Wang Guoxin said: "The most direct reason for the price increase of new energy vehicles is the soaring price of raw materials such as lithium and nickel; At the same time, the price of commodities such as steel and copper has risen sharply, which has also pushed up production costs; The decline in the price of new energy vehicle credits and the decline in subsidies have also doubled the cost pressure of new energy vehicle companies. ”
"In addition to the price increase of raw materials and the decline of subsidies, the sudden increase in market demand is also an important reason for the price increase of new energy vehicles." Pei Dajun said bluntly. Yang Xiaolin agreed, "The core factor of the price increase of new energy vehicles is the relationship between market supply and demand, in the third and fourth quarters of last year, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles increased sharply, and the terminal demand that exceeded expectations led to the increase in car companies and upstream industrial chain enterprises, hoarding goods to ensure supply; At the same time, with the help of capital, the number of companies involved in car manufacturing is also increasing, which eventually leads to an increase in the price of new energy vehicles. ”
"In the long run, the price of new energy vehicles will not fall sharply." Zhao Yun believes that "whether the price is reduced or not depends on whether the cost decline after the large-scale production of car companies can cover the range of raw material rises, at present, most manufacturers can only wait and see, cautious price increases, cover part of the cost, and strive to support the market environment is stable, raw material prices fall."
Gao Xin said that China's new energy vehicle market has been gradually opened, sales are no longer a shackle restricting the development of car companies, how to deal with the orders in hand, through reasonable scheduling, stable supply of parts, in order to ensure the delivery cycle and delivery volume, is the "winner or loser" of car companies in the market competition.
New energy vehicles have set off a new round of "price increase tide". From March 17 to 19, new forces such as Xiaopeng, Weima, Zero Run, and Geometry have opened a price increase mode, ranging from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. According to incomplete statistics, since the beginning of this year, more than 20 car companies have raised the prices of nearly 50 models. Among the major new energy vehicle companies, only a few car companies such as Weilai and Lantu have not yet announced price increases.
The superposition of multiple factors has boosted the price of new energy vehicles
Wang Guoxin, editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel pro & Feiling Automobile, said: "The most direct reason for the price increase of new energy vehicles is the soaring price of raw materials such as lithium and nickel for power batteries; At the same time, the sharp rise in the price of commodities such as steel and copper has also pushed up the cost of production, and it cannot be solved in the short term. In addition, the decline in the price of new energy vehicle credits and the decline in subsidies have also doubled the cost pressure of new energy vehicle companies. ”
Editor-in-Chief of Spiegel pro & Feiling Motors Wang Guoxin (Photo courtesy of interviewee)
Taking battery-grade lithium carbonate as an example, its price has risen from 90,000 yuan / ton in July 2021 to the current 500,000 yuan / ton. In order to promote the reasonable and stable operation of prices, the relevant state departments interviewed some lithium salt enterprises, emphasizing that upstream enterprises should jointly promote the benign development of the industrial chain. On February 28, Xin Guobin, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, also proposed at the press conference of the State Council New Office that the development of domestic lithium, nickel and other resources will be moderately accelerated this year, and unfair competition such as hoarding and price gouging will be cracked down.
Pei Dajun, editor-in-chief of "Car City Pei Chat & Soldier Car Shop" (photo provided by the interviewee)
"In addition to the price increase of raw materials and the decline of subsidies, the sudden increase in market demand is also an important reason for the price increase of new energy vehicles, from the fourth quarter of last year to the present, the growth rate of the new energy market is much higher than that of fuel vehicles." Pei Dajun, editor-in-chief of "Car City Pei Chat & Soldier Car Shop", said bluntly. Yang Xiaolin, co-founder and editor-in-chief of CheYi Media, agreed: "The core factor of the price increase of new energy vehicles is the relationship between market supply and demand, in the third and fourth quarters of last year, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles increased sharply, and the terminal demand exceeding expectations led to the increase in layers of car companies and upstream industry chain enterprises, hoarding goods and ensuring supply; At the same time, with the help of capital, the number of companies involved in car manufacturing is also increasing, which eventually leads to an increase in the price of new energy vehicles. ”
Yang Xiaolin, co-founder and editor-in-chief of CheYi Media (Photo courtesy of interviewee)
According to the data of the Federation of Passenger Vehicles, from January to February this year, the production and sales of new energy passenger cars in China reached 783,000 units and 624,000 units, respectively, a substantial increase of 168.5% and 153.1% year-on-year. In terms of the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, it was less than 10% at the beginning of 2021, and it increased rapidly to 20.4% in August of the same year, and in February this year, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles remained at a high level of 21.8%, an increase of 13 percentage points year-on-year.
Pei Dajun also proposed that "affected by factors such as the shortage of chips and batteries, the price increase of new energy vehicles is almost inevitable." ”
System construction, chain stability, and chain stability increase the stability of the new energy industry
As for when the price of new energy vehicles will cool down, Gao Xin, executive editor of the Global Times Auto Weekly, said frankly: "At present, it is impossible to judge how long the price increase will last, because the price of raw materials has not stabilized in the near future, especially in the context of subsidy decline and point price reduction, the cost of new energy vehicle companies is difficult to fall rapidly."
Executive Editor of Global Times Auto Weekly Gao Xin (Photo courtesy of interviewee)
Zhao Yun, editor-in-chief of SinoAuto's new media matrix, believes that "in the long run, the price of new energy vehicles will not drop significantly. He further pointed out that "whether the price reduction depends on whether the cost decline of the car company can cover the increase in raw materials after large-scale production, at present, most manufacturers can only wait and see, cautiously increase prices, cover part of the cost, and strive to support the market environment is stable, raw material prices fall." ”
Zhao Yun, Editor-in-Chief of SinoAuto New Media Matrix (Courtesy of Interviewee)
For high-end intelligent new energy products, due to the high profits, car companies can share their cost pressure through large-scale production. However, for entry-level products with high price sensitivity to users, companies are likely to choose to stop production due to excessive production pressure.
"Daily Economic News" auto channel editor-in-chief Fan Wenqing (photo provided by the interviewee)
In Gao Xin's view, stable chain protection chain is the primary work of the new energy automobile industry this year. China's new energy vehicle market has been gradually opened, sales are no longer a shackle restricting the development of car companies, how to deal with the orders in hand, through reasonable scheduling, stable supply of parts, in order to ensure the delivery cycle and delivery volume, is the "winner and loser" of car companies in the market competition.
In order to ensure the stable development of the new energy automobile industry, Fan Wenqing, editor-in-chief of the automobile channel of the Daily Economic News, suggested that the enterprise level should increase investment in the power battery raw material industry, rely on leading raw material enterprises to accelerate the exploration and development of domestic lithium resources, and ensure the safety of the supply chain; Powerful car companies should strengthen independent innovation and scientific and technological research, improve the level of resource recycling, and establish ecological consortiums such as collaborative research and development, product development, test and verification in the whole industrial chain. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the global layout of mineral resources and upstream raw materials. (China Economic Network reporter Chen Mengyu)