The electric car drama with the participation of luxury brands has just opened.
Wen | Yang Xiaolin
Figure | source network
The continued "core shortage" coupled with the repeated epidemic situations has added some uncertainty to the end of the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show. But for Mercedes-Benz, which has seen too many storms, dealing with uncertainty has long been commonplace and comfortable. From the postponed Chengdu Auto Show to the Guangzhou Auto Show, which is "controlled" by the epidemic, Mercedes-Benz is unswervingly landing on the rhythm of China's development, and the lineup of new cars debuting is still strong.
At this year's Guangzhou Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz booth was star-studded by the joint appearance of a number of blockbuster new cars.
These include three Chinese debut models: the 100th Anniversary Edition of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Premiere Edition and the Mercedes-Maybach EQS Concept. At the same time, six new models, including the new EQA pure electric SUV, the new EQB pure electric SUV, the new generation of AMG GT four-door sports car, the new Mercedes-Benz long-wheelbase C 260 L 4MATIC sports sedan, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 260 coupe and the convertible coupe, were also officially launched.
9 blockbuster new cars debuted or listed, a total of 29 products jointly debuted, and the super exhibitor lineup indicates that the development of Mercedes-Benz in the Chinese market in 2022 will still be high and full of momentum. Just a few months after the release of Mercedes-Benz's global "all-electric" strategy, the new car offensive in the Chinese market is enough to attract the attention of the industry. The abundance of ammunition depots means that Mercedes-Benz has never relaxed its layout in the mainstream fuel vehicle market while playing the "all-electric" horn.
"I can be 100% sure that in the next 12 months, our competitive landscape and landscape will change very much. So far, the development of the luxury electric vehicle market is still in its infancy, and we pay attention to the range and intelligent interconnection of electric vehicles and products themselves, which are very important, but we also hope to join the inherent advantages of our brand, and we believe that we will continue to be recognized by customers. ”
Before the official opening of the Guangzhou Auto Show, Jan Madeja, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co., Ltd., said in an interview with the media, including Che Yitiao, that Mercedes-Benz will lead the new era of consumption through the powerful products of "new luxury" and the service experience of "heart luxury", and strive to create a brand and user experience that is "reachable and resistant".
The latest sales data released by the two major institutions of the China Automobile Association and the China Passenger Transport Association show that in the past six months, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles led by pure electric vehicles in the passenger car market has continued to soar, and the penetration rate of new energy passenger cars approaching 20% has reached a new high, which means that China's mainstream consumer market has begun to accept new energy vehicles, and the original new energy vehicle consumption wave driven by subsidies and purchase restrictions is being quickly replaced by the new wave of consumption that users spontaneously choose to buy.
When users in the mainstream market no longer resist new energy vehicles, it is a good time for skilled players such as Mercedes-Benz to let go. Based on the deep insight into the Chinese market, in July this year, Mercedes-Benz announced the global electrification strategy upgrade, that is, a comprehensive plan to accelerate the transformation from "electric first" to "full electric".
"Over the past 12 months, we have felt the acceleration of electrification." Yang Ming said frankly that under the guidance of the new strategy of "full electric": Mercedes-Benz will make full preparations for achieving full pure electric power by 2030 in the market where conditions permit; after 2025, all newly released model architectures will be pure electric platforms. "This is our strategic approach to 'carbon neutrality' and electric transformation."
This means that all Mercedes-Benz brands will be electrified over the next 10 years, with the overall goal of "striving to lead the future of zero-emission and software-driven sustainable luxury mobility". In China, the world's largest and fastest growing new energy vehicle market, Mercedes-Benz must fight a hard battle, especially as a luxury brand benchmark in the era of fuel vehicles, Mercedes-Benz wants to redefine the new consumer experience on the electric track.
Therefore, the outside world can see that in the past two to three years, Mercedes-Benz's new pure electric products have been launched.
As of now, Mercedes-Benz has only one EQC pure electric SUV listed in the Chinese market in 2019, and by this year's Guangzhou Motor Show, two pure electric SUVs will be listed in one go, EQA and EQB, and the new EQS, EQE pure electric sedans and EQS pure electric SUVs and EQE pure electric SUVs will also be listed one after another. Such a pure electric offensive can be described as unprecedented in the "inventor of the car".
"In 2022, we will ensure that we will lay out a new energy product in every market segment. In the future, we hope to have our luxury product layout in every market segment, whether in the compact segment, or the segment of medium-sized cars and large vehicles. Launching 6 pure electric luxury cars in two years, Mercedes-Benz's strong electric offensive has given Yang Ming the confidence that the new era of "electric luxury" will continue to be led by "car inventors".
