"Can you get me to buy a Wuling MINIEV in the United States?" In a strip titled "As low as $3400, will you buy a Wuling MINIEV?" Below the YouTube video, there is a message from netizens from all over the world about "when can I buy Wuling".
Behind the concerns and inquiries of overseas netizens is the transformation of SAIC-GM-Wuling from a national car to a global car, from a "national Wuling" to a "world Wuling".
According to the data, last year, SAIC-GM-Wuling's overseas exports hit a record high, and its products have been exported to more than 40 countries, including Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with sales reaching 145,550 vehicles, an increase of 88% year-on-year.
Unsold first fire, Wuling into the new "traffic password"
Over the past few years, Wuling's reputation has gradually risen through online dissemination.
"Sales surpass Tesla in China" "China's best-selling model of 2021"... These keywords have poked at the curiosity of consumers, which also makes Wuling MINIEV one of the "traffic passwords" of overseas automotive videos. An industry insider admitted that in the post-epidemic era, the affordable, green and convenient private commuting Wuling MINIEV has the advantage of directly hitting the pain points of most overseas users.
Thousands of miles away from China, in the European market, many netizens are particularly kind after seeing the video of Wuling MINIEV. Especially in a city like Paris, where there is a lot of traffic and little parking space, the small and affordable Dacia Sandero is actually the best-selling car in the local area. "Compared with Dacia Sandero, Wuling MINIEV is still a new energy vehicle. With this kind of parking-friendly and environmentally friendly model, who would buy a big car? European users commented.
In the United States, netizens who are accustomed to seeing large-displacement American cars are even more "unable to hold" after seeing the Wuling MINIEV, and they directly call the convertible version of the Wuling MINIEV "the cutest convertible in the history of General Motors".
With Wuling MINIEV's "unsold fire" around the world, this car has become a new window for the world to understand China's auto industry.
On the overseas version of TikTOK, the short video related to Wuling MINIEV has a considerable number of plays. Among them, the most common original video is a short video of the MINIEV real car experience taken by netizens who went to the Wuling Indonesia Experience Center. The relevant person in charge of SAIC-GM-Wuling Indonesia said that Indonesian consumers will soon take the lead in driving this Wuling new energy scooter that has spread all over the world.
The reputation of China's new energy vehicles is gradually rising
Not long ago, Makoto Yamamoto, a professor at Nagoya University in Japan, dismantled a top-of-the-line Wuling MINIEV that cost 38,800 yuan. Traditionally, Japanese cars are synonymous with affordability. But Wuling's car made him feel puzzled: how could Chinese reduce the cost so low?
In fact, Toyota has also launched a micro-electric vehicle in Japan that is similar to the Wuling MINIEV, but the price is about 92,000 yuan, which is three times that of the Wuling MINIEV.
After disassembling the study, Masayoshi Yamamoto found that Wuling MINIEV adopted a "modular" idea in its design: on the basis of meeting the user's needs and experience, it found the most suitable spare parts at the most suitable price. If some parts are damaged, it is relatively convenient and expensive to replace.
Masayoshi Yamamoto believes that Chinese automakers' product thinking is different from That of Japanese cars, which has also become the key to Controlling Costs for Chinese automakers.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun also found that the Wuling MINIEV car does not have Japanese-made parts: the core batteries and motors of the vehicle are made in China; the main parts in the car are basically provided by Chinese companies. Japanese media lamented that China's auto industry has formed an industrial chain with quite competitive costs in the field of new energy vehicles.
Go out to sea and grow faster than your opponents
The vast expanse of going out is exhilarating, and the more dazzling purpose is the dynamic growth picture.
"In 2021, we not only met our full-year target, but we also grew faster than our competitors." Wang Pulin, brand communication manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling Indonesia, said in a transoceanic phone call that last year, the company sold 25,650 cars in Indonesia, an increase of 257% year-on-year, and its sales volume and market share hit a record high, ranking first among the best-selling Chinese car brands in Indonesia.
Achieving such results is not easy, Wang Pulin introduced, due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Indonesian automobile market in 2020 was tragically cut, and although the market picked up rapidly in 2021, it has not yet fully recovered.
However, the tepid market has not affected the hot sales of Wuling Almaz RS in the local area. In March last year, Wuling Global Silver Label's first overseas model, the Almaz RS, was launched, and it quickly became a representative of local intelligent products. "Since its launch, the number of orders for this car has exceeded 1,000 per month." Wang Pulin said. It should be known that the 7-seat version of the Almaz RS is priced at 409.1 million Indonesian rupiah locally, equivalent to about 190,000 yuan.
In recent years, Wuling has "competed" with competitors in the Indonesian market, but also set its sights on a new track of differentiated development.
"Installing a charging pile is as convenient as installing an air conditioner at home." Three months ago, at the indonesian local auto show, the Wuling GSEV (Global Small Electric Vehicle) platform was officially unveiled, marking the courage of SAIC-GM-Wuling to break through the situation and expand the battlefield to the new energy vehicle market under the premise of maintaining the steady growth of fuel vehicle sales. "We will do our best to ensure the charging experience of our users."
While continuously iteratively upgrading its technical strength, Wuling has not only improved its international popularity and reputation, but also accumulated successful experience in opening up overseas markets and testing new areas for domestic car companies.