Nuggets of new energy vehicles "her economy"
With the popularity of new energy vehicles, the competition among major car companies has become increasingly fierce, and more and more brands are targeting women, launching new energy vehicles for female consumers.
Great Wall Euler, which has the slogan of "a car brand that loves women more", Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, which focuses on small and cute products, NIO, which introduces women's color schemes, and Xiaopeng, which makes a fuss about women's makeup needs... New energy car companies have made a big difference in terms of appearance and interior. Targeted improvements have been made in various aspects such as decoration, performance configuration, and marketing.
"Female color matching", "Queen's car" and "female brand", can the actions of new energy car companies win the heart of "her"?
How do you view car companies' attention to women?
How long can the female market demand last?
With these questions in mind, the reporter visited a number of new energy vehicle sales stores.
my country's new energy automobile industry has strong momentum, and it will even accelerate in 2022.
According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in November 2022, the monthly production and sales of new energy vehicles in my country reached a new high, reaching 768,000 and 786,000 vehicles respectively, a year-on-year increase of 65.6% and 72.3%, respectively, and a market share of 33.8%.
In the first 11 months of 2022, the production and sales of new energy vehicles will be 6.253 million and 6.067 million respectively, doubling year-on-year, and the market share will reach 25%.
With the rise of new energy vehicles and the continuous improvement of women's consumer demand, the "her economy" of automobile consumption can no longer be underestimated and has become a new growth point in the automobile market.
Now, there are more and more new energy vehicles targeting female consumers on the road, such as Euler Haomao, Leap T03, Chery Ant, etc.
Great Wall Motors has launched a sub-brand "Ola Auto" specially designed for female users. NIO's "Queen's Co-Driver" provides a large space for female users. There are also car brands that specially launch female color schemes or create communication and sharing platforms for female car owners... In the past, the automobile industry, where men were the main consumer group, paid more and more attention to the needs of female consumers. Words such as "female users", "female brand" and "female exclusive" appeared more and more frequently, and product design and marketing were also more and more oriented towards women. more and more inclined.
Some analysts believe that with a large number of new cars targeting female users, how to continue to win the market with a differentiated approach under the "her economy" of new energy vehicles will be the next test for car companies.
What do car companies rely on to attract "her"
Brilliant color schemes, retro interiors, a small and round body, and a shape resembling a Beetle... In the Ora New Energy Automobile Store in Huaifang Wanda Shopping Center in Beijing, the Ballet Cat model has been on the market for a short time, but it is quite popular.
The personalized color of women in the new era is becoming more and more obvious. How can new energy vehicles aimed at women win "her" heart?
The reporter visited and found that "appearance is justice" is popular nowadays, and there are not a few female consumers who choose a model because of their appearance.
Women-only features make Euler's various models look different in appearance.
Ms. Zheng, who lives in Daxing District, Beijing, recalled the scene when she first saw Euler's good cat: "I was attracted by its shape at first sight. The body is mainly arc-curved, with a strong retro style, and it hits women precisely. The user's psychology." She said: "Although the power performance and cruising range of Euler Haomao are average, I was finally 'captured' by its appearance."
More and more new energy vehicles are beginning to pay attention to the appearance design.
Chery QQ ice cream van’s front lights and taillights are designed with "U"-shaped big-eyed headlights. The visual effect is small and cute. The side of the body adopts a "smiling" shape outlined by tough lines; ;BYD Auto's appearance adopts Longyan design...
Among the many new energy models designed for female consumers, unique color matching is indispensable, which is related to the level of appearance, and even directly linked to sales.
When the reporter visited the Xiaopeng Automobile store, he found that the color of the car showed a younger trend.
Salesperson Guo Chunran said: "Because more and more girls are buying Xiaopeng, we attach great importance to this phenomenon. This G3i has launched two new colors - Nebula Rice and Dimension Powder, as well as the previous Sky Green, visually The look is young and fashionable, and many female consumers come here to learn about these color schemes."
When you mention Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, you will definitely mention its compact appearance and bright colors.
The reason why it can sell well is due to its appearance.
Compared with the stereotyped body color of traditional cars, the color scheme of Hongguang MINIEV is mainly based on the macaron color system that women love: in March 2021, PANTONE UNIVERSE, a world color research institution, released 3 macaron spring colors ——Lemon yellow, avocado green, and white peach powder; in September, macaron autumn colors—Merlot blue and raw coconut white are launched, the spring colors are fresh and playful, and the autumn colors are gentle and simple.
