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If asking who is the hottest car brand in 2021, the answer must be tanks.
This brand, which was officially announced as independent from the end of March last year, launched its first product in December 2020 - Tank 300, the market heat continued to heat up after listing, and even because of too many orders for capacity transformation and "suspended orders", in order to put an end to scalpers speculating in cars also tried various ways; at the Shanghai Auto Show last April, tanks for the first time exhibited the "mecha beast" tank 700 and the positioning of "business luxury" tank 800, becoming the hottest booth at the auto show, not one of them; at the Guangzhou Auto Show, The Tank 500 announced a pre-sale price range of 335,000 to 395,000 yuan, resulting in orders of up to 26,095 units in just one day.
This figure not only exceeded the expectations of the outside world, but also exceeded the expectations of the tank team.
"At first, we hoped to hit 5,000 vehicles on the day of the pre-sale, but after a few rounds of mapping, we raised that expectation to 10,000 vehicles, and the team said I was crazy." Recently, Tank Brand CEO Liu Yanzhao said in an interview with "Huashan On Sword V" that the popularity of Tank 500 completely exceeded their expectations, but it was accompanied by huge delivery pressure and how to let users pick up the car as soon as possible.
One might think it was "Versailles". But Liu Yanzhao did write anxiety on his face: "You see, I have such a big bag on my face." ”
Throughout 2021, due to the repeated epidemics, chip shortages and power curtailment, the supply of the entire automotive industry has had a very large impact, and the sales of many brands have been affected. As an enterprise in a rapid upward cycle, Great Wall Motors has been more affected. Therefore, there are also rumors that Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall Motors, was the most active boss of the year.
Behind the positive is the concern about the chip gap.
"Our resources have actually been tilted towards the tank brand." Wei Jianjun said in an exclusive interview with "Huashan On Sword V" that the outside world thinks that the Great Wall is engaged in "hunger marketing", but in fact, it is indeed because chips and some parts are out of stock, resulting in the entire 2021 Great Wall Motors has been in a state of short supply.
But Wei Jianjun also said that at the beginning, he really did not expect the tank 300 to be so popular. "Our initial expectations were not so high, and as a result, the heat has not decreased since the listing, completely exceeding expectations."
This "sweet annoyance" accompanied tanks through the first year of brand independence. With the gradual stabilization of production capacity and orders, Liu Yanzhao said that in 2022, the tank brand hopes to impact 200,000 vehicles. However, judging from the current chip supply situation, it is still not optimistic, and the tank team will do its best to meet the needs of users. By 2025, the global sales of the tank brand will hit 500,000 vehicles, achieving the first market share of off-road SUVs in China and challenging the world's first off-road SUV brand.
Compared with sales, Wei Jianjun is more concerned about the globalization strategy and brand value of tanks. In his view, at present, Chinese brands generally have the problem of low bicycle efficiency, mainly relying on the large base of the domestic market to live, should seize the current opportunity to go out and truly achieve internationalization. "The attributes of automotive products dictate the need to go global and improve the efficiency of bicycles. Moreover, overseas exports are also a sign of capability. ”
"As a brand positioning globalization, only by realizing globalization can tanks truly establish the brand, and can we maintain and increase value, which is an opportunity to define the brand and an opportunity to define the tank." Wei Jianjun said.
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Although delivery has become a top priority for many brands before 2021, the pressure on no brand is greater than that of tanks.
Liu Yanzhao said that in order to deliver to users as soon as possible, the tank team mainly did two things: first, to carry out factory transformation, the current daily production capacity can basically reach about 400 units, to achieve November and December for two consecutive months of delivery of more than 10,000 units, of which 11958 units were delivered in December, so far, a total of 84588 new cars were delivered last year; the second is to squeeze out the moisture of "second-hand car dealers" by signing electronic contracts, so that users who really book cars can pick up cars as soon as possible.
