Dongfeng Honda has launched the Lingxi L to target a younger demographic, with a starting price of RMB 129,800 ($18,500).
Dongfeng Honda, the joint venture between Japanese auto giant Honda and China's Dongfeng Motor, has launched the Lingxi L, the first electric vehicle (EV) model under its sub-brand Lingxi, at a time when joint venture brands are lagging behind in China's rapid electrification process.
Dongfeng Honda officially rolled out the Lingxi L, an all-electric sedan available as a single option at a launch event yesterday, with a starting price of RMB 129,800 ($18,500).
The model is a mid-size sedan with length, width and height of 4,830 mm, 1,845 mm and 1,503 mm respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,731 mm.
The dimensions are similar to those of BYD's (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) Qin Plus EV Glory Edition, which measures 4,765 mm in length, 1,837 mm in width and 1,515 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,718 mm, and is priced in the range of RMB 109,800 to RMB 139,800.
The Lingxi L is powered by a front-mounted single motor with 160 kW of power and 310 Nm of torque, and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. It supports a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
The model is powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery pack with a capacity of 59.22 kWh supplied by BYD and has a CLTC range of 520 kilometers. It consumes 12.9 kWh of electricity for every 100 kilometers traveled.
The Lingxi L comes with digital exterior rear-view mirrors, a rare feature in this segment. The two screens used to display the rear-view mirror images are linked to the three dashboard screens.
The car is equipped with the Lingxi Drive intelligent driving system, which integrates 14 driving assistance features, including adaptive cruise control, automatic parking, 360-degree panoramic video, transparent chassis, and lane keeping assist.
Lingxi is Dongfeng Honda's new energy vehicle (NEV) brand announced on September 21, 2023, and it said at the time that the new brand's first model, led by a young research and development team, was a vehicle designed specifically for young people.
By 2025, Dongfeng Honda would have more than 50 percent of its products electrified, with a cumulative total of more than 10 all-electric models by 2030, the company said at the time.
Lingxi L is one of the major models launched by its joint venture in China, at a time when they have been slow to move.
China's passenger NEVs sold a record 1,027,000 units at retail in August, the first time in history that they have exceeded 1 million, data released on September 9 by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed.
NEV penetration at retail in August was 75.9 percent for local brands, 33.5 percent for luxury brands and just 8 percent for mainstream JV brands, according to the CPCA.
Honda had launched its pure EV brand e:N in China in October 2021, and its joint ventures Dongfeng Honda and GAC Honda had launched models including the e:NS1 and e:NP1.
However, these EV models have not gained consumer acceptance, and Honda's fuel-vehicle sales in China has been declining rapidly.
In the January-August period of this year, Honda's cumulative vehicle sales in China totaled 525,432 units, down 27.2 percent year-on-year, according to data it released earlier this month.
On July 26, Honda announced it was reducing its gasoline-car production capacity in China by 290,000 units and expects two new EV plants to start production in September and November, respectively.
($1 = RMB 7.0149)
Honda to cut gas car capacity in China, 2 EV plants to start production within this year
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