Play on the field and compete in the market. SAIC Maxus pickup trucks ride the wind and waves to explore the world. Pickups | SAIC Maxus

After three years, the China Tower Rally has reignited the flames of war. SAIC Maxus participated in the competition with the "SAIC Bull" T90 as the base model, winning the championship in the production group, the runner up in the diesel group, and the championship in the manufacturer team.

It took 13 days, covering a total distance of 4258 kilometers and a special segment of 2253 kilometers, with a total of 9 special segments. This round of the tower passes through Aksu, Kashgar, and Hotan regions, and the difficulty of the race is the highest in history.

The weight of a laurel crown is self-evident. At the same time, it also brings the seemingly niche model of pickup trucks and the young car company SAIC Maxus back to the public: why is the value of "winning the tower championship" so high? How can young car companies defeat established powerhouses and become the "king of pickup trucks"? What is the future outlook for pickup trucks?

Looking back at the development process of the past five years, SAIC Maxus seized the opportunity and took product strength as the cornerstone. Not only did it conquer the hardcore market, but it also became a hot seller both domestically and internationally, breaking through a new ground and becoming a reflection of "internal and external cultivation" deeply cultivating the global market. It can be said that SAIC Maxus itself is a vivid example of interpreting these issues.

[SAIC Maxus "SAIC Bull" T90 Racing Car]

A hard won victory

There is a half true and half false joke in the car circle: running better than the ring tower is the real car.

Known as the "toughest off-road rally in China," the Tour of the Tower not only has the longest distance in a single sports competition, but also includes complex road surfaces such as deserts, Gobi, and gravel. Coupled with complex and variable weather conditions, it is a great test for racing drivers, racing teams, and logistics support teams. In addition, the alkaline water quality in Xinjiang makes maintenance even more difficult. Therefore, since the start of the race in 2009, Huanta has attracted the attention of various hardcore car enthusiasts, gradually growing into the world's second largest long-distance off-road rally for cars and motorcycles in Asia.

Starting from 2013, the Tour of the Tower Rally has set up a T2 factory production team: based on mass production of cars, automobile manufacturers, in accordance with the relevant rules of the FIA International Automobile Federation, carry out corresponding safety modifications to the racing car's chassis, tires, fuel tank, cab roll cage, etc. without changing the original core components such as the engine and gearbox. In other words, the Ring Tower Rally is an ultra long, ultra high intensity "pressure test" conducted on a car under extreme conditions.

This is already a high difficulty track, and in addition, this special track also covers various terrains and landforms such as the Yadan Gorge, the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, the Gobi Desert, and Kunlun Snow Mountain, making the difficulty even higher. Continuing to add to the difficulty, SAIC Maxus faced two groups of established rivals in its first competition: Zhengzhou Nissan and Chery Automobile.

Truly getting on the track is even more difficult than imagined: before the start of the race, although the tracks of all groups are basically the same, the starting position of the production group is far behind, so even if it was originally a flat track, by the time the production group starts, it is already full of deep ruts. The N39 stage of this competition has extremely high challenge difficulty, known as the "tower desert that can enter, N39 that cannot exit". The SS3 and SS4 stages in the schedule belong to the N39 Desert stage. Just as we entered the SS1 stage, 2 out of 3 cars overturned. By the end of the SS3 stage, only 4 mass-produced cars had completed the race, with SAIC Maxus occupying 3 and winning the championship in that stage. In the upcoming SS4 segment, SAIC Maxus team also became the only vehicle in the production group to finish the race ahead of schedule.

Unlike other manufacturers entrusting third-party participation, the drivers and logistics support team of SAIC Maxus are mostly composed of Maxus owners and engineers. The driver who won the championship this time, Zhang Lijing, is a loyal fan of SAIC Maxus. The Da Tong car not only accompanies him on the field of competition, but also is his favorite car model in his life.

[SAIC Maxus "SAIC Bull" T90 Racing Car]

A strength that cannot be underestimated

However, even with the support of a hardcore team, the key to ultimately determining the outcome is still the product.

The three T90 vehicles participating in this competition by SAIC Maxus are all original factory made cars and have been modified according to FIA safety requirements. The engine, gearbox, transfer case, front and rear axles, and half shafts are all equipped with original parts without any reinforcement, and we insist on using original parts for the competition. The participating vehicles have won the overall championship of the production group and the manufacturer's cup of the Dunhuang Dahaido Endurance Race for two consecutive years. SAIC Maxus has brought them to the Huanta racetrack this time, once again demonstrating the strong strength of the product with its original factory quality.

To conquer the ring tower, strong power is the core. Specifically, the T90 carries eight leading technologies in the industry, such as SAIC π Bi-Turbo diesel engine developed by SAIC for the global market for the first time, with a maximum power of 160kW and peak torque of 500Nm, Bosch 2000bar high pressure common rail, Honeywell VGT+WGT two-stage turbocharging and other industry leading technologies.

What is the concept of 500 Niu Mi? In 2021, the T90 will easily drive 500 cattle on the Hulunbuir prairie in Inner Mongolia. Even now, two years later, looking at the global pickup market, there are very few pickup trucks that can produce this torque.

