Not long ago, most of the new energy vehicles collectively increased prices. According to incomplete statistics, there have been more than 20 car companies, more than 50 new energy models have carried out official price increases, covering the mainstream car purchase range of 30,000-300,000+, with price increases ranging from 3,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan.
However, according to the February sales data of the Association, the domestic retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles is 21.8%, and the number of people who buy new energy vehicles is still in the minority. Therefore, many consumer groups who want to buy a car will not pay too much attention to the price increase of electric vehicles. But what is puzzling is that this wave of price increases is spreading from new energy vehicles to the fuel vehicle market under the butterfly effect.
Recently, a notice of price increase issued by Beijing Benz to dealers circulated on the Internet, and the recommended retail prices of some models on sale have been adjusted since April 2. The price increase models include imported C-class, E-class, S-class and domestic long-axis E-class and GLC L products, with prices ranging from hundreds of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.
According to Uncle Zhong, Mercedes-Benz has sent the relevant rules to dealers to communicate with customers, but it is not the price adjustment of the online version, and the specific details are still different. In fact, since April 1, Mercedes-Benz has taken the lead in the Indian market to start price increases, the price increase is about 3% of the price of the car, and the continuous increase in logistics costs and the rising price of raw materials are the main reasons.
In addition to batteries, raw material prices have risen sharply
The collective price increase of this round of new energy vehicles, the soaring price of battery raw materials and the lack of core are undoubtedly the culprits. In the announcements of all car companies that announced price increases, without exception, they all mentioned the lack of cores, rising raw material prices and other unfavorable factors.
Taking the battery lithium carbonate in the battery as an example, the average market price has now exceeded 500,000 yuan / ton, which has soared 10 times compared with the beginning of 2021. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, like steel, aluminum, copper, rubber and other related raw materials used in automobile manufacturing, and prices have risen to varying degrees compared with before.
Taking aluminum as an example, at the beginning of this year, Guangxi Baise, the main producer of electrolytic aluminum in the mainland, was upgraded due to epidemic prevention and control, which limited local production capacity and caused tight supply and demand of aluminum, and aluminum prices ushered in a new round of rapid rise. Against the backdrop of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, raw materials such as aluminum, nickel and pig iron from Russia are also at risk. In early March, Shanghai Aluminum (AL7777) rose 1.5% to close at 22,975 yuan / ton, an increase of more than 25% in the past three months.
In addition, driven by the "new four modernizations", the traditional fuel vehicle is no less intelligent than the new energy vehicle, and the demand for high-computing chips is also relatively tight.
Recently, Due to the lack of cores in the United States, Ford Motor will sell some "semi-finished" vehicles with non-safety-critical function chips, and also promised to reissue the chips to dealers after a year, and install the chips in seconds to become after-sales service. In China, car bosses are also in a state of "thirst for cores", and even if the price of chips is speculated to soar more than a hundred times, they will buy at any cost.
In a globalized environment, all raw materials will be subject to a global chain reaction, causing multiple rounds of blows to the automotive industry.
Due to the impact of the epidemic, logistics costs have risen
In addition to the rise in raw material prices, the rise in transportation costs is also a big account.
Like earlier, the two areas of Shenzhen Longgang and Luohu had a brief logistics stop due to the epidemic. As one of the important ports in South China, Shenzhen's port operations, collection card transportation, logistics and warehousing businesses have been affected by the escalation of epidemic prevention and control, and the overall operation rhythm has been dragged down.
The same is true in other areas where the epidemic is more severe, and goods that can be delivered in the past one or two days may take three or four days or even longer to be delivered due to the escalation and restrictions of epidemic prevention policies. Truck drivers need to do nucleic acids, inter-provincial transportation is more difficult, and reaching the destination even risks isolation. And the sudden extension of these shipping times will make the transportation costs rise sharply.
Shanghai, where the epidemic has recently become more serious, is a gathering place for supplies. Taking the East China Sea as an example, it is one of the important routes of many maritime international cargo ships, and once stopped, it will have a direct or indirect impact on the economy of the entire country and the global economy. SIPG said that the recent port land logistics has indeed been affected to a certain extent, and the volume of transportation has declined compared with before, which has indeed plagued many customers.
Production is blocked and supply and demand are out of balance
Of course, the epidemic will not only affect the logistics and transportation industry, but also seriously affect the production and manufacturing rhythm of local automobile factories.
Due to the epidemic in Shanghai, the supply of parts for SAIC Volkswagen's supply chain has been affected recently, and its Shanghai plant has stopped production from April 1 and is expected to resume production on April 5. Faw-Volkswagen, which is located in the north, is also facing production stoppage from April 1 to 5, and the resumption time is still uncertain, and it needs to be arranged according to the government.
As for which parts and models have been particularly affected, there is no more detailed information for the time being. As one of the top two automobile companies in China, the production reduced by the suspension of production for one week will further affect the balance of supply and demand in the market. Not only is the car pick-up cycle relatively prolonged, but the brand's premium ability will also become relatively stronger, and the terminal discount may be further contracted.
In addition, due to the indefinite extension of the sealing control in Shanghai, according to a recent report by Bloomberg, the shutdown time of Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory has been extended by at least 12 days. It is reported that it may not be until this Friday (8th) to resume work, according to the Nissan 2,000 electric vehicles to calculate, the suspension of production caused Tesla to lose at least 24,000 electric vehicles production capacity.
And this wave of price increases, not all car companies will choose official announcements. After all, as long as the traditional 4S store is relatively reduced in terminal discounts, it can play a good offsetting effect. On the contrary, the new forces, because most of them have adopted the direct operation model, will choose the official price increase. In any case, the cost of buying a car will be relatively higher for consumers.
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In summary, in the globalized competitive environment, the influence of international factors is usually a whole body. In addition to the core components of the battery, the rest of the general auto parts and materials, the impact of its price fluctuations, no car company can escape, the overall cost rise will actually affect all car companies, including fuel vehicle products.
Even luxury brands with higher profits have begun to officially announce price increases, and after Mercedes-Benz opened its head, I believe that the price increases of BMW and Audi will also be put on the agenda. Joint venture brands and independent brands with lower profitability will most likely follow up. Whether to be a "wait party" or "buy early and enjoy early" is a difficult choice for consumers.