"I recommend you go and see BYD, 300 meters across the road."
I don't know if BYD's sales have some credit for this Wuling sales, but I know that when she said this, her heart must have been mixed.
After May Day last year, the renewal of Shanghai's new energy vehicle licensing policy led to the inability of a number of mini-cars such as Wuling Hongguang MINI EV to be licensed, which led to a sharp decline in sales of A0-class cars in Shanghai.
When it comes to sales, Wuling's sales sighed: "The previous sales were very good, but after the new policy, there is no one in the store to see the MINI EV." So much so that the wuling store's showroom did not even leave a place for the MINI EV, and could only park in the parking area in front of the store.
Although I have long known that MINI EV has bid farewell to Shanghai, this trip has a purpose, so I have become the only person in this store to see MINI EV in recent days.
Sales gave me another option – playing the outer card. However, in Shanghai, A0-class new energy vehicles have lost their Shanghai brand, just as the West has lost Jerusalem and China has lost Cao County.
On the outer plate, the 4S shop needs to tow the car to the field and then drag it back, and the towing fee during this period needs 6,000 yuan. MINI EV has not yet increased the price because of the subsidy decline, but the cost of a single license plate accounts for one-fifth of the price of the whole vehicle, as long as it is not a big mistake, I think it is not too necessary.
Baojun and Wuling's shop are in one piece, and its several A0-class cars and Wuling Hongguang MINI EV face exactly the same problems.
When I learned that I was not interested in MINI EV, the sales recommended me to go to BYD's store: "BYD can go to Shanghai, you can go to see."
Following the sales direction, I did come to BYD's store. However, BYD is now divided into the Ocean Sales Network and the Dynasty Sales Network. This shop didn't have the dolphins I had to ask, so I had to drive 15 kilometers again to BYD's ocean outlets.
BYD's marine outlets, there are currently only two cars, Dolphin and BYD Song PLUS, and Song PLUS is only temporarily to support the scene, next month after the destroyer arrives at the store, Song PLUS may not be there.
The biggest difference with Wuling is that there are obviously more consumers to see BYD, and the four seats of Song PLUS in the exhibition hall are always full. A brief half-hour exchange with BYD sales, but also before and after several batches of dolphin watchers.
Sales tell me that even if the price rises now, it will take four to five months to buy Song PLUS and more than two months to buy dolphins.
When asked about the reason for the price increase, BYD's sales informed that it was mainly because of the decline in subsidies for new energy vehicles, so some models had already increased prices last year. On the other hand, there is a shortage of chips now, electric vehicles need to use more chips, and the shortage of supply leads to price increases. Therefore, the best car purchase node is actually before the New Year, and the subsidies for new energy vehicles continue to decline, and models such as Dolphin may continue to increase prices.
Of course, there is also an important factor in the rise in the price of new energy vehicles is the rise in battery prices, but after asking several stores of different brands, sales are less willing to say this reason. It may also be afraid that after the price of the battery rises, consumers will worry about taking higher risks and affecting sales.
It is understood that the spot price of lithium iron phosphate rose from about 37,000 yuan / ton at the beginning of 2021 to 105,000 yuan / ton at the end of 2021, an increase of more than 180%. Some foreign media predict that the average price of battery packs may rise to $135 per kWh in 2022. After that, it may continue to rise, and the price of pure electric vehicles with a large demand for batteries will only rise step by step.
Coupled with the further decline of subsidies for new energy vehicles, the new policy of green cards (Shanghai will not send mixed cars green cards in 2023) and so on. New energy vehicles, it seems that the good days are not long.
In fact, on the way back, I also went to Mazda's 4S store, and was told by Mazda's sales that the Mazda CX-30 EV was not watched at all, and the calibration endurance was 450 kilometers, in fact, at most 200 kilometers, there was no discount or price increase...