Price is still the first competitiveness, and culture and intelligent technology are beginning to become an essential element of new energy mini vehicles
In the Luoyang Flying Wuling Baojun 4S store, even the exhibition car is not enough to sell. Photo / Caijing reporter Wang Jingyi
Text | Caijing reporter Li Yang and Wang Jingyi
Edit | Wang Jingyi
"Buying this car is like buying cabbage, many people come directly with money, without test driving, just buy it." The sales consultant of the Henan Luoyang Flying Wuling Baojun 4S store described the popularity of the Hongguang MINI EV to the Caijing reporter.
The car price is about 40,000 yuan, bought for daily transportation, Hongguang MINI EV is popular in small and medium-sized cities such as Luoyang. According to data from SAIC-GM-Wuling, the Hongguang MINI EV was listed from the middle of 2020 to December 31, 2021, and the overall sales volume exceeded 550,000. Among them, the cumulative sales volume of the whole year of 2021 is close to 400,000 units, becoming the annual sales crown of new energy vehicles and winning the single month sales crown for 16 consecutive months.
If the consumer has 100,000 yuan, buy a fuel car or an electric car?
"Finance" reporter investigation found that Beijing and Shanghai may be more "can not buy fuel vehicles", after all, the big city license plate policy control is extremely strict, Beijing license plate often queue for ten years, Shanghai license plate is expensive up to 100,000. However, in the eyes of many consumers in small and medium-sized cities who do not need to consider the license plate problem, they are "unwilling to buy fuel vehicles", after all, electric vehicles can save purchase taxes and use cars at half the cost, which is a cost-effective choice.
Meeting the needs of consumers and changing from policy-oriented to market-oriented is a new signal released by the hot sales of new energy vehicles below 100,000 yuan. No need for subsidies, no need to restrict the purchase policy support, the car silently cultivates small and medium-sized cities, opening up a new market with annual sales of nearly one million vehicles.
Li Jinyong, president of the New Energy Vehicle Branch of the Automobile Chamber of Commerce of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, said that A00-class electric vehicles will rely on the advantages of travel costs that are more than half lower than fuel vehicles, taking the lead in replacing fuel vehicles of the same level, and if the lack of core is not serious, the production and sales will reach 1.5 million to 2 million in 2022. In particular, the market ceiling of low-cost models is still far from being reached, and the future growth space will be very large.
Price is the first competitiveness
Unlike the general 4S store full of exhibition cars, Luoyang Feiwuling Baojun 4S store appears to be empty, "the cars are sold out", the aforementioned sales told the "Caijing" reporter.
There is no doubt that Hongguang MINI EV has become a phenomenon-level product in the new energy market, and it has also made the entire new energy industry see the value of micro-electric vehicles.
The so-called micro-electric vehicle generally refers to the A00-class electric vehicle, according to the German division, the wheelbase of the A00-class is 2 meters -2.2 meters, but in fact, some cars with a wheelbase of less than 2 meters, or slightly higher than 2.2 meters, also known as mini cars.
According to the statistics of the Association of Automobile Associations, the sales volume of A00-class pure electric cars in 2021 is about 898,500 units, accounting for 30.1% of the annual sales of new energy vehicles, which is the largest single subdivision category.
In the face of strong market demand, car companies have launched new products for micro and small electric vehicles, including Sihao E10X, Chery QQ Ice Cream, Baojun KIWI, BYD Dolphin, Reading Mango, Punk Duoduo, Baizhi Big Bear, etc.
"More and more people pay attention to entry-level new energy vehicles, there are currently a number of domestic top capital chatting with us, want to invest, before we did low speed when not paid attention at all, no one can see." Wu Shiyin, general manager of lingtu automobile marketing, told Caijing reporter that lingtu automobile has switched from low-speed electric vehicles to new energy cars in recent years.
Wu Shiyin said, "We use Euler's size to sell Wuling at the price. Although it started late and did not have a brand advantage, it can also sell thousands of vehicles a month, which shows that the market is hot and promising. ”
The market positioning of this kind of scooter is very clear, that is, aiming at urban travel, which is both an alternative to the low-speed car market in previous years and an upgrade of two-wheeled electric vehicles.
At present, the price of micro-electric vehicles on the market is generally below 100,000 yuan, but the best selling is the Hongguang MINI EV below 50,000 yuan. Obviously, the price is the first competitiveness of micro-electric vehicles. The price of low-speed cars and the quality of passenger cars make Hongguang MINI EV the first choice for transportation needs.
