Some time ago, the 2021 mid-level sedan annual sales list was officially released, and camry ranked first with 217724 vehicles, an increase of 17.5% year-on-year; while accorded on the performance of 197742 vehicles in second place, down 8.2% compared with 2020. After these two Japanese brothers, it is not Maiten or Passat, but the natural sound that was once known as one of the three Japanese musketeers!
Honestly speaking, in 2021, Tianlai's car sold really well, and the annual sales reached 163741 units, a year-on-year increase of 38.7%! Although this data does not look exaggerated at present, especially in combination with the market position of the previous generations of Tianlai, the current sales situation is indeed what this generation of Tianlai did not expect when it was replaced. I remember that when this generation of Tianlai first asked the market, due to the radical shape and the situation of the 2.0T VC-TURBO engine, the market performance can be described as quite sluggish, which also makes people worry about whether Tianlai can still retain the position of the Japanese Three Musketeers.
However, after so many years, the market performance of Tianlai has not disappointed, monthly sales can break through 1W+, and even in December 2021, Tianlai has created more than 20,000 vehicles in a single month, which can be said to be quite strong.
However, every time we talk about the sales volume of Tianlai, we can't avoid its sales strategy of exchanging price for volume. Especially compared with accord and Camry, Tianlai is not only the most ruthless price reduction in Japanese B-class cars, but also a car that cannot find characteristics in terms of product strength.
I remember that in 2019, when Lao Wang was also preparing to buy a sub-low version of Tianlai 2.0 as a daily grocery shopping car. At that time, the discount of Tianlai 2.0L in Chongqing area should have reached more than 30,000 yuan and nearly 40,000 yuan if I remember correctly, and all the insurance was in place, and the landing price of the car should be less than 180,000. Of course, now Tianlai's market discount Lao Wang has not actually understood, but it is certain that among the Accord, Camry, and Tianlai, Tianlai must be the cheapest car in the final transaction. With a large space, a Japanese joint venture brand, and a more fuel-efficient and easy to open characteristics, Tianlai's hot selling Lao Wang is not surprised.
Yes, does good sales really mean that Tianlai is successful? For this problem, we can't help but think of the earliest domestic six-cylinder Tianlai, at that time, Tianlai is still a model with a relatively high brand premium, and the six-cylinder + home design also makes it more "advanced" than the Camry and Accord in the same period. However, with the gradual implementation of Nissan's low-cost and cost-saving strategy, Tianlai slowly lost this advantage, and the group that chose Tianlai because of quality at that time gradually became the choice of Tianlai because of cheapness.
Such a change is not out of thin air, take the current natural sound, in the 90% sales composition of this car, people choose its 2.0L naturally aspirated version. In contrast, the 2.0T VC-TURBO model that was hot in the early days of the market was almost unpopular, and finally only sat on the "cold bench". Obviously, for the market segment of more than 200,000, compared with the "two fields" hybrid, VC-TURBO 2.0T has hardly taken advantage of anything, does this mean that the brand premium of Tianlai is no longer enough to support the market of more than 200,000?
Speaking of the best-selling Tianlai 2.0L version, it must be admitted that this car is driving quite well. The overall power output is also relatively smooth, and the chassis after running up also has a certain sense of high-grade, and the sound insulation performance is relatively excellent. But this old MR20 engine, as Nissan's most profitable machine, not only served for many years, the technology is old, and it can't find the feeling that a B-class car should have in terms of power output. This is also why many online ride-hailing cars choose Tianlai 2.0, because it is more comfortable to sit up and drive without desire.
At first glance, there is nothing wrong with the market route of Tianlai 2.0, but as the consumer groups who choose B-class cars in the market become younger and younger, can Tianlai continue to meet the tastes of these young people? Take the Same Accord, for example, even if young people with limited budgets do not buy hybrids, it still offers a powerful 1.5T model to choose from, and the fun of the Accord is far beyond the natural sound. It can be seen from the sales volume that even though nissan Tianlai has killed a thousand self-inflicted losses and eight hundred places to fight a price war, it still has not been able to surpass the Accord with the actual transaction price in terms of sales. This is a cause for concern, how long can Nissan's price war continue?
Write at the end
Once upon a time, people chose natural sounds for quality; today, people choose natural sounds for cheapness. Nissan's price war strategy stimulates sales while also allowing people to buy cars for less money. But that doesn't mean Nissan is a successful car company. Especially in recent years, Nissan's tumultuous operation between the practice of new technology and the return of old technology has shown the helplessness and passivity of this car company. Perhaps, if Nissan had treated Chinese consumers better a few years ago, the situation would not be so passive now.