Since its establishment in 2018, Lantu Automobile has been born for about 4 years, taking the route of pure electricity and range increase, positioning itself as a "zero-anxiety high-end intelligent electric brand". In the early days of the brand, there was still controversy about its positioning.
There are two points of controversy, one is "zero anxiety", since as an electric brand, where does the "zero anxiety" come from? Is it just because it has a range-extended model? The second is "high-end", "strong business and weak" Dongfeng Motor Group has been focusing on the low-end market for many years, and now the high-end road must not be a smooth road, and whether it can successfully high-end is still a mystery.
"Roller coaster" data
Although the establishment time of Landu Automobile is not short, the first model of land map FREE really began to be delivered in August last year, delivering 408 units. It then rose all the way to 3,330 units at the end of December last year, becoming the fastest eviction brand to deliver more than 3,000 units in a single month. Last year, Lantu's cumulative sales reached 6,791 vehicles, and the average transaction price exceeded 338,000, which can be said to be a very good performance.
And it should be noted that the sales volume of 3,330 units in December last year even exceeded the 3,461 units delivered by Lando FREE from August to November. In other words, I firmly believe that he will think that the Lantu at this moment has finally ushered in hope, not to mention dongfeng motor group.
Unexpectedly, just entering 2022, Lantu was tragically "Waterloo". Landu sales in January were 1,553 units, down 53.36% month-on-month; February sales were only 740 units, down 52.35% month-on-month; and sales picked up slightly in March to 1,400 units, up 89% month-on-month, but less than half of the 3,330 units in December. It is also quite appropriate to describe the performance of Lan Tu with big ups and downs. So, what is the phenomenon of worlds of difference?
What exactly is the core reason
Many people analyzed the reasons for the decline in sales, mainly due to the New Year's Eve season, repeated epidemics, chip supply shortages and the Spring Festival holiday. This is not completely without reference significance, which also has a certain reason and basis, but Xiaobian believes that it is not the main cause.
The data never lies, some data show that Lantu produced 3,579 vehicles in January and 1,083 vehicles in February, both of which are significantly higher than the sales value of the month. That is to say, the problem of Lantu does not appear on the supply side, but on the demand side.
What's more, the importance of Lantu Automobile to Dongfeng Motor Group is self-evident, carrying the important mission of Dongfeng Motor's brand upwards. And since Dongfeng Motor Group can spend a lot of effort to quickly complete the brand release, product delivery, and laying of direct sales channels nationwide for Lantu, the supply problem will naturally be prioritized. Therefore, the main reason for Lantu's "Waterloo" is more likely to be in its own products or marketing.
From the product level, the strength of Lantu FREE is not strong? No, but the positioning is not clear enough. In terms of battery life, the extender version can be oily and electric, can run 860km, and indeed the mileage anxiety is small. However, compared with the competitor Ideal ONE, the pure electric endurance of the Lando FREE 140km is slightly at a loss. The Landu FREE pure electric version is even more disadvantageous, the price is tens of thousands more expensive than the extended range version, and the endurance is only more than 500km, which basically has no advantage over the same level of endurance.
However, the performance of Landu FREE in terms of power parameters is very eye-catching, equipped with front and rear dual motors, the maximum power can reach 510km, and the maximum torque is 1040N·m. Can you imagine a medium-sized SUV that accelerates from 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds? And it is also equipped with an upper and lower 100mm adjustable air suspension, the sense of grade is instantly improved, and it can indeed meet some consumer groups that pursue driving texture.
But think about it, what kind of people would spend more than 300,000 yuan to buy an SUV model? Undoubtedly, it is the middle class that has made achievements in the cause, and the demand for cars in this part of the group is more to consider the family attributes and face problems. Therefore, the 4.5-second 100-kilometer acceleration and air suspension shown by LandoFRE are actually flashy advantages.
On the contrary, most of the 300,000-class SUV models on the market that take into account household attributes are mostly available in 6-seater and 7-seat versions, such as ideal ONE, Highlander, Crown Land, Encore Flag and so on. The positioning of Landu FREE is not particularly clear, there are only 5 seats to choose from, which is obviously weaker in this regard. If there is a second child at home, it is estimated that the family will not be able to sit down, let alone the third child.
More importantly, although Lantu Automobile is positioned as a high-end, it does not give people a strong sense of high-end. This is because Dongfeng Group itself has not produced explosive models in terms of new energy, and there is no high-end model to refer to, and the marketing model and frequency are not innovative and strong, so there is no way to accumulate word of mouth, so the high-end road of Lantu Automobile is destined to be full of thorns.
The influence of various factors can easily lead to a result. That is, once the heat passes, it is easy to leave a chicken feather. Since the beginning of this year, the decline in the delivery of Lantu Automobile may be a wake-up call, if Lantu CEO Lu Fang and his team still do not raise the spirit and give solutions, Lantu may not have a blueprint.
Can Dreamers, who opened the pre-sale, save the game
It is worth noting that Lantu's second product Dreamer has opened pre-sale, positioning as an "electric luxury flagship MPV", with a pre-price range of 380,000-480,000 for the seven-seat version and a pre-sale range of 600,000 for the four-seat customized version. The new car also provides pure electric version and extended range version optional, but from the price point of view, is Dongfeng Motor overconfident?
From the perspective of order volume, it seems to have been recognized by some consumers. Officials said that the current order volume of Lantu Dreamer has exceeded 3,000 units, which is already very good for an MPV model with a price of 380,000. But how much will the conversion volume of the final order be? At the same time, will the Dreamer become the mainstay of Lantu's future blockbuster model? That's the suspense that dreamers can create right now.
Auto Network Review: The problem is serious and imminent
Lantu Automobile, an electric vehicle brand entrusted with heavy responsibilities and high hopes by Dongfeng Motor Group, as well as the mission of Dongfeng Motor Group's brand upward and independent brand innovation in the field of new energy, it can be said that Lantu has received a lot of painstaking efforts from Dongfeng Motor Group, and it should not be just a blueprint.
Positioning high-end, although it is not destined to be a smooth road, but Dongfeng Motor Group has also seen hope, and this year has a bad start, the fundamental reason is due to the lack of clarity in the positioning of Lantu FREE products and the lack of brand power. Now ushered in the second product dreamer, how Dongfeng crosses this mud hurdle, will obviously be the key. Whether Lantu can become the last straw for Dongfeng to reverse qiankun on its own is worth waiting and seeing.