With the completion of one goal after another and the fulfillment of one commitment after another, the new red flag not only writes the "red flag speed" of the new generation with sales volume, but also interprets the "red flag connotation" of the development of the new era with technological innovation and marketing innovation.
Text / "Autobot" Lu Shan
How long does it take for a luxury brand to go from less than 5,000 to 300,000 units? The answer given by the red flag is: 4 years.
On December 31, the new Hongqi brand officially announced: In December 2021, the new Hongqi once again refreshed the brand's monthly sales record with more than 39,100 monthly sales.
At the same time, the annual sales volume of 2021 exceeded 300,000 vehicles, an increase of more than 50% year-on-year, continuing to maintain a "red flag speed" of 10 times the industry average, announcing that the new red flag created an industrial "flag" with a sales growth of 63 times in 4 years.
As we all know, under the superposition of the new crown epidemic and chip shortage, the global auto market in 2021 is sluggish, and the domestic situation is also not optimistic.
According to data from the Federation of Passenger Vehicles, domestic passenger cars in November 2021 fell by 12.7% year-on-year, and in the 11 months of data that have been announced, there have been 7 months of negative growth. Specific to car companies, it is conservatively estimated that more than half of the car companies will find it difficult to complete the annual target for 2021.
"Autobot" believes that in such a big environment, the new Red Flag's sales target of 300,000 vehicles has been completed, reflecting the triple meaning -
First, the continuous high-growth development of 4 years, the continuous hot sales of Hongqi vehicles and even the difficulty of finding a car prove that the product technology strategy of New Hongqi has achieved initial success and formed a strong system capability that can face competition with BBA.
Second, from a marginal brand to a first-line camp, leaving behind the second-tier luxury brands that have been operating in China for more than ten years, it proves that in the very mature luxury car market, New Hongqi's marketing innovation has been recognized by the market and is fully ahead of competitors.
Third, New Hongqi put forward the brand concept of "three everything", that is, "all for customers, all for customers, all humble for customers". Nowadays, the number of Hongqi users has exceeded 600,000, and consumers have voted with real money and silver, proving that the brand that loves users will also get the love of users.
The product strategy is recognized by the market
If an automobile brand wants to develop steadily for a long time, product and technological innovation are fundamental and fundamental. With the establishment of the new "troika" of "new infrastructure, new energy and digital economy", the development of the new red flag has also ushered in the historical opportunity of the "new four modernizations" of automobiles.
According to the data of the China Automobile Association as of November 2021, from January to November, the cumulative sales of new energy vehicles in China reached a record high of 2.99 million units, and the cumulative sales penetration rate has reached 12.7%, and the penetration rate of new energy vehicles of independent brands is even higher. The industry generally believes that the penetration rate of more than 10% means that the inflection point of the industry has arrived.
Driven by the "double carbon" strategy and the development plan of FAW Hongqi and assisted by the brand marketing of the leading industry, the new Hongqi has successively set up a new benchmark for national brand automotive products in terms of product innovation, turning every year into a "product year" of Hongqi.
In 2021, Hongqi has 6 new and renewed models on the market. This is very rare among luxury car brands.
At the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2021, Xu Liuping, chairman of the board of directors and secretary of the party committee of China FAW, personally released the "1+10" blockbuster results. Among them, the new development model of "EcoLin5 five-chain integration" with the goal of practicing the national "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" strategy, and the heavyweight new energy product E-QM5, which plays the role of "EcoLin5 five-chain integration", are the most eye-catching.
The new Hongqi E-QM5 is far ahead of the industry with more than 200 patents and a clean strength of 103 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometer. The new E-QM5 private customer version, which will be launched in 2022, provides a new focus for meeting the needs of more customers in the new energy field.
On September 28, 2021, the "New Hongqi HS7, HS5, H5 New Listing Ceremony" was held in Changchun. This time the three cars are renewed, and the amount of additional equipment is not increased. In the environment where market preferences have shrunk significantly due to chip shortages, the generous approach of Hongqi's new car has really brushed a wave of favorability.
At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, New Hongqi unveiled the renewal and upgrade of two of its flagship models, the H9 and E-HS9. In 2022, the H9 achieved as many as 23 new upgrades, further consolidating the strength and position of its domestic C+ class luxury car benchmark.
