At the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, the Exeed E08 concept car made its official debut. The price is expected to be around 400,000 – 500,000 yuan (55,200 – 69,000 USD) and may launch in the second half of this year in EV and EREV models.
Positioned as a flagship MPV, the Exeed E08 adopts a futuristic design, built based on the brand’s E0X platform, with a length of over 5.2 meters. Exeed claims that the front face is inspired by the “Cyber Butterfly” design language of the Sterra series. It may be that the Exeed E08 will belong to the Sterra series. Part of the design inspiration also came from Western-style chandeliers.
Coming to the side, the car body embraces the One Box integrated design concept with smooth body lines, similar to high-speed rail trains, and of course, Li Auto’s MEGA.
The car runs on petal-like style rims and uses digital external mirrors.
Additionally, the sliding door can be opened up to the third row, allowing for easier access to enter and exit the vehicle.
The interior adopts a 6-seater layout.
The third-row seats look like a sofa, made of suede material. In the rear, the lower section can be opened and laid flat in addition to opening the tailgate to access the trunk space. A panoramic sunroof is also present.
In the cockpit, the half-moon steering wheel is eye-catching, along with the stacked horizontal screens that run across the dashboard. The center console is decorated with a large area of wood pattern design with a rotary knob sitting on the top.
MPV market demand in China
In 2023, more than 240,000 new energy MPVs were sold in China, a year-on-year increase of 177.3% compared to the previous year’s sales of 88,000 units, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). In particular, the sales volume of plug-in hybrid MPVs reached 164,000 units, a year-on-year increase of over 430%.
Industry insiders indicated that the higher pricing and larger profit margins of high-end new energy MPVs are highly attractive to companies. As the Chinese government lifted its one-child policy and advocating for the two-child and three-child policies, in addition to China’s middle-class expansion, MPVs with larger space and passenger capacity are becoming more popular. However, at the same time, CPCA also indicated from January to February this year, new energy MPV sales increased by 67.4% year-on-year, and the growth rate dropped significantly.
