With the rise of domestic independent car brands, some joint venture car companies with insufficient competitiveness have entered a trough period, and Changan Ford is also one of them. Due to the inability of product replacement speed to catch up with the changes in the Chinese market, coupled with the dual impact of the "three-cylinder engine", Changan Ford has experienced a three-year continuous decline since nearly one million sales in 2016, and did not stop the decline until 2020. Changan Ford's sales in 2021 were 304,600 vehicles, achieving a year-on-year increase of 20.29%, of which the luxury sub-brand Lincoln won more than 80,000 sales in the whole year, making an important contribution to Changan Ford's sales trough.
Existing product array analysis, there are strengths and shortcomings
The first four models that supported Changan Ford's sales were two Sedans, The Forest and the Mondeo, and the Two SUVs of The Sharp Edge and the Sharp Boundary. Analyzing the competitiveness of these products one by one, although Forres uses a three-cylinder engine, how many consumers who buy this level of model can stand affordable prices? It was even once called by netizens as the most equipped joint venture car within 100,000. The whole series is equipped with double 10.25-inch one-piece LCD screen, 6 airbags, LED headlights, car air purifiers, etc., even in the independent brand, it is also a relatively high configuration, if it can be replaced with a 4-cylinder engine, there should still be more consumers to buy it.
The two models of Mondeo and Ruijie are old players who have been tested by the market for a long time, and there is no big problem, but in the face of many rising stars, the competitive advantage is gradually weakening, and it is imperative to replace them. Ruiji is a new SUV model launched by Changan Ford in recent years, with a starting price of 160,000 yuan, a powertrain of 2.0T+8AT, and rich interior configurations, which are its most attractive points. Moreover, the guidance price of the four-wheel drive model is not more than 200,000 yuan, it is difficult to find an opponent in the same level of models, if you want to say that the fly in the ointment, it may be that the urban fuel consumption and rear space performance are not particularly prominent, and some users who pay attention to home will be lost.
The Focus is one of the models most affected by the three-cylinder engine, with annual sales last year not even as good as the monthly sales at their peak. The good news is that Fox's four-cylinder version is coming back, continuing to be available in hatchback and sedan versions, and the exterior and interior will also be upgraded. Do you think Fox has a chance to get back to peak sales?
(Pictured is the current Fox)
(Pictured is the new Fox)
Start the Chinese design chapter from "EVOS" and embrace the trend
Nowadays, a car wants to sell well, not only in terms of power, configuration, space and other aspects can not be left behind, design is also a very important factor, many "special cars" can be sought after in the country, is because the product design concept is in line with the aesthetics of the Chinese people. Changan Ford's new crossover style mid-size SUV, evos, released late last year, is the first model from Ford's China Design Center. The design of the through-type headlight plus split type has a strong sense of visual impact and fashion. The body line is relatively bold, with the hatchback shape of the rear, with a strong sports atmosphere, in line with the current design trend.
(Pictured is Ford EVOS)
In the interior part, the 1.1-meter ultra-long Dalian screen has a full sense of technology, and supports the highest 4K resolution display, and the display effect is relatively excellent. If you like this design and the guide price of 19.98-25.98 million is more than budget, then the fifth generation of Mondeo, which has just been listed, can solve this embarrassing situation. The front face of the Mondeo adopts a similar design to EVOS, which can be basically determined to be one of Ford's future family design languages, and the rear of the car adopts through-line taillights, and also adds three-poster design details, which can be regarded as the inheritance of Mustang's classic design. More importantly, the pre-price of Mondeo is only 15.98-219,800 yuan, which can make a medium-sized car with a length of nearly five meters and 2.0T+8AT achieve this price, which shows the determination of Changan Ford.
(Pictured is Ford's new Mondeo)
(Pictured is Ford's new Mondeo interior)
Accelerate the promotion of electrification strategy and challenge Tesla
Changan Ford has also begun to lay out in the field of electric vehicles, the first pure electric SUV known as "electric horse" - Mustang Mach-E, the guidance price of 26.50-37.99 million yuan, will open large-scale delivery at the end of this month, the future will hopefully become a strong competitor to Tesla Model Y, Nio ES6 and other models. At the beginning of March, Ford Group announced the implementation of a new strategy, electric vehicles and fuel vehicles will be separate divisions, in China, the world's largest electric vehicle market, Ford electric vehicle performance is crucial, I believe that the follow-up more pure electric models are also expected to be the first launch in the Chinese market.
If Changan Ford's growth rate of more than 20% in 2021 is mainly dependent on the outstanding performance of luxury sub-brand Lincoln. Then in 2022, Changan Ford will bring the new Mondeo, the new Focus and other models to counterattack, many foreign brands are shouting "attach importance to the Chinese market, pay attention to Chinese users" slogan, Changan Ford is one of the few car companies that can implement this concept. (Text/UVIS Auto Ride)
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