The proportion of sales of high-end models continues to grow, looking at the business experience of SAIC-GM in 2022
2021 has gone, in this year, many car companies have tasted the sweetness, but also many car companies because of the shortage of chips, affecting the final market revenue. In 2021, in the face of the severe challenges brought by the "lack of cores" to the industry's production, SAIC-GM actively integrates resources and strives to reduce the supply gap, while optimizing allocation and ensuring key production capacity. The Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands sold a combined 1,331,567 units for the year. Among them, the sales of high-end models accounted for more than 5 percentage points higher than in 2020, and the average transaction price of each brand increased by 6% to 16%.
In terms of specific models, the Buick brand has accumulated sales of 828,627 vehicles throughout the year, and the sales of its mid-to-high-end models accounted for 60%. The Buick GL8 series increased by 8.4% year-on-year, setting a new annual sales record, and the cumulative sales exceeded 1.5 million units. Buick SUV family sales structure was further optimized, the flagship model Encore Flag annual sales increased by 47.2% year-on-year, Unkeway Plus since its launch in June sales have steadily increased, and Oncovie S doubled sales compared with last year. The Buick Veyron Pro and Veyron Pro GS sales have grown rapidly, with more than 26,000 units sold since their launch in September.
The proportion of large car sales under the Chevrolet brand consisting of Maribble XL, Chevrolet trailblazers and explorers increased to 48.3%, an increase of 15 percentage points year-on-year. Among them, the annual sales of The Maribao XL increased by 12% year-on-year, and the sales of chevrolet trailblazers increased by 37%. Chevrolet Patrol further consolidated its good reputation, with sales increasing significantly by 91% year-on-year.
The Cadillac brand sold 233,117 vehicles in the whole year, an increase of 1.4% year-on-year, setting a new record for sales in China. The annual sales of the "new American luxury rear-drive sedan family" increased by 13.6% year-on-year, of which the star model CT5 increased by 37.9% year-on-year. The product matrix of the new American luxury SUV has fully entered the "light hybrid era", of which the Cadillac XT6 increased by 43.1% year-on-year, and the market share ranked the forefront of the market segment.
In 2021, it can be said that the shortage of chips has caused many car companies a headache, coupled with various environmental factors such as rising raw material prices and repeated epidemics, the price of new cars as a whole fluctuates greatly, and the phenomenon of "inner volume" between manufacturers also occurs frequently. In today's market environment, SAIC-GM has ensured excellent sales in 2021, while also looking forward to the direction of corporate development in 2022-2025.
In the face of industrial transformation and continuous upgrading of consumer demand, and relying on the superior resources of both parent companies, in April 2021, SAIC-GM announced its leading technology and strategic layout in the field of "electrification, intelligence and networking", and promised to invest more than 50 billion yuan in the field of electrification and intelligent networking new technologies by 2025. SAIC-GM will bring the industry's cutting-edge technology Ultium Aoteneng electric vehicle platform to China, and the first model of the Aoteneng electric vehicle platform after entering China, the Cadillac luxury pure electric medium and large SUV LYRIQ, has been highly concerned by the market and consumers as soon as it was unveiled, and the order exceeded 2,000 within an hour after the opening of the pre-sale.
With the completion and operation of the Aoteneng Gigafactory at the Jinqiao base in Shanghai in October, as well as the opening of the Pan-Asia New Energy Test Building and the Guangde Battery Safety Laboratory, ITU has a complete new energy system capability from technology research and development, test verification, local procurement to production and manufacturing. While vigorously developing new energy, SAIC-GM adopts "two legs" to walk, continues to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, introduces the eighth-generation Ecotec's new 1.5T four-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged engine, and popularizes the 48V light mixing technology on a large scale on its models, realizing the comprehensive upgrade of the intelligent and electrification of the internal combustion engine system.
2022 is not only a tough year for the development of the country's "14th Five-Year Plan", but also a key period for the strategic transformation of SAIC-GM. In terms of new energy products, the listing of Cadillac LYRIQ has sounded the "rallying call" of the Outone electric vehicle platform, and the new energy products of Buick and Chevrolet based on the Oution platform will be unveiled in 2022.
At the beginning of 2022, some models of Buick GL8 will add ILC driver command lane change function, the first company to upgrade the assisted driving system through OTA remotely; At the same time, SAIC-GM will introduce a new generation of Super Cruise super assisted driving system in 2022, adding new functions such as command lane change and automatic lane change. In the next 5 years, the Super Cruise Super Assisted Driving System will gradually cover the three major brand models of Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet; More models will be equipped with traffic congestion assistance systems to further improve the driving convenience in urban conditions; The parking assistance system will also be upgraded in 2022, and a smart key or mobile app remote parking function will be added.
By 2025, most of the new models of SAIC-GM's three major brands will use this new electronic architecture. The new generation of VCS intelligent cockpit systems will enter the market in 2022. With 5G and V2X vehicle-to-road collaboration technology, it brings intelligent, efficient, seamless and multi-dimensional experience and rich functions from functions, interactions to services.
In 2021, SAIC-GM can be said to have gradually upgraded the existing models, and the popularization of the 48V system makes driving smoother, and with the variable cylinder engine, it has a very sufficient competitiveness in terms of fuel economy. The blessing of the second engine has also significantly improved the computing power of GM in the electronic architecture, and the field of intelligence is not lagging behind.
Written in the end: With the entry of Cadillac LYRIQ into the market, the next stage of saic-GM's development prologue has been opened, and electrification and electrification have also become the unswerving development direction of SAIC-GM. Compared with competitors, SAIC-GM is not late at present. Over time, the value of SAIC-GM's models to consumers will be further demonstrated.