The narrative of joint-venture vehicles lagging behind in electrification and intelligence is poised for a reversal this year. For instance, the distinct manufacturing philosophies of Japan's top three joint ventures are now evident. Toyota emphasizes locally produced quality, while Platinum Smart 3X focuses on cost-effectiveness and reliability. Honda upholds its sporting heritage with a 50:50 weight distribution, double-wishbone suspension, and the MM concept, prioritizing handling and spaciousness. Nissan, on the other hand, continues its tradition of offering luxurious interiors, now complemented by advanced technology with the inclusion of 8295 and Orin chips. In the electric era, the fundamental product philosophy of Japanese cars remains largely unchanged. With the Ariya failing to generate significant market buzz, much of Nissan's turnaround hopes and pressure rest on the Nissan N7. So, what new technologies will this vehicle introduce? And how does it stack up against domestic newcomers?

With motor performance rivaling that of the Xiaomi SU7, will it offer lower energy consumption than the Xiaopeng P7+?

Japanese automakers' understanding of family sedans, established in the era of gasoline vehicles, revolves around three core elements: spaciousness, low energy consumption, and comfort. These elements remain paramount in the age of electric vehicles. Pure electric vehicles generally offer easier cabin space creation compared to plug-in hybrids, as the absence of a front-axle engine allows for a shorter distance between the front wheel hub and pedals, maximizing front-row longitudinal space and reducing rear-row leg pressure. To ensure ample headroom in the second row, a fastback design with an inclined C-pillar and panoramic sunroof is now mainstream, enhancing both cabin vertical height and trunk capacity. This is also the design philosophy behind the Xiaopeng P7+, which stretches the passenger cabin's front and rear rows to 1 meter. However, the Nissan N7 opts for a traditional three-box design, with a wheelbase ratio similar to its predecessor, suggesting comparable rear-row space utilization.

Of course, drawing conclusions solely from wheelbase ratio lacks nuance. Let's delve deeper. First, the Nissan N7's front engine compartment is slightly longer than the Xiaopeng P7+, positioning the front axle closer to the car's front. This follows the logic of placing wheels at the corners. Second, the N7 is 126mm shorter in length and 85mm shorter in wheelbase. The actual usable cabin longitudinal space is determined by subtracting the L113 length from the wheelbase. Thus, without a wheelbase advantage, the N7 compensates by extending the front overhang. The rear overhang remains modest due to the absence of a hatchback structure and considerations for body proportions and rear-axle load requirements. Consequently, despite an 85mm difference in wheelbase, the legroom in both the front and rear rows of the N7 is comparable to that of the Xiaopeng P7+.

The Xiaopeng P7+'s vertical space optimization primarily stems from CTB technology, maintaining battery pack thickness while lowering ground clearance compared to the P7. By optimizing the chassis structure, more battery cells can be embedded, preventing the battery pack from encroaching on floor height. Similarly, the Nissan N7 employs CTC technology, albeit with a different name. What's the difference? Simply put, CTC further simplifies the structure built upon CTP (Cell to Pack), fully integrating the battery with the vehicle body. The battery cover replaces the vehicle floor, allowing direct installation of carpets and seats. This places higher demands on chassis sound insulation. Essentially, CTB focuses on controlling battery pack thickness, using a crossbeam for rigidity, while CTC emphasizes extreme integration, leveraging the vehicle's structure for rigidity, enabling larger-capacity batteries and enhancing cabin vertical height.

Theoretically, under identical voltage and battery cell conditions, a larger battery pack capacity equates to longer electric range. However, this also increases curb weight and energy consumption management complexity, leading to higher energy consumption per hundred kilometers. According to declarations, the Nissan N7 is available in 58kWh and 73kWh versions, both weighing 1949kg. The Xiaopeng P7+ with a 60.7kWh battery weighs 1967kg, while the 76.3kWh version tips the scales at 2073kg. How does the N7 reduce sprung mass? The answer lies in electric drive integration. Unlike domestic electric vehicles' 5-in-1 or 11-in-1 integrations, Nissan has expanded to 14 integrated components. Miniaturization and integration reduce volume and total weight, necessitating faster and more powerful chips for rational power output allocation based on acceleration demands. However, another crucial energy consumption factor is the electric motor.

