Recently, there are many people who want to buy a car, but there are more people who are struggling. As we all know, due to chip shortages and other reasons, the delivery time of new cars of many brands in 2021 has been greatly extended, and consumer complaints and dissatisfaction are increasing day by day. In addition, due to the insufficient number of existing cars, the terminal car purchase discount has been significantly narrowed, and consumers can neither buy a car nor pick up a car, which is really depressing.
Entering 2022, although the shortage of chips has eased, the phenomenon of a car is still relatively common. According to the January auto dealer inventory released by the China Automobile Dealers Association, the comprehensive inventory coefficient was 1.46, down 4.6% year-on-year, and continued to be below the warning line. A few joys and several sorrows, the joy of dealers and the sorrows of consumers, the contrast is more prominent.
Money-making dealers: highlight moments return
In fact, car dealers have had a highlight moment, lexus in luxury brands is called "lying to make money", Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hongqi, Lincoln and other luxury brands dealers have a higher proportion of profits. In addition, the profitability of Japanese dealers in the joint venture brand is also considerable, and Volkswagen, Buick, Ford, etc. are slightly inferior. However, due to the slowdown in the development of the automotive industry, the cold winter, and the emergence of the survival of the fittest node after the disorderly expansion of the early stage of dealer development, the life of dealers has not been so good in recent years.
Over the past few years, the plight of car dealers has been reported many times. In particular, the huge group that once ranked first in China's automobile sales performance caused a series of panics after bankruptcy and restructuring due to poor management. The head dealer group is still like this, and other dealers have also encountered operational problems of different sizes. Relevant data show that in 2020, more than 3,000 dealers closed their stores, including 2362 4S stores, and some dealers directly returned to the network. Among them, the most concerned are Korean and French dealers, with a higher proportion of losses and a large overall operating situation.
Surprisingly, factors such as the shortage of car chips in 2021 have rescued car dealers to some extent. Brother Yuan learned that although the shortage of chips has made it obvious for automobile manufacturers to reduce production and it is difficult for consumers to pick up cars, it has reduced the inventory of dealers and improved their operating conditions. From a serious inventory backlog and heavy tasks for manufacturers to pick up cars, to now have a certain right to speak, the level of profitability has increased significantly, and some car dealers have suddenly ushered in a turning point.
Brother Rumble previously visited the market and learned that Japanese brands and some new car-making brands are facing a long delivery time for new cars, and some models have to increase the price of cars. Profitability has become inevitable. Of course, after the supply of chips is gradually normal and car production returns to its previous level, car dealers still have a heavy sales responsibility to shoulder. From the January inventory coefficient, up 2.1% month-on-month, dealer inventory levels have rebounded.
Unprepared consumers: Buying a car has become a problem
As mentioned earlier, while dealers make money, it is more difficult for consumers to buy a car. On the one hand, the terminal car purchase discount is narrowed, resulting in a stronger wait-and-see mood for consumers to buy a car.
In the past few years, the sales pressure of automobile dealers has been large, and the preferential margin of some unpopular models is often around 30,000-50,000 yuan, and even the terminal discount of some niche luxury models can reach more than 100,000 yuan. Some hot-selling models also have a discount of about 5,000-10,000 yuan, which shows that the cost of buying a car for consumers is significantly less than now. Brother Ruan visited some 4S stores and learned that the terminal discount of some popular models has been less than 3,000 yuan, and some need to increase the price of the car. Interestingly, some of the more unsalable models have also been "blessed" and have landed on the list of hot-selling models with terminal discounts that are higher than the market.
In any case, the cost of buying a car for consumers has indeed increased, and some potential consumers have bluntly said, "Buying a car now is a bit of a loss." Brother Ruan suggested that if you are not in a hurry to use the car, you can wait, after all, after the production capacity of the factory is restored to a higher level, the terminal car purchase discount is expected to increase, and the cost performance of the car is higher.
On the other hand, the problem of difficulty in picking up a car is magnified, and buying a car at a higher price or waiting for a long time is not what consumers want to see. In particular, some new energy brands have encountered many complaints in 2020, all because the time to pick up the car is too long. The pick-up time of about two months has been extended to four or five months, causing strong dissatisfaction among consumers. Although some brands give compensation schemes or provide follow-up reloading of parts, consumers are still not satisfied, which shows that the degree of difficulty in picking up the car has increased a lot compared with previous years. In addition to making new brands, the hot new cars of some popular brands are also the hardest hit areas for picking up cars and increasing prices, and some models need to choose high-end models to pick up cars as soon as possible, which also makes consumers feel "big head".
Supply and demand are difficult to balance? Consumers should not blindly follow suit when buying a car
Dealers and consumers are not a natural antagonistic relationship, but the supply of key components such as chips has pushed automakers, dealers, and consumers to the opposite side. Some insiders said that it will take a certain amount of time for the production capacity of global chip companies to recover, and the power batteries needed for new energy vehicles are still facing the dilemma of insufficient supply, and it is not realistic to solve the problem of difficulty in lifting cars in the short term.
In addition, the cause of market disorder lies in the bad behavior of car manufacturers and dealers. Although auto manufacturers are plagued by rising raw material prices deserve the attention of the industry, some car companies require consumers to increase the price of cars, as well as the use of new energy subsidies to reduce the slope of the policy for marketing, aggravating consumers' car purchase anxiety, making the auto market into an unhealthy state of development.
Brother Ruan reminds that for most families, car purchase is a large transaction behavior, which should be analyzed with rational thinking, including the comparison of models and price comparisons, etc., and should not be easily "seduced" by sales personnel or publicity advertisements. With the continuous upgrading and development of technology, there will inevitably be better models on the market, and there is no need to worry about not being able to buy a good car. As for the subsidy decline of new energy vehicles, it is an objective factor, and it can be purchased as needed.
The inventory coefficient of car dealers in January reflected many practical problems, with automakers increasing their horsepower to produce new cars to meet consumers' car purchase needs, while consumers' difficulty in buying cars was in stark contrast to the reduction of inventory pressure on dealers. However, this is also the normal performance of the automobile market, when the supply exceeds demand, the initiative is in the hands of dealers and car manufacturers. As a savvy consumer, as long as you put your own needs first, do not follow the marketing advertising, and shop around, it will not be easy to fall into the trap. Are you planning to buy a car this year? What cars are included in your preferred list? Interact with Brother Rouge in the comments section!