It is not that consumers do not understand cars, but that they understand cars too well, and because of this, consumers are not accustomed to the stink of GAC Toyota's price increase. The Sai Na is certainly an excellent MPV model, but it is not good enough to increase the price.
From the perspective of product strength, Xena does have the capital of contempt.
The hybrid system is indeed in the industry's leading position, the 2.5L self-priming engine can burst out 192 horsepower, the peak torque of 238 Nm; the maximum power of the electric motor can reach 134 kW, the maximum torque of up to 270 Nm, Xena's power is enough. The key is that it can also add No. 92 gasoline, and in terms of car cost, Sai Na is better than buick GL8 and Trumpchi M8.
From the configuration point of view, Sai Na worked hard. The whole series is equipped with knee airbags, active braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, full-speed adaptive cruise, double-sided electric doors, and the Buick GL8 is only equipped with knee airbags and double-sided electric doors on high-end models.
Needless to say, Xena has advantages in terms of safety configuration and practical convenience. Length, width and height 5165 * 1995 * 1765mm, wheelbase 3060mm, riding space is better than Trumpchi M8. However, the height of the Xena is not dominant, and in the actual driving process, it gives people a very flat feeling, not as open as the Trumpchi M8.
Overall, with the product strength of Xena, it is fully powerful and "double 8" to form a situation of three strong competitions. But the price made Xena the last stream, 309,800-40.58 million yuan, which directly dissuaded household consumers. For consumers who pay attention to business, the business attributes of Buick GL8 are more reliable.
Compared with the Trumpchi M8, Xena does not have a price advantage; compared with the Buick GL8, Xena does not have a business advantage. In such an embarrassing situation, Xena's self-righteous price increase caused sales to hit the street.
In 2021, the Buick GL8 remained strong, with sales of 14,022 units in December, with a cumulative annual sales volume of 161308; the Trumpchi M8 was 1,400 units, with a cumulative annual sales of 66,153 vehicles. And Xena only announced the wholesale sales of 2791 vehicles, wholesale sales everyone understands, but it was placed in the 4S store, in fact, only 932 insurance vehicles.
Before the domestic production of Xena, word of mouth burst, from manufacturers to the media to consumers, have great expectations, firmly believe that there will be a difference in the market. Even if you can't sit on an equal footing with the Buick GL8, you can do it alone.
The ideal is very full, the reality is very bone, after a price increase operation, the monthly sales are not more than a thousand, the word of mouth is top, and the sales are last. It took us several years to get Highlander and Lexus ES to get parity sales, and we didn't expect Xena to resurrect. It turns out that Toyota's attempt to harvest leeks with the scythe of faith has not worked.
From the perspective of the general environment, the low-end synonym that domestic cars have thrown away, and the gap between product strength and joint venture brands is narrowing; on the other hand, the rationality of consumers is no longer blindly worshipping Toyota. The main force of consumption has undergone a change, from the 70s and 80s is gradually changing to the post-90s, or even the post-00s, and the joint venture is the only one, which is no longer feasible.
Conclusion: As an excellent product, it should have become a sales star, but it had to pinch consumers with a price increase, creating the illusion that a car was difficult to find, resulting in a situation in which the market was left out today. It is not a good thing for GAC Toyota, and it is also a pity for consumers. The price of the American version of the race is about 30,000 US dollars, why is it as high as three or four hundred thousand after domestic production, and the price is really so good when the Chinese market is so good.