Lead
Introduction
No matter how big the stage of the hardcore off-road market is, whether it can support so many players, it will only be left to those who have hard power.
Author 丨 Deng Yongtuo
Responsible editor 丨 Yang Jing
Editor 丨Zhu Jinbin
In the automotive industry, almost all the hardcore off-road vehicles with many years of development history are the same. The initial appearance of these models is inseparable from their fundamental function, that is, as a special vehicle for the service of the troops.
You can give an example to count, from the well-known Toyota Land Cruiser, Willis Jeep to Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and even our Beijing Jeep BJ212, all of which are from military models to civilian versions to the automotive market, it can be said that the earliest birth of many hardcore off-road vehicles is purely functional orientation.
However, with the continuous expansion of the automobile market, the former niche models began to receive the attention and love of consumers, and more and more brands noticed this market and began to enter this field, and there was an unprecedented boom in hardcore off-road vehicles.
How long can the flowers bloom
Since last year, with the emergence of the Tank 300, hardcore off-road has suddenly become a talking point among car consumers. The emergence of this car suddenly changed the hardcore off-road vehicle from a niche model to a top traffic, and the Great Wall even separated the tank brand to create an exclusive field of hardcore off-road vehicles.
The attention of the tank 300 after its appearance was quickly transformed into sales results, the order APP was squeezed and stopped receiving orders, due to too many orders had to temporarily stop production to expand the product line, after more than a year of successful monthly sales have broken through the 10,000 unit mark, the total sales in 2021 reached 84,588 units. It can be said that the launch of this car was very successful.
For a niche model that focuses on the market segment, the Tank 300 has successfully attracted the hearts of countless off-road car fans with "girders" and "three locks", and even many off-road whites are looking forward to this car during the pre-sale period. The emergence of this car has also driven the long-dormant domestic hardcore off-road vehicle market, including Beijing off-road BJ40, BJ80, etc., many similar products, have attracted long-lost attention by the popularity of the tank 300.
As the heat continues, the Great Wall also continues to expand the brand's leading momentum in the hardcore off-road field, successively unveiling the Tank 700 and Tank 800, the Tank 500 will also be officially mass-produced and listed in the near future, and other sub-segments are also in the process of accelerating layout and planning. For future development, Tank hopes that the brand's various car series can support a world in the corresponding levels and fields.
The popularity of tanks is unprecedented, the market for hardcore off-road vehicles can be said to have never had such a large market, and today's monthly sales have already exceeded the expectations of the Great Wall Group. The continuous high market attention has also attracted the attention of more brands, Jietu, BYD have said that they will lay out the hardcore off-road market, and Jietu even unveiled the Jietu T-X concept car positioned here at the brand night at the beginning of the year.
Major independent brands have begun to penetrate into this field, which makes people wonder how big the hardcore off-road stage is and can support so many performers.
Off-road roads are never smooth
It is undeniable that the size of the SUV market is constantly expanding, and the proportion of market sales and passenger car total sales has risen from 37.8% in 2016 to 47% last year, which can be said to be a huge increase. However, the sales growth of SUVs has not brought diversion to the hardcore off-road vehicle market, which has always been in a niche circle.
Hardcore off-road has long been used as a luxury car in China, belonging to an elite class of high-end consumption, such as land rover defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Class or Toyota Lexus LX, all labeled luxury cars. If you want to own a hardcore off-road vehicle, you need to spend millions of dollars in these options. Even if the FAW Toyota Prado or Jeep Wrangler, which was once domestically produced, choose a better configuration to reach the level of 500,000.
The emergence of the Tank 300 has lowered the threshold of hardcore off-road a lot, and also allowed the slightly shy enthusiasts in the pocket to have a low-cost way to enter the off-road circle. As a 200,000-level off-road vehicle, there is no opponent in this price range, and even the new Jimney imported in parallel with the free trade car is 100,000 yuan more expensive than it, which for those who like off-road, who will refuse its existence.
But not all tough guys get applause. The Roewe RX8, which also has a non-load-bearing body, has a larger space and more comfortable configuration, and its sales in a month hover only between a thousand units and less than a fraction of the tank's 300. Looking at the Harvard H9 under the same roof, the listing has not been able to achieve the expected goals for many years.
In addition, the Beijing off-road BJ40 not only has the same body structure, but also has the most concerned "three locks" configuration in the off-road circle, and has a good strength in structural design and off-road performance, and the monthly sales are only about 2,000 units. Counting further down, the mu-X Ranger is even more bleak, and the monthly sales that can reach three figures are already excellent results.
At the top of the food chain, the development of high-end hardcore off-road vehicles is equally bumpy. Due to multiple factors such as emission regulations and production costs, FAW Toyota has discontinued two hardcore off-road vehicles, the Land Cruiser and prado, which were once the best representatives of the quality of the FAW Toyota brand. The evergreen Jeep Wrangler in the off-road car circle has also fallen to the altar, and sales have only remained at the level of hundreds of units sold monthly. Looking further ahead, the hardcore Hummer has long since closed its doors.
Off-road is not more and more "wild"
Off-road is not a "wild road", off-road performance is the most effective way to test the strength of the product, and the core product strength is also the most important market competitiveness of a model and even a brand.
Once upon a time, the unbreakable domineering and land patrol became the worst and most complicated road conditions in China, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Line and the Sichuan-Tibet Line. Excellent mechanical quality and low maintenance costs make these two cars like kings in the off-road circle. According to today's young people, Land Cruiser yyds!
Product strength always has the most right to speak, which is one of the reasons why tanks quickly accumulate prestige after being listed. With its own research and development of 2.0T engine with ZF's 8AT gearbox, and the follow-up will be launched to the market of the Great Wall self-developed 6Z30 3.0T engine and the first domestic longitudinal 9AT gearbox is to push the heat to a climax. On the hard power of off-road vehicles, the Great Wall and tanks can be said to be unprecedented among independent brands, and there is no one to come back at this stage.
As a strong competitor to the Tank 300, the most fundamental reason why the sales of the BJ40 are difficult to climb is probably also in terms of hard power. The 2.3T engine derived from Saab does not meet the tonality of the off-road vehicle in terms of power reserve and maintenance costs, not to mention the original 6AT gearbox is also one of the weaknesses. So in the later version, it had to be updated to the 2.0T engine of The Hive Easy Creation with the power combination of 8AT, which made up for a slight disadvantage in the power system in the past.
For the brand that mainly promotes hardcore off-road vehicles in the process of continuous development, how to maintain the continuous update of product strength is also a problem that brands need to consider. Under the fierce competition in the market, together with excellent products such as Wrangler, they are weakened by the lack of scientific and technological configuration and comfort in the process of replacement.
On the other hand, from the perspective of luxury brands, hardcore off-road models may not be the key to sales, but only a powerful means of establishing a brand image, so they will never skimp on their sense of luxury and display of their own strength. But for products like the Tank 300 and Beijing Off-Road BJ40, it is not only a symbol of brand strength, but also a pillar of its overall sales. How to let the product drive the brand to a new height in the end market has become a problem that cannot be ignored in the evolution of these models.
Now, the stage is open, more and more car brands are beginning to enter the field of hardcore off-road, there is reason to believe that they all have their own aura of strength. However, if it fails to meet expectations in the end, how to make the hero end, perhaps it should be fully prepared before taking the stage.
| Deng Yongtuo |
Not a big problem, there is no fear of cars.