In the auto market in February this year, there were some less common changes, including the great changes in the pattern of the top three car companies and the top three independent companies, and BYD's sudden growth of several times.
As the most seasonal month of the annual automobile market, the market pattern in February is not the most real feedback of the domestic automobile market, and its impact on the trend of the automobile market and the change of ranking throughout the year will not have a particularly large effect.
But from this almost distorted sales ranking, we still sniffed out how much the lack of core tide affected the global automotive industry chain.
Under the tide of "chip famine",
The joys and sorrows of car companies are not the same
A car with more than 10,000 parts, the absence of any one part, will cause the vehicle to fail to deliver. As we all know, since the outbreak of the global core shortage problem in 2020, the automobile "chip shortage" has continued to this day, and it is not difficult to imagine how much impact the automotive industry chain has been affected.
In the era of globalization, if there is a problem in any link in the chip industry chain, the chain effect will be transmitted to the cobweb-like fine automotive supply chain, and no one can be alone, even if the Chinese auto market with a complete industrial chain cannot get rid of the impact.
Today, production cuts, price increases... It has become the "heartache" of major OEMs, and the pain brought by "lack of core" to car companies is far more serious than consumers imagine.
At present, the trend of car companies to reduce production is still expanding. According to data released by AutoForecast Solutions, a data analytics company in the automotive industry, global car production cuts due to chip shortages this year have been about 370,500 units as of February 6, an expansion trend from the cumulative production cut of 230,700 units as of January 30. The agency predicts that automakers may cut production by more than 1 million vehicles this year.
At the beginning of the new year, a number of car companies have announced production cuts or suspensions, including Ford, Honda and so on. In addition, new energy vehicles not only have to face the dilemma of increasing chip shortages, but also have to deal with problems such as increased battery costs caused by rising raw material prices, so some new energy vehicle companies have to make decisions to increase prices.
For example, the average price of FAW-Volkswagen's two new energy vehicles will rise by 5200 yuan; Xiaopeng Automobile products will rise by more than 4000 yuan. The latest price announced by Weilai Automobile also has a certain increase compared with last year.
Eventually, the impact of the car's "lack of core" inevitably spreads to the end consumer - the car you want to buy can't be bought, the new car order cycle is extended, and the tight car may need to be ordered at a higher price... Consumers who want to buy the car they want in 2022 may have to work a lot.
The impact of joint venture car companies is large,
"Missing core" exposes shortcomings
It is worth mentioning that the wave of "lack of cores" in China is not the Chinese car companies that are most affected, but the joint venture car companies.
A copy of the production and sales data of the association intuitively illustrates the difficult situation of the joint venture brand. The data shows that in the production data of 40 mainstream car companies, 57% of the car companies have declined to varying degrees, and among them, the production reduction of the joint venture sector is much higher than that of Chinese brands.
Data from the Association for August 2021
In the joint venture sector, the German and Japanese systems have been affected to varying degrees due to the lack of cores, among them, "North and South Volkswagen" is a relatively tragic representative, because of its large automobile production and sales, so the tide of "lack of cores" is more obvious in it.
In 2021, faw-Volkswagen and SAIC Volkswagen's annual sales fell by 13.1% and 17.5% respectively year-on-year, and it can be seen that the impact of "lack of core" on joint venture car companies cannot be ignored.
However, when many joint venture brands are in a state of distress due to the "chip shortage", the performance of one joint venture car company is very "calm", it is SAIC-GM - when most of the joint venture brands suffered a decline in performance, SAIC-GM not only stabilized its position in the first camp, but its sales decline was also small.
Why can an "elephant" cope with pressure and challenges so calmly? This is a question that many competitors are thinking about.
The proportion of mid-to-high-end models continues to increase,
The brand can be expected upwards
In 2021, in the face of the severe challenges brought by the "lack of cores" to the industry's production, SAIC-GM actively integrates resources and strives to reduce the supply gap, while optimizing allocation and ensuring key production capacity.
The Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac brands sold a combined of 1.33 million vehicles for the year. Among them, the sales of high-end models accounted for more than 5 percentage points higher than in 2020, and the average transaction price of each brand increased by 6% to 16%.
At the same time, SAIC-GM's sales structure showed a clear upward trend, and its product lineup gradually shifted from low-end products to high-end products that affected word of mouth. For example, Buick has launched high-quality new products such as Oncovi S and Oncove PLUS, which not only improves market coverage, but also boosts the brand to achieve "value" improvement.
In addition, Cadillac's sales structure is also continuously optimized, and the sales ratio of its models is medium and high-end models. In February this year, cadillac's popular car CT5 high-end model sales accounted for 95%, which is enough to prove consumer recognition of the product.
And compared with other brands that rely on low-end models to "pull volume", the proportion of medium- and high-end models in cadillac's sales composition is more reasonable. Among them, the high-end models in CT4, CT6 and XT4 account for more than 60%, and the proportion of high-end models in XT6 accounts for 79%. The most important CT5 and XT5, the proportion of high-end ratios is more than 90%.
Cadillac's sales structure is more balanced, with the sales ratio of the sedan family and the SUV family approaching 4:6.
With the upward movement of the sales structure, the terminal transaction price of all Cadillac models has also risen, and the overall price system has become healthier.
A Cadillac dealer general said: "The increase in transaction prices is affected by the source factors of the car. But more importantly, customers recognize the high value of our products and are willing to pay for the sense of value. That said, Cadillac has successfully entered a new phase of winning with "value."
Compared with the overall sales of competitors mainly in entry-level or low-end models, Cadillac's current sales structure shows that its product competitiveness is significantly stronger than that of competitors and is highly recognized by consumers; on the other hand, it indicates that its brand has achieved remarkable results and great potential for future development.
Not only fuel vehicles, but also in the high-end new energy field that major car companies have seized, SAIC-GM also let us see its potential. In 2021, Cadillac ushered in the first pure electric mass production model in China, the luxury medium and large suv LYRIQ, announced that it has entered a new era of architecture car building.
With the foundation of the Aoteneng platform, the "starting point" of Cadillac LYRIQ is much higher than that of the same level of products, whether it is mileage, charging efficiency, or intelligent level, it exceeds market expectations.
With Cadillac LYRIQ as a new node, SAIC-GM will accelerate the pace of transformation in 2022, promote the landing of a number of blockbuster technology upgrades, and create greater value and better experience for consumers with technology empowerment.
Written in the end: under the tide of "lack of core", the competition in the automobile market has entered a white-hot stage, but SAIC-GM has become one of the few brands in the first quarter of this year that can maintain high-quality development. Behind this, it is revealed that the company has a strong ability to resist risks and a flexible resilience in crisis situations.
The upward brand is an important means for SAIC-GM to maintain its vitality and continue to gain competitive advantage. In the future, with the innovation and upgrading of the times, through the upgrading of brand structure and service quality, SAIC Motor will withstand the storm in 2022, achieve self-change in the predicament, and then establish a new wind direction in the automotive industry.
Text | Huluwa
(This article is the author's personal opinion only and does not represent the position of DearAuto.) )
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Mr. Li Guoyong of Guangdong Green Law Firm