Self-owned brand cars collectively "upward" breakthrough
Our reporter Yang Zhongyang
The high-end brand has always been the dream of independent brand cars.
With the acceleration of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, self-owned brand cars will use "intelligence and electrification" as an opportunity to launch high-end products or establish new brands, collectively "upward" to break through and become a new landscape in the automotive industry.
Independent brand collective "upward"
On the evening of July 20, Geely China's flagship SUV, Xingyue L, was officially launched.
Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, who has not appeared at the new car launch conference for many years, made an exception for the Xingyue L platform, saying that "this car has epoch-making significance."
At the launch of Xingyue L, Geely Automobile also officially released the Geely brand CMA high-end series-"China Star" and "Great for Happiness" Geely's new brand value proposition.
According to reports, "China Star" currently covers three models: Xingyue L, Xingrui, and Xingyue S.
Geely Automobile Group CEO Gan Jiayue said that "China Star" will target the popularization of high-end products, open up a new track for high-end cars, fight for the value of Chinese cars, and make Chinese cars bigger and stronger.
Prior to this, the first mass-produced Lantu FREE rolled off the assembly line of Lantu Automotive Technology Co., Ltd.
As Dongfeng's first high-end model in the new energy market, Lantu Motor not only developed ESSA's native intelligent electric architecture, but also made bold innovations in its institutional mechanisms.
You Zheng, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., said that Lantu Motors is operated as an independent legal person, with core employees holding approximately 10.4% of the shares, which reflects Dongfeng's firm determination to develop high-end new energy vehicles and brand upward.
Gu Huinan, general manager of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., told reporters that the company is currently cooperating with Huawei to build a luxury high-end brand and will launch three series of products.
It is understood that at present, Changan, Great Wall, BYD and other car companies are also planning to launch new high-end brands.
Why are independent brands "upward" collectively?
Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the National Passenger Car Market Information Association, said that from the sales data in the first half of this year, the passenger car market showed structural differentiation. The high-end market represented by Mercedes-Benz and BMW grew particularly strongly, and the market share It has grown from 4% in 2011 to 14%, but consumer demand in the entry-level market is sluggish. The collective “upward” of independent brands is not only an inevitable reflection of companies adapting to changes in market demand, but also their enhancement of product power and brand power and moving into the value chain. High-end, an important way to achieve high-quality development.
Changing lanes usher in overtaking opportunities
However, it is not easy to achieve brand improvement.
Cui Dongshu said that independent brands have tried to "upward" in the traditional automobile market, but the overall performance is not as good as expected.
After all, on the traditional fuel car track, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other companies with a history of 100 years have built a deep moat in terms of brand and technology, making it difficult to surpass.
However, the new energy track seems to show new overtaking opportunities.
With the acceleration of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, automotive products and industrial ecology are being comprehensively reshaped, and high-end is being redefined.
He said that in the era of traditional fuel vehicles, the core technical capabilities of traditional car companies are mainly reflected in the three major components of the engine, gearbox and chassis. In the era of smart electric vehicles, the core technical capabilities of car companies have become "three electric" systems. , Digitization and autonomous driving.
In recent years, the rapid rise of Tesla and the new domestic car-making force "Wei Xiaoli" has set a new benchmark for the brand.
On the evening of July 27, at the anniversary of the delivery of the Xiaopeng P7, Xiaopeng Motors founder He Xiaopeng said in a speech that the cumulative delivery of the Xiaopeng P7 has reached 30,000, and the sales of the P7 will soon surpass the Audi A4.
The price of the Xiaopeng P7 currently on sale in China is 229,900 yuan to 409,000 yuan, and it has reached the luxury car range.
Where does Xiaopeng Motors' "upward" confidence come from?
Some analysts believe that it lies in its leading advantage in product intelligence.
"Tesla is not as insurmountable as imagined." Li Bin, the founder of Weilai, said that the current average price of Weilai in the Chinese market is more than 400,000 yuan, and Tesla has gone from establishment to mass production in 3 years. And delivered the Model S for 9 years.
Weilai plans to take 5 years or more to seize more high-end market share.
If the product is the foundation of Weilai, then the "high and big" service experience is its most important business card.
Why is the belief of Weilai car owners so high?
There is a high praise answer on Zhihu-the products and services provided by Weilai have even exceeded the definition of pure commercial level.
In particular, the car owner activities that NIO often organizes at NIO House further break through the pure trading relationship between OEMs and consumers, and are having a profound impact on the Chinese automobile market.
Must work hard to pass three "passes"
It is undoubtedly correct to pursue brand "upwardness", but more important than brand "upwardness" is to define brand positioning.
Zhao Fuquan, Dean of the Institute of Automotive Industry and Technology Strategy of Tsinghua University, said that the brand positioning of a company must be clear.
Independent brands must first think about which consumer group their products are to be sold to, and why this group will buy your products in order to accurately portray the product's portrait, including size, function, performance, technical content, and price.
He believes that in the face of fierce market competition, independent brands should not blindly pursue "I have what others have, and I am cheaper" products with the best cost performance, but must work hard to think about how to meet the individual needs of target consumer groups and provide Differentiated products to bring users a better experience.
On this basis, if the product price is lowered appropriately, it will be more competitive.
At the same time, the company's brand building must be supported by continuous products.
Zhao Fuquan said, it’s never just to create a hot product occasionally, but to ensure that every round of product development can output high-quality products through the system.
The "upward" brand is not just about raising product pricing, but also having excellent products, and products are inseparable from hard-core technical support.
Therefore, companies must ensure that their core technologies continue to improve, and it is possible to achieve continuous improvement in brand value.
In addition, the "upward" of the corporate brand must be patient.
In particular, the brand building of independent car companies must have a long-term vision. They should not only focus on short-term benefits, let alone expect immediate results. Instead, they should stick to the grand blueprint for the future of the company.
In his view, it takes time to build popularity, reputation and loyalty.
Therefore, the brand "upward" is also a systematic project that needs to be adhered to for a long time.
Yang Zhongyang