Taking Luoyang as an example, in May 2020, the Luoyang traffic police carried out a special action to rectify low-speed three-wheeled and four-wheeled electric vehicles in the urban area, requiring that from now on, low-speed electric vehicles must hold a driver's license (three-wheeled electric is D driving license, four-wheeled electric is C3 and above driving license), and it is forbidden to drive into urban expressways.
Since almost no driving school specializes in C3, C2 and other low-level driving license training, most consumers must obtain the most commonly used C1 driver's license, which is equivalent to the requirements of ordinary passenger cars.
Ms. Xu, a citizen of Luoyang, originally planned to buy a low-speed electric car, which "can shield the wind and rain, which is much better than an electric car." To this end, she spent more than half a year to obtain a C1 driver's license.
When the driver's license arrived, she changed her mind. Seeing that the Hongguang MINI EV and the locally produced Dayang low-speed electric vehicle are similar in price, and the Wuling brand is more famous and can also be officially licensed, omitting the trouble of being "chased and blocked" by the traffic police from time to time, Ms. Xu finally purchased a Hongguang MINI EV for 32,800 yuan.
Ms. Xu calculated an account for the "Finance" reporter, and the daily cost of the car mainly includes three aspects: fuel money, parking fee, and maintenance fee, and the new energy vehicle has obvious advantages in each aspect.
Fuel vehicles to fill a tank of fuel to 350 yuan, electric vehicles outside a charge of less than 50 yuan, if the price of charging in their own home will be lower; fuel vehicle parking once 3 yuan, electric vehicle half price or three hours free; fuel vehicle maintenance a year to cost at least 1,000 yuan, electric vehicles basically only change glass water, tires and other sporadic costs.
Buying a car can save the purchase tax, the cost of the car is also half cheaper, Ms. Xu is very satisfied with her own electric car. Guangzhou Hongguang MINI EV car advocate ms. also expressed her affirmation of the car to the "Caijing" reporter, "cheap and easy to use, basically meet their own travel needs to buy vegetables and pick up children." ”
Who guarantees the quality of electric cars?
The absolute price advantage has contributed to the prosperity of the car market below 50,000 yuan. After the Hongguang MINI EV was sold, Changan Benben E-Star also launched a national version, priced at 29,800-39,800 yuan; among the joint venture brands, Volkswagen's new energy vehicle brand Sihao E10X also lowered the price to 39,900 yuan.
Everbright Securities pointed out that the "policy horse" such as the double integration policy, the new energy of car purchase indicators, and the rectification of low-speed electric vehicles is more durable, the "product horses" such as Hongguang MINI EV and Ben Ben E-Star are more powerful, and the "user horses" such as women, re-purchases, and upgrades are more extensive, and will continue to help the development of mini cars.
But the question that arises is, who will guarantee the quality of the electric car? In most people's minds, low prices are about the same as shoddy. Previously, Hongguang MINI EV was criticized by the majority of netizens for not having airbags and rear anti-collision steel beams.
In this regard, SAIC-GM-Wuling's explanation is that the market positioning of Hongguang MINI EV is a short-distance urban transportation, and high-speed is only needed from time to time. The newly launched Hongguang MINI EV macaron version is equipped with an airbag in the driver's seat, but the corresponding price is also much higher, starting from 37,600 yuan.
Even so, the "Finance" reporter learned in the survey that many consumers resist the model because the price is too low and may not be of good quality.
For consumers, when choosing an electric vehicle within 100,000 yuan, how to consider the problem of product quality, the answer may be only one: brand empowerment.
An Euler black catwoman said in an interview with the "Finance" reporter, "The choice of Euler is largely because many people around him open the Great Wall, euler is a sub-brand of Great Wall Motors, and it will be more reliable in quality." ”
After using Euler for a period of time, the owner also expressed satisfaction, "in the past often heard about the endurance anxiety of electric vehicles, after really experiencing the life of electric vehicles, only to find that there is no existence, 351km endurance, there is no obvious shrinkage, basically meet their own travel needs." ”
In the case of the same product parameters are not much different, consumers often choose the same word-of-mouth car brand.
At present, the research and development and production of new energy vehicles below 100,000 yuan is roughly divided into two categories, one is the traditional independent car companies, such as Chery, Wuling, Baojun, BYD, etc., from the same level of fuel vehicles to attack new energy; the second is to obtain passenger car licenses of low-speed electric vehicle companies, such as Reading, Lingbao, Punk and Baizhi, from low speed to high speed.