The newly launched E-HS9 120-degree battery growth version is a collection of 564 patents and represents the top technology of Hongqi's mass-produced models. Driven by a high-capacity battery of 120 kWh, the FULL-size large-scale pure electric SUV has a maximum RANGE of 690 km, which greatly solves the user's range anxiety about the range of electric vehicles.
At present, From the "double 5" model of the 200,000 yuan level to the "double 9" model of the 500,000 yuan class, almost all the models on sale are at the high point of sales history.
The main product Hongqi H5 has been on the market for 4 years, and the monthly sales volume remains above 8,000 units; the flagship model Hongqi H9, with monthly sales of more than 4,000 units; the latest and most expensive pure electric large SUV model E-HS9, which has now ranked into the leading position of 500,000 yuan electric SUV.
It's not that one car is selling hot, but that every car is breaking through new highs. Behind the achievement of 300,000 new Hongqi vehicles is the performance of Hongqi's product strategy being recognized by the market, and it is also the embodiment of the overall improvement of the ability of Hongqi system.
Marketing innovation leads the market
In 2021, when the role of "post-epidemic" and "digitalization" is superimposed, the transformation of automobile marketing is also in full swing. With the continuous upgrading of automobile consumption and the arrival of the wave of user rejuvenation, new brands, new ways of playing, and new concepts continue to impact the relatively traditional and conservative automobile market.
Emphasizing user-centricity, providing users with new brands and service experiences through the marketing model of digital + new retail is becoming a new wrestling point for auto brands to compete. In the luxury car segment, the marketing innovation of New Hongqi's continuous breakthrough has played a decisive role in the brand's later catch-up and ranked among the frontlines.
As the only independent luxury brand with large-scale sales, New Hongqi's marketing innovation has always been at the forefront of the market.
On the one hand, New Hongqi adheres to the brand concept and values of "three everythings" and "customer-centric", and its innovative "wisdom six-in-one" marketing model brings a tangible and distinctive distinguished experience to Hongqi users.
On the other hand, it is the new hongqi that has a unique vision in brand marketing, the accurate entry method of marketing events and topics, and the Chinese automobile market in 2021, providing many wonderful marketing cases of "four or two thousand pounds".
In 2021, New Hongqi has achieved the ultimate user experience through "three steps". Through the innovation of service models and the vertical and horizontal alliance between different industries, Hongqi has created a high-value experience space with great growth for users. Looking at the current luxury car market, this is something that no multinational brand can do.
On July 17, the "2021 Hongqi Fan Festival" was held in Changchun, and the new Hongqi officially launched the "Qishi Ecology", releasing innovative species such as the officially certified Riders Association, the Qishi Alliance, and the "717 Qishi Pet Powder Festival".
In October, New Hongqi officially launched its strategic cooperation with Wanda Group, and the two sides announced that they would jointly build a "Hongqi User Experience Ecology". At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, New Hongqi released new rights and interests for customers under a new ecosystem.
Therefore, with brand ecology as the core, a complete system covering five dimensions such as entertainment ecology, travel ecology, cultural ecology, and service ecology is accelerating towards the goal of achieving a better life for more customers.
From the cultural marketing of the Forbidden City in the past to the sports marketing in 2021 in cooperation with the State General Administration of Sports, with the Olympic champion giving away the car as the trigger point, the marketing innovation of New Red Flag in 2021 can be summarized into two points: first, high attention and spread the circle; second, tonal fit, 1+1>2.
In 2021, the Tokyo Olympic Games were held, and in the various winds and fires of Olympic marketing, Hongqi's activity of donating cars to Olympic champions became the biggest winner in this marketing war.
In August, New Hongqi announced that it would donate Hongqi H9 products and use rights to Chinese Glory athletes who won medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Since September 10, with the support of the Hongqi Experience Center throughout the country, Honor Athletes have successively received H9 product deliveries. At the same time, New Hongqi officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Winter Sports Management Center of the State General Administration of Sport, and became a strategic partner of the Chinese Snowmobile National Team, the Steel Frame Snowmobile National Team, and the Bobsleigh National Team, and fully participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics cycle.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of such a global sports event as the Olympic Games, and relying on the Olympic champions, a heroic group sought after by the whole people, Hongqi took this as a starting point to gradually outline the brand and customer image belonging to the new hongqi in the new era, injecting new connotations into the "hongqi" brand and marking a new era label.
