In 2021, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in mainland China totaled 3.545 million units and 3.521 million units, ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years. With the gradual increase in the proportion of new energy vehicle sales and market ownership, the automotive aftermarket is bound to change the old logic and add new growth points.
According to the law of the birth of the automobile industry for more than 130 years, when the automobile market enters the stage of large-scale development, the aftermarket industry based on repair and maintenance will surely usher in rapid growth. Obviously, new energy vehicles are no exception.
Statistics show that the proportion of annual sales of new energy vehicles in the mainland has risen from about 1.2% in 2016, and by 2021, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in the mainland have accumulated 3.545 million units and 3.521 million units, ranking first in the world for seven consecutive years, with a market share of 13.4%. With the gradual increase in the proportion of new energy vehicle sales and market ownership, the automotive aftermarket is bound to change the old logic and add new growth points.
In the view of Hu Xiaodong, president of Tuhu Yangche, although the traditional internal combustion engine and powertrain-related car services will be affected by new energy vehicles, as the core of new energy vehicles, power batteries will bring new car service opportunities. At the same time, tires, brake systems, suspension and other spare parts may appear higher replacement and maintenance requirements due to the dynamic characteristics of new energy vehicles.
For example, he said, because the body of the new energy vehicle is heavier, the tire wear will be higher, "for example, the braking of the start and stop of the new energy vehicle is stronger, and the wear of shock absorption and suspension will also increase, which will bring more car service opportunities." ”
It is predicted that the maintenance expenditure of pure electric models will be about 30% lower than that of fuel models, but considering that the transformation of the new energy and intelligent automobile industry has promoted new business models, the automotive aftermarket and service field will also usher in unprecedented opportunities and challenges.
On the one hand, the product characteristics of new energy vehicles put forward new requirements for the maintenance service model, while the new energy after-sales service outlets are insufficient, and the professional and technical personnel of new energy after-sales testing and maintenance are seriously insufficient.
Some analysts believe that due to the dynamic characteristics of new energy vehicles, tires, brake systems, suspension and other spare parts may have higher replacement and maintenance requirements. For example, the body of new energy vehicles is heavier and the tire wear will be higher.
The reporter learned that there may be a large gap in the service supply of the new energy vehicle aftermarket. At present, the total number of stores operated and authorized by new energy manufacturers is about 3300, according to the number of domestic new energy vehicles, even if it does not consider the non-reuse of inter-brand stores, as well as the problem of future sales growth, each store still has to serve nearly 2400 new energy vehicles, far beyond the current service capabilities of most automobile service stores.
More importantly, unlike the after-sales service of traditional fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles need to have new capability needs for multi-party technologies such as "three electricity". The existing team of automotive maintenance technicians are mostly from the machine repair profession, which is difficult to learn the principles of automobile electrification and improve maintenance capabilities, so it is urgent to establish a new energy technician training and maintenance system.
On the other hand, at present, there are still a large number of new players in the new energy vehicle market, while traditional car companies are also actively promoting the transformation of electrification, while the maintenance of the accessories system and stores are mainly authorized and self-operated stores of various OEMs, and the pattern of the new energy vehicle aftermarket is still undecided.
"At present, new energy vehicles have not yet entered the high incidence period of maintenance, so this contradiction between supply and demand is not prominent." The early participation of independent third-party automotive service platforms will help change the status quo of the industry. Hu Xiaodong said frankly that for the automotive service industry, the significant increase in the ownership of new energy vehicles is "dangerous and organic", and the key lies in how relevant enterprises should actively respond.
Recently, the "Domestic Automobile Consumption Rights Protection Public Opinion Research Report (2021)" jointly released by the Beijing Sunshine Consumption Big Data Research Institute and the Consumer Protection Law Research Center of the University of International Business and Economics shows that automotive after-sales service has always been a hot issue for consumer complaints, and various disguised charges, shirking responsibility, poor service attitudes, untimely after-sales service and other issues have caused great trouble to consumers.
Some analysts believe that all parties in the new energy vehicle market need to jointly build a post-market innovation platform, form an upstream and downstream linkage effect of the industrial chain, and create a new ecology of new energy and intelligent vehicle aftermarket and after-service. Recently, at the 8th China Electric Vehicle 100 Conference, the joint innovation platform for new energy and intelligent vehicle aftermarket was officially established.
It is understood that the positioning of the platform is "a public welfare industry platform established to solve the major problems of new energy and intelligent vehicle aftermarket and after-service", initiated by The China Electric Vehicle 100 Association and China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., and the first batch of participating units include the National Big Data Alliance for New Energy Vehicles, the National New Energy Vehicle Technology Innovation Center, the China Consumer Association Automotive Aftermarket Committee, BYD Automobile, Jaguar Land Rover, WM Automobile, Ningde Times, Zhongxin Aviation, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, Tuhu Car, Ping An Leasing, Huayou Cycle, Dongfeng Changxing, Aodong New Energy.
On the one hand, the product characteristics of new energy vehicles put forward new requirements for the maintenance service model, while the new energy after-sales service outlets are insufficient, and the professional and technical personnel of new energy after-sales testing and maintenance are seriously insufficient; on the other hand, there are still a large number of new players in the new energy vehicle market, and traditional car companies are also actively promoting the transformation of electrification, and the maintenance parts system and stores are mainly authorized and self-operated stores of various OEMs, and the pattern of the new energy vehicle aftermarket is still unfinished.
Zhang Yongwei, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Electric Vehicle 100 Association, said that as mainland new energy vehicles enter a new stage of large-scale development, the next development of new energy and intelligent vehicles will rely more on the rapid growth of the aftermarket industry.
Zhang Yongwei stressed that the aftermarket needs to solve a series of basic technical problems, such as battery testing and vehicle price assessment; it is also necessary to solve a large number of policies, standards, regulations and other issues, such as how to price insurance, how to share vehicle data, etc. "I hope that more companies and platforms can work together to make due contributions to the development of the industry." ”
In Hu Xiaodong's view, if you want to summarize the new energy strategy of automotive aftermarket companies in one sentence, it is to "continuously seek opportunities for long-term common development with players in the new energy industry, actively build basic capabilities, and create new and more reasonable business models." According to reports, Tuhu Has built a team of new energy after-sales professional technicians with more than 100 people, covering more than 250 cities across the country. In addition, nearly 30 stores in the Tuhu car maintenance system have completed the transformation of new energy, with the ability and authorization of new energy vehicle three-electric maintenance.
The "14th Five-Year Plan" proposes to promote the transformation of consumer goods such as automobiles from purchase management to use management, which means that all participants in the new energy vehicle industry chain must focus on the whole life cycle of vehicles, develop new technologies and create new models through upstream and downstream linkage, and solve major problems in various fields, including the aftermarket of new energy vehicles.
Source: China Youth Daily (March 31, 11th edition)
China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Xu Yajie
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