The interior color of the macaron sandwich series launched in 2022 echoes the body color and is more dynamic.
In addition to body color and appearance, in order to capture the hearts of female consumers, new energy automakers have created exclusive configurations for women in terms of car experience, such as NIO's "Queen's Co-Driver", Geely's Cherry Blossom Pink Film, Xiaopeng Motors' supplementary Light makeup mirror... This series of measures meets the actual needs of female consumer groups, shortens the distance between car companies and female consumers, and wins their favor.
In the Weilai exhibition hall of Beijing Xihongmen Gathering Center, there is an endless stream of consumers who come to experience the ES6 model "Queen's Co-Driver".
While explaining, the salesperson adjusted the button on the side of the co-pilot seat, the leg rest was slowly extended under the seat, and the seat back was adjusted backwards.
"The seat can be adjusted to a maximum of 160 degrees, and you can lie almost flat. Combined with the meditation, nap, breathing and other modes of the Tidal APP, you can enjoy high-quality rest in the car."
As the auto market enters a stock game from incremental competition, publicity and marketing are becoming more and more important.
In order to win the female consumer market, new energy vehicles have also made great efforts in marketing.
In 2021, Euler Motors made a high-profile official announcement of the positioning of "a car brand that loves women more", and then launched a series of fast-paced marketing actions to narrow the distance with young female consumers.
From the retro cheongsam show, the "Ola Goddess City Life Illustrated Book", to the "Sweet Run" that uses running to show the charm of women, the "Oula Love Travels" Mother's Day event that encourages love to go out of the circle of friends, and then set off an upsurge of discussions on the entire network The Haowu Research Institute, the Meow Star Research Institute, the LOHAS Bureau... a series of marketing activities are obviously very appealing to the female consumer group and have attracted a lot of attention.
The naming of car models and configurations is also a representative marketing method.
If the vibrant color scheme and exquisite appearance will capture the "heart" of female consumers in the first place, then an impressive name is also the key to being remembered by them.
Different from traditional car naming methods, new energy vehicles are more inclined to find a vivid name based on the appearance and design style of the car, so that female consumers can use pictographic thinking to match the car name, configuration and model, and deepen their impression of the brand and model.
Dongfeng Fengxing defines the Fengxing T5 EVO Goddess Edition as "China's first custom-made SUV for women", Nezha Automobile launched the pink Nezha V Witch Edition, Chery QQ ice cream series 3 configurations are pudding, cone, sundae... various Vocabulary expressions familiar to women have been transplanted into the automotive field and continue to penetrate into the hearts of female users.
Meet diverse needs
If you think that women only look at the color and appearance when buying a car, you are very wrong.
Safety, sense of technology, battery life, brand... The development of new energy vehicles allows consumers to have more considerations when purchasing.
During the interview, the reporter found that for female consumers, appearance, as the first impression, is the catalyst for order transactions, but it is often not the decisive factor.
A survey report on women's car use shows that among the factors that affect women's car purchase choices, what women care most about is neither appearance nor interior, but brand and safety.
"Safety is the most important thing." said Xiaoyang Zhang, BYD's Han EV car, "BYD's blade battery takes battery life and safety into account, and has a good reputation in the industry, so I chose the Han EV, which I think looks good and is safe and reliable. models".
The sales staff of Baozehang, a BMW dealer, told the reporter: "Female consumers usually first recognize our brand, and then choose a model with a high value in the showroom, and make a final decision based on budget and so on."
A salesperson at a NIO store said: “Female consumers tend to pay more attention to whether the car is easy to drive, sit and use when buying a car. Good driving is reflected in functions such as car control and assisted driving, and good sitting is mainly due to the comfort of the seat. , the size of the space, and the ease of use involves after-sales service, post-maintenance, etc.” Ms. Qin, who came to the store to experience it, took a fancy to Weilai’s free battery replacement service. to the charging station".
Female consumers also attach great importance to comfort, intelligent networking systems, and infotainment interactive functions when buying cars.
During the interview, a female consumer told the reporter: “I don’t just buy a car based on its appearance, but also carefully study various details and parameters. Personally, I feel that the models developed and designed for female consumers are paying more and more attention to functions and quality. .”
For female consumers, new energy vehicle manufacturers have made targeted changes in exclusive functions, intelligent design, and assisted driving.