"In second- and third-tier cities, consumers who used to drive low-speed electric vehicles wanted to buy a high-speed car, so they chose a big brand like Wuling; in the sinking markets such as fifth- and sixth-tier cities and townships, consumers relatively don't care about brands, and the sales channels of car companies are more important. Wu Shiyin said.
According to the data of the Association, in January 2022, the 100,000-yuan electric vehicle market, followed by the Hongguang MINI EV, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were occupied by BYD Dolphin, Chery QQ Ice Cream, Changan Ben E-Star, and Chery Ant.
Among the top 30 new energy vehicle sales list, most of them are traditional independent brand car companies.
In fact, even the Hongguang MINI EV, which has been criticized for security risks, has sufficient security protection. For example, the proportion of high-strength steel used is more than 57%, the crew compartment adopts a cage skeleton structure, the battery compartment adopts a frame skeleton structure; the new car is equipped with a front anti-collision beam, and the main force area of the body side is designed with anti-concave reinforcement plates. Every Hongguang MINI EV is an automotive product that meets national safety standards.
The weight of brand effects in this emerging market may be much greater than imagined. This has also led to Nezha and Zero Run, who are behind in the new car-making forces, but they have not even entered the top five on the 100,000 yuan electric car sales list.
The trolley also pursues personality and intelligence
In January 2022, in the 100,000 yuan level electric vehicle market, the Hongguang MINI EV, which is still far ahead, has fallen by nearly 50% compared with last December; followed by the just-listed BYD Dolphin and Chery QQ Ice Cream, which have also reached the level of 10,000 units per month.
The biggest feature of these models, which are priced slightly higher than the Hongguang MINI EV, is the introduction of new cultural elements, while having a certain degree of intelligent technology functions, so that cheap transportation tools can also show their personality.
Taking the BYD dolphin as an example, the front three-stage LED daytime running light resembles the smiling face of a dolphin; a sloping waist line on the side is inspired by the dolphin's posture of jumping out of the water; the outer rearview mirror looks like the front fin of a dolphin, and the through-type taillight is like the image of a dolphin flipping and jumping. The whole vehicle incorporates a large number of dolphin elements, creating a marine culture of "creating infinite possibilities".
Coincidentally, Nezha Car uses the mythical character "My life is up to me" to create the animation culture of the car; Euler is designing a large number of imitations of cats as human companions to create a car culture of long-term companionship. Among the traditional car companies, GAC Aeon has established a trendy play culture through AION Y; SAIC-GM-Wuling has promoted a modification culture based on the Hongguang MINI EV...
Models and brands full of personality have gradually entered the field of vision of consumers and become one of the diversified brand empowerment means of new energy vehicles. The 100,000 yuan new energy car within the reach of consumers has begun to become more and more abundant, both in appearance and function.
Thoughtful and applicable smart technology is also a feature favored by many consumers.
Ms. Wang, a Nezha car owner in Shangqiu, Henan, told the Caijing reporter, "My family lives in the urban area, works in the county seat, 15 kilometers one way, it is also convenient to charge in the unit, and there are charging piles at home, which is completely enough." The endurance is about 200 kilometers in winter and more than 300 kilometers in summer. Although there is no autonomous driving function. However, AI voice is still very good, you don't need to use your hands when you need to navigate and listen to songs, it is very sensitive, and the dialect can be recognized. ”
When buying, it is only cheap and convenient, but after use, there are unexpected surprises. "We girls always forget to take the key, and we can control the car without the key." I am also afraid that if I enter the car in the summer, it will be hot and stuffy, and you can use your mobile phone to turn on the air conditioner in advance. My colleague bought the Civic, none of which had this feature, and last time we laughed at him. Even in cars at the same price, there are very few of them. Ms. Wang told Caijing reporters.
Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, the long-term companionship of Euler cat, the trend and fashion of Aeon, the flamboyant personality of Nezha, the marine aesthetics of BYD, etc., are all all all changes from appearance to function, which are essentially different from the slogan concepts of "cheetah" and "mustang" in the past.
A car company R & D personnel explained to the "Finance" reporter, "First of all, the power structure of electric vehicles is simpler, so that the shape of electric vehicles can be more personalized, and the space layout can be more diversified (except for oil to electricity), which triggers changes in the positioning of the car, making it from a means of transportation to a multi-functional mobile Internet space, providing favorable conditions for car brands to integrate more complex concepts." ”
It is foreseeable that the pure electric platform of car companies is becoming more and more rich and mature, intelligent network technology is becoming more and more advanced, and the era of 100,000 yuan of cars simply emphasizing cost performance is gone, and personality and intelligent technology are also indispensable core competitiveness.