Unpredictable and difficult to subvert
Text/Shanshan Xu
01
The next performance wing
According to Tianyan, BYD Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd. was established on March 25, with the legal representative being Zhou Yalin, with a registered capital of 50 million yuan and 100% wholly owned by BYD Automobile Industry Co., Ltd.
Short comments
The recent increase in the price of vegetables in Shanghai can be compared with the price increase trend of new energy vehicles.
Since the beginning of this year, dozens of new energy models on the market have issued price increase notices, mostly because the price of raw materials has risen sharply, and the pressure on supply chain costs cannot be absorbed by itself, so it has to be passed on to consumers. At the end of last year, there was actually another reason for the price increase of new energy vehicles: the launch of exclusive car insurance.
Nowadays, more and more car companies have started to do business in this area, following Tesla, Weilai and Xiaopeng Motors, BYD has also officially entered the insurance intermediary industry.
Last year, BYD's new energy vehicle sales were close to 600,000 vehicles, relying on a huge user base, while earning insurance commissions, while improving user stickiness, it is not unprofessional.
More importantly, due to the increasing use of parts, the maintenance of new energy vehicles is relatively more complicated, and the profitable after-sales maintenance service has also become a piece of meat in the car company's market. Who can let it go so easily?
Tesla CEO Musk has publicly stated that the insurance business will become one of Tesla's main products, accounting for 30% to 40% of the value of the vehicle business. The domestic market space is huge, and perhaps major new energy brands are trying to build the next wings that drive performance to take off.
Then again, both insurance and insurance brokerage companies have to face the problem of solving various difficult diseases of car owners. Solve well, word of mouth increase; the solution is not good, the complaint list must add a column of information.
02
It's not good
Recently, STMicroelectronics, one of the world's major MCU suppliers, once again issued a price increase letter to distributors, announcing that it will raise the price of all product lines, including existing backlogs, starting in the second quarter of this year.
Whether the price rises or not increases is a multiple-choice question.
Analysts say the lack of cores is expected to be alleviated in the second half of 2022 and the situation will improve further in 2023. But the question is, in the face of continuous price increase notices, how many downstream manufacturers will close their doors because they can't afford it?
Upstream suppliers said there was nothing they could do about it. According to STMicroelectronics, the semiconductor industry shows no signs of recovery in the short term in the economic and geopolitical situation. However, in view of the industry's continued lack of cores, suppliers not only have to increase investment to expand production, but also face rising raw materials, energy and logistics costs.
Although the specific increases are not disclosed, according to past experience, the price increase notices are wave after wave. It is said that after STMicroelectronics, Infineon, NXP, Renesas, and TI also intend to increase the quotation of its automotive MCUs and other products.
For the automotive industry, where to get the goods, at what price, and when to get the goods will be unknown. Although it seems so difficult, it is good that the domestic car grade MCU suppliers are constantly growing.
Perhaps at this stage, the price increase has been avoided, and most consumers are almost "lying flat" on the price increase news, but the waiting time around the price increase is often further extended. Can't help but ask: When will the epidemic come to an end?
03
Nothing
According to the information of Tianyancha, in the related case with first planning (Beijing) Culture Co., Ltd., the executor Borgward Automobile has no property to execute. Domestic media reported that many car owners have reacted that the store is suspended from business, and the lifetime warranty may not be cashed.
"Borgward is really dead."
Starting with Foton's €50 billion purchase of the German bankrupt car brand Borgward, a story centered on debt repayment has begun. And now, this marketing that has worked German blood has finally come to an end.
Although Borgward's entry into China has achieved eye-catching sales, how can it be so easy to come back to life. There is no German manufacturing technology, just an empty shell. In 2020, Borgward sold a total of 8,740 new cars, only 79 in September 2021, and zero sales in November.
Borrowing the name of Borgward to cut the passenger car market, Foton Automobile has done this. But spending more money on marketing can backfire. The failure to deliver products of the same quality as in the advertisement has gradually dampened consumer confidence.
Perhaps, the Germans really felt a lot of emotions and wept with joy for the resurrection of Borgward; but standing in the domestic market, independent brands without core advantages can only be annihilated in the market torrent.
Who will take over Borgward?
This question is not important. Importantly, the name Borgward still cannot subvert fate, and the history associated with it has officially turned the page.