Selling a loss of 10,000 yuan, how to "get out of trouble" of micro-electric vehicles?

On the evening of February 14, Great Wall Motor dealers received a notice from the manufacturer, requesting that from 00:00 on the 15th, they should stop receiving orders for Euler's black cat and white cat models, and withdraw the exhibition car and promotional materials. Subsequently, Euler officially said: "Due to the shortage of chips and the inability to guarantee the production of spare parts supply, the backlog of orders for black and white cat models has been more, and the customer purchase cycle is too long, affecting the customer experience." In order to avoid bringing more bad car purchase feelings to car owners who trust Euler models, manufacturers will coordinate internal resources to meet the existing order scheduling plan faster, and ensure the speed of pick-up and purchase benefits of existing car order customers. For a time, the news of "black and white cats stopping production" was boiling over.

On February 23, Euler brand CEO Dong Yudong said that the black cat and white cat models only stopped receiving orders, not stopped production, and gave the reason: "In 2022, the price of raw materials rose sharply, and the loss of black cats exceeded 10,000 yuan. In fact, not only black cats and white cats, but also other A00-class (mini-car) electric vehicles are facing similar problems. How to resist the risk of loss and seek opportunities in danger is an urgent problem for new energy vehicle companies to solve.

(Wen 丨 Intern reporter Yang Zi)

It is difficult to share the cost of supply chain increases

"Although the Euler brand has the advantage of the industrial chain, this fashionable and people-friendly car still brings huge losses to the company." Dong Yudong pointed out that as of March 3, the comprehensive quotation of the battery-grade lithium carbonate market was 494,500 yuan / ton, while at the beginning of 2021, the battery-grade lithium carbonate price was only about 53,000 yuan / ton. At the same time, the supply of automotive chips is tight, and the price of some chips has risen by dozens of times.

It is understood that the guidance price of Euler black cat is 69,800 yuan - 84,800 yuan, and the guidance price of white cat is 71,800 yuan - 88,800 yuan. According to the data, Euler black cat and white cat have sold 173,000 vehicles so far, and have become the champion of single product sales in the A00-level market of more than 50,000 yuan. Dong Yudong said frankly: "It is helpless to stop taking orders, in the environment of lack of core and less electricity, black cats and white cat orders have accumulated more than 20,000 vehicles, according to the current production volume, if you continue to receive orders, it is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2022." ”

In fact, at present, many A00-level electric vehicle companies have pressed the cost to the minimum, but the price of power battery raw materials and chips has risen more than expected, making it difficult to share the cost of rising like high-end cars. Zhang Xiang, a researcher at the Automotive Industry Innovation Research Center of the North China University of Technology, said that under the influence of lack of core and less electricity and rising raw material prices, car companies will give priority to the production of models with higher profits, and A00-class cars have to "give way".

Dong Yudong said: "We will actively look for raw materials and strive for rapid delivery. According to the relevant planning, Euler ballet cat, punk cat, lightning cat and other models will be listed this year, of which the ballet cat is expected to be listed in March, priced at 150,000 yuan - 200,000 yuan; lightning cat will be listed in the second quarter, is expected to sell for about 200,000 yuan.

Weak premium ability Points earnings are greatly reduced

Statistics from the China Automobile Association show that in 2021, the A00 passenger car market will sell 1.253 million units, of which 889,000 new energy vehicles will be sold, with a penetration rate of 71%. It is understood that the daily travel mileage of mainland urban residents is within 30 kilometers, the demand for short- and medium-distance transportation is strong, and A00-level electric vehicles aim at the urban short-distance travel market, playing an important role in the activities of new energy vehicles going to the countryside, becoming a safer and more compliant alternative to many low-speed electric vehicles.

From 2014 to 2017, higher subsidies attracted many car companies to lay out the A00-level electric vehicle market, but with the increase in the mileage requirements of the subsidy policy, the market immediately "dud". In 2020, with the sale of Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, A00-class electric vehicles have risen again. According to statistics, as of December 31, 2021, the cumulative sales of Wuling Hongguang MINI EV after its listing exceeded 550,000 vehicles, of which 426452 units were sold in 2021, winning the annual sales champion of new energy vehicles.

It can be seen that with the advantage of small profits and high sales, A00-class electric vehicles occupy a considerable market share, however, in the case of rising supply chain costs, lower prices make car companies face a greater risk of loss. In fact, rising supply chain costs are a problem that all car companies need to face. Zhang Xiang said: "In order to hedge the rising pressure on costs and ensure profits, the most direct and effective way is to increase prices. As of now, Tesla, Weilai, Xiaopeng, BYD and other car companies have raised the price of their new energy vehicles, with an increase of 1,000 yuan to 21,088 yuan.

However, it is worth noting that the above-mentioned brand new energy vehicles are mostly mid-to-high-end vehicles, while A00-level electric vehicles are more for low-budget, low-income consumers, who are more sensitive to price increases. It is understood that in the A00-level electric vehicles, the price of black cats and white cats is already at a high level, and if the price is raised, it will lose the advantage of being close to the people and affect its competitiveness.

In addition, a car company insider also admitted to reporters: "For many car companies, A00-class electric vehicles are mainly used to offset the negative points generated by fuel vehicles. "Previously, Tesla and other car companies made a lot of money by selling points. However, at present, the positive integral price of new energy vehicles is 500 yuan / min - 800 yuan / min, which has been greatly reduced compared with the highest 3000 yuan / min. This means that the points brought by A00-level electric vehicles to car companies have been greatly reduced.

Class A00 electric vehicles have not lost their advantages

Respondents believe that even if there is a lack of core and less electricity, and the cost of supply chain is rising, it does not mean that A00-class electric vehicles will lose their advantages. "The A00 class is an important market, not a transition, and the current A class (compact cars, including the A0/A00 class) electric vehicles have not yet reached the level they should be." Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the Association, believes that the direct price increase of A00-level electric vehicles is unrealistic and easy to cause consumers to resent, and suggests that car companies upgrade their technology on the basis of existing products to raise prices. Industry insiders also believe that how to coordinate resources, resist the risk of loss, and rationally layout product strategies is a problem that needs to be solved urgently by new energy vehicle companies.

Ping An Securities analysis pointed out that the growth pattern of new energy vehicles will change in 2022, from the perspective of new energy vehicle market segments, the penetration of new energy vehicles in the A00-level market is basically completed, the market volume may tend to be stable, and the growth rate will slow down. With the introduction and release of new energy models, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in the A0-class (small car) market is expected to further increase.

"150,000 yuan - 200,000 yuan plug-in hybrid models will usher in an increase." Cui Dongshu thinks. Zhang Xiang also said: "In addition to the A00 level, the future A-class car market or electric vehicles priced at about 150,000 will usher in rapid growth, and the market segment matches the purchasing power of ordinary wage earners, and the capacity is large, and there will be a large increase in the future." ”