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Driving into the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, as long as it stopped in front of the parallel import car exhibition hall for half a moment, there were salesmen who ran over enthusiastically and knocked on the window glass, "Brother, go inside to see our imported cars, the price is absolutely fair." ”
The year is approaching, and for these parallel importers, every customer who comes to see the car is precious. On the one hand, the pressure of the momentum at the end of the year drives them to work harder. On the other hand, sharp price fluctuations, coupled with financial pressure, have made car dealers a little breathless.
Parallel import exhibition hall in the bonded area | Car Market Story Photo
Just half a year ago, the parallel import car price, which was still at a high price, discouraged customers, and they finally chose 4S stores after several considerations. Half a year after clinker, the price of imported cars of major brands is like a roller coaster, straight down. "To do our business, there is an element of gambling, and both eyesight and luck are indispensable." Xiang Hua, a wholesaler of parallel imported vehicles, said.
"This Lexus LX570 sold for $2.15 million a month ago and has now dropped directly to $1.9 million. At its peak, it even bought 3 million. In the view of Wang Qiang, a salesman at Baorui Shunda, there are complex factors behind the price fluctuations of parallel imported cars. Behind this sharp price fluctuation is a series of industry reshuffles.
#01
Price fluctuations are like roller coasters
The year is approaching, but the price of parallel imported cars has dropped.
In a parallel import car showroom, an American version of the Lexus GX is placed in the doorway, which is very conspicuous. In addition, a clear message was posted on the window, "The US version, China VI B, the formalities are complete, the ticket of the day." "It's clear that this is a model that is desperately waiting to be sold.
The U.S. version of the Lexus GX model, which is eagerly awaited for sale, | Car Market Story Photo
It is worth mentioning that the price of this car is surprising. Fang Ping, the owner of the store, told The Story of the Car Market, "The price of this car we posted was 1.36 million, but now the price has dropped to 1.19 million." "According to Fang Ping, selling at this price means losing money." The car sold out and we had to lose at least $3 million. ”
But there is no other way. According to Fang Ping, there are a number of Lexus GX models on hand and must be sold early. Otherwise, the funds staked on the stock truck cannot be released, and the expiration of the bank loan means more pressure. Fang Ping said that even if it loses, he will sell, "I don't want to stay anymore." ”
This is not an isolated case. It is reported that Lexus, Cruze and other models have entered the ranks of price reduction. In the inquiry process, Wang Qiang strongly said that the Lexus LX570 is sold for 1.9 million yuan, and there is still room for negotiation if it is purchased sincerely. On the other side, the Cruze 5700 has also come down from its high position.
Wang Qiang told the car market Monogatari, "The price of imported cars fluctuates very much, and the price was quite high some time ago, and recently it has fallen all the way." For example, this Cruze 5700 may have risen by 300,000 today and dropped by 200,000 tomorrow. ”
In addition to these Japanese cars, Land Rover Genesis is also in the process of price reduction. Cao Meng, head of China Automobile Changxin (Tianjin) International Trade Co., Ltd., showed the price of various versions of Land Rover Genesis to the Car Market Monogatari, of which the 2022 Land Rover Genesis 3.0T is priced at 1.78 million, and the rest of the versions are priced between 1.7 million and 1.77 million. The car market Story learned from another dealership that the top version of the Land Rover Genesis Extended Edition is priced at 1.7 million, which has declined by a certain extent.
Land Rover Genesis | Car Market Story Photo
In this regard, the sales staff explained to the car market Story that Land Rover Genesis has also begun to reduce prices in recent days. "In previous years, the price of cars at this time was raised, and perhaps the price of cars rose too high in the early days, scaring away some customers, and now they find that the car cannot be sold, so they have to reduce the price." In the eyes of the salesperson, all this is the result of market regulation.
Under the tide of price cuts, there seems to be not many exceptions. The most popular Mercedes-Benz GLS450 has not escaped the tide of price cuts. Zhang Tong, a salesman at Hailufeng Automobile, told the car market that the price of Mercedes-Benz GLS450 in the early stage was between 1.21-1.35 million, and now the price of the American version of Mercedes-Benz GLS450 has dropped to about 106-1.16 million, and the price of the ink version of Mercedes-Benz GLS450 is only about 20,000 yuan higher than that of the American version.
"At present, among the major parallel imported car products, the Mercedes-Benz GLS450 has the best performance. Almost 8 out of every 10 cars sold are Mercedes-Benz GLS450s. Cao Meng said that the high cost performance makes the Mercedes-Benz GLS450 perform very eye-catching in the parallel import car market. However, despite its popularity, the Mercedes-Benz GLS450 has also begun to reduce prices to varying degrees.
Mercedes-Benz is still the "favorite" | buyers Car Market Story Photo
#02
Success is also the price, defeat is also the price
In fact, parallel imported cars were still loud half a year ago.
In the market survey in August 2021, Auto Story found that the price of many parallel imported cars was higher than that of Chinese cars. Among them, the Mercedes-Benz 2021 GLE450 5-seater Chinese version of the 4MATIC luxury model is priced at 849,800 yuan, while the plus version is priced at 870,000 yuan. In addition, there are 2019 Porsche Cayennes, imported cars priced at more than 50,000 yuan higher than the price of the Chinese version; Land Rover Defender, Toyota Alpha and other models, have increased prices.
Japanese imported cars are currently in short supply | Car Market Story Photo
Why is the increase in parallel imports so large?
