In 2022, in the face of various uncertainties around the world, China's auto industry will still maintain a good momentum of development despite adversity.

　　Whether it is the continuous expansion of the market share of self-owned brands, occupying "half of the country" in the auto market for the first time, or the rapid development of new energy vehicles, with production and sales hitting new highs, or more and more Chinese auto brands going global and grabbing overseas markets...these No doubt both inside and outside the industry are excited.

　　Among them, the "locomotive" pulling effect of new energy vehicles is particularly eye-catching.

　　When talking about this topic, Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the Passenger Car Market Information Association, told reporters: "In the whole year of 2022, the penetration rate of new energy passenger cars in China will be close to 28%, and this value has reached 29.5% in December. Such performance has already fulfilled the goal of 'reaching 20% ​​of the new energy vehicle market penetration rate by 2025' specified in the "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)" ahead of schedule."

　　As we all know, the new energy automobile industry has become the most important stage for the development of the automobile industry in various countries.

Especially in the Chinese market, self-owned brands have formed a strong control over the entire new energy vehicle market in the past two years, accounting for more than 60% of the retail market share. Many new energy and new models have attracted widespread attention from consumers.

　　However, in the past year or so, news and topics about "high insurance premiums and expensive maintenance" of new energy vehicles have aroused discussions among many people.

　　The data agency WePredict once released a report, through a study on the service and maintenance of about 19 million vehicles between 2016 and 2021, it was found that the current maintenance cost of electric vehicles is 1.6 to 2.3 times that of fuel vehicles at the same price.

　　"When it comes to new energy vehicles, more attention has been paid to the energy-saving, low-carbon and intelligent networking fields inside and outside the industry. What is overlooked by many people is that new energy vehicles have also had an impact on the maintenance and insurance systems involved in the traditional automotive aftermarket. A huge disruption." Liu Zhichao, an analyst in the auto industry, said.

Insurance maintenance becomes car owner's heart disease

　　According to media reports, a Polestar 2 car owner in Zhejiang had an accident while driving, causing damage to the headlights and chassis parts of the car, and the battery board was sunken inward.

　　The owner thought that the collision only caused damage to the shell of the battery pack, but was told by the 4S shop that due to the manufacturing design of Polestar 2, the aluminum plate shell covering the battery pack could not be repaired alone, and the entire battery pack had to be replaced, and the repair price was as high as 54 ten thousand yuan.

　　"The price of a new Polestar 2 car is less than 250,000 yuan (after deducting discounts and subsidies), but I have to spend more than double the price for repairs because of such a not serious accident, which is really ridiculous." The voice of a car owner quickly resonated with people.

In fact, this is just a microcosm of the status quo of "sky-high maintenance fees" for new energy vehicles.

　　Not long ago, a Xiaopeng P5 needed a repair fee of 19,000 yuan due to a bumper collision, and one of the lidars cost more than 9,000 yuan; The cost is as high as 200,000 yuan; an ideal ONE was slightly scratched due to carelessness, and when the owner wanted to repair it, he found that it would cost 1,200 yuan to repair the paint on one side, and a total of 2,400 yuan was damaged on both sides...

　　In the case of high maintenance costs, insurance companies have also generally increased the quotations for new energy vehicle insurance.

Especially after the introduction of exclusive clauses for new energy auto insurance, this situation has become more obvious and common.

　　Tesla officially stated that the national average increase in insurance premiums for its vehicles has been around 10% recently; the average increase in premiums for high-performance models has been within 20%.

Xiaopeng Motors also publicly responded to the issue of rising insurance premiums, saying that the premiums for its models have increased by 2.9% to 18.2%.

　　In July last year, Xu Chang of Zhuhai, Guangdong bought a new energy car of a joint venture brand.

The new car purchased by Xu Chang has a discounted price of 143,000 yuan, and the insurance premium for the new car is 5,182 yuan.

　　"As far as I know, the insurance price of new energy vehicles at this price will be about 4,000 yuan in 2021." Xu Chang and the reporter calculated, "The electricity, insurance, and maintenance costs of new cars are indeed less than that of fuel vehicles. , so a slight increase in premiums is barely acceptable.”

　　According to data from CPIC Property & Casualty Insurance, as of the end of last year, new car insurance premiums accounted for nearly 50% of the new business of new energy auto insurance.

According to data from China Re Group, the premium income of new energy vehicle insurance will exceed 30 billion yuan in 2021, accounting for 3.8%.

　　The reporter visited Longhu Changying Paradise Street in Chaoyang District, Beijing, where major new energy vehicle companies such as Xiaopeng, AITO, and Ideal have opened sales stores.