Whether it is cross-border cooperation with the sports field, or strong cooperation with Wanda Group, as well as diversified alliances with more central enterprises and private enterprises in the future, these are the dominant resources of independent brands in the competition with multinational car companies, and they are also the decisive points in the second half of luxury brand competition.
Brands that love users will be loved
At present, China's auto market has transformed from a product-oriented seller's market to a consumption-oriented buyer's market, and diversified and diversified marketing models have become a trend.
But no matter how the form changes, the core of innovation is to improve customer satisfaction, and at the same time, under the premise of customer satisfaction, who is efficient, who can continue to develop sustainably.
New Hongqi put forward the brand concept of "three everything", that is, "all for customers, all for customers, all humble for customers". Today's performance of the new red flag market proves that the brand that loves the user will also be loved by the user.
On December 24, the number of owners of the new Hongqi brand officially exceeded 600,000. The group of car owners is expanding day by day, forming a benign two-way support with the rapid development of the brand, and building a solid word-of-mouth foundation for the new red flag to move towards the goal of one million vehicles.
Echoing the rising number of users, the new Hongqi underline channel network has also grown rapidly at an average rate of 100 per year in recent years. In 2021, the total number of authorized Hongqi outlets has reached 477, and the national urban coverage rate of offline channels has reached 86.9%, achieving full coverage of cities above the fourth tier.
But high satisfaction cannot be achieved by relying solely on the number of outlets. The channel network of "digital and qualitative" established by New Hongqi is the most powerful support for the rapidly expanding customer base and changing customer service needs.
Through the short video platform "Digital Wisdom Vision", Hongqi Zhilian APP and Hongqi Micro Store Mini Program, New Hongqi has accumulated 2.76 million user members and realized the conversion of 33,000 members into car owners, which has greatly improved operational efficiency and customer service experience.
If the high-quality services under the digital empowerment have achieved the "face" of Hongqi's high satisfaction, then the digital innovation at the R&D and manufacturing end has achieved the "Lizi" of high satisfaction of Hongqi products.
In 2021, New Hongqi has built a comprehensive digital R&D and manufacturing model.
In terms of research and development, Hongqi has built a collaborative design and virtual simulation platform based on digital twin technology, creating an agile development model for automobiles, shortening the product development cycle by about 6 months.
In terms of manufacturing, Hongqi has built an Internet platform for the automotive industry to achieve intelligent production of the whole process of the four major processes, compressing the vehicle life cycle by about 6 months and shortening the order delivery cycle by about 25%.
Philip Kotler, the "father of modern marketing", once proposed the four eras of marketing, the 1.0 product era, the 2.0 consumer era, the 3.0 value era, and the 4.0 - the era of emphasizing communication and interaction with consumers. The automotive market also goes through the process from selling products, to providing services, to building a brand image.
Today, between brands and users, it is not simply the supply and demand relationship between products and services, but more importantly, the concern for user emotions, and how to provide users with richer value and experience in the whole life cycle of automotive products.
The product strategy, marketing strategy and service strategy of New Hongqi have not only withstood the test of special periods and special market environments, but also formed the differentiated competitive advantage of Hongqi. In the new digital era, a benign development closed loop from brand to user, from OEMs to dealers has been completed.
From 33,000 in 2018, 100,000 in 2019, to 200,000 in 2020, and then to 300,000 today. With the completion of one goal after another and the fulfillment of one commitment after another, the new red flag not only writes the "red flag speed" of the new generation with sales volume, but also interprets the "red flag connotation" of the development of the new era with its own ultimate innovation and efforts.
In the face of the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan", New Hongqi responded to the motherland's expectations for the automobile industry with impressive achievements, and practiced its responsibility and responsibility as a model for state-owned enterprises with practical actions.
Standing at a new starting point of 300,000 vehicles, we have reason to believe that the new Hongqi will once again write a new chapter in Chinese cars. 【Copyright Notice】This article is the original manuscript of Automan Media, and may not be reproduced without authorization.