With the increasing pressure on environmental protection, carbon neutrality and carbon peaking are getting closer and closer, and the wave of electrification in the automotive industry has also swept in. Not only domestic independent brand auto companies began to accelerate electrification, but even joint venture luxury brands also reacted quickly to join this torrent. For example, FAW-Volkswagen Audi.
In April 2021, the Audi e-tron went public. As the first product of the Audi brand to fully open the strategic layout of electrification, the Audi e-tron is the pioneering work launched by FAW-Volkswagen Audi after strategic thinking and vision outlook on electrification. So, as a pioneer, can the Audi e-tron create a new era of FAW-Volkswagen Audi electric luxury vehicles?
The author will analyze and interpret them one by one from the three dimensions of brand height, market share and value advantage.
Brand height
In the domestic luxury car market, Audi is the first joint venture luxury brand, and the joint venture object is FAW Group, a brother of Chinese automobile companies. Not only the initial business and business luxury car market, but also the later family and young people luxury car market, Audi is ahead of competitors, one step ahead of the luxury car brand commanding heights.
Therefore, first of all, in terms of brand height, Audi's electric vehicle brand influence can be said to be in line with the brand influence of Audi fuel vehicles.
Secondly, at the beginning of the article, we said that the Audi e-tron is the precursor of FAW-Volkswagen Audi after strategic thinking on electrification. So, what is so superior about this strategic thinking?
Audi's electrification strategy is: the full electrification of travel mode is a complete and huge system engineering, which needs to completely eliminate user anxiety and ensure that users can get a new experience comparable to or surpassing traditional fuel vehicles in all dimensions of products and services. From this reflection, we can see that Audi has been judging the trend of electrification for a long time and has begun to reserve the system very early. Moreover, in terms of products, there is a forward-looking layout, that is, the brand mission of Audi e-tron is to make a hit and let luxury electric vehicle users get an extraordinary experience.
This strategic thinking has been fully interpreted in the four electric concept cars named after AI launched by Audi.
The first is the metropolitan smart travel: the third living space - Audi AI: ME.
The second is long-distance travel: the autopilot artifact - Audi Aicon.
The third is the high-performance track experience: Audi AI: RACE.
The fourth is multi-scenario off-road travel: Audi AI: TRAIL quattro.
In order to achieve electrification, in order to introduce the Audi e-tron, Audi has launched four concept cars, which are unique in the global automotive industry.
The market and consumers are full of beautiful imagination and yearning for luxury electric vehicles. Audi e-tron is the leading product launched by FAW-Volkswagen Audi based on the commanding heights of the luxury car brand, after strategic thinking and judgment on electrified travel, vision and layout of electrified travel. The original intention of this product is to meet the market and consumers' various beautiful imaginations and aspirations for luxury electric vehicles.
So, what is the brand mission of the Audi e-tron? There is no doubt that this is: the opening of the Audi brand "S · T· E· The new e-tron family of phase 2.0 of the P" electrification strategy carries the beginning of the Audi brand's "all in e-tron" product strategy.
This is the brand height of the Audi e-tron.
There is a way: keep your voice high.
Automotive observers believe that the Audi e-tron brand has become a leader and leader in the electric luxury car market. The core information of its products will soon be transmitted to the target consumer group, so as to be recognized and selected by the market and consumers.
Market share
With the height, the brand stands up. Next, there is the market share.
So, what about the Audi e-tron's market share?
The market share of the Audi e-tron officially given by FAW-Volkswagen Audi is: based on the whole life cycle of users, the luxury assets in the era of fuel vehicles will achieve a comprehensive evolution of electricity, not the electric era of luxury cars, but the luxury cars of the electric era.
There are two logics: the electric era of luxury cars, that is, the electrification of traditional fuel vehicles; and the luxury brand of electric vehicles, on the basis of electric vehicles, to build them into a high brand, high enjoyment, high experience of luxury brands.
It is based on the logic of luxury brands of electric vehicles that the market positioning of Audi e-tron is also highlighted: the first C-class luxury dual-car family in the electric era, creating a new electric era of dual-car layout in the market segment - luxury electric C-class pioneer SUV / luxury electric C-class pioneer coupe SUV.
I have to say that Audi's electrification strategy can be described as clear-sighted, and it is also insightful for market consumers. Because SUVs and coupe SUVs are not only the fastest growing markets in China, but also the markets that young consumers are most concerned about.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the Audi e-tron has a precise market share.
Car observers believe that such a market occupies a large consumer group. And these groups also happen to be the mainstream and backbone of the automotive market. Then, audi e-tron will also work with these consumer groups to become the mainstream and backbone of the automotive market, especially the electric vehicle market.
Value advantage
With the brand height and market share, what is the performance of the Audi e-tron's product value advantage? After all, whether a brand or product can succeed depends on its product strength in addition to its brand height and market positioning.
