The uncertain year of 2021 has made the cold winter wind in the luxury car market come faster and more fiercely.
Affected by the global chip supply shortage, the luxury car market, which has been playing the role of growth "locomotive" for the past few years, has helplessly slowed down the pace of progress.
According to the data of the Association of Automobile Associations, the capacity growth rate of the domestic luxury car market in 2021 is only 5.6%. You know, in 2020, when the epidemic first broke out, the luxury car market still recorded a rapid growth of 19.9%. In the earlier 2018-2019, this figure was 17.6% and 11.7%, respectively.
It is also worth noting that the penetration rate of smart new energy vehicles also saw an unexpected increase in expectations last year. It not only eats part of the share of traditional luxury cars, but also increases the variables for market transformation.
Undoubtedly, the growth of luxury brands is rapidly returning to rationality, and the market tone has also returned from the heavy "quantity" in the past to the performance of "quality".
So, in this turbulent change, which luxury brand has the highest growth gold content? Kung Fu Cars tries to find out for you guys.
"Counter-cyclical" high-quality development, more gold content
Reviewing the luxury car market in 2021, a set of sales data of Cadillac has become the focus of the industry.
In terms of wholesale sales, Cadillac achieved sales of 233,117 units, an increase of 1.4% year-on-year; from the number of 232,822 units, the year-on-year increase was 2.5%.
This number of increases may not be very impressive compared to previous years. But if Tesla sales are stripped away, the year-over-year growth in the luxury car market last year was actually only slightly 0.4%.
What is particularly noteworthy is that a number of mainstream luxury car brands have also declined to varying degrees in this round of impact. Among the brands that have announced sales, Mercedes-Benz's sales in China fell by about 2% year-on-year, and Audi's sales fell by 3.6%.
That said, in the slightly depressed luxury market, Cadillac managed to outperform the market.
In the eyes of Kung Fu Motors, Cadillac's "counter-cyclical" stable performance is not just above the absolute sales figure. The optimization of the sales structure hidden behind the numbers and the increase in the terminal transaction price are the "background color" of Cadillac's steady upward movement.
First of all, compared with Lexus, which relies too much on ES, and Volvo, which relies on XC60 to support most of the country, Cadillac's sales structure is more balanced and healthier.
The "new American luxury rear-drive sedan family" consisting of CT4/CT5/CT6 sold 94,620 units in the whole year, an increase of 13.6% year-on-year. The sales ratio of the sedan family and the SUV family is just 4:6.
Secondly, compared with other brands that rely on low-end models to "pull volume", the proportion of medium- and high-end models in cadillac's sales composition is more reasonable.
Among them, the high-end models in CT4, CT6 and XT4 account for more than 60%, and the proportion of high-end models in XT6 accounts for 79%. The most important CT5 and XT5, the proportion of medium and high matching is more than 90%, reaching 91.2% and 97.5% respectively.
What is more worth mentioning is that with the upward movement of the sales structure, the terminal transaction price of all models of the brand has also risen. According to the investigation of Kung Fu Automobile in the first-line market, the terminal price of Cadillac's various models has increased by about 15,000 yuan compared with the beginning of 2021.
A Cadillac dealer always said in an interview with Kung Fu Automobile: "The increase in transaction price is affected by the source factors of the car. But more importantly, customers recognize the high value of our products and are willing to pay for the sense of value. ”
This view of the dealer is not bragging, but is supported by a tangible product.
Taking the star model Cadillac CT5 as an example, Cadillac has made three targeted upgrades to the product in one year. The 2021 CT5 was launched at the beginning of last year, and the whole series iterated a new generation of CUE and wireless CarPlay. In May, a premium model was added, with top performance tools including active electromagnetic induction suspension, mechanical limited-slip differentials, and Brembo braking systems. During the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of the year, the luxury configuration of the new CT5 was further upgraded.
This series of highly targeted improvements undoubtedly further strengthens the high value feeling of Cadillac CT5 in the minds of consumers.
This performance has also been certified by third-party investigation agencies. In the 2021 China Automotive Product Attractiveness Index Study (APEAL) released by J.D. Power, cadillac CT5 ranked first in the compact luxury car segment and third in the new car quality study (IQS).
It is precisely with the product upgrade of the leading market that in the past year, the product strategy oriented by the "sense of value" has finally helped Cadillac to "fly in volume and price". In the fierce car market roll, out of a contrarian upward "anti-roll" road.
The brand upward and value-oriented results shown behind it also make Cadillac's steady performance in 2021 have a more substantial "gold content".
Innovative technology accelerates transformation and sharpens brands to meet market challenges
Looking back at the development of the auto market in 2021, there is another factor that cannot be ignored, and it is the penetration rate of new energy models that exceeds 20% for the first time. The "blowout" of the smart electric vehicle market is not only a recognized opportunity in the industry, but also a strong challenge for many car market participants.
In the face of the unprecedented changes in the industry in a century, Cadillac in 2021 has also ushered in its own intelligent pure electric "opening year".
Compared with other luxury brands that are also moving towards the "oil to electricity" route, Cadillac cuts directly to the core of the industry's transformation. Driven by the LYRIQ luxury medium- and large-sized SUV, the first pure electric production model of the Aoteneng platform, Cadillac has demonstrated its deep technical accumulation to the industry and consumers in all aspects.
This also allows the outside world to feel the confidence and determination of this century-old luxury brand to create a new benchmark in the luxury pure electricity market.
Based on the electrification of the Aoteneng platform, the intelligence represented by the new generation of Super Cruise super assisted driving system, and the three core advantages of networking with the VCS intelligent cockpit system as the core, LYRIQ perfectly interprets the self-cultivation of intelligent pure electric vehicles in the new era.
It is particularly noteworthy that this technological heritage of the times is not achieved overnight, but the evolutionary results of SAIC-GM's "thick accumulation and thin hair" for many years. A number of features, including SuperCruise, connected car, and full OTA upgrades, have been in use in Cadillac's fuel vehicles for many years.
Of course, in addition to accelerating the transformation to the field of intelligent pure electricity, Cadillac has not given up on continuing to explore the potential of fuel vehicles. In the past year, the Cadillac SUV camp has fully entered the "light hybrid era". In the long cycle of the transition period from fuel vehicles to pure electric, Cadillac's pragmatic improvement will undoubtedly provide consumers with a richer choice of models.
In addition, through the MyCadillac APP to "empower" the online and offline service system, and cadillac's "digital showroom" to explore the car viewing mode in the post-epidemic era, Cadillac has always spared no effort to strengthen the "new American luxury" service experience.
Kung Fu shoots
But all the past is the prologue.
2022 marks the 120th anniversary of the Cadillac brand and the 19th anniversary of the brand's deep roots in China.
The "stability" in 2021 will lay the foundation and build momentum for the "advancement" in 2022.
It can be said that this will be the leap year for the Cadillac brand to open a new era.
We expect that the luxury car market, led by the head brand, can achieve a pattern of volume and price increase, and strive to promote the high-quality development of the industry.