Recently, we learned from relevant channels that Dongfeng Honda plans for new cars this year. According to this plan, this year, Dongfeng Honda will launch a mid-term modification of the domain, a new Civic Sharp Hybrid, a new XR-V, a new CR-V, a new Civic Hatchback Sharp Hybrid Edition, a Civic Type R, and the first electric vehicle e: NS1 and many other new cars.
Specifically, the mid-term revamp will be on March 26, Dongfeng Honda's first new car of the new pure electric brand , e:NS1 , is expected to be listed in April, while the new Civic Sharp Hybrid Edition and the new XR-V models are expected to be listed in August this year, and the Civic Type R, which attracts the attention of young people, is expected to be listed in December this year.
So, is it possible for Dongfeng Honda to achieve its annual sales target of 1 million vehicles this year?
In the chip crisis that broke out in 2021, it is an indisputable fact that the joint venture brand suffered the most, and the lack of core in the industry in 2022 is still not optimistic. According to the data of the Association, only a few of the joint venture brands in the TOP15 in 2021 have maintained positive growth, while Dongfeng Honda is the majority.
Official data shows that in 2021, Dongfeng Honda sold 761879 vehicles for the whole year. In the environment where the overall auto market is not optimistic, Dongfeng Honda is still full of resilience, maintains its due combat effectiveness, and also builds a strong mass base for the achievement of 7 million users.
The reason for this is mainly from the good performance of CR-V and XR-V. According to the data, in 2021, Dongfeng Honda CR-V annual terminal sales reached 222,300 units, winning the sales championship of the joint venture SUV. The XR-V sold 191,400 units in the full year, the top sales of the joint venture small SUV, an increase of 17.8% year-on-year. In the car market, Civic also achieved a cumulative sales of 166,100 units throughout the year.
In our view, under the influence of multiple uncertainties, when sales volume is no longer the only measure, Dongfeng Honda's product layout and brand upgrading are more meaningful than the sales digital inventory.
At the product layout level, Dongfeng Honda's new products in 2021 are not small, not only launching the eleventh generation civic, the new Yingshipai and the new Alissen and other new products, but also launched the CR-V sharp hybrid e+, further through the three-dimensional layout of fuel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, expanding the richness of the CR-V product line. In the context of the MPV market ushering in more and more joint venture rivals in 2021, Dongfeng Honda Ai Lishen has also carried out more than 40 upgrades and evolutions.
Judging from the rhythm of new product launches, including the eleventh generation Civic, Yingshipai, XR-V Obsidian Edition and the new Alexand are basically listed in the last quarter of the second half of the year, which has a limited effect on the sales of the whole year, but lays a good foundation for the beginning of 2022. In January this year, Dongfeng Honda sold 77,400 vehicles, of which CR-V, Civic, XR-V, Yingshipai and other models reached more than 10,000 vehicles.
On this basis, in 2022, Dongfeng Honda will not only bring the 11th generation Civic Type R, for the first time to localize the Type R model, but also bring a new XR-V, a new CR-V.
In addition to this accident, in terms of electrification, the e:NS1 unveiled in 2021 will also truly kick off the electrification of Dongfeng Honda and compete in the pure electric market.
With the help of many new products, the momentum of Dongfeng Honda in 2022 should not be underestimated. It is worth mentioning that in the construction of product reputation, Dongfeng Honda has also achieved good results in 2021.
According to the "2021 China Automobile Retention Rate Research Report", Dongfeng Honda's retention rate in 2021 is as high as 63.4%, ranking first in the list of manufacturers, while CR-V, XR-V, Civic, Alissen and other models have achieved the first retention rate in their respective market segments.
Therefore, under the launch of these new products and the good product reputation, it can be predicted that in 2022, Dongfeng Honda's consumer confidence may be expected to further strengthen.
According to industry forecasts, the core shortage crisis will be further intensified in 2022, which will also bring many uncertainties to the pull effect of Dongfeng Honda's new products.
However, this is not a challenge for the Dongfeng Honda family, but a challenge for the entire industry. Therefore, from another point of view, accelerating the launch of new products and electrified products will also win new opportunities for Dongfeng Honda.