On December 11, 2021, the Tank SUV released the "Announcement of Signing the Tank 300 Electronic Contract"; on December 20, the Tank 300 Electronic Contract System was officially launched. According to the regulations, tank 300 (factory has received orders or will receive orders) with a pick-up number before TK300-140000 is not affected and does not need to be re-signed; tank 300 (including TK300 and 140000) with a pick-up number between TK300-140000 needs to sign an electronic contract.
Moreover, the user only has 1 chance to modify the order when signing the electronic contract, and cannot modify it once the order progress reaches the "order has been submitted to the factory". In addition, newly placed customer orders can only be modified within 72 hours after the signing of the agreement, but only twice (the appearance, interior, configuration, optional), and cannot be modified after the "order information has been confirmed".
Another "user-friendly" improvement is that if the order progresses to the "factory has received order" process, it is estimated that the vehicle can be produced and transported to the store in 6-10 weeks. This way, consumers can know the approximate delivery time of their car.
The purpose of this is very clear, that is, to further upgrade the supervision of the delivery process and delivery rules, safeguard the rights and interests of users, and "zero tolerance" for dealers such as unreasonable mark-up sales and non-rule skipping delivery.
"Since June and July, there have been many posts on the Internet about Tank 300 being a wealth management product, and some scalpers have begun to hoard cars, and at that time, an average of more than 20,000 orders were received every month." Liu Yanzhao said that squeezing out the water and handing over the vehicles in order has become one of the important tasks of the tank team.
On December 20, a user posted a video reporting the dealer's illegal fare increase in advance on Douyin, and in response to this situation, the tank brand attached great importance to it and immediately carried out a comprehensive verification.
"After verification, the vehicle delivered at the markup is another user on the Tank 300 off-road version of the conqueror ordered under the Tank App on July 10, the vehicle was normally sorted and produced offline in early December, and on December 15, the dealer used the special policy of the limited license city to upload the change under the system to apply for the order. After verification, it was confirmed that his application materials were forged. Liu Yanzhao said that after consultation with the company's legal affairs and other departments, on December 21, the tank brand issued a notice and decided to permanently cancel the tank brand operation authorization of the dealer involved.
In less than 24 hours, finding out the truth, striking hard, solving the problem, the efficiency and decisiveness of the tank brand, turned this incident into an opportunity. It also allows consumers, dealers and "scalpers" to see the determination and strength of the tank brand to protect the rights and interests of users and standardize the order of delivery.
With the experience of tank 300, after the release of the tank 500 pre-sale, the tank brand stipulates that from November 28, the tank 500 new order will be considered invalid if the person placed does not match the actual consignee, and cannot prove that it is an immediate family member or the lease relationship of the limited city license. At the same time, it is also stated that the first owner of the tank 500 provides an official 5-year or 150,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, a lifetime free warranty of the engine transmission and a series of exclusive benefit policies, and if the order is transferred or purchased through unofficial channels, it cannot enjoy the above exclusive benefits.
All of this, there is no precedent to learn from. Because, after 20 years of rapid development of the automotive industry, China's auto market has entered a serious "inner volume" stage, in addition to the supply cut caused by the lack of core last year, the various market segments have been very fierce competition, and many brands have even fought a "price war".
From worrying about not being able to sell cars, to worrying about not having a car to sell. It is not that the world has changed, but because the tank brand has opened up a new category of "luxury off-road" that is both smart and comfortable.
Sharpen the brand proposition of 'Iron Man Tenderness'
This is thanks to Wei Jianjun's unique vision. In fact, when proposing to do the tank 300, and even the internal review of the tank 300, many people within the company are not optimistic, but Wei Jianjun "forced the public opinion" and believed that the subdivision of off-road will definitely have great achievements.