Currently, the highest motor speed for mass-produced vehicles belongs to the 500kW motor in models like the BYD Han L and Tang L, followed by the 425kW V8s in the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, reaching 30,500 rpm and 27,200 rpm, respectively. The Nissan N7's motor boasts a modest peak power of 200kW but a design speed of 25,100 rpm. While this data is from a test bench, exceeding 20,000 rpm under actual working conditions is feasible. One might ask, doesn't higher motor speed equate to greater power and thus higher energy consumption? This can be mitigated through techniques like increasing copper and silicon steel sheet usage to reduce winding losses, enlarging the stator punch outer diameter to fit more effective materials within the same frame, or optimizing the die-casting process during rotor aluminum casting to reduce gas in rotor bars, improve conductivity, and decrease aluminum consumption. Hence, the Nissan N7's energy consumption is likely lower than the Xiaopeng P7+.

The front suspension forgoes double-wishbone, achieving comfort through air suspension and a plush interior?

Given that the N7's electric drive technology could surpass newcomers, what about its chassis? With intelligent driving algorithms, mainstream domestic electric vehicles now offer active chassis control, adjusting suspension in advance via preview to alter damping strength, air spring height, or utilize magnetic flux for enhanced comfort. How will joint ventures respond? At the Nissan N7 technology conference, it was revealed that the Tianyan architecture supports double-wishbone and five-link suspensions, as well as dual-chamber air suspension and electronically controlled shock absorbers. Such a chassis configuration was rare in Japanese family sedans during the gasoline era. However, the Nissan N7's front suspension still employs a MacPherson structure, while Chinese brand models in the same segment or even price range have widely adopted double-wishbone front suspensions. Will the chassis be a shortcoming for the N7?

Structurally, double-wishbone suspensions excel in handling due to the upper and lower A-arms better managing lateral stress and providing stronger front axle support. However, double-wishbone isn't necessarily the best handling solution. BMW and Porsche's double-ball-joint MacPherson structure enhances front wheel stability using a virtual kingpin concept. Essentially, using MacPherson for family sedans offers cost control benefits, with tuning difficulty on par with double-wishbone. Considering its positioning, the Nissan N7 never aimed for handling prowess; comfort and ease of driving are its core pursuits.

With only one lower control arm in the MacPherson suspension, the dual-chamber air suspension can directly replace the traditional coil spring after the die-cast tower top is installed, providing redundancy in vibration filtering for daily driving. The control arms and knuckles are aluminum alloy, and the front subframe is a full-frame design, ensuring higher front axle rigidity than most gasoline joint ventures. While the Xiaopeng P7+ with double-wishbone and steel control arms isn't specialized in handling, Nissan has more comfort expertise. Besides the chassis suspension enhancing comfort, the seats are also crucial. We won't delve into this here, but the 49 sensors and 19 airbags adjust wrapping sensation based on occupant size and posture, potentially redefining OEM development paradigms.

Regarding high-level intelligent driving, Momenta's lidar-free solution, built on Orin X, offers high-speed and urban NOA, autonomous toll gate passage, cross-level memory parking, and valet parking. The underlying algorithm is a BEV+Transformer-dominated perception network. Compared to Xiaopeng XNGP, its perception level may not match Lofic cameras' performance, so detection accuracy remains to be seen. Notably, according to recent Dongfeng Nissan revelations, the Nissan N7 will be priced within 200,000 yuan. If this price includes comprehensive chassis technology and end-to-end solutions, the similarly positioned Xiaopeng P7+ may face significant pressure.