Per reporter: Dong Tianyi Per reporter Per editor: Sun Lei
The car circle full of "steel" has become "pink" today.
With the arrival of the annual March 8 International Women's Day, automobile companies including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Ford and other automobile companies have issued posters to please the goddesses.
Image source: Mercedes Benz Xingwen WeChat public number screenshot
Image source: FAW-Volkswagen Audi official WeChat public account screenshot
At present, the increasingly eye-catching female power is making the whole process of car companies from design, marketing to sales to begin a vigorous "she change". In recent years, car companies including Euler, Chery, JAC Sihao, Dongfeng Fengxing and other car companies have launched "women's special" models. Even the European commercial vehicle giant Mann changed the logo of "MAN" on the production model to "WOMAN" on March 8 to show respect for female users.
Image source: MAN Commercial Vehicles China Official Micro
It is worth noting that what prompts more and more car companies to target female consumers is undoubtedly the huge potential brought by the "she economy". According to data released by Ai Media Consulting, the size of China's "she economy" market will rise from 4.8 trillion yuan in 2020 to 8.6 trillion yuan in 2022. According to the forecast of the E-Car Research Institute, from 2021 to 2026, women will continue to pour into the automobile consumer market, and the contribution of women to automobile sales is expected to exceed 35%.
"With the development of China's economy, the proportion of Chinese women receiving higher education is increasing, and the social and economic status of 'sisters' has also risen, and women have become the main force in China's consumer market, as well as in the automotive industry." Wen Sijing, director of the membership department of the China Automobile Dealers Association, said that female consumers are not only satisfied with sitting in the co-pilot, they also have to pick up the steering wheel to grasp the direction.
According to data released by the Ministry of Public Security, the number of motor vehicle drivers in the mainland has reached 481 million in 2021, of which 319 million are male drivers, accounting for 66.32%; female drivers are 162 million, accounting for 33.68%. It is worth noting that in recent years, the number and proportion of female drivers in the mainland have shown a continuous upward trend. From 0.7 billion in 2014 to 160 million in 2021, an average of nearly 13 million new female drivers drive on the road each year.
While the number of female drivers has increased, the proportion of women who buy cars has also surpassed that of men. According to data from the China Automobile Dealers Association, the proportion of women buying cars in 2020 reached 22.28%, exceeding the 22.00% of men. In addition, among the owners of new energy vehicles, women account for 26.62%, which is 1.22 times that of women among fuel vehicle owners.
In this context, new energy vehicle companies have taken the lead in taking action. Euler, which proposed to become the "world's more woman-loving car brand" in 2021, will sell more than 135,000 vehicles in 2021, jumping to the first camp of the domestic new energy vehicle market. Among them, Euler "Good Cat" achieved a cumulative sales volume of 50,000 vehicles throughout the year, becoming the top seller in the domestic A0-class BEV market.
Image source: Per reporter Zhang Jian photographed (data map)
With the success of Euler, many car companies have also begun to follow suit, launching "women-friendly" models. For example, JAC Sihao E10X launched the "Good Jimei" and "Blue Friend" models; Nezha V brought the "Sakura Sky Little Witch" version of the model; Zero Run launched the T03 micro-sugar version of the model; Chery New Energy Ant renamed the whole series to sweet powder after updating the 2022 model.
Not only in new energy vehicle companies, this "pink and tender" trend has also blown to the fuel vehicle market, and various "goddess version" models have begun to emerge. A few days ago, the Starway Wind Goddess Edition model was launched, bringing the classic skin care essence of Helena's small green bottle to the top 50 car owners; during the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show, the Dongfeng Fengxing T5 EVO Goddess Edition wearing the exclusive car color Bauhinia powder appeared on the stage.
Even the Fukuda General Pickup Truck, which specializes in hard-school off-roading, has also launched a "Mulan" version of the "Mulan" model that is "powder inside and out". In this regard, some female netizens left a message saying, "I don't accept this powder" and "not very good".
Image source: Futian Pickup Official Micro
Image source: Sina Weibo
Under the interpretation of a number of car companies, it seems that the pink and cute appearance can capture the hearts of female consumers, but is this really the case?
Wang Qing, deputy director of the Market Economy Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said that some female consumers believe that although the female marketing of car companies is different in creativity, most of them still define women's identities from a single perspective and inherent impressions, and labels such as "pink", "princess" and "fairy" are full of them, which not only cannot really impress them, but will cause them to be disgusted and feel that they are labeled.
"Contemporary women pursue the independence of consumption and are unwilling to passively accept the content prescribed by others. It's like getting married, if it's free love, you don't think there's anything wrong with the object. But the same person, if it's an arranged marriage, then you might object. Women are not opposed to pink, Lolita cars, but to forms that deprive them of initiative and independence. Wang Qing said.
Liu Jining, an expert on SAIC Volkswagen products, also believes that appearance is no longer the only factor that affects young women to buy a car. "It is natural to attract female consumers from the perspective of appearance, but if you want female consumers to 'pay for love', the most basic quality problems of automotive products must be passed." Liu Jining said.
According to the "2022 Survey Report on Women's Car Purchase Needs and Car Habits" released by Tencent Automobile, only 51% of female consumers will consider the first element of women's car purchase in the established impression - "appearance", while 65 to 70% of women believe that safety is the first factor to consider when choosing a car. In addition, in terms of smart technology configuration that male users are more concerned about, nearly 30% of the women surveyed said they would "consider it".
However, it should be noted that in the process of targeting the consumption increase brought about by the "she economy", the car companies may only stay at the "appearance" level, ignoring the increasingly diversified consumer demand of female consumers. More serious, such as Euler good cat has also been exposed to its car chip "package" and other issues. Some people believe that as the first car brand in the car circle to position women, Euler should be more aware of the sensitive and delicate psychology of female users, but the "lie" of the above chip not only hurts the "woman's heart", but also makes the "female friendliness" of the automotive industry taste bad.
In addition, in terms of product design, Wang Qing believes that car companies should also respect the right of female consumers to choose. Instead of defining women from their own perspective, create endless possibilities. In terms of model design or functional configuration, car companies must follow the principle of diversification and provide diversified choices for all kinds of women in the national style, animation, Lolita and even hardcore. Secondly, in the selection of car interiors, give the owner greater autonomy to decide, and avoid definition.
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