"The off-road SUVs currently on the market, including Wrangler, Prado, Land Cruiser and Mitsubishi Pajero, are generally too large and expensive. Therefore, when we set up the tank 300 project, we proposed that the body size should not be too large, should not be particularly inconvenient, and at the same time should not be too expensive, so that everyone can afford to play. Most importantly, the comfort and intelligent configuration of the product should be improved, and the noise should be small, so that everyone can feel enjoyed when the urban road is open. Wei Jianjun said.
This is also the true meaning of the tank brand proposition - "Iron Man Tenderness".
This brand proposition was put forward by Wei Jianjun himself. "At that time, the consulting company came up with a lot of different solutions, both incomprehensible and difficult to remember, I think this sentence is to define this category, that is, to have a sense of strength, but at the same time soft and inward, just like the object, girls definitely like this type."
Wei Jianjun pointed out: "At present, automotive products are still compared to configuration, but in the future, it will be the car culture that must be competed, and the main consumption is emotion. ”
This is a very profound insight. It is also the unique feature of Wei Jianjun.
The man who has led Great Wall Motors all the way to the road for more than 30 years, with his understanding and insight into the market, innovatively put forward the brand strategy of "thinking by category and expressing with brands", and led Great Wall Motors to break through in an all-round way through multi-brand and comprehensive layout of the industrial chain.
According to the performance report released recently, in 2021, Great Wall Motor's total operating income was 136.317 billion yuan, an increase of 31.95% year-on-year; net profit was 6.781 billion yuan, an increase of 26.45%; sales of new cars exceeded 1.28 million units, an increase of 15.2% year-on-year, breaking through one million sales for six consecutive years and hitting a record high; the average price of bicycles exceeded 106,400 yuan, an increase of 14.50% year-on-year.
In the domestic auto market, which has been seriously involved, such performance can be said to be eye-catching enough and convincing enough. Among them, the tank brand can be described as a "stroke of genius".
Liu Yanzhao also admitted that the popularity of the tank brand, one is the light of the category, and the other is the concentrated embodiment of the technical accumulation of Great Wall Motors for more than 30 years, so the whole team is also trembling, like walking on thin ice. "In 2022, we will be brand-oriented, through product introduction, users, boutiques, services and ecology and other all-round operations, continue to sharpen the brand proposition of 'Iron Han Tenderness', so that brand value can become the traction force for the development of tanks."
In his view, the current tank is still product-driven, only the technical premium. The reason why luxury brands can become luxury brands is because they have a strong brand premium ability. In the second half of this year, the tank 700 will be listed, followed by the tank 800 and other models. At that time, the price of the tank will also be expected to continue to rise to the price range of more than 500,000 yuan, and the importance of the brand will be more self-evident.
At present, more and more post-80s and post-90s consumers, on the one hand, they are working hard in the city and need a car that allows them to travel conveniently and comfortably; on the other hand, in their hearts, they have a heart that desires to travel far, hoping to be able to "walk away". In a way, the tank hopes to capture this part of the crowd through the stylish and tough shape, powerful performance, luxurious and comfortable interior and configuration.
"Off-road is just the origin, under the blessing of performance, to provide 'want to go' under the confidence, but at the same time not only to meet their own wind and snow, but also to make the family satisfied, this is the brand proposition of the tank." Liu Yanzhao said.
Only by "going out" can we open up a new world
Globalization is the only way for any car brand that is committed to long-term sustainable development. Wei Jianjun had a very clear understanding of this. In an interview two years ago, he made it clear that "the road to globalization has no choice but to go, that is, to die, or to die overseas." ”
People who know Wei Jianjun must know that this is not to make a surprising statement, but the real idea in his heart: on the one hand, as a Chinese auto person, it is his responsibility and mission to fight for it; on the other hand, it is worthless for the car brand not to be internationalized.
This is Wei Jianjun's insight and courage as an entrepreneur. According to the latest data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2021, the mainland exported 2.015 million vehicles, doubling the year-on-year, accounting for 7.7% of the total automobile sales, achieving a qualitative breakthrough. Among them, passenger car exports were 1.614 million units, an increase of 1.1 times year-on-year, and new energy vehicle exports were 310,000 units, an increase of 3 times year-on-year.
