IAUTO
Speed Depth Attitude
Introduction |
2022/01/25
Ultra-luxury cars also have the dream of being a "pin crown".
Reporter 丨Ma Xifeng
Responsible editor 丨 Cui Liwen
Editor 丨Zhu Jinbin
In 2021, whether it is a chip shortage or a long-term global epidemic, the entire automotive industry feels a heavy burden.
But it was not until the report card came out that the sales of some luxury car brands under such pressure had achieved positive growth in the past year.
It even gives people the illusion that the epidemic is getting worse and worse, the economy is still depressed, and ultra-luxury cars are scytheing and mercilessly "harvesting" the rich.
Especially in China, the above phenomenon is more vividly interpreted. A performance of cutting leeks and being voluntarily cut quietly opened the curtain.
Behind the pot full of pots
Rolls-Royce, one of the representative brands of luxury cars, hit the highest annual sales in 117 years of history in 2021, reaching 5586 units, an increase of nearly 50% compared with the previous year, a new 117-year record high for the brand.
Rolls-Royce not only achieved sales growth in the global market, but also directly achieved the best sales results in history in China, the United States, Asia Pacific and other markets. Among them, Cullinan's sales accounted for 40% of the total sales. With a high selling price of 6 million yuan, the model alone is expected to contribute more than 10 billion yuan in revenue to Rolls-Royce.
"It's an unprecedented level, it's incredible. In my decades-long career," said Rolls-Royce CEO Müller-TV S. "For the first time, I saw strong growth in all markets around the world, and none of them declined."
Not only is it a spring breeze, but also other luxury brands in the automotive sector. Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche sales have also broken through record highs. In 2021, when the luxury car market is unprecedented, a number of luxury car brands such as Porsche and BMW have set new sales records.
Last year, Bentley also delivered 14,659 new cars worldwide, up another 31 percent from record sales figures in 2020. The brand's annual sales in China reached 4,033 units, up 40% year-on-year, accounting for 27.5% of the brand's global sales, and the Chinese market was the strongest market for Bentley's sales growth for the second consecutive year.
As a luxury car brand owned by Volkswagen in Germany, Porsche's sales data has also followed the ultra-luxury car market. According to official Porsche data, Porsche's global sales will exceed 300,000 vehicles in 2021, an increase of nearly 30,000 vehicles year-on-year, an increase of 11%. Moreover, China has become the world's largest single market for Porsche for the seventh consecutive year.
Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini also recently released its sales figures for 2021. Over the past year, the brand delivered 8,405 vehicles worldwide, up 13 percent year-over-year, breaking the history of 2020 and setting a new delivery record.
Regionally, Lamborghini's three sales regions achieved double-digit growth. The Americas grew by 14 percent, the Asia-Pacific region by 14 percent, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa by 12 percent. Among them, the Chinese market is the largest sales market outside the United States, with 935 new cars sold in the whole year, an increase of up to 55% year-on-year.
Lamborghini Chairman and CEO Steven Winkelman believes the reason for the growth is the joint efforts of all parties. "In the challenging and uncertain past year, 173 dealers in 52 markets have persevered, and the new record has been achieved by the company's unremitting efforts at four levels: the solidity of the company's strategic plan, the international reputation of the brand, the competence of its employees and professionalism," he said. ”
So in addition to these "official" statements, what is the reason why ultra-luxury brands still set new sales records despite the lack of cores in a large number of car companies and the economic contraction caused by the epidemic. It should be plenty of chips and apocalyptic revelry that together ignite the ultra-luxury car market.
Under the background of the global "supply chain crisis" and "chip shortage" in 2021, major automakers are undoubtedly more willing to give priority to ensuring the production capacity of high-profit models. Therefore, compared with ordinary car manufacturers, Bentley, which belongs to Volkswagen, and Rolls-Royce, which belongs to BMW, are not particularly affected by the lack of cores.
Müller-tv s said: "We are very happy that we are part of the BMW Group. Last year, we received ample supply of semiconductors. We got everything we wanted, so we were hardly affected by any shortage. ”
"The lack of cores has had almost no effect on us." Alain Favey, head of sales for the Bentley brand, also said. "The Volkswagen Group has a highly centralized production process in which profit margin is one of the important factors in determining distribution. From this point of view, we get a high priority, so we can get the chip we want. ”
The hot sale of top luxury cars in the global market also shows that driven by high profits, the "core panic" problem that the industry is worried about is not a problem at all. Those who can earn money will naturally be valued, and of course, the resources can be brought to them first.
The biggest problem last year was the economic downturn caused by the ongoing epidemic, many industries are struggling to survive, and many people's incomes have declined. But why are people still buying such expensive ultra-luxury cars?
The joy of going in both directions
In fact, not only luxury cars, but the entire luxury industry performed well last year. According to a recent industry report, global personal luxury sales rose 29% last year to 283 billion euros, more than 2 trillion yuan, which even exceeded the pre-epidemic 2019.
Rolls-Royce CEO Tosten Miller-Utefus explained that the epidemic has made many consumers feel that life is shorter and they must enjoy life, coupled with the reduction of expenditure in all aspects, many people will be more willing to pay for luxury cars.
In addition, in 2021, benefiting from the global loose monetary policy, the stock market and the cryptocurrency market have been higher, creating a large number of young rich people, contributing a large number of new owners to luxury car brands such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Porsche.
Martin Fritsches, president of Rolls-Royce Auto Americas, said that many buyers will be first-time owners of Rolls-Royce in 2021, and many young people who have made their fortunes on the stock market and cryptocurrencies have also joined the ranks of luxury car owners.
Today, owners of ultra-luxury cars such as Rolls-Royce are younger. For example, the average age of Rolls-Royce customers today drops to around 43, which means that many of the company's new customers are around the age of 30.
After analyzing the main reasons for the positive growth of global ultra-luxury cars, let's consider the individual example, why does China occupy the top or top position of most ultra-luxury cars. Is Chinese really rich per capita?
First and most obviously, the rise of China's economic strength and the increase in the total capital of China's richest merchants on the Forbes list have contributed to the continuous increase in the total number of potential users in the ultra-luxury car sales market to some extent.
Under the background of China's new four modernization transformations, car companies such as Porsche and Bentley have also launched new energy models in a timely manner, which has also created new business growth points for luxury car companies.
The share of new car deliveries of Porsche pure electric and plug-in hybrid models in China has also increased significantly in 2021, accounting for 18%. Lamborghini has invested more than 1.5 billion euros to retrofit its three product lines and is expected to be hybrid by the end of 2024.
Bentley officials said that this achievement is mainly due to the new product portfolio and the growth of consumer demand for new energy vehicles.
The SUV models launched by rolls-royce and other ultra-luxury brands in line with the trend are also more in line with the car purchase concepts and needs of some Chinese consumers. Respecting the needs and laws of the market will naturally be favored by the market.
The hot sale of high-priced products from all walks of life has gradually become the norm of current consumption. China's spending power continues to refresh the "priority" of services, from luxury accessories to ultra-luxury cars gradually realized who their mainstream consumer group is? I brush sales for you, you electrify for me, this may be the happiness of the rich in both directions.
| Ma Xifeng |
A merry heart goes all the way.
Everything went smoothly.