We will elaborate on them one by one from four aspects: quality, safety, driving control, and experience.
Let's start with quality.
There is a way that genes determine quality. So, what is the quality gene of the Audi e-tron? Born strong, the nature of the source does not accept defeat.
Since the Audi e-tron is first and foremost an electric vehicle, its electrified quality is more concerned by the market and consumers.
Sure enough, the luxury brand Audi e-tron of electric vehicles did not disappoint the market and consumers, and its three electric quality exceeded the flagship level, which was specifically manifested in the following two aspects:
First, charging performance: AC slow charging power of 11kW industry-leading (industry mainstream brands are 7kW), 6.5 hours can be fully charged; DC fast charging 96kWh large-capacity battery DC charging 80% only takes 40 minutes.
The second is the charging scenario: the Arctic Circle -38 °C extreme cold scene charging verification, the efficient thermal management system to control the battery pack temperature fluctuations within the optimal range of 25-35 degrees.
Second, let's look at security. We still focus on the safety of electric vehicle attributes. For the battery safety of the Audi e-tron, it can be described as "more stringent, more stringent".
The first is the strict test beyond the national standard: Audi has a unique 90G mechanical impact safety test.
The second is 10 battery charging testing and protection standards, 137 battery safety tests that are stricter than the national standard, such as the national standard twice the 540,000-kilometer vibration test.
The third is ultra-strong battery armor: 3 layers of "aluminum alloy armor" to protect the battery compartment, 36 soft pack batteries and constant temperature control system.
These measures and protections make the battery safety of the Audi e-tron impregnable.
Secondly, let's look at the driver's control.
As an electric vehicle, especially a luxury brand electric SUV, how does the Audi e-tron perform?
The four-wheel drive system is the soul of an SUV. The most proud quattro system on the traditional fuel vehicle body has been transformed into an e-quattro electric all-wheel drive on the e-tron. Its front and rear torques are infinitely distributed, and the response time (30 milliseconds) is only a quarter of that of the mechanical quattro, which is definitely an epoch-making upgrade of the quattro technology.
The suspension is a testament to the comfort of an SUV. The Audi e-tron is equipped with the same suspension as the Q8, with five consecutive rods hanging independently at the front and rear: more connection mechanisms and better vibration absorption. And there's also a class-specific adaptive air suspension. The four-wheel drive and suspension are so highly matched, and its drivability can be seen.
Finally, let's look at the experience.
Quality, safety and driving control are for the product itself, and the experience is the consumer's experience of using the car after purchase, which is related to word of mouth and the reputation of the product. At this point, FAW-Volkswagen Audi is more attentive.
Faw-Volkswagen Audi, supported by its strong system strength and relying on the largest user base in the luxury car market of more than 7 million, has upgraded and launched the "Whole Heart and Worry-free User Experience Strategy", focusing on the pain points of the user's core life cycle journey, comprehensively injecting Audi's exclusive luxury service gene, and strongly launching up to 30 user exclusive rights and interests covering 4 major links of car purchase, charging, travel and maintenance, bringing users the most comprehensive service optimal solution, thus creating a luxury electric brand with "the most service value".
These are not enough, for the user experience of audi e-tron, FAW-Volkswagen Audi will upgrade it to the strategic support of the electrification of the Audi brand, which is "TRON Planet", audi e-tron user operation system, and ABB's first luxury electric user operation system. This includes four major guarantees such as "worry-free car purchase", "worry-free charging", "worry-free travel" and "worry-free warranty".
Audi TRON Planet realizes the effect of co-creating an electrified content ecology with users.
In summary, safety, quality and control are the threshold of the automobile industry, the value of Audi for a hundred years, and the weakness of the new car-making forces. The Audi e-tron user operation system named "TRON Planet", as ABB's first luxury electric user operation system, has also enhanced the competitive advantage of products and values with the two main competitors bmw and Mercedes-Benz in this regard.
Write at the end:
With the launch of the Audi e-tron, Audi's electrification strategy has been fully rolled out.
As the pioneer of Audi's electrification strategy, the pioneering work, Audi e-tron has firmly occupied the commanding heights of the brand of electric luxury vehicles, and is loudly and far-reaching; in terms of market share, it has locked in the middle class and young consumers who have upgraded consumption, paving for high sales; in terms of value advantages, through the four dimensions of quality, safety, driving control and experience, it has comprehensively surpassed the new forces of car-making and the two old rivals such as BMW Mercedes-Benz.
After the above analysis, automotive observers concluded that the Audi e-tron will surely create a new era of FAW-Volkswagen Audi electric luxury vehicles, achieve the strategic goal of Audi all in e-tron, and will also inherit the glory and glory of the Audi brand in the electric luxury car market.
(Author: Chen Xi)