"xingyuan range extender" activates gac haobo?

In 2025, Hyper will officially become independent from the GAC Aion sub-brand and become "GAC Hyper," standing alongside Aion and Trumpchi as one of the three major independent brands of GAC.

At the beginning of the year, at the GAC Group dealer conference, Ma Haiyang, who previously served in the GAC Aion Overseas Business Group, officially appeared as the CEO of Haobo. He laid the foundation for the brand's future development with a presentation titled "Haobo, Starting Anew." At that time, it should have been clear to the outside world that Haobo might once again stand at the center stage and compete with the new forces.

The newly appointed Chairman of GAC Group, Feng Xingya, has publicly made a bold statement: "There will be no upper limit to the support for Hyper in the next three years." He has pledged to invest top-level human, material, and financial resources, with the goal of building it into a Chinese luxury brand characterized by technology, luxury, and high taste.

After independent operation and resource allocation, Haobo has finally embarked on its own path of advancement following the sluggish development during the brand's early days.

As the entire GAC Group has entered a "wartime state," Yin Shuang, who previously worked at Jiyue and Mobike, was recently appointed by GAC as the Chief Marketing Officer of the Hyper brand in the Hyper Marketing Division. It seems that everything has laid a solid foundation for the development of this brand.

Last night, while GAC was showcasing its long-planned "Xingyuan Range-Extender," on the other side, Hyper took advantage of the opportunity to launch the HL Range-Extender version as the first car under its new technology label. Clearly, this is yet another profound move reflecting the chairman's unconditional support for the development of Hyper.

At the same time, we should also recognize that the current state of the high-end brand market in China is far more complex than we might imagine.

Even without considering whether the market size will truly increase due to the decline of traditional luxury brands like BBA, judging by the aggressive approach of existing domestic car manufacturers towards this market, Hopo's future path may not be easily navigated with just a few strategies.

01The range extender has ignited the hope of Haobo.

As we all know, this year's Chinese car market remains highly competitive. With the price war deeply ingrained in the industry, almost everyone regards the move of technology trickling down and products being downgraded as the key to breaking through.

Over the years, Li Auto, as a representative of range-extended power, has demonstrated its strong appeal to users in the terminal market, which I believe needs no further elaboration. At first glance, the L6/7/8/9 models seem indistinguishable, with only differences in body size, and their product lineup is not significantly more advanced than new cars launched by competitors. However, in terms of sales, they hold a unique position in the Chinese car market.

Even so, precisely because of this market performance, AITO, which also bets on range extenders, has largely replicated Li Auto's approach. Even if some say Huawei's reputable brand played a significant role, based on the market feedback, this type of range-extended SUV is indeed very "appealing."

Since the beginning of this year, how many similar products have emerged in the market? Just by flipping through the vehicle application pictures released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the past six months, I can say that as long as it's a Chinese car company, they have all introduced corresponding new cars.

In no time, not to mention the actual demand for medium and large new energy SUVs, it seems like a "thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge" is just a game for various brands. In such a market environment, Haobo certainly has no reason not to follow suit, but this means that to stand out, they need to put in some effort and employ some tactics.

Previously, the HaoBo HL pure electric lightly tested the boundaries of mid-to-large new energy SUVs. Now, if the HL extended-range version is willing to earnestly contribute to the group and bring some returns, simply shouting slogans is definitely not enough.

To achieve the "trump card" effect, the Haobo HL extended-range version hopes to leverage its technical strength to achieve "large battery capacity, ultra-fast charging, and free charging," comprehensively addressing user anxiety.

The Haobo HL range-extender version features a unique 60kWh CATL Xiaoyao super hybrid battery, offering users a class-leading pure electric range of 350 kilometers. This precisely addresses the core issue of "frequent charging" faced by traditional range-extender vehicles, allowing it to be used as a pure electric vehicle in daily life.

In terms of energy replenishment efficiency, the Haobo HL Extended Range Edition features the only 800V/5C supercharging technology in its class, resulting in a significant leap in charging efficiency, allowing it to add 210 kilometers of range in just 10 minutes.