"What we want to do is to combine our own advantages and focus on creating our own development path in the new energy vehicle market." In Yang Ming's view, the "inherent advantages" of Mercedes-Benz's electric luxury car market include: the solid brand connotation of the trident star emblem, the continuous release of a rich product lineup, the deep user base accumulated in the Chinese market and the user service system forged by dealer partners.
"For many years, Mercedes-Benz has wanted to accompany its customers to realize their car dreams. In the future, we hope to continue to help users realize their car dreams through brand accumulation and the advantages of 'heart luxury' service experience." In Yang Ming's view, whether in the era of traditional fuel vehicles or the era of intelligent electrification, Mercedes-Benz has the strength and responsibility to become the "dream car" that users are most eager to have.
For the fast-growing and ever-changing Chinese market, Mercedes-Benz's strategy is: in the traditional fuel vehicle battlefield and intelligent electric vehicle track, to achieve "two hands and both hands must be hard". Even in the process of embracing electrification, intelligence and digital transformation, Mercedes-Benz still faces many practical challenges, but once the transformation horn of "full electric" is blown, Mercedes-Benz's turnaround will be calm.
For Yang Ming, the great success of the Mercedes-Benz brand in the traditional fuel vehicle market is the confidence and confidence of Mercedes-Benz to land the "all-round electric" strategy. Of course, Mercedes-Benz can never "lie flat" on the past "merit book" - how to effectively insight into the new needs of electric vehicle users, and combined with Mercedes-Benz's existing advantages in the Chinese market resources, to tailor a set of "electric luxury" experiences for target users, is the direction that Yang Ming and his Chinese market operation team should strive for.
First, it is imperative to enrich the existing "electric luxury" of a new product matrix.
"We hope to extend our quality standards in the field of fuel vehicles to the new energy market segment." At the same time, more domestic models will improve our production and sales efficiency. Yang Ming believes that Mercedes-Benz has many important successful experiences in the field of fuel vehicles, for example, Mercedes-Benz has continued to launch many "Made in China, exclusive to China" products, such as domestic long-wheelbase C-class cars and E-class cars.
According to the established plan, Mercedes-Benz will launch a number of EQ series products in the next two years, of which a large part of the models will be imported into domestic production.
Secondly, anchoring the "electric luxury" market, Mercedes-Benz is fully committed to building the Mercedes-EQ brand.
Yang Ming stressed that another focus of Mercedes-Benz's landing of "all-round electric" in China will be to build the Mercedes-EQ brand. In the first half of this year, Mercedes-Benz launched the deployment of building a luxury electric brand at the Shanghai Auto Show; subsequently, in the EQS national tour exhibition and a series of related marketing and communication activities, Mercedes-Benz further enhanced the awareness of the Mercedes-EQ brand, strengthened the brand recognition, and made the "electric luxury" experience strongly related to Mercedes-EQ.
"With the new EQS officially launched at the end of the year, we will more clearly show the market the brand connotation of intelligent interconnection, autonomous driving, vehicle design, and sustainable electric luxury travel with a comprehensive focus on the safety, comfort and service of the high-quality experience, covering intelligent interconnection, autonomous driving, vehicle design, and sustainable electric luxury travel." Yang Ming believes that "EQ series products should be equipped with competitive technology. But technology alone can never create luxury, and a very comprehensive brand presentation is required, including our craftsmanship and materials and overall technical presentation. ”
Finally, around EQ's new product matrix, it is necessary to provide a service experience of "heart luxury" exclusive to electric vehicles.
For example, Yang Ming said that EQ's exclusive service hotline and corresponding online services can effectively ensure positive interaction with customers and enrich service forms. "We don't want to be a brand that has a sense of distance from everyone, but we want to create a brand that can reach and reach people's hearts." While we emphasize luxury, our vision is simple: to create service and customer experiences that align with luxury products. ”
From products, to brands to services, in Yang Ming's view, the above three points are the "three pillars" that support Mercedes-Benz's "comprehensive electric" strategy in the Chinese market, and to truly land on the user experience, each task needs to have a very detailed work. For example, Mercedes-Benz has provided customers with high-quality five-star charging services based on specific electric vehicle usage scenarios in the Chinese market.
"Today's successful experience is also the foundation of our future new energy vehicle industry. We grasp these fundamentals, treat new energy vehicle customers with heart, and believe that the future can be expected. As Yang Ming said, the "car inventor" with 135 years of experience in car manufacturing, Mercedes-Benz still retains a firm intention for innovative technology and humble service for users in the face of the wave of transformation in the new era, so that those who keep pace with the times are more qualified to imagine the future. (The author of this article, Yang Xiaolin, is a senior auto media person, co-founder and editor-in-chief of CheYi Media)