In the domestic market environment where the development of new energy vehicles is in full swing, Xiaopeng Automobile has also become an industry survivor in the competition of thousands of sails, and has been steadily developing for 8 years, and even now has gained a firm foothold in the domestic market. According to the statistics of relevant agencies, in the first quarter of 2021 alone, Xiaopeng Automobile completed the delivery of 13,340 vehicles, and won the sales championship of the new domestic car-making forces in 2021 at the end of the year.
However, Xiaopeng Automobile did not continue to expand its territory on this basis, but chose to go overseas. In this regard, industry insiders have also expressed concerns. On the one hand, from the perspective of market share, Xiaopeng Automobile's domestic market foundation is not deep, and there is still a lot of room for growth. On the other hand, it has placed 50% of its annual sales of new cars in relatively unfamiliar overseas markets, and seems to have bet too much weight.
To this end, the overseas sales plan of "Xiaopeng Going to sea 2.0" is also questioned more than affirmed by the industry. Moreover, judging from the previous market performance of Xiaopeng Motors, this 2.0 plan is probably also difficult.
There are many marketing routines, and it is difficult for Xiaopeng's overseas business to make a profit
When domestic cars have not yet been concerned by the world, or have not been recognized by the world, the domestic automotive industry is basically the world of foreign companies.
However, in recent years, with the emergence of new energy vehicles, this industry has also begun to burst out of new vitality, not only the relevant departments have issued relevant preferential policies, and are constantly increasing, wanting to use the automotive industry to make the economy take off again. But with the large number of capital entering, this cake is not so fragrant.
As a traditional veteran enterprise of electric vehicles, BYD naturally occupies more market share than Tesla, which is also famous; followed by Xiaopeng, Weilai, Ideal, etc. to divide the remaining market.
In addition, it is also necessary to count those oil car brands that have also begun to exert their strength in the field of new energy vehicles in recent years: Toyota, GAC, BMW and even Mercedes-Benz, etc., have begun to enter the game, and the domestic new energy vehicle market can already be described as a fierce fight.
This time, Xiaopeng announced his sea plan 2.0 in order to break through the siege of the domestic market. According to industry insiders, the growth of China's new energy vehicles in 2021 is very amazing, and the export volume has reached 310,000 units, an increase of 300% year-on-year.
Among them, the contribution of the European market is the largest, which is a shot in the arm for auto companies, so this is also the reason why Xiaopeng chose Sweden as the first stop of the sea plan.
Xiaopeng Motors announced plans to take its first overseas step in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden: to open its first overseas direct store. At the same time, it signed a car sales agreement with The local car dealer and distributor in Sweden, Bilia.
In other words, Xiaopeng Automobile will not only sell products in its own direct stores, but also carry out sales and after-sales business in Bilia stores.
It is worth mentioning that Xiaopeng Automobile's overseas plan has never been to seek stability, but to adopt a comprehensive layout and multi-point attempt model: Bilia has signed a distribution agreement with Emil Frey, a Dutch auto retailer, and this layer of distribution model is analogous to the domestic franchise store form.
After finding a partner in Europe this time, Xiaopeng Motors subsequently further said that the company will open another direct store in The Hague, the Netherlands, around March 2022 to improve the user experience.
The advantage of directly operated stores is that they can let consumers feel the brand culture, personally feel the driving sense of their own products, and let users have the desire to consume. However, the shortcomings of direct stores are also obvious to all: in addition to the large investment, the short-term rate of return is not high, it is almost impossible to recover the cost in a short period of time, and whether it can be recovered successfully depends on the subsequent operation.
The model of authorized dealers is to use the sales strength of local dealers, and while the initial investment is low, it can quickly open up the market, but there will also be problems such as poor after-sales service and uneven reputation, which is difficult for Xiaopeng Automobile to enter the local market for the first time. How could I, who originally wanted to be a hit, have a reputation of worrying quality?
The export dividend has shrunk, and consumers' desire to buy has declined
The reason why Xiaopeng Automobile's overseas market expansion plan was named version 2.0 is because as early as 2020, Xiaopeng Automobile has begun to make efforts overseas. Xiaopeng Motors, which has been successfully exported to Norway, has also tasted the sweetness of overseas markets, but the overseas market has long been targeted by many domestic brands.
Weilai, the ideal in the European market is poised for development, BYD has been in the European market for many years, and the car is extremely rich, relative to the latecomers, it is already an old fritter, what the user group wants, what to worry about, they all know that this is a defect that cannot be repaired in a short period of time for Xiaopeng, who has just entered the new market.
If Xiaopeng wants to quickly open the market and enhance the brand's local popularity, it is bound to need to invest more marketing expenses in order to have the opportunity to break the wrist with the veteran team. From 2021, the loss of Operating Costs of Xiaopeng Automobile has reached a terrifying 904 million yuan, and if the investment is increased again, the pressure on the capital chain may increase sharply.
