Hit the world with a special car?
Author: Liang Zhihao
Last year, the emergence of SAIC Audi did bring a wave of topics to the domestic car market. When FAW Audi has monopolized the Chinese market for many years and its wings are gradually full, Audi is also overcoming all difficulties, and even offends a number of dealers to reach cooperation with SAIC in order to achieve the effect of balancing FAW.
Audi also became the first luxury brand to have two joint venture car companies in China.
However, although it has successfully launched the brand, the difficulties faced by SAIC Audi are no less than when FAW Audi "opened up" in the Chinese market.
First of all, because FAW Audi has already gained a foothold in the domestic market, as long as the Audi brand has a slight potential for hot sales, it has been handed over to FAW Audi for domestic and localization transformation (lengthening).
At the same time, Audi also needs to take into account the emotions of existing FAW Audi dealers, and it is impossible to divide these hot models into various sister models like "North and South Volkswagen" and hand them over to the two brands for sale. After all, the price of the Audi brand in the domestic market is not as strong as that of competitors, if the two brands fight a price war in order to seize the market, it will definitely cause a lot of damage to the image of Audi.
More importantly, the newly established SAIC Audi is also difficult to rely on its own funds and resources to create an independent sales network, they must rely on Audi's existing sales network to provide sales, maintenance and other services for its models, and the so-called "Audi existing network" actually refers to the channel of FAW Audi, saying that the ugly point is actually "sending people under the fence", in this case, SAIC Audi is indeed difficult to show its own skills.
All kinds of unfavorable situations have led to saicidal Audi, which is full of ambition, and finally can only become afraid, because there are only two roads in front of them: 1. Localization of unpopular models. 2. "Create" new Audi models.
The A7L market response fell short of expectations
And SAIC Audi also gave its own answer, that is, two roads must be taken. So we were able to see the A7L last year, the controversial model. On the one hand, the A7, which was once known as the most beautiful Audi coupe, occupies an important position in the minds of the masses and Audi fans, while on the other hand, SAIC Audi inevitably "lengthens" it when it is domestically produced.
At the beginning, we were optimistic that the A7L with a more sporty front face and a more spacious and comfortable rear would be the first shot for SAIC Audi, but in the end, the market response of this "debut" was not satisfactory. Although SAIC Audi "generously" brought it the engine of the 3.0T V6, the A7L, which has lost the core soul of the hatchback + slipback, seems to have difficulty resonating with the original fans of the A7.
Although SAIC Audi has set a "military order" for itself to sell 40,000 yuan a year, it may not be easy to achieve such a sales figure by relying on the A7L model alone.
"Fake Q5" to save the field?
Want to boost sales in China? Building an SUV is definitely a shortcut. Previously, SAIC Audi Q5 e-tron has been unveiled with the A7L, as a Chinese special SUV, from the name we can see that although this new car hangs the name of the Q5, it has nothing to do with the Q5/Q5L we are familiar with in the world.
This model with the Q5 name is actually Volkswagen's medium and large pure electric SUV - ID.6 SAIC Audi version, the two cars not only have similar appearance dimensions, the same 6/7 seat layout, the same 2965mm wheelbase, even the rear wheels still use the MEB platform "iconic" drum brake configuration.
Previously, SAIC Audi has also announced a pre-price for this new car, the price range of 40-520,000 is really not cheap, considering that the current sales of ID.6 are not hot, coupled with the high pricing of Q5 e-tron, it is honestly not realistic for SAIC Audi to rely on this car "impulse".
It is worth mentioning that FAW Audi will also put into production a pure electric SUV called Q4 e-tron this year, you guessed correctly, this car will be based on Volkswagen ID.4, but unlike the Q5 e-tron, the Q4 e-tron is a veritable global model, and has been sold overseas for a long time.
However, it does not matter whether it is special or not, what is important is that Chinese consumers are not very receptive to the pure electric models created by traditional luxury brands. But it doesn't matter, because SAIC Audi actually has the last "killing move".
"Audi version of Tuon" or will be named Q6
Since the pure electric SUV is doomed to not go to the amount, then the large space seven-seat fuel SUV should always be OK, right?
Earlier, we found that a new Audi large-size SUV was being tested intensively.
Foreign media once rumored that this will be a new flagship SUV (Q9) positioned on top of the Q7/Q8. From the oversized crew compartment layout, the front-facing brake calipers, and the narrow gap between the front wheels and the front door, we can tell that this will be a medium-sized SUV with an MQB transverse platform. And Audi is obviously unlikely to let a model using the MQB platform as its flagship.
Subsequently, informed sources revealed that this test car is the long-rumored SAIC Audi Q6, and this new car is based on SAIC Volkswagen's existing Tuang, which will be released as soon as this year. At the same time, as a medium-sized SUV, the Q6 will also provide the same 2.5T VR6 engine codenamed EA390 as Tuon.
Although this is a special Audi that was born from Volkswagen's existing models, unlike the A7L or Q5 e-tron above, as the only "true seven-seat SUV" of the current luxury brand in China, the future power of the Q6 in the Chinese market may not be underestimated. Coupled with the fact that the Q6 based on the MQB platform has a huge cost advantage, perhaps it will be the first "explosive model" of SAIC Audi.
At that time, if Q6 can set a price between Q5L and import Q7, it will be completely absent from the same level of opponents at the same price, and the current Chinese market has a similar positioning, perhaps only Cadillac's XT6.
"Special supply" hits the world
At present, the three new cars that SAIC Audi has fixed are the so-called "special models", and the "new forces" in this luxury brand have the meaning of fighting the world with special supplies. However, although Audi and even the entire Volkswagen Group have always done a particularly good job in localization, the full range of special supplies may not be a good thing for saicidair Audi to establish its brand image.
However, as I mentioned earlier, under the influence of various objective factors, SAIC does have its own difficulties, if it can build a real Q5/Q7, who wants to build these special models? However, in today's existing luxury brand pattern has been relatively solidified, SAIC Audi's practice of using differentiated competition to open up new markets can still play its due role in Audi's preemptive sales. After all, in 2021, Audi's sales have been abandoned by BMW, and they really need a way to reverse the decline, and these special models of SAIC Audi may be the first step for them to fight back.
(Some image source network)
Today's topic
How much is the right price for the Audi version of Tuon?
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