That is to say, despite the impact of the epidemic, the mainland's automobile exports are accelerating. This is inseparable from the rapid improvement of China's brand product strength, intelligence and the acceleration of electrification trends.
Among them, Great Wall Motor sold a total of 142,800 new vehicles overseas last year, an increase of 103.7% year-on-year, and its cumulative overseas sales exceeded 900,000 units. At the same time, the Great Wall is also accelerating the pace of global layout. Up to now, Great Wall Motors has exported to more than 170 countries and regions, and has 3 full-process vehicle factories in Russia, India and Thailand, as well as 5 overseas KD assembly plants, which is an important component of Chinese auto brands going overseas.
"Tank branding is still the most globalization." Wei Jianjun said that the tank brand can be said to break the product definition of off-road SUVs, more intelligent and more comfortable than Japanese competitors, whether in the Middle East, South America or Southeast Asia, etc., there should be great market potential.
Wei Jianjun said frankly that in his plan, he hopes that the tank will challenge the goal of exporting 70,000 to 80,000 vehicles a year in two years; in the 2025 plan for tanks, global sales will reach 500,000 vehicles, of which overseas markets hope to account for one-third.
"Chinese brands often have the misconception that the more products they sell, the better. In fact, as a product that focuses on niche markets, the brand value of the tank brand is the issue that should be considered more. Wei Jianjun said.
From sales anxiety to considering brand value, Great Wall Motors, represented by tanks, has obviously been at the forefront of its peers.
This is not only the success of the category, but also the return of Wei Jianjun's investment in research and development. It is reported that the tank platform is an intelligent and modular model technology platform that lasted for 5 years and spent 20 billion yuan to build. The platform architecture is flexible and variable, covering 105 standard modules and 425 basic modules, providing two kinds of engine options of 2.0T and 3.0T displacement, matching the first self-developed longitudinal 9AT transmission in China, and will also cover three power forms of fuel, PHEV and HEV in the future.
"We're sometimes sailing against the current in research and development. For example, now everyone is all in new energy, but we have developed a 3.0T engine; for example, many people may think that AT is a product that is about to be eliminated, but we have developed 9AT and P2, which I think requires insight into the market. Wei Jianjun said that at present, the number of passenger cars in the mainland is about 150 million, and it takes a long process for these products to be fully electrified. From the perspective of national energy security, it also needs to be gradual, and this window period will not be too short.
As it turned out, the tank was right. "3.0T+9AT" has become the signature of the tank 500 and the key to detonating the market.
Wei Jianjun revealed that from the end of this year, tank 500, tank 700 and other models equipped with 2.0T plus intelligent DHT PHEV will also be launched. At that time, the product strength of the tank will be further enhanced, and it will also be more energy-saving and emission-reducing.
After the tank brand was fired, companies including Geely, BYD and GAC Trumpchi saw the potential of this market segment and were also accelerating the development of off-road SUV models. But some insiders believe that "it is unlikely that another brand with the heat of a tank will come out." ”
epilogue
On January 26, Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation and strategy consulting firm that released the "Global Brand Value 500" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, released the "2022 Global Brand Value 500" and the "Global CEO Brand Guardian Index", of which Wei Jianjun ranked third in the world after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Apple CEO Cook, ranking third in the world and first in China.
This is a recognition of Wei Jianjun's personal ability, vision and personality charm, as well as the development status and prospects of Great Wall Motors led by him. The tank brand that looks like a "stroke of god" in the eyes of the outside world is the best proof, it is not only the aggregator of Great Wall Motors' car manufacturing for more than 30 years, but also the result of deep insight into the market and user consumption psychology.
There are "happy troubles", there are also the value propositions of "iron man tenderness", and there are more "global ambitions", and the tank brand vision outlined by Wei Jianjun and Liu Yanzhao is worth looking forward to.