DPCA, which has been gradually forgotten in the "Production and Marketing Express", attracted countless eyeballs in November this year - an increase of 158% year-on-year. Among them, the main "credit" is of course the new car Versailles C5 X - the current data given by the manufacturer is to deliver more than 5,000 vehicles. In fact, the popularity of the Versailles C5 X significantly exceeded the "data feedback" of these 5,000 vehicles. Pay attention to one key word: delivery, which will only appear in the models of new power brands.
Coincidentally. Although there is no sufficient sales data to support it for the time being, Changan Ford's EVOS in the attention, booking volume, car cycle and other details, but also more or less rehearsed it is likely to replicate the popularity of the Versailles C5 X.
What is more interesting is that Changan Ford and DPCA can be described as "the same disease" in the past few years - the continuous decline in sales, and the decline in annual sales compared with historical peaks are lamentable. And just when the media is discussing where they should go and whether they will repeat the mistakes of fiat, Renault and other brands, they seem to have "willow dark flowers". And this breakthrough, in Uncle Ka's view, an important keyword is: new force thinking.
Now that the new power brands such as "Wei Xiaoli" are all in full swing, it seems that few people are questioning their products, technologies, and even the survival of enterprises. But if time goes back, don't say "Wei Xiaoli" – even Tesla experienced a controversial era in the early days, didn't it?
It is true that the new power brand counterattacks through pure electricity, and pure electricity and fuel drive have essential differences, and it seems that the growth path and even the foundation of the establishment are essentially different from the traditional weak brands. But in some details, there are still many commonalities between the two.
For example, the most critical: the trust of consumers, and the resulting product premium, has been plaguing weak brands, but why not the most difficult point for these new power brands to sleep in the first place? However, why have these new forces succeeded one by one, or even exceeded expectations (such as Weilai's product price positioning)?
In this, although there are pure electric "curve overtaking" factors, but at the same time there are indeed some differences in "playing style". Let's think back: from product design ideas, to product positioning ideas, to product sales strategies, the new forces are also refreshing. If these new "playing methods" are applied to traditional fuel vehicles, especially weak brands with commonalities in brand influence, can they form a "magical effect"?
Versailles C5 X and Ford EVOS, to some extent, can be regarded as a practice, providing everyone with a preliminary evidence: perhaps, it is really possible to become a new breakthrough in the reversal of weak brands.
So, what do they all have in common? What is the logic of success behind it? Uncle Ka has summarized three points here for everyone to discuss together.
Product tone: differentiate by innovation
Before we get into this, let's review Citroën's previous localization efforts.
Elysée, as one of the "old three", although it was once the pillar of Citroën's sales in the Chinese market, cannot avoid the fact that it clashes head-on with strong brands. The "old three" itself, the opponent is the "North and South Volkswagen" (Santana, Jetta). In the later stages, in addition to the new Santana and the new Jetta, there are other models of a number of first-line brands - the red sea in the typical Red Sea. Then with citroën's strength and advantages, in the face of such a market - not to mention the expansion of territory, it is difficult to defend the city.
Another, more tragic representation is C6. Is the C6 poor? People who have driven it don't think so. However, it is still the same old problem: you have to go hard with the popular products of strong brands, you have to fight Passat, Magotan, LaCrosse, Accord, Camry. Coupled with the fact that the price refuses to open the gap, it is not generally difficult to play well.
In fact, not only Citroen can't do this, but other weak brands can't do it either. This has actually formed a kind of "Matthew effect". Weak brands look for areas that strong brands are good at to follow and want to share a piece of the pie, and the final result is often "scum can't grab it".
Then let's see what the new forces are doing. Before the Tesla Model S was born, could you find models with which there were products in common around the world? There is also the Weilai ES8, although at the beginning of its birth, some people took the Q7, X5 and the like to make analogies. However, whether it is the appearance style or the interior feeling, there is not much commonality between them. Even if it is the ideal ONE (very Volvo in shape), its overall interior atmosphere is significantly different from any fuel car that people think of.
