Recently, the Wuhan Development Zone (Hannan District) Land Planning Bureau released a public notice, stating that Lantu Motors has completed the acquisition of Dongfeng Nissan’s Wuhan Yunfeng plant for 723 million RMB. The seller is Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd.
The acquired Wuhan Yunfeng plant is located in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, occupying an area of 1,203,472.44 square meters. The plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units, which can be expanded to 300,000 units. It is equipped with five major processes, including stamping and welding, and is capable of flexible production for both pure electric and hybrid models. The plant will be upgraded to a high-end smart electric vehicle production base for Lantu Motors, producing the newly launched Lantu FREE+ and the new Lantu Zhiyin models.
Wuhan Yunfeng plant, also known as Dongfeng Nissan Wuhan plant, was officially put into operation in May 2022. It was funded by Dongfeng Motor Group and operated by Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. and Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company. The plant has a complete industrial chain for new energy vehicle production, including workshops for stamping, welding, painting, resin, final assembly, tire mounting, and battery PACK. The initial annual production capacity is 150,000 units, with the potential to expand to 300,000 units. The plant mainly produced models such as the Dongfeng Nissan X-Trail, X-Trail e-Power, and Altima. However, due to market changes and other factors, the sales of these models have been sluggish in recent years, resulting in a production capacity utilization rate of less than 20%. In June 2024, it was reported that the Wuhan plant had begun to manufacture the Lantu Zhiyin model for Lantu Motors. Thus, Lantu’s formal acquisition of the Yunfeng plant might not come as a surprise.
The Lantu FREE+ was officially launched on July 12, with a price range of 219,900 to 279,900 RMB. As a facelifted model, the vehicle has undergone a complete redesign of its exterior and interior and is equipped with Huawei’s QianKun ADS4 driving assistance system and HarmonyOS cockpit 5. It also comes with features such as a built-in refrigerator and AR-HUD head-up display as standard. The car’s dimensions are 4915/1960/1660mm, with a wheelbase of 2960mm, positioning it as a mid-to-large-sized SUV. In terms of power, the Lantu FREE+ is equipped with an extended-range power system consisting of a 1.5T engine and an electric motor, offering both two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive versions. The 1.5T engine has a maximum net power of 95kW. The two-wheel-drive version’s motor delivers a maximum power of 215kW, while the four-wheel-drive version’s front and rear motors have maximum power of 135kW and 215kW, respectively. The car is equipped with a 43.2kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The two-wheel-drive model has a pure electric range of 235/225 km according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), while the four-wheel-drive model has a range of 196/190 km.
The new Lantu Zhiyin is scheduled to launch in August and will be produced at the Wuhan Yunfeng plant. As a facelifted model, the new Zhiyin mainly undergoes exterior adjustments and will be available in two versions: the Kunpeng Edition and the QianKun Edition. The difference between the two is that the QianKun Edition will be equipped with Huawei’s latest generation QianKun Intelligent Driving ADS 4 and HarmonyOS cockpit HarmonySpace 5, while the Kunpeng Edition will feature Lantu’s self-developed driving assistance system and the Xiaoyao cockpit. The new model is expected to be launched by the end of August.