While satisfying the motivation, safety is also crucial. T90 body structure meets the latest domestic 2023CNCAP five-star safety standards: 3000 mm laser welding and laser composite welding are used in body and frame design, which can increase stiffness by 30%-this technology is generally only seen in luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The car body adopts the thermoformed steel with the highest yield strength exceeding 1500MPa in the industry, and its high / ultra-high strength steel can reach 68%, extending from A column to C column position and including the entire B column, almost including the entire side circumference of the vehicle, greatly improving the ability of the vehicle to protect the people in the vehicle, ensuring the collision performance while reducing the body weight, and then improving the fuel economy of the vehicle.

In addition, the details also reflect Chase's intention for safety everywhere: for example, the disc brake system adopts redundant double-loop design, which ensures driving braking safety to the maximum extent, and the failure rate is smaller and safer; equipped with disc brakes, the air can pass through directly, so the heat dissipation is better, and the braking force decline under mountain roads and frequent braking conditions can be effectively prevented.

Not only is diesel cars safe, but the T90 gasoline version also maximizes safety. For example, in response to safety issues caused by oil leakage after a vehicle collision, the T90 gasoline version is equipped with a collision automatic fuel cut-off function: when an accident occurs, the airbags will pop out and send a collision activation signal to the bus. After receiving it, the engine controller will automatically stop spraying fuel and control the valve in the fuel inlet pipe to cut off the fuel tank, thereby strengthening the safety protection of drivers and passengers.

The determination to venture into the world

Undoubtedly, the victory of Huanta is just one milestone for SAIC Maxus pickup trucks.

Since the launch of the first pickup truck T60, SAIC Maxus has adhered to defining pickup trucks with high standards and requirements, and has also entered the global market simultaneously. Nowadays, the products have been sold well both domestically and internationally. Last year, the annual export volume of SAIC Maxus pickup trucks exceeded that of Great Wall, ranking first. At the same time, it is also the "youngest pickup truck brand" with the highest growth rate and second highest sales volume in China.

Of particular concern is that in overseas markets where entry barriers have always been high, Datong pickup trucks have also successfully established themselves: as of now, Datong pickup truck series products have spread to 73 countries and regions worldwide, with cumulative sales of over 120000 units in overseas markets, with developed pickup truck markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States accounting for over 90%. Last year alone, Datong pickup trucks achieved sales exceeding 10000 yuan in a single country including Australia, Chile, and Mexico. In overseas pickup truck markets such as Chile, North America, and Saudi Arabia, they also achieved market share first in segmented markets and sales first in Chinese pickup truck brands, achieving a "double breakthrough" in both market share and reputation. In the first five months of this year, the global retail sales of the Datong pickup truck family exceeded 26000 units.

As a young Chinese brand, SAIC Maxus has entered developed markets not to attract customers with low prices and reduced configurations, but to adhere to a high-end route. Targeting the global high-end market with "high quality, high price, and high sales" has become the core of SAIC MAXUS's products throughout the entire line.

For example, in terms of market selection, SAIC Maxus chose Chile, known as the "must compete place for pickup trucks", as its first stop. Fearless of 24 well-known local brands, it successfully seized market share in just two years, won the first place in pickup truck retail in five years, and became the "champion brand" in local market sales last year, setting a single year pickup truck sales record in Chile and ending 12 consecutive years of Japanese dominance.

In the European market, which also has extremely high entry barriers, the T90EV is the first Chinese brand pure electric pickup truck to enter the European market, and also the first mass-produced pure electric pickup truck in Europe. In the Australian and New Zealand markets, many Japanese and Korean brands dominate here. Since entering the local market, Datong pickup trucks have dared to compete with big brands and have held the top spot in sales for three consecutive years, representing a Chinese brand breaking the "Japanese and Korean dominated" situation in the local market.

Due to factors such as climate and terrain, North America and the Middle East have also become competitive highlands for pickup trucks. In North America and Mexico, SAIC Maxus achieved sales exceeding 10000 with a single model in its first year of entry. In the Middle East, SAIC Maxus has also surpassed mainstream Japanese pickup trucks, ranking in the top four in the Saudi Arabian and Qatar markets, and has become the Chinese brand with the highest sales ranking in the segmented market.

【 Dakar Rally Champion Drivers Francisco Lopez and SAIC Maxus T60 】

SAIC Chase once mentioned: since the production of pickup, Chase has not defined it as a "tool car". This explains why Chase is always at the forefront of product design, price positioning and layout. With the lifting of the ban on pick-up trucks in many cities in China, and under the trend of consumption upgrading, personalized and multiplicative pick-up trucks have become a major trend. This makes the original minority pickup models, or will become the next blue ocean market.

At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, SAIC Maxus also launched the "Large Pure Electric Performance Pickup" GST concept car, which integrates multiple technologies such as China's first non load bearing pure electric chassis architecture, specialized "dual track" automatic parking system, advanced all terrain automatic rescue, and super five-star standard safety design, redefining the performance limits of pickup trucks and striving towards the more high-end electric pickup truck market.

The rich product matrix and leading technological strength demonstrate the foresight and determination of Datong. Riding the wind and waves, the future is promising. What will happen to the new generation pickup truck market? It is full of expectations.