From now until the Spring Festival, many automobile companies are busy with two things: one is "summary" and the other is "outlook" - "have something to say" about the past year and "have something to do" for the new year. Carefully studying these "summaries" and "prospects" can find that compared with before, there are now more natural sincerity, real cash, calm "ordinary heart", and "real practical work" pragmatism.
2021: "Innovation and Transformation of the Whole Business Chain"
In 2021, when it is generally believed that there are more "uncertain factors", although auto companies cannot talk about "the scenery is unique", they are also relatively "certain". Why can cars "do"? "The 'certainty' of the automotive industry lies in the long industrial chain and high added value." Huang Hao told reporters. Huang Hao works for a securities company in Guangzhou, and his professional research direction is the automotive industry. Huang Hao said, "The rapid progress of the automotive industry will drive a country to complete the transformation from a manufacturing power to a manufacturing power. "There is precedent to follow, such as the United States, but also germany." A third-party market research result shows that for every 1 yuan generated by the automobile main engine factory, it will drive the average output value of the upstream and downstream of 5.9 yuan.
Looking back at the achievements of China's automotive industry in 2021, at the macro level, according to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2021, China's automotive industry will change the trend of decline for three consecutive years and return to the upward track. Production and sales for the full year totaled 26.082 million units and 26.275 million units, up 3.4% y/y and 3.8% y/y. In the global tens of millions of automobile market, China is the first to achieve positive year-on-year growth, which shows the super resilience of China's automotive industry.
At the micro level, auto companies have successively announced their 2021 results, showing the quality and efficiency of operations to the market and users, and SAIC-GM is one of them. As one of the leading companies in China's automotive industry, SAIC-GM summed up its 2021 with a series of data.
In 2021, SAIC-GM's Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands sold a total of 1.3315 million vehicles throughout the year. More noteworthy than this sales performance is that the sales structure and sales quality have been continuously optimized, and the quality of operations has continued to improve. According to the data, in 2021, the sales of SAIC-GM's high-end models will increase by more than 5 percentage points compared with 2020. At the same time, the average transaction price of each brand has increased by 6% to 16% to varying degrees. From this, it can be seen that Chinese consumers recognize and trust the "world-class quality and world-class experience" that SAIC-GM continues to bring. It is also this recognition and trust that helps SAIC-GM to actively transform and create a new situation for the future-oriented high-quality development.
If you use one word to summarize SAIC-GM's 2021, some analysts believe that "innovation" is the most appropriate. SAIC-GM's "innovation" in 2021 reached a peak at the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of the year, not only releasing the first luxury pure electric medium and large SUV Cadillac LYRIQ based on the Aoteneng electric vehicle platform, but also launching a new generation of Buick GL8 concept car.
From technology to product strength, from brand building to marketing innovation, to intelligent manufacturing and system layout, saic and GM have "innovated" in one year. Laymen look lively, but in the eyes of industry insiders, behind saic and GM's series of "innovations", it is not a simple small fight, but most of them are large-scale and long-term planning. For example, in April 2021, SAIC-GM announced that by 2025, it will invest more than 50 billion yuan in the planning of new technologies for electrification and intelligent networking. For example, the introduction of the Aoteneng electric vehicle platform and the introduction of the eighth generation of Ecotec's new 1.5T four-cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine will accelerate the popularization and application of the new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture and intelligent driver assistance technology. In terms of intelligence that young people are more concerned about, in 2021, SAIC-GM will achieve multiple functional upgrades of in-vehicle interconnection systems.
Since 2021, behind every "innovation" of SAIC-GM is one new or innovative technology after another, which is not easy in itself. What's even more difficult is that all this will only happen within 365 days of 2021, allowing domestic users – especially young consumers – to see SAIC-GM's height, speed and strength at the same time.
This kind of innovation with height, speed and strength, this transformation covering all fields from brand to product, from technology to marketing, may be called "whole business chain innovation transformation".
2022: There will be a number of technologies landed, and security will be ranked first
2021 has passed, and 2022 has arrived. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers predicts that in 2022, China's auto market is expected to grow by about 5%, with total sales reaching 27.5 million units. The relevant person in charge of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers believes that in 2022, China's macro-economy will be good, the demand for automobile consumption is strong, and the chip shortage will gradually ease, which will boost the sustained high-quality development of the automobile market.
Some analysts believe that with 2021 as the starting point, in the next decade, China's intelligent vehicles will usher in a new stage of accelerated development. With the further development of 5G, AI, IoT, and cloud computing, China's automotive market will face more opportunities and more room for growth.
Opportunities and challenges have always been in full swing, and China's auto market will be a fully competitive market. SAIC-GM is well aware that to impress users, it is still necessary to continue "innovation". SAIC-GM also made it clear that in 2022, it will promote the landing of a number of blockbuster technologies.
In terms of pure electric drive, Aote can bring Chinese consumers not only cadillac LYRIQ model. Based on the Outone platform, buick and Chevrolet's new pure electric models will be unveiled in 2022.
In terms of intelligent driving assistance, in 2022, SAIC-GM will introduce a new generation of Super Cruise driver assistance system, and the new system will add a number of functions such as automatic lane change on the basis of the original.
In the field of intelligent networking, in addition to further popularizing the new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture, SAIC-GM will also introduce a new generation of VCS intelligent cockpit system, which can achieve deep integration of hardware and software, and support 5G and V2X vehicle-to-road collaboration technology.
Among them, users are most concerned about "intelligent assisted driving". "Intelligent assisted driving" is one of the most difficult things that almost every car company wants to do. Most of the new car-making forces adopt "selling while changing", a model that has aroused unprecedented doubts in 2021 due to multiple highway traffic accidents. Although the companies involved have made every effort to recover, in the end it is the entire automotive industry that has been damaged. GM has been putting Super Cruise on the market for a while. The biggest feature of the system is "safety", which many people may not know, in North America, Super Cruise has achieved more than 11 million kilometers of road accidents. In saic and GM's view, true intelligence should be based on the premise of "safety". On the basis of safety, continuously improving the functions, efficiency and application scenarios of "intelligent assisted driving" is one thing that SAIC-GM is doing in 2022.
In fact, in addition to intelligent assisted driving, heavy technologies such as Aoteneng electric vehicle platform and intelligent network connection also put user experience , especially safety , in the first place. From this, you can feel SAIC-GM's attitude towards users: responsible, with temperature, no matter how noisy the outside world is.
Che Tianxia Reviews:
2021 is an extraordinary year for SAIC-GM. Because of this year, SAIC-GM has shouldered the challenges of uncertainties such as the epidemic, lack of core, and changes in the international environment; moreover, this year, SAIC-GM has vigorously promoted the innovation and transformation of the whole business chain and worked hard for the future-oriented high-quality development.
In 2022, SAIC-GM is responding to the "uncertainty" of the market with its own "certainty". In the field of gasoline vehicles, SAIC-GM will continue to transform in the direction of high-end, intelligence and energy saving to meet the needs of users' consumption upgrades. In the field of new energy vehicles, SAIC-GM will seize the opportunity that the market pattern has not yet formed, and respond to the increasingly fierce competition with rapid response and heavy scientific and technological innovation.
So, do you think SAIC-GM will stop moving forward after a series of milestones in 2021? I am sorry! This is just the beginning.
Text/Guangzhou Daily, New Flower City Reporter: Zhou Weili
Photo/ Guangzhou Daily, Xinhuacheng Reporter: Zhou Weili
Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor Li Guangman