For example, Xiaopeng G3i has added functions such as ACC adaptive cruise control, LCC lane centering assist, LKA lane keeping, and stopper warning for female consumers.
Euler has applied for more than 50 female-specific technical patents. For example, the "Guardian Mode" developed by Euler Ballet has a hidden button on the lower left of the driver's seat. When a female driver encounters an emergency, she can press the button to The condition inside the car is sent to pre-set emergency contacts.
In addition, the "Riding the Wind and Waves Mode" that automatically monitors rain and snow, and the "Kids Mode" that can monitor the safety of children in the rear row have all made targeted improvements to the pain points of female users.
More and more new energy vehicles focus on providing drivers with a friendly and comfortable experience, such as the smart life kit of Xiaopeng P5.
"The third space is one of the highlights of this car. The optional smart life package includes an air mattress, a car projector, a car refrigerator, and a smart fragrance system." The sales staff adjusted the front seats while explaining. 180 degrees, put an inflatable mattress, "in this way, you can lie down and rest like at home, and the fragrance system will monitor the sleeping environment in real time to ensure the safety of the sleeping environment."
During the test drive of the NIO ET7, the reporter felt that the foot feel was significantly improved when stepping on the pedal. The salesperson explained: "The organ-style accelerator pedal has an anti-slip effect, and the driver will have a more comfortable driving experience."
Sitting in the NIO ES6 car, Sun Yachao, a salesperson, said: "The hollow design under the center console can be used as a storage compartment to store handbags, high-heeled shoes and other items without putting them in the trunk, which is more convenient for female drivers. It is more considerate.” During the interview, the reporter also found that ambient lights and other designs that create a driving atmosphere have become standard equipment for new energy vehicles.
NIO ET7 has 256 kinds of ambient lights to choose from, creating a cozy or romantic and comfortable atmosphere for the interior of the car.
More and more consumers value the technology and intelligence of cars.
Grey, a "post-95" who lives in Jiangbei District, Chongqing, recently became the owner of the Xpeng P5. When asked why she bought it, she said that she valued the smart and innovative design of the car more. Driving mode and kinetic energy recovery mode, it is interesting for me to experience different driving feelings."
In terms of intelligent driving, the intelligent assistance system composed of high-definition cameras, ultrasonic sensors, millimeter-wave radar, and lidar has helped many female drivers solve pain points such as difficult parking and poor control of vehicle distance during driving.
In addition, with economic growth, automobiles no longer remain as tools, but also become a platform for consumers to express themselves.
For example, Hongguang MINIEV turns the car into a toy that can be dressed up carefully, arousing the enthusiasm of young consumers for modification.
On the Xiaohongshu APP, the topic #五银宏光MINIEV改变# has received tens of millions of views, and the screen is full of modified works by car owners and players.
According to market research statistics, the proportion of Hongguang MINIEV's tidal change exceeds 72%.
"After refitting, the rate of turning back on the road is particularly high." In the eyes of many young consumers, refitting is also a part of the consumer experience, and the fun even surpasses buying a car itself.
Regardless of appearance or performance, how effective are the measures taken by new energy car companies for female consumers?
Facts have proved that there are already new energy auto manufacturers who have tasted the sweetness in the women's car track.
Wuling Hongguang MINIEV has detonated the market since its launch in 2020. It has won the sales champion of China's new energy vehicle market for several consecutive months and has become a phenomenal product. In 2021, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV's sales will exceed 400,000 vehicles.
According to statistics, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV car owners account for more than 60% of women.
In 2021, the cumulative sales of all Euler models will reach 135,000, a year-on-year increase of 140%, ranking among the top camps in the new energy vehicle industry.
Statistics show that the proportion of Euler's female car owners is as high as 70%.
In the fiercely competitive new energy vehicle market, Wuling Hongguang and Euler stand out, showing that women are gradually becoming a new growth pole under the competition of stock in the auto market.
Women are the main force of consumption that cannot be ignored.
Relevant research results show that my country has nearly 400 million female consumers aged 20 to 60, who control consumption expenditures as high as 10 trillion yuan each year, and the "her economy" supports more than half the sky.
In addition, such a high data growth is also due to the rapid increase in the number of female drivers in recent years.
Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show that in 2021, there will be 481 million motor vehicle drivers nationwide, including 162 million female drivers.
Although the total number of male drivers is larger, the growth rate of female drivers is faster, with a rapid growth of about 13 million per year in recent years.
