Not in a hurry, SAIC Audi's "road confidence" needs to be simmered.
Wen | Yang Xiaolin
Figure | source network
Does China's luxury car market still need one more powerful player? yes! Judging from the market volume that has been growing rapidly in recent years, China's luxury car market still contains huge opportunities, but it is inevitable that overcoming "inner rolls" and innovative operations is still the biggest realistic challenge for new players to divide the market cake.
Recently, around how SAIC Audi's sales performance broke the game, causing some media attention, and even pessimists believe that in the early layout of the BBA has covered most of the mainstream market segments, Lexus Lincoln and Volvo and other second-tier luxury brands have also accelerated the siege of the moment, leaving SAIC Audi with little market opportunity.
Similar concerns are logical in theory, but they cannot explain and deduce the complex operation and unpredictable changes of the real society, let alone "beat to death" the new market players. It's as if before Apple created a smartphone that truly amazed users, no one could predict that users could evolve into a "smart terminal" for mobile phones.
What's more, there is a saying in China that says it well, "Business is divided into people, the key is to see if you will do it." The same is the "business" of luxury cars, which started 30 years later than the big brother "FAW Audi", and it is obvious that the successful experience before the "big brother" cannot be copied, because the different consumption environments of the times are different.
Therefore, adhering to the "just do different" is the strategic layout "prescription" prescribed by Audi Global for opening the second front in the Chinese market - SAIC Audi, which means that in terms of product introduction, business strategy and user service, SAIC Audi must take another more differentiated and more high-end development path, otherwise it is very likely to fall into the inner vortex of "two Audis fighting each other left and right".
For example, in terms of product introduction, since the "big brother" FAW Audi has achieved a leading advantage in various mainstream market segments through more than 30 years of successful operation, and the product intensively covers the luxury family car market of 250,000-550,000, then the latest ENTRY OF SAIC Audi can completely open another "new blue ocean" in the more high-end and more personalized and younger product segments.
In fact, from the product introduction, SAIC Audi rejected the "inner volume" from the beginning, which is not only reflected in the "big brother" FAW Audi to avoid collisions in the mainstream luxury car segment, but also "harmonious and different" with other luxury car market players. After the launch of SAIC Audi's domestic production project, the first new model introduced, the Audi A7L, was refreshing and highly anticipated.
Prior to this, no mainstream luxury car brand had taken a coupe model to the Chinese market for localization production. The arrival of the Audi A7L is undoubtedly the first crab eater in the entire domestic luxury car camp.
And from the perspective of operation methods, the A7L 55TFSI with a starting price of nearly 600,000 yuan can be described as a high-stakes attack, and SAIC Audi's practice of first pushing the 3.0T large-displacement flagship model is more in line with the "new forces" of the luxury car market when cutting into a more accurate segmentation of the new car introduction rhythm. The first domestic new car, the A7L, is the pioneering work of SAIC Audi's "concave human design" and boldly establishing a flag in the luxury car market.
Of course, if you compare the domestic Audi models that focus on the mainstream household segment that are already on the market, the starting price of the A7L is undoubtedly high, but if the comprehensive product value and user experience obtained by the end user are compared, such pricing is relatively reasonable, especially compared to the previous imported version of only 2.0T displacement but the starting price is also close to 600,000, and the domestic A7L is not only upgraded but also full.
The sexy coupe body, extended wheelbase is also equipped with Audi V6 3.0T power and 48V mix system, and the zero to 100 km/h acceleration is only 5.6 seconds. At the same time, Audi has applied dynamic all-wheel steering system and Audi's new generation of infotainment system in domestic vehicles for the first time, which breaks the conventional bold innovation measures and supports the Audi A7L to make great strides towards a higher-end and more differentiated positioning.
While the first flagship product was launched, SAIC Audi took the same pains to create its unique brand experience for the younger and more segmented target users "Amway".