In terms of configuration, it comes standard with zero-gravity seats, a chassis with front double-wishbone and rear five-link aluminum alloy suspension, standard intelligent adjustable shock absorbers (SDC), and dual-chamber air springs, among others.

The new car features an intelligent cockpit equipped with the next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip, and uses GAC's GSD advanced intelligent driving assistance system, with laser radar, Orin-X chip, end-to-end large model algorithms, and more, all fully equipped.

Honestly, just by looking at this pile of seemingly valuable hardware and software systems, when the HL extended-range version is priced at 269,800 to 299,800 yuan, I feel that Haobo is actually quite sincere.

However, 2025 is destined to be a year of fierce competition among heroes.

Lynk & Co 900 is gaining momentum, and the all-new AITO M7 is ready to launch. These two alone are likely to completely shake up the SUV market in this price range. Not to mention, if Li Auto engages in a price war, new value-for-money models like the Geely Galaxy M9 could further educate potential consumers. This market could change dramatically.

02Having a good product alone is far from enough.

At this stage, Haobo is in a critical transition period of being "resource-rich but under sales pressure". Facing a challenging market environment and development bottlenecks, any new car launched will always gather all the resources the group can provide to Haobo. We have no reason to doubt this.

Interestingly, not long ago, when the Le Tao L90 was released, Li Bin, the head of NIO, raised questions about the current state of the new energy SUV market.

"We are now seeing a trend where range-extended vehicles are making their batteries bigger and bigger, which is essentially to further reduce the frequency of using the range extender. Originally, you might have used it five or six times a year, but now you might only use it once or twice a year."

Considering the current completeness of the energy replenishment infrastructure and the impressive peak range of various electric vehicles, the disadvantages that electric cars once had are gradually being eliminated.

The fact is that when it comes to range anxiety, Chinese users have never been at ease. With intense range anxiety, if a car manufacturer proposes equipping an extended-range vehicle with a large battery and convinces consumers that this is the trend, then it will certainly become a consensus in the industry for the majority.

At this time, doesn't it seem wise for the Haobo HL range-extended version to follow this logic and enter the market? And will it gain a certain first-mover advantage?

On a positive note, because competitors have been somewhat conservative in equipping with large batteries, it indeed provides some latecomers with opportunities to break the mold. The Haobo HL extended-range version is likely one of them.

However, to be objective, if we ask whether the advantages of such products, which focus on the usage stage, can truly bring some benefits to brands with a relatively weak user base like Haobo during the pre-sale phase, I think the answer is not that certain.

In the relatively high-end new energy market, it is often perceived that a large number of consumers are simply following the trend rather than focusing on the product itself. When Li Auto and AITO have already positioned the standard choice in this market before them, it is indeed quite challenging to convert these consumers to embrace other brands.

From Haobo's own perspective, the launch of the Haobo HL extended-range version is not only the first implementation of GAC Aion's extended-range technology but also a product with "full rights and luxury configuration" that can create a disruptive impact on the new energy SUV market in the 260,000-300,000 yuan price range.

For Haobo, we can also conclude that the critical turning point in the future will depend on whether the soon-to-be-delivered Haobo HL extended-range version can fulfill its promises in terms of range and experience, potentially becoming the key to reversing its decline. Meanwhile, if Haobo can accelerate the rebuilding of user trust and make precise adjustments to its brand positioning, it might achieve a small victory in the fiercely competitive high-end new energy vehicle market.

Regardless, the harsh realities of the market cannot be ignored. Moving forward, from the Haobo HL range-extended version to the Haobo A8, which has just appeared in the MIIT catalog, the burden on them will not be eased in the slightest by overwhelming confidence.

In simple terms, no matter how many resources the group allocates to Haobo and how deep the background of the newly appointed executives is, sales remain the primary standard for measuring everything. Therefore, compared to establishing an image and shouting slogans, we are more looking forward to Haobo enhancing the brand's presence in the terminal market in the remaining months of 2025, using the HL extended range version as an anchor.