based intelligent driving solution, but this feature is still far from its full potential. Data shows that in 2023, the penetration rate of Tesla's FSD (Full Self-Driving) in the Asia-Pacific region was only 0.4%.

It is clear that there is still a long way to go before consumers are fully educated about the benefits of intelligent driving and it drives a surge in sales. Jiyue 07 comes standard with 11 high-definition cameras and dual NVIDIA Orin X intelligent driving chips. In terms of intelligent driving chip integration, Jiyue 07 is on par with Xiaomi SU7 Max and Zeekr 007 (AWD Performance Edition). Currently, lidar and 800V platforms are considered hard currencies and standard features in the 200,000-yuan vehicle market. However, among Xiaomi SU7 Max, Zeekr 007 (AWD Performance Edition), and Jiyue 07, Jiyue 07 is the only model that does not use lidar. Fortunately, Jiyue 07 offers both 400V and 800V voltage platforms. In terms of acceleration from 0-100 km/h, top speed, battery capacity, and driving range, Jiyue 07 does not stand out compared to similar models.

In addition to the aforementioned "anti-human design," at the Jiyue 07 launch event, Xia Yiping emphasized that in pursuit of ultimate aesthetics, Jiyue invested 300 million yuan to move the A-pillar of the Jiyue 07 model back by 6.5 centimeters. This significant investment, however, raises concerns among consumers about whether this cost will ultimately be passed on to them. With its "face" and "substance" in a state of twist, it remains uncertain whether Jiyue 07 can turn things around for the company. What is certain is that even if Jiyue Automobile manages to temporarily save itself, it still faces numerous challenges, including unclear brand positioning, low brand recognition and reputation, and technological capabilities that are difficult to match those of its high-end peers. These issues hang like a sword of Damocles over Jiyue Automobile's head. Navigating out of this quagmire will not be easy for Jiyue Automobile. (End)