　　"Since 2022, the price of new energy auto insurance has been dynamically adjusted, and most of the time it is a price increase. The same model, similar compensation records. At the beginning of 2022, some models can go down by about 5%, but in the past six months Generally, the price rises by more than 10%, and the equivalent insurance premium ranges from 700 yuan to 1,000 yuan, and the most has reached the upper limit of 35%.” A sales consultant of a new energy vehicle brand told reporters.

Improving the system layout is the key

　　On December 27, 2021, the exclusive insurance for new energy vehicles was officially launched.

The Shanghai Insurance Exchange has also officially launched a new energy vehicle insurance trading platform, and listed the exclusive insurance products for new energy vehicles of 12 property and casualty insurance companies in the first batch. Car owners can apply for insurance online through various platforms.

Today, the new energy auto insurance has ushered in the first anniversary of its launch.

　　However, whether it is the continuous improvement of policies or the increase in premiums for some new energy models, in the eyes of most insurance companies, exclusive auto insurance for new energy vehicles is still a "losing business".

　　According to the data provided by China Bank Insurance, from 2016 to the first half of 2020, the overall accident frequency of new energy vehicles is 3.6% higher than that of non-new energy vehicles, and the accident rate of household new energy vehicles is 9.3% higher than that of non-new energy vehicles.

According to the data reported by Shenwan Hongyuan, the current average loss ratio of new energy auto insurance is close to 85%, and the industry as a whole is still facing relatively large underwriting loss pressure.

　　Liu Zhichao told reporters: "At present, the overall cost of new energy vehicle insurance is higher than that of fuel vehicles, but this situation has improved with the development of the market. After the launch of exclusive products for new energy vehicle insurance, the cost level has further dropped, approaching the breakeven point .Currently, the cost rate of new energy vehicle declarations is about 101%, which is close to the break-even point.”

　　In Liu Zhichao's view, it is precisely because of the high compensation rate of new energy vehicle insurance that small and medium-sized insurance companies are currently cautious about underwriting new energy vehicles.

For small and medium-sized insurance companies, new energy auto insurance is indeed a big piece of "cake", but it is not easy for small and medium-sized insurance companies to deploy this business.

　　Against this background, some car companies have shown a positive attitude towards the auto insurance business.

Statistics show that new car manufacturers such as Ideal Automobile, Xiaopeng Automobile, Tesla, and Weilai have all deployed auto insurance business.

Traditional car companies, including Guangzhou Automobile Group, SAIC Motor, BYD and Geely Holdings, have already been involved in the insurance industry.

　　"Car companies have successively deployed the insurance industry. In addition to being optimistic about the huge market potential of new energy auto insurance, auto insurance is the entrance for auto companies to directly connect with C-end users. It can not only open up the entire life cycle of car owners, but also cultivate new business models. and room for growth.” Liu Zhichao analyzed.

　　Regarding the problem of expensive maintenance of new energy vehicles, Cui Dongshu said that in order to make their vehicles more intelligent, new energy vehicle OEMs usually install a lot of lidar or millimeter wave radar, which are usually very expensive and have no design Good protection.

　　"With such a design, even if there is a slight scratch, the car owner will face high maintenance costs." Cui Dongshu said, "In addition, more and more electric vehicles use integrated die-casting technology, which has the advantages of light weight, reduced manufacturing costs, and extended vehicle life. battery life, so as to improve the handling of the vehicle. However, once the collision is serious, it cannot be repaired and can only be replaced as a whole.”

　　In Cui Dongshu's view, since the development of the entire aftermarket of new energy vehicles is not particularly perfect, the main parts and components of vehicles are concentrated in the hands of OEMs, which have the dominant power in pricing parts and working hours.

He said that the current after-sales service of electric vehicles is not very perfect. In order to reduce manufacturing costs and over-intelligence, some car companies pass on the high maintenance costs of vehicles to consumers.

　　"Currently, the total number of self-operated and authorized stores of new energy manufacturers is about 3,300. According to the number of domestic new energy vehicles, each store still has to serve nearly 2,400 new energy vehicles, far exceeding the service capacity of most current car service stores. "Cui Dongshu appealed, "Whether it is the new energy vehicle insurance industry or the maintenance and after-sales industry, we should accelerate the construction of the system, let more companies and stores join, and use the quantity to dilute the impact of high prices."

　　"I think that once the retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeds 30%, it is likely to have a huge impact on the fuel vehicle market." Cui Dongshu concluded, "Driven by the strong development momentum of new energy vehicles, as well as insurance companies and car companies We believe that the new energy auto insurance in the future will inevitably continue to be revised and better, and finally achieve a relative balance between risks and premiums.”

　　China Youth Daily China Youth Daily reporter Zhang Zhenqi Source: China Youth Daily