Including inviting Xiao Zhan, a popular idol of the post-90s generation who is sunny and handsome, with good reputation and talent, to act as the spokesperson of the SAIC Audi brand; tailoring the "Black Samurai" and "White Mage" versions of the Audi A7L for young users with different needs; and the pure electric SUV Audi Q5 etron has achieved cross-border integration of fashion, art, technology and luxury vehicles through cooperation with Shanghai Ballet.
The Q6, a blockbuster domestic new car recently listed in the ministry of industry and information technology's new car catalog, also shows that SAIC Audi, as a "new force" in the luxury car market, is further tapping the more segmented demand scenarios of Chinese consumers. Such a product layout, mode exploration, in the sense of proportion and rhythm are very in place.
In fact, it is not difficult to do differentiated product positioning alone, but to achieve a differentiated user experience that matches product positioning is another more difficult system engineering. Obviously, without the support of the entire system of online + offline operation, service and experience, it is difficult for SAIC Audi to rely only on the product strength of new models to upgrade and obtain the reshaping of users' brand cognition of "high-end + differentiation + youth".
From product rejuvenation to comprehensive rejuvenation of marketing and experience, SAIC Audi has taken the lead in the circle of "Generation Z" users. The official user data disclosed by SAIC Audi shows that at present, among the consumers who book the Audi A7L, the proportion of users after 90 is nearly 40%, and the proportion of users after 85 is as high as 70%, and the user circle is gradually younger.
Of course, from the beginning of its establishment, SAIC Audi has shouldered two key missions: first, Audi hopes to launch innovative products through SAIC Audi to further enhance the overall image of the brand in China; second, for SAIC Motor, it hopes to study pioneering measures in the circulation field and create an innovative marketing service model through SAIC Audi's brand building.
As a result, the outside world has seen that what is promoted and landed almost at the same time as the domestic A7L is savoy Audi's channel development, user operation and brand marketing, and a series of layouts around the user experience "high-end + differentiation" such as SAIC Audi dares to be the first, lightly loaded.
First of all, in terms of user operation, the SAIC Audi user App for sales and service was launched online, providing users with the "Audi Butler" service of "one-click direct connection" exclusive account manager, and jointly voting with target users and creating an online community of "Shanghai Aohui".
Secondly, in the channel development, we will enable the new model of "agency system" for dealer investors who "do not press the library but only serve", and strive to create a three-level user experience terminal according to different regional characteristics - THE "Audi Enterprising Hub" of the SAIC Audi brand flagship center, the "Audi City" of the regional brand hub, and the "Audi City Store" throughout the country.
According to the official data disclosed by SAIC Audi, by the end of 2021, SAIC Audi has laid out more than 55 offline experience stores. In 2022, it will cover a total of 85 cities (a total of 120 stores). SAIC Audi's third Audi city, Beijing Audi City, will also open this year.
Compared with the report card that the outside world is most concerned about, SAIC Audi has been playing more in the past 2-3 years in the construction system, which is obviously not achieved overnight, and the construction of system capabilities especially requires a step-by-step "friend of time". The launch of the A7L at the beginning also indicates that using short-term sales performance to measure the success or failure of SAIC Audi is obviously biased and quick to make a profit.
It is not a new force to build cars, but it has new thinking and new atmosphere of new forces. Bringing together Audi's advanced technology and products, comparable to the channels and operations of new forces, SAIC Audi presents users with luxury and experience beyond new forces at the beginning, which is a strategic choice for SAIC Audi to seek differentiated positioning and jump out of the "inner volume" of the traditional luxury car market, which is undoubtedly both forward-looking and wise.
Wang Anshi has clouds in the poem "Climbing the Flying Peak": "Do not fear the floating clouds to cover your eyes, and you are at the highest level." "The current SAIC Audi, no doubt in the first foundation to practice internal strength, the so-called to do "difficult and correct things", which requires the process of running through the process of accumulation, but also need to calmly and unhurriedly add road confidence. (The author of this article, Yang Xiaolin, is a senior auto media person and co-founder/editor-in-chief of CheYi Media)