Obviously, because these new forces are not "auto people" in the founder team, they have completely jumped out of the thinking of traditional cars in product design and launched completely different products.
The advantage of this is that you cannot and do not need to make an analogy. When you feel that the design of this type of product meets your needs, you can't find a replacement for the so-called strong brand. And when this innovative product actually exists in market demand and the number is considerable, it can use this as a breakthrough to open up market space. Then, rely on their own product strength to win the recognition of car owners, gradually form word of mouth, and finally complete the original accumulation of the brand.
Then look at the Versailles C5 X and Ford EVOS: Is it suddenly enlightened? Regarding these two cars, we made a special evaluation at the beginning of the listing, and at that time, we talked about their design ideas and product design ideas that had no competitors at all. And this kind of creativity has been more or less influenced by new forces - even at the level of product cognition, new forces have expanded their ideas for users.
For example, based on the pure electrical characteristics of new forces, they have almost demanding needs for how to improve high-speed endurance and reduce wind resistance. At the same time, they must satisfy the multi-functional characteristics of Chinese consumers. As a result, many "new category SUVs" with smooth lines, (relatively) low bodies, and small wind resistance but not weak functions have been developed.
Neither the Versailles C5 X nor the Ford EVOS count as SUVs, but neither are they traditional sedans or station wagons. The point is that their design ideas are also very different from the so-called crossovers that were popular N years ago. The characteristics of these new species are that they have aerodynamic characteristics close to those of cars, suitable for high-speed driving and energy consumption, and outstanding tranquility, while they have almost the same chassis as SUVs, have the passability that conventional crossovers do not have, and then combine the wagon-style hatchback structure to solve the loading force, and obtain a "tide feeling" through the shape of the slipback...
Similar designs, in fact, there are no shortage of cases in pure electric models, so it cannot be fully regarded as the creativity of the Designers of versailles C5 X and Ford EVOS. This is why many people see them at first glance and subconsciously think that they are pure electric models (especially for The Ford EVOS).
However, regardless of the origin of the idea, the final effect is very good - the market has a real demand for car models, and there is no substitute for strong brands, even if the product attributes are somewhat similar.
Product strategy: emphasize electronic, scientific and technological, weaken the three major pieces
The strong brand of traditional fuel vehicles will always put the advantages of "three major pieces" on the lips as the focus of publicity. However, not all consumers can truly appreciate the differences in the "three big pieces". In fact, where there is a heritage of the brand, there will be no qualitative difference in the "three major pieces" (for example, PSA, Ford's core three major pieces, will not obviously lose to the strong brand). However, the inherent cognition will make these weak brands obviously thankless if they have to "compete" with strong brands on the three major pieces.
Then we look at the new forces. Due to the characteristics of pure electricity, the three major pieces began to be weakened, and the focus of the competition was on intelligent car machines, car networking, intelligent driving and so on. The reason why many people abandon fuel vehicles and choose the pure electric of the new forces, the reason why the pure electric of the new forces is more popular than the pure electric of traditional car companies, and electronic and technological has become one of the most critical factors.
Although the Versailles C5 X and Ford EVOS are not deliberately emphasized, it can also be seen that they have adopted similar characteristics in their product strategies. For example, the Versailles C5 X did not talk about the Aisin 8AT all day long, and EVOS did not emphasize how strong its 2.0T was. On the contrary, in terms of electronic and technological, they are very prominent, even exaggerated. Especially ford EVOS, its 27-inch "super large horizontal screen", is simply newer than the new forces. Versailles C5 X is also not ambiguous, dual screen, OTA, voice control and other standard equipment, the second gear began to intelligent driving, the Internet of Vehicles are also standard. Such a product strategy is extremely rare in fuel vehicles, especially in joint venture fuel vehicles. Correspondingly, a considerable number of groups are attracted to this and take it for granted.
