Made by the joint venture Dongfeng Nissan, the Sylphy Zero Emission is basically a sedan version of the popular Nissan Leaf and is now rolling off the production line.
After government subsidies it has a price of 166.000 yuan (20.902 euros), while the gas version has a starting price of 119.000 yuan (14.984 euros). This means that there is a 47.000 yuan (5.918 euros) price difference between the gas and electric version. I wish that was the case with electric cars sold in Europe, where electric versions cost at least twice as much as their gas counterparts…
Anyway, currently BAIC, BYD and SAIC (Roewe) dominate the plug-in car sales in China, but this could change with the new electric car produced by Dongfeng Nissan.
Curiously, unlike its cousin Nissan Leaf – that has a battery made by AESC -, the Dongfeng Nissan Sylphy Zero Emission has a battery made by the giant Chinese battery cell maker, CATL. I wonder if it has a TMS (Thermal Management System)?!
I also wonder if Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi electric cars in the near future (1-2 years) will have different battery packs made by multiple cell makers, such as AESC, LG Chem and CATL. I don’t think that an automaker should rely on a single supplier for such an important part of electric cars – unless it isn’t really interested in mass produce them… This is why the standardization of battery cells is very important for the development of electric cars.
What do you think, does Dongfeng Nissan has a chance to surpass BAIC, BYD and SAIC regarding plug-in car sales in China?