From the supply side, following the National VI emission policy, parallel imported vehicles have suffered the impact of the epidemic, and some models have been stranded in port for a long time, resulting in rising storage costs. In addition, the cost of sea freight has also risen sharply due to the epidemic. In addition, the shortage of car chips caused by the shortage of car sources has increased the difficulty of purchasing parallel imported cars. Under multiple factors, the price of parallel imported cars increased sharply in the middle of last year.
"To sum up, it is the reduction of vehicle supply due to various factors, the increase in supply costs, and the soaring price of vehicles while terminal demand remains relatively stable." Wang Min, an auto industry insider, believes that the uncertainty caused by policies, epidemics, markets and other factors directly affects the price fluctuations of parallel imported cars.
Who would have expected that at the end of the year, the price of parallel imported cars has come to a big reversal.
"The price increase in the early stage was too strong, and when the rush at the end of the year, I found that the sales volume was weak, so I began to reduce prices again." Wang Qiang analyzed that the price increase of parallel import car dealers before was sharp, and now it seems that it is a bit too high. Coupled with the maturity of the loans of car dealers at the end of the year, the pressure also came, and they had to exchange the amount for a price reduction and withdraw funds as soon as possible. "Imported cars are luxury cars that cost millions of dollars, and the demand for funds by car dealers is also huge."
As Zhang Tong said, "The price changes of parallel imported cars are as unpredictable as the stock market." ”
Wang Min still analyzes the reasons for the decline in car prices from the perspective of supply and demand, and among the models currently sold in Tianjin Port, except for the reduced supply of Japanese cars due to emission problems, the rest of the models can be supplied in an orderly manner. "The core factor is that the supply is gradually stabilized, but the demand has not increased. Coupled with the excessive price increase in the early stage, now it has to reduce the price. ”
However, behind this price rise and fall, the parallel import car industry is taking turns to shuffle. Xiang Hua told the car market that parallel imported cars have formed a special development trajectory in recent years under the influence of various events such as emission policies and epidemics.
When the vehicle soared, it attracted a large number of speculators to join. In Xiang Hua's view, the rise and fall of model prices is basically "seven points rely on Mongolia, three points rely on vision." Many people are also driven by profits and are keen on this game of "small and big".
A Mercedes-Benz S-Class was purchased for 960,000 yuan, and the price rose to 1.22 million by the time of delivery. The following distributors only need to pay a deposit of 50,000 yuan to make a profit of 260,000, which is very attractive. Of course, there is a profit and a loss, this time can earn 260,000, next time may not earn a point. Xiang Hua said.
"Speculators prefer this kind of sharp price volatility." Cao Meng sighed that when the price of vehicles rises, it means huge profits. However, this speculation can only be short-lived. "For example, after the upgrade of China VI emissions, the stranded vehicles in Hong Kong were stopped for a year and a half, and many dealers broke their capital chains and switched to selling jewelry and luxury goods."
Cao Meng is engaged in the wholesale business of parallel imported cars, and he prefers to maintain the price of vehicles in a stable state. "In the past, we made money with asymmetric information, but now the price of imported cars is basically transparent, and our profits are no longer a secret. The more stable the price of the vehicle, in the long run we will win by volume, and eventually there will be business to do. ”
That is to say, if you only take a speculative mentality and make a profit in the parallel import car industry and leave, the attraction brought by price fluctuations is huge. If the industry is to continue to improve for a long time, it needs a stable and transparent price adjustment mechanism.
#03
Compliance is a long-term issue
However, it is not an easy task to make the price of parallel imported cars stable and transparent.
Soaring in the middle of the year, plummeting at the end of the year, such a strong price fluctuation of parallel imported cars, transmitted to the consumer side, it is easy to cause many discomforts for consumers. "In the eyes of many consumers, when buying a car from a traditional 4S store, the price is relatively uniform and stable, while buying parallel imported cars is always worried about losing losses and being deceived." Wang Min believes that the price stability and transparency is one of the pain points that need to be solved urgently for parallel imported cars.
How can the price of parallel imported cars be stabilized to a certain extent? Some industry insiders have also suggested that the large group certified by the state should order uniformly to reduce the procurement cost. At the same time, the source of procurement will be unified, the chaotic procurement channels will be controlled, and the price stability will eventually be achieved. However, such a proposal has been criticized as a monopoly suspect, which will make the industry lack vitality.
From the current point of view, it is particularly important to improve the standardization of the parallel import car industry. As Cao Meng said, "The parallel import car industry is not a climate compared with the traditional automotive industry. In the field of traditional automobile sales, standardized management, and stable pre-sale, sale and after-sales mechanisms are worth learning from the parallel import car industry. ”
A plaque of "Big Business, No Fraud" is both a warning and an encouragement to | Car Market Story Photo
Tianjin Parallel Import Automobile Circulation Association has been emphasizing the relationship between the degree of industry standardization and the long-term development of the industry. Even if the industry is in a difficult period, enterprises must adhere to the principle of integrity management and maintain the reputation of the industry. In addition, clarify the statutory responsibilities and obligations, achieve price transparency, and improve the after-sales management system such as "three guarantees".
The reason why parallel imported cars can have a place in the automobile market competition lies in their price advantage. Through the way of import, the dealer layers of interests are omitted, so that users can buy the desired model at a lower price.
"Since the beginning of this year, car prices have risen first and then fallen, and the operating conditions of car dealers are also the same, since they want to work in this industry for a long time, they need to accumulate credibility and reputation for a long time." In Xiang Hua's view, it takes a long time for the parallel import car industry to achieve standardized management and establish a reputation, but it is only an instantaneous thing to destroy.
End
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