Founded in 1969, Dongfeng Motor Group, formerly known as China Second Automobile Manufacturing Plant, is one of the founders of the development of China’s automobile industry and an important pillar of China’s automobile industry. Headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Dongfeng Motor was established in the early stage, mainly focusing on medium and heavy trucks, SUV and medium and buses and other types of large vehicles; in 2010, Dongfeng Motor Group began to lay out the field of new energy vehicles, and utilized joint ventures and cooperation to introduce relevant technologies; after 2015, Dongfeng Motor accelerated its transition to new energy. In 2021, Dongfeng Motor released the “East Wind Rise” plan, which clearly pointed out that the Group would take new energy as the core strategic development direction of the enterprise, and the programmable electric vehicle technology was defined as the “optimal solution for the transition between fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles.
The production of Dongfeng Motor’s EREV models has a globally leading intelligent manufacturing system, and the smart factory in Wuhan is the current benchmark for quality factories in the Industry 4.0 era. In the whole supply chain, Dongfeng Motor adopts the dual cooperation mode of “autonomous control and open collaboration”, and the production plant has the first die-casting equipment with high localization rate in the national automobile industry, which can increase the nationalization rate of the components of the core battery electric drive system to 85%,therefore, it can greatly reduce the geo risk of the vehicle; on the other hand, Dongfeng Motor has established strategic cooperation with other cooperative manufacturers, including Ningde Times, to launch research in the field of batteries for automobiles. This intelligent factory adopts the full 5G and industrial internet technology, which can realize the fully automated production of stamping, welding, painting and general assembly workshops, and the automation degree of key processes reaches 95%, which not only accelerates the production of vehicles but also ensures the quality of vehicles leaving the factory. The welding automation rate of this new energy plant has reached 99.5%, which is in the leading position in the industry, and the passing rate of the products coming off the line at one time has also increased to 99.98%.
Overseas, Dongfeng Motor has built a KD plant in Pakistan, and some new energy models have been produced and assembled in the plant; the new energy industrial park in Thailand is also under construction, and the plant will be able to radiate to most of the Southeast Asian countries after it is completed and put into operation.
Dongfeng automotive has a strong R&D system, which mainly consists of two parts: domestic and international. The Global Innovation Center in Wuhan, China, focuses on the research and development of vehicle intelligent chassis, automotive-grade chips and other underlying technologies; the test base in Xiangyang is a national enterprise technology center, which is mainly responsible for automotive powertrain and new energy testing and research and development, and which is equipped with some of the most advanced test equipment in China; Wuhan Optics Valley Core Valley mainly relies on third-generation semiconductor production lines to research and develop ways to shorten the industry’s mass production cycle and increase the production rate. In terms of international cooperation, Dongfeng Motor’s Cummins East Asia R&D Center is mainly responsible for completing the technological research and development of vehicles from parts and components to the whole vehicle manufacturing of the whole process layout; the cooperation with BorgWarner mainly focuses on the research and development and production of automotive hybrid systems.
The core technology points of DFM’s EREV models include the following:
The DFL EREV models are especially prominent with the AEOLUS L7.
The AEOLUS L7 EREV is Dongfeng’s classic EREV, with an overall exterior design that achieves a balance of sporty aesthetics and pragmatism. The front of the vehicle adopts a star grille design, parametric dot-matrix center mesh with penetrating LED light bands, which can support dynamic welcoming light effects, and both sides of the deflector design is based on aerodynamics, so that the vehicle’s driving wind resistance is reduced to 0.26Cd. The side of the body is a coupe-style back design, and the rear of the tail quantum through the taillights contain 128 LED lights, which can support three lighting modes, and the rear has a small ducktail spoiler design to enhance the vehicle’s driving stability, and hidden exhaust design to highlight the vehicle’s new energy status. The interior of the vehicle is equipped with a 13.2-inch and 10.25-inch dual large screen configuration, and the design of the electronic pocket shifter can greatly release the center console space. The seats are all made of imitation leather, the main driver supports 8-way electric adjustment function, and the rear seats are also free to adjust the angle of the backrest. The storage space inside the vehicle includes 30L in the front trunk with a regular volume of 520L, which can cover the storage needs of most families.The AEOLUS L7 EREV is paired with the Mach Electric Hybrid DH-i system, with a 1.5T high-efficiency range extender with a thermal efficiency of 41.07%, which can reach a maximum power of 125kW, and a 4-speed DHT transmission, which increases the smoothness of the vehicle’s gearshift by 30%. The vehicle has a pure electric range of 205km and a combined range of 1,300km, which is capable of easing the user’s mileage anxiety, whether for daily commuting or long-distance driving.
Dongfeng Auto has gained many honors in the market, winning the “Heart of China” Top Ten New Energy Power Award, the German iF Design Award and the J.D. Power New Energy Quality Champion. At present, Dongfeng Motor EREV models have entered more than 20 countries and regions such as Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, etc. In particular, its EV market share in the Netherlands has reached 23%, becoming an emerging force in the Dutch market.
Dongfeng Motor is not only a collector of automobile technology, but also a leading force in China’s automobile industry. In the future, Dong feng Motor will continue to lead the new energy automobile industry to a bigger stage with an open and innovative attitude.
