Sales exceeded 100,000, but In March, Honda was trapped by the epidemic| a one-sentence comment

22/04/07

Lead

In 2022, for the Honda brand, how to find its own breakthrough direction in the electrification transformation is the key to the brand's continuous advancement.

Author 丨 Deng Yongtuo

Responsible editor 丨 Yang Jing

Edit 丨 Chic

Recently, honda brands announced their overall sales in the Chinese market in March 2022. According to the data, Honda's cumulative sales of terminal vehicles in China in March were 101,061 units, down 33.2% year-on-year.

Affected by the shortage of chips and raw materials, coupled with the repeated domestic epidemics that have shrunk the market size, Honda's performance in the Chinese market in the first quarter is not something to be proud of. From January to March this year, the cumulative sales of Honda brand terminals were 353,786 units, down 9.3% year-on-year.

Separately, Guangqi Honda's cumulative sales in the first quarter were 184,850 units, of which 53,700 were terminal vehicles in March, and Dongfeng Honda's cumulative sales in the first quarter were 168,936 units, of which terminal vehicle sales in March were 47,361 units, and the overall year-on-year sales showed a downward trend.

1

Hybridization is a fundamental advantage

Since March, due to the shortage of parts and components caused by the repeated epidemics and the limited production capacity, the sales situation of various car companies has not been satisfactory. The continuous rise in oil prices has brought some uncertain factors to the fuel vehicle market, and hybridization and energy transformation have become the mainstream trend.

Thanks to Honda's technology accumulation in hybrid, this advantage can be well translated into market share, and Honda's recognition and brand attention in the hybrid market continue to rise. From January to March 2022, the cumulative sales of models equipped with Honda's SPORT HYBRID high-efficiency dual-motor hybrid system totaled 54,034 units.

In terms of hybrid models, Honda has always been in a leading position in the Chinese market. Models equipped with sharp hybrid and efficient dual-motor hybrid systems such as Dongfeng Honda Yingshipai, CR-V, guangqi Honda Accord, Haoying and Odyssey have always had a good response and reputation in the market, and are also an important support for the sales volume of the Honda brand.

With the accelerated pace of new energy transformation, more and more automobile brands, especially independent brands, have also launched hybrid models in the Chinese market. Whether it is micro-hybrid or plug-in hybrid, the emergence of new technologies and new models has made market users more and more receptive to hybrid technology, and the market share continues to rise.

For the Honda brand, hybrid technology is a fundamental advantage of its long history. In the case of the market environment for hybrid models continue to improve, how to use their own advantages to increase market sales, is a problem worth thinking about.

2

Electrification is steadily advancing

It is also worth thinking about in the process of new energy transformation, thinking and exploration of electrification.

Nowadays, with the help of the rapid development of electrification, independent brands and new car-making forces have seized the market. Domestic brands represented by Wei Xiaoli and BYD have continued to rise in brand sales under the wave of electrification, forming a certain market share and user support.

For a brand like Honda with strong R&D capabilities, GUANGQI Honda and Dongfeng Honda are the premier joint ventures in China, and they still lag behind slightly in the process of electrification transformation. However, as the saying goes, it is better to catch up early than to catch up, and as the acceptance of the market is improving, how to use its own advantages at this stage to take the road of electrification steadily and accurately is the core and key to the problem.

In the face of the constant changes in the market environment, the Honda brand is also accelerating the transformation and upgrading of electrification, although it is late, Honda has finally entered the electrification track. Last month, Guangqi Honda officially announced its new electric brand e:NP, and set its Chinese name as "Polar Pan", and the first model e:NP1 was named "Polar Turbulence 1".

As the sister car of e:NP1, Dongfeng Honda e:NS1 also recently began pre-sale, will launch e-type version (CLTC endurance 420km) and e-dynamic version (CLTC endurance 510km), pre-priced 18-21 million yuan, and will be officially launched in April. Both cars are based on honda's e:N Architecture F platform, and the overall shape is derived from the Honda e:Prototype prototype.

For the future development on the road to electrification, the Honda brand has a long-term plan for Both GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda. GUANGQI Honda will launch an EV model of the e:NP series every year from this year to 2025, of which the Ji pan 2 will be unveiled at the 2022 Beijing Auto Show, and its new energy exclusive plant will be completed and put into operation in 2024. All new models launched by GUANGQI Honda in China after 2023 are hybrid, plug-in hybrid, pure electric and other models.

On the other hand, Dongfeng Honda's comprehensive acceleration of electrification transformation strategy, e:NS1 as Dongfeng Honda's 7 millionth off-the-line vehicle is the best example, marking that Dongfeng Honda has officially entered the era of electric vehicles. In the future, Dongfeng Honda plans to launch a number of new pure electric vehicle brand e:N models in the next 5 years, taking the lead in building a very attractive product matrix.

In 2022, "power-up" has become the main theme of the automotive circle. For the Honda brand, how to find its own direction in the transformation of electrification is the key year for the brand to continue to move forward.

Deng Yongtuo

Not a big problem, there is no fear of cars.