In 2021, the global automotive industry is facing a "lack of cores", a problem that directly and indirectly reflects two situations. First of all, it directly affects the production and manufacturing of major automobile brand owners. Integrating resources, reducing supply gaps and optimizing allocation are the number one priorities that major automakers need to address. Secondly, the "lack of core" indirectly sees a change in the attributes of the automotive industry, from manufacturing to the direction of consumption and technology.
It is believed that auto companies are aware of the importance of these issues, so we see that the vast majority of OEMs have made a lot of efforts in 2021 on how to ensure production capacity and layout transformation to cope with environmental changes, and continue to take the road of high-quality development in 2022. Che Shijun believes that one of the more representative is SAIC-GM.
1. Ensure key production capacity and focus on active transformation in the future
The car pick-up cycle has become longer, and there is not even a show car to the showroom, which is a phenomenon encountered by friends who buy cars in 2021. Not only SAIC-GM's car brands, but also other brands are facing shortages due to the "chip" problem. Fortunately, SAIC-GM's ability to withstand risks and challenges has been verified, and its advantages in actively integrating resources to ensure key production capacity are further highlighted.
From the terminal performance, saicel-GM's buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands sold a total of 1,331,567 units throughout the year, which is still the head force of the joint venture formation "Million Club".
Among them, the Buick brand has accumulated sales of 828,627 vehicles throughout the year, and its sales of mid-to-high-end models accounted for 60%. The Buick GL8 series increased by 8.4% year-on-year to a cumulative total of more than 1.5 million units. In terms of the SUV family, sales of Onco Flag, Oncove Plus, and Oncovey S have all increased. The newly launched Buick Veyron Pro and Veyron Pro GS have also sold more than 26,000 units.
Since Chevrolet strengthened its dual product lineup, its product structure and sales have also changed greatly. About 200,000 yuan, "big cars" such as Maribao XL, Chevrolet Trailblazers and Explorers are the most prominent, and the proportion of sales has increased to 48.3%. In addition, the sales volume of pure electric vehicle Chevrolet Chang patrol increased by 91% year-on-year.
The Cadillac brand sold 233,117 units in the whole year, an increase of 1.4% year-on-year. Or you can't imagine that this time Cadillac set a new record for sales in China. Among them, in terms of cars, the slogan of "no rear drive, no luxury" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the star model CT5 increased by 37.9% year-on-year. SUV products fully updated the 48V light mix system, sales also shined, of which cadillac XT6 increased by 43.1% year-on-year.
Through the analysis of the model sales data of the three brands, it can be found that SAIC-GM's sales structure and sales quality have undergone qualitative changes in 2021, especially in mainstream market segments such as large-scale MPV and mid-to-high-end SUVs, which have achieved good results. This means that the quality of its operations has been further improved.
From the perspective of product structure, the three major brands are listed or unveiled their own new energy vehicle products, and their sales volume also ranks among the top three joint venture brand new energy vehicle sales. SAIC-GM has gradually taken on a new look in the context of the rapid development of new energy. In 2021, SAIC-GM announced that by 2025, the planning investment in the field of electrification and intelligent networking new technologies will exceed 50 billion yuan, and a new company logo will be used to explain the determination of transformation.
Subsequently, we also heard more about saic and GM's technical blueprint for future development. In the early stage of maintaining its own advantages, it continues to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines, introduces the eighth generation of Ecotec's new 1.5T four-cylinder direct injection turbocharged engine, and popularizes 48V light mix technology on a large scale. The second is to focus on the development of cutting-edge technology, in-vehicle interconnection systems, the application of a new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture and intelligent assisted driving technology, and even the introduction of the Ultium Electric Vehicle Platform and the completion of the Aoteneng Gigafactory.
2. Embark on a new track of innovative technology upgrading
At the beginning, we mentioned that the attributes of the automotive industry indirectly reflected by the "lack of core" have changed in the direction of consumption and technology. From this, we also understand why SAIC-GM is focusing on positive transformation in 2021.
The change in the attributes of the automotive industry means that users buying a car is no longer fixed in the 4S store, and can be used in the mall, and the car is no longer a fixed three major pieces, more like experiencing electronic products. At the same time, this also means that the number of chips needed by OEMs to build cars has increased greatly. The good news is that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology responded that the shortage of automotive chip supply will gradually ease in 2022.
Getting a head start is obviously especially important in 2022. Therefore, SAIC-GM said it will accelerate the application and landing of the world's leading technology.
In terms of new energy products, we have seen the launch of the Ultium Aotene electric vehicle platform, its original battery management system almost all wiring harnesses, smarter, safer, more performance performance, the concept can be said to be the only one in the industry.
The Cadillac luxury pure electric medium and large SUV LYRIQ, which is based on the platform, has been unveiled, and the order has exceeded 2,000 in an hour after the pre-sale is opened, followed by the roll-off and delivery of the mass production model. Buick and Chevrolet brands will also bring new energy products based on the Ultium electric vehicle platform in 2022.
Secondly, the field of intelligent driving, which has attracted much attention, will once again usher in a major upgrade. SAIC-GM will introduce a new generation of Super Cruise super assisted driving system, adding new features such as command lane change and automatic lane change. The next 5 years will cover the three major brand models of Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet. At the same time, the traffic congestion assistance system and parking assistance system will also be installed and upgraded. At that time, the upgraded parking assistance system will add a smart key or mobile phone APP remote control parking function.
It is exciting to note that some Models of Buick GL8 took the lead in upgrading the assisted driving system through OTA remotely in early 2022, adding an ILC driver command lane change function.
In addition, there are also new upgraded products in the field of intelligent networking. Previously, a new generation of VIP intelligent electronic architecture has been unveiled and applied in some models, providing strong support for software-defined cars. Based on this electronic architecture, the new generation of VCS intelligent cockpit system with 5G and V2X vehicle-to-road synergy technology will also accelerate in 2022 together with Cadillac LYRIQ models.
3, should not be ignored in the user experience
New technologies and good products are certainly welcomed by users, and how to take the road of high-quality development is also a problem faced by many enterprises. Looking back at 2021, SAIC-GM Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac's three major brands and products have set an example, first in J.D. Power won 9 first places in the 2021 China Automotive Market Survey and won several awards in the 2021 China Automotive User Satisfaction Assessment (CACSI).
At the level of enterprise development, in 2021, SAIC-GM won the title of "China's Most Respected Enterprise" for the 17th consecutive time and the "China Corporate Social Responsibility List" for the 13th consecutive time, which is undoubtedly worthy of recognition.
Of course, we often say that innovation is endless.
Accelerating the promotion of marketing innovation, service innovation and channel innovation is undoubtedly another focus in the future. Only in this way can we bring users a high-quality experience throughout the life cycle of the car. To this end, SAIC-GM provides users with subsidies ranging from 2,000-9,000 yuan in response to the decline of the new energy subsidy policy in 2022, and even if it purchases designated models before March 31, 2022, it still enjoys the same subsidy concessions as in 2021.
summary:
There is no doubt that the automotive industry has changed a lot, but the Chinese market will remain the world's most watched market in the coming years. In the face of unprecedented challenges, SAIC-GM has then introduced cutting-edge intelligent travel technology into China at the same time, pressing the "acceleration button" of innovation and transformation to cope with the rapid changes in industrial forms, consumption concepts and business models.
At the key point of transformation, we see that seeking progress in stability is still the main theme of development. SAIC-GM will continue to increase electrification and intelligence in 2022, and the market performance is worth looking forward to.
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