On the afternoon of December 23 last year, Huawei's 2021 winter flagship new product launch, in addition to mobile phone new products, smart glasses and smart watches, Yu Chengdong announced the launch of a new high-end new energy vehicle brand AITO, and then released the first AITO new car to ask the M5. Yu Chengdong stressed that the definition and design of the Q&I M5 are completed by Huawei consumer BU, and the elements of automotive Zhonghua have been further increased.
After the release of the Xilix SF5, Some Huawei executives said that only three partners, GAC, BAIC and Changan, who used Huawei's full-stack smart car solution, were eligible to use "HI" (Huawei Inside), and Huawei's high-profile Cyrus SF5 was not among them.
Over the past year, sales of the Cyrus SF5 have fallen far short of expectations. Looking at the car's performance over the past year, you'll find the question, who is responsible for the Cyrus SF5? Specifically, (1) Who is responsible for quality? (2) Who is responsible for sales? (3) Who is responsible for after-sales service? (4) Who is responsible for sales forecasting? Four questions, it seems that only (2) is more clear, Huawei is responsible for sales. Production by the brand side Ofkin KangXilis is responsible, but the quality is difficult to say, the ensuing after-sales is not certain, involving the production of batch planning of the "sales forecast" is even more impossible to talk about, Kincon Cyrus put itself in a manufacturing workshop position, you have orders, I will manufacture, delivered after a few months, no orders, I will wait. It seems to be Kanban manufacturing, but the production cycle, the material is not smooth, any link is stuck, the speed is not fast.
Huawei car BU recognizes the problem, in the Q&A M5, Huawei has expanded its power across the board, demand definition and design are completed by Huawei's team, sales and after-sales are completed by Huawei's channels, a new brand, without the traces of Xilis, Huawei will also invest more resources in marketing promotion.
From the perspective of process analysis, after the adjustment, Huawei is responsible for almost all the links of the M5 except "car building", and it is really responsible for sales. What are the possible problems?
1. Whether the design can be accepted by the market. Huawei designed the M5 according to the "big mobile phone with wheels", and for many years, Huawei has become a mobile phone design expert, but it is difficult to say that Huawei has also become an expert in electric vehicle design, and many problems encountered in car design are not needed by mobile phones. Can Huawei also become an expert in these aspects. Can the old Huawei's "technical experts" transform into "automotive design experts"? This is not easy to do. Take an example of a mobile phone. The first generation of folding screen mobile phones, due to the problem of turning the screen inward, Samsung was forced to take it all back, and Huawei's external flip design did not extend to the second generation of products, but instead used the folding screen that was turned inward.
2. How to coordinate the production progress? Whether Xilis can complete the M5 order from Huawei with quality and quantity is not easy to answer. On the production line, how to deal with scheduling coordination with other cars produced by the factory? Can the supply chain ensure that parts are constantly filed? If Huawei sets a high sales target, it will not be easy to ensure stable supply in the supply chain.
3. How to solve the manufacturing problem? The mobile phone manufacturing process is short, the process is simple, the batch is large, and it is not difficult to hand it over to a third-party OEM. Cars are just the opposite, the process is long, the process is complex and changeable, the batch is small, and there will be more problems in the manufacturing process (especially in the initial small batch manufacturing), which requires coordination between the two sides.
4. How to get the recognition of potential customers in sales? The SF5 has "overdrawn" consumers' trust in Huawei, asking how can the M5 win the recognition of potential customers again?
5. How much resources does Huawei have to invest in promotions? The competition in the automotive market is far more complicated than that of mobile phones, how can Huawei form a unique taste in many traditional cars and new energy vehicles, attracting a sufficient number of users (here admire those who order Jia Yueting's LeTV concept car)? Huawei put the car to the mobile phone store, but the mobile phone purchase group and the car purchase group are not consistent, the customer's purchase habits are also different, the mobile phone impulse purchase, and the car purchase is much more rational, how does Huawei win different purchase needs in the address and placement of the store?
This is not easy to answer.