In addition, the price of Xiaopeng Automobile at home and abroad also needs to be carefully considered. If you are eager to open up the market, and give a great preferential price, it will lead to the rebellious psychology of domestic consumers, before the Lenovo Group has been criticized for similar things so far, consumers believe that the company is differentiated; but if the price is not advantageous over similar competitors, consumers will not be interested in buying.
In the market environment of complex international trade relations and frequent fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, export dividends have also begun to decline. The model of assembling the whole vehicle in China, transporting it by sea to the port and then distributing it sequentially undoubtedly makes the waiting cycle of consumers further lengthen. In the European automotive market, delivery time is one of the most concerned issues for consumers.
And as mentioned earlier, the fight in the automotive industry is very bloody, and this fight is not only limited to China, but also in the European market. There are more than 50 car brands active in the European car market, and more than 250 family models, Xiaopeng Motors wants to stand out and become a rising star, not only to highlight their highlights, but also to give consumers more attraction.
Deliveries are frequently delayed, and The overseas prospects of Xiaopeng Motors are doubtful
The emergence of new energy vehicles not only greatly reduces the burden of the environment, but also improves the quality of life of many people: because the price of new energy vehicles is low, and the relevant departments can also give certain subsidies, the purchase pressure is much lower than that of traditional oil vehicles. Therefore, many families have developed from one household and one car to today's one household and two cars, or even one family with multiple cars.
New energy vehicles rely on battery power, and Xiaopeng Automobile announced as early as 2021: its battery cost fell by 5-10%, G3 series of cars are replaced by lithium iron phosphate batteries, production costs can be further reduced, follow-up will continue to invest in research and development, and strive to launch smarter models to meet the needs of drivers.
But because the price of new energy vehicles is low, it is inevitable that there will be certain product defects or deficiencies. As an automobile brand that focuses on scientific and technological innovation, Xiaopeng Automobile accounts for up to 40% of the R & D personnel, and it is naturally very good at the intelligence of the car and the driving experience, but it frequently makes consumers dissatisfied in terms of delivery cycle and after-sales service.
Just this month, owners of the 460 version of the Xiaopeng P5 model across the country were told that they needed to delay delivery due to the tight supply of vehicle batteries and other reasons.
In response to this matter, the official reply given by Xiaopeng Motors is: "Users who postpone delivery can choose to unsubscribe, change the configuration or continue to wait, but there is no compensation plan." Affected car owners are spread across the country and are still waiting for a reasonable explanation.
While vigorously reducing the production cost of products, Xiaopeng Automobile seems to have completely failed to consider the supply cycle and the stability of supply, and the after-sales customer service team is also very unprofessional, such an attitude will make customers feel that they have been deceived, the integrity of the enterprise is not high, on the other hand, the after-sales service is doubtful, but the latter is Xiaopeng has long existed.
On the eve of the Spring Festival, some users have feedback: Xiaopeng Automobile has the problem of suddenly out of control when parking, and has repeatedly hit fire hydrants or parking lot columns. The public relations department of Xiaopeng Automobile responded that there are differences in camera recognition, do not rely too much on parking software, this statement is undoubtedly a direct punch in the face.
Xiaopeng Automobile was only established for eight years, and in eight years to let consumers remember themselves, trust themselves, and even choose themselves again, relying on the set of automotive intelligent systems developed by themselves.
However, if there is a problem with the system that he is proud of, and there is no solution for the time being, I am afraid that it will cause subsequent consumers to worry, and when selling overseas, it will also cause people to have the problem of incorrect versions of the goods.
From the perspective of long-term development, once Xiaopeng Automobile is transported to overseas sales, there is a spatial distance between its after-sales services. It is impossible to transport the whole vehicle back to China every time, and then send it overseas after correction and commissioning, not to mention how likely this operation is, the cost of multiple times of shipping alone is enough for Xiaopeng Automobile to eat a pot, not to mention whether it can be delivered smoothly.
epilogue
Xiaopeng Automobile's overseas plan 1.0 ended almost with zero results, and this time it resolutely launched the 2.0 plan again, and after learning the lessons of the first failure, it found a local dealer and distributor to cooperate, which seems to be a sure victory. However, in the actual sales, there will still be problems such as difficult delivery period, lack of after-sales service, and defective software functions.
Even if the above problems are avoided for the time being, Xiaopeng Automobile's development in overseas markets will not be as smooth as planned. Because the competition of overseas car brands is very cruel, it also takes time for overseas consumers to have a certain understanding of Chinese car brands. These factors are superimposed layer by layer, and Xiaopeng's sea plan 2.0 is probably also difficult to become a climate, and it may be difficult to predict the final victory or defeat.