Market strategy: high-end start-up, one-step in place, direct sales model
Although Tesla was once rumored to engage in the "4S" model, it has always been refreshing for new power manufacturers in terms of product pricing strategies, sales and other methods. And this new approach has also contributed to the success of new power manufacturers to some extent.
The pricing "routine" of traditional car companies is more familiar to everyone.
First of all, it is the overall "inflated price" of the guide price, creating a "high price" atmosphere and obtaining excess profits in the early stage of listing, and then greatly preferential according to market supply and demand after a period of listing. This practice makes car buyers often need to shop around in order to find the "reserve price", and they also have to wrestle with the sales staff of each 4S store. Even, this has led to the rise of an industry (some media that focus on car quotations).
The second is the complexity of the car and the combination of configurations. One of the most typical is the low-grade gimmick - a version of the configuration of "beggars in the beggars", even the brother is not willing to buy, creating a low-cost "illusion" to attract car buyers into the store, in order to facilitate the sales staff to "show their talents".
Although these "routines" have existed for many years and are conservatively criticized, due to their universality and benefits to businesses and manufacturers, there has been a lack of a person who has the courage to break it. This just gave the new powers a chance. They are completely the opposite: not out of the beggar version, or even directly in the high-end of the start, the price in one step does not engage in the so-called terminal discount, buy a car also through the official direct sales model, the terminal only provides display and service and has nothing to do with the car price...
It is precisely because the previous car buyers suffered from the "old model" that this new model has formed a very strong attraction. Due to the transparent price, car buyers no longer have concerns, but "order" has become more painful.
What is more interesting is that the model of selling and customizing production seems to make car buyers unhappy, but because waiting has become a norm, it has increased the sense of expectation of car buyers, but it has played a role in promoting sales.
As a manufacturer, because it can be fixed by sales and no need to press the warehouse, it invisibly reduces the overall cost, and the profit level does not suffer losses, forming a certain degree of "win-win".
Under this innovation, various phenomena that have never been seen before have begun to appear: when the model is listed, the vehicle may not be offline, the first "delivery" becomes the real listing day, the focus of attention becomes "delivery" instead of "sales", as well as keywords such as big and small, as well as official guidance prices that fluctuate like the stock market...
At this point, when we look at the Versailles C5 X and Ford EVOS, we will form a lot of resonance - many of their practices are the same as those of the new forces.
Take the Versailles C5 X, for example. Although it has no core competitors and lacks a clear yardstick, its basic part is comparable to the Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS. Its starting configuration is almost equivalent to the top of Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS (1.6T version), and the price is lower than the "cai version" of Tianyi C5 AIRCROSS. At the market sales level, although Dongfeng Citroen has many 4S stores, it adopts the mode of official direct sales and order production. As a result, there are also keywords such as "November 'delivered' more than 5,000" (instead of sales of more than 5,000).
We've talked about its nature before the Ford EVOS, and it's true that the surprises will be slightly less than the Versailles C5 X. However, it is also a high-end start. And in terms of product attributes, it does have the illusion of "similar to the crown road". This also makes it look quite "one-step" at a lower price than a regular B-Class. At present, EVOS is also an order-based production, and the delivery cycle is also more than a month. These are rare in traditional car companies, especially in the circle of such weak brands.
brief summary
At this point, I don't know if you have seen Uncle Ka's original intention: although this topic is led by the "Versailles phenomenon", it is more of a discussion of a product design, positioning, sales and other aspects of the idea. Those ideas that have existed for many years and seem to be "normal" are not necessarily correct (especially high guidance prices, high discounts, terminal pressure warehouses, year-end rebates, etc.). On the contrary, based on their initial weaknesses, the new forces have made many cruel moves to break the "chronic disease". While being recognized, it has also contributed to their success. As a weak brand, since you want to "counterattack", you can completely use this idea. In this way, not only can you "solve the difficulties" for yourself, but even lead a new atmosphere with the new forces, so that the entire car market is more transparent, less internal friction, more win-win...