There is no way out by selling only cheap cars, and only by going up against the current can we make progress.
Author: Rao Weihao
Recently, the network rumor Euler issued a notice to dealers around the world: requiring dealers to stop receiving orders from Euler black cats and white cats from February 15, the previous promotional posters and advertisements were all withdrawn, and the black cat and white cat exhibition cars will also be withdrawn from the Euler exhibition hall.
Subsequently, the news of the suspension of production was confirmed on Euler's official Weibo. According to the official blog, the reason why Euler stopped production of black cats and white cats is because of the shortage of chips, insufficient supply of spare parts, and the decline of national new energy subsidies, resulting in a large backlog of black cat and white cat orders, in order not to affect the customer's car purchase experience, manufacturers chose to stop receiving new orders. For users who have successfully booked a car before February 15, the manufacturer will arrange production and delivery as soon as possible.
According to the sales data given by Euler officially, the total sales of the Euler brand in 2021 are 135028 units, of which the sales of good cats are 50931 units, accounting for only 37.7% of the total sales, and it is not difficult to infer that the main sales force of Euler is the black cat and the white cat, and the cumulative sales of the two vehicles exceed 80,000 vehicles, accounting for about 60% of the total sales of the Euler brand. Now euler suddenly announced the suspension of black cats and white cats, which is tantamount to a hero breaking his wrist, so what is the reason why Euler is so "unable to open"?
From the official response, the so-called "excessive order backlog" and "avoid affecting the customer car purchase experience", but it is just a polite remark, just look at it, the real reason for the suspension of production, in fact, is very simple: can not make money! The core purpose of the businessman is to make money, and no one wants to buy and sell at a loss.
How can the money that was earned before not now?
On the one hand, because the "chip famine" some time ago led to a crazy rise in chip prices, increasing the production costs of manufacturers, although the current supply of chips has gradually returned to normal, but it is still much higher than the previous price, it is difficult to restore to the level before the "chip famine" in a short period of time.
On the other hand, it is also the most core reason, is the reduction of the state's subsidies for new energy vehicles, the reason why our country's new energy vehicles can develop and progress so fast, all rely on the state's "visible hand" to promote the market, "first do products and then create demand", with the gradual recognition of the market, the mainland new energy vehicle sales continue to rise, the "big hand" of subsidies will inevitably gradually be released, the "children" who stand firm can thrive, and those who are unstable will be naturally eliminated.
What's more, Euler's black cat and white cat, its main sales model price is in the range of 60,000-80,000 yuan, the low price determines that they can only take the road of small profits and high sales, for the cost of rising anti-risk ability is extremely weak, even if the sales are good, it is just to make a roar. If you rush to increase the price and pass on the rising cost to the user, it is bound to lead to a decline in car sales, and the money cannot be made much, but it is necessary to bear an extra insult and occupy the productivity of the factory.
Who will fill the pit after the black cat and the white cat leave?
Cheap doesn't make money, so sell expensive ones! A good cat priced at more than 100,000 yuan is the first step in Euler's upward impact, and from the current sales point of view, Euler can fully gain a foothold in the electric vehicle market above 100,000 levels. The success of good cats has also brought a lot of confidence to manufacturers. According to the current information, The positioning of the lightning cat and ballet cat that Euler will be listed in the future will be higher, and I personally infer that the pricing of these two models will be in the range of 150,000-250,000, and the good cat will be "downgraded" from the original flagship product to the Euler entry model. The suspension of black cats and white cats also makes way for the production capacity of lightning cats and ballet cats.
The Lightning Cat is positioned as a medium-sized pure electric coupe with body dimensions of 4871/1862/1500mm and a wheelbase of 2870mm. Its smooth body shape is reminiscent of the Porsche Panamera, the interior design is also very "running grid", and the three-way knob of the central control vertical column is similar to the Bugatti Chiron. In terms of power specifications, the Lightning Cat will have two power versions, the entry-level single motor will provide a 150kW motor, the battery uses the Great Wall's own honeycomb energy battery, and the top dual motor four-wheel drive version will have an acceleration capability of 3 seconds per 100 kilometers.
The Ballet Cat is a compact pure electric sedan that takes the "retro futuristic" route, and this car has attracted a lot of attention because of its resemblance to the Volkswagen Beetle. From the appearance to the interior, the ballet cat has added a lot of "girlish heart" elements, and it is a model that focuses on the female market. Powered by a maximum 171 hp drive motor, the car is available in 400km and 500km endurance versions.
Will black and white cats resume production?
It's possible, but it's unlikely. Throughout the market, can take the 6-8 million range of pure electric vehicles are few, can be called direct competitors with black cat, white cat two models, that is, zero run T03, Nezha V, Baojun KiWi EV several models, low-cost cars have always been a must for the soldiers, but there are very few models to choose from on the market, it can be seen that the pure electric vehicle market in this price range is really "no meat to eat".
From the perspective of brand development strategy, Euler is intentional to enhance the overall positioning of the brand and raise the brand image, after all, Euler's publicity label today is "a car brand that loves women more", "built for women" itself has its own petty bourgeois temperament, the product positioning is low and does not conform to the tone of the brand, and 100,000 pieces will become Euler's future "floor tiles". Therefore, I boldly speculate that if the lightning cat and ballet cat listed in the future can reach the expected sales of the manufacturer, the two models of black cat and white cat will most likely not resume production, and the black cat (formerly known as R1), the best selling black cat (formerly known as R1) of the Euler brand so far, may end in a hurry, which cannot help but make people feel sorry.
But put aside personal feelings, the suspension of production "double cat" is the inevitable price of brand growth, only sell cheap cars there is no way out, only the brand and products to do up, against the current, is the development of independent brands on the road.
(Image from the Internet)
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