Industry insiders pointed out that the diversified needs of female consumers are expected to lead to more female-specific car functions and products. In the future, car companies will launch more levels and diversified new models targeting the market segment of female consumers.
How to go further on the new track
When talking about the phenomenon of new energy car companies targeting female consumers, an internal car sales trainer who has been working for many years told reporters: "New car-making forces started late, lacking brand accumulation and user reputation. If they do not produce distinctive Products, without publicity, the product will not gain exposure, and the market will not be able to open up. Female users are a blue ocean in the current market, so some new energy car companies are willing to make a fuss about this.”
For new energy car companies, the female market is indeed a consumer market with great potential.
But how long can its market demand last?
How to continue to tap the value of female users and break through the marketing framework?
These are issues that relevant car companies need to seriously consider.
When talking about the driving experience of Euler Haomao, Ms. Zheng said: "There is no button to directly open the trunk in the car. Every time I have to get out of the car and open it manually, it is very inconvenient. I didn't pay attention to this detail when buying the car." In addition, she also talked about the "replacement" incident of Euler Haomao.
In 2021, due to the "wrong product", the car machine chip is equipped with an old Intel 4-core chip, which does not match the Qualcomm 8-core chip previously claimed by the manufacturer, triggering consumer rights protection.
Such incidents are obviously extremely easy to damage the brand image and market expansion.
Nowadays, in order to increase sales, some companies often put some new technical labels on their products in promotion and marketing, and engage in fancy marketing.
However, automobiles are technically highly specialized. The more so, the more scientific and rational the manufacturers must be, and beware of "marketing overturning".
The women's market is a good track, but if you want to achieve long-term development, you still have to do your job well and return to the essence of the car.
Whether it is women's color matching or creating an exclusive women's brand, if you pay too much attention to women's design elements and marketing strategies, while ignoring basic car needs, or even resorting to fraud, it may be popular for a while, but it will eventually be abandoned by the market.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to product competitiveness, failure to keep up with after-sales service will also lead to damage to brand image and reputation.
Automobile products have high value, complex use scenarios and long life cycle. Different from general commodities, while emphasizing performance, price and quality, they must also be guaranteed by a comprehensive after-sales service system.
In addition, car companies must continue to conduct market follow-up surveys, keep abreast of new changes in the women's car market segment, pay attention to consumer aesthetic changes, car function upgrades, etc., and continue to carry out product aesthetic and technological innovations, so as to develop women's favorite products in a targeted manner. new features and models.
Today, with increasingly diversified consumer demand and rapid product design updates, no company can rely on "one trick, eat all over the world".
To really attract "her", in the final analysis, we must work hard on innovation.
Some people use the case of Meitu mobile phone as an analogy. The Meitu Kiss mobile phone under Meitu software was once popular in the female market because of its Selfie beauty function. Later, as major mobile phone brands continued to upgrade and improve the camera function, Meitu mobile phone lost its advantage and finally bid farewell. market.
This gives some enlightenment to the current new energy vehicle market that is vying to "love" women: Behind the priority of appearance, factors such as performance, cost performance, and safety are equally important.
Single target consumers and vertical application scenarios allow car companies to continue to dig deep and intensively in fixed fields, but on the other hand, it also means restrictions and constraints.
How will new energy car companies play a stronger "female card" in the next step?
Improving product power cannot be ignored.
Manufacturers of new energy vehicles should not only base their moats on gender, but also continuously improve their model layout and upgrade their vehicle manufacturing technology.
At present, my country's new energy automobile industry has entered a new stage of large-scale and rapid development, but it must also be noted that the growth momentum of the domestic market still needs to be further improved.
Car companies should maintain their advantages, ride on the momentum, focus on chips, new system batteries, and automotive operating systems to continuously improve their capabilities.
From the perspective of consumption structure, the current trend of consumption upgrade in the auto market is becoming more and more obvious. Consumers will have different priority needs in different consumption scenarios and different life stages.
For example, when buying a car for the first time, users mainly solve the tool needs of travel, and pay more attention to basic needs such as safety, quality, price, and cost of use. When buying a car for the second time, users will have more needs for experience and display.
People in the industry believe that as more and more car companies pay attention to the female consumer market, the market will return to rational competition. In addition to car styling, they will compete in core technology and after-sales service.
With the help of "her economy", the successful new energy vehicles must build greater advantages in technology research and development, continuously tap the potential of the female market, improve the technical performance of vehicles, and develop in the direction of high-quality and personalized products.