With shutdowns, price increases, the pandemic, supply chain cuts, China's auto industry is experiencing its toughest moments.
Recently, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released a set of monthly data. Vehicle sales in March 2022 were 2.234 million units, down 11.7% year-on-year, in stark contrast to the 18.7% increase in sales in the previous month. This set of data can reflect the current situation of the domestic automobile market, and how difficult it is. Of course, although the overall car market is sluggish, the situation is different specific to each car company.
Source: China Association of Automobile Manufacturers
To sum it up in one sentence: a few joys and a few sorrows.
For example, the performance of our own brands is somewhat "incompatible" with the overall downturn in the car market. According to the analysis of the national passenger car market in March 2022, the data shows that the independent brands have performed well, with retail sales of 750,000 units in March, an increase of 17% year-on-year, achieving rapid growth against the trend.
This is not easy, you know, in the top 10 car companies sold in the month, only 4 cars achieved positive sales growth. Among them, Changan Automobile occupies a place.
In the midst of the predicament, Changan Automobile withstood the pressure and maintained an upward growth posture, with the overall sales volume reaching 650,000 units in the first quarter, an increase of 1.6%; the sales volume of Changan Chinese brand cars in the first quarter was 529,000 units, an increase of 0.7 million units, an increase of 1.3%; in the sales statistics of Chinese brand passenger cars in the first quarter, Changan Automobile sold 375,000 units; in the field of Chinese brand commercial vehicles from January to March, Changan Automobile sold 154,000 units, an increase of 0.7 million units, an increase of 5%. At the same time, in the field of new energy, Changan Automobile also maintained growth.
The data is boring, but the conclusion is clear: Changan Automobile's sales in the first quarter of this year are indeed very good.
In the view of Brother Understand, a car company has succeeded in sales. It is nothing more than starting from two levels, one is the enterprise level, the other is the user level, let's start with the enterprise level.
A variety of phenomenal blockbusters, always based on customer needs
Looking at the essence through the phenomenon, the competition of automobile companies is essentially the competition of product power.
Take Changan Automobile, the CS75 series, CS55 series, Yidong series, passenger car high-end product sequence "UNI" and other models launched successively are deeply loved by the majority of users. With the blessing of a number of best-selling models, the sales of Changan Automobile have risen steadily, as evidenced by the following sets of data.
Changan Yidong series: 20,353 units sold in March, an increase of 34.8% year-on-year;
Changan CS75 series: 22,811 units sold in March;
Changan CS55 series: 17,176 units sold in March, an increase of 63.5% year-on-year;
Changan Auchan X5: 12,812 units sold in March, up 17.6% year-on-year;
A domestic brand, there are one or two models as the "top beam" of sales, which is very sparse and common, right? But like Changan Automobile, the sales of many major models have blossomed and continue to stage "best-selling performances", which is not a simple thing. The logic behind this is that Changan Automobile has been centered on user needs, continuously improving and upgrading, and providing users with the results of the best quality products.
So, how can it be considered to be centered on user needs?
Let's take the second generation of CS75 PLUS, the whole series of standard Aisin 8AT gearbox as an example. Fans familiar with Changan should know that on the old CS75 PLUS, the Aisin 8AT gearbox is only unique to the high-end 2.0T model, and the 1.5T version is equipped with a 6AT gearbox. The new model is to maintain the original base price unchanged, the Aisin 8AT gearbox "down" has become the standard of the whole series. Frankly speaking, in the past, such hardware specifications were only available to luxury brands, and they did not dare to think about it in the independent models at this price point.
In fact, this upgrade on the powertrain of the CS75 PLUS is the result of a user demand-oriented. To put it simply, it is what customers need, and Changan Automobile will give it. Changan Automobile has insight into the people's preference for aisin 8AT gearbox, so on the second generation CS75 PLUS, the whole series is equipped with Aisin 8AT gearbox as standard, and the price remains the same, so that the real increase does not increase the price. In the context of the rising price of raw materials for car manufacturing and the increase in price reduction of many car companies, it seems how valuable it is. There are many similar examples, and I will not repeat them when I understand brother. In the face of the sincerity given by Changan Automobile, consumers also voted with actual sales.
Behind the high sales volume is the user's trust in the brand
Of course, behind the soaring sales volume, in addition to Changan Automobile's own efforts, it is also inseparable from the trust of consumers. In the process of visiting Changan Automobile dealers, he found that the showrooms of several dealerships were overcrowded, and there were many consumers who came to see the car.
Through simple communication with prospective owners and active car owners, he found that they all have one thing in common: they have a high degree of liking for the Changan automobile brand. Some car owners expressed their heartfelt love for the exterior interior of UNI-K full of futuristic technology; some owners appreciated the driving experience of the second-generation CS75 PLUS; and there were also old owners of Changan Automobile to share, choosing Changan Automobile again In addition to valuing its product strength, there is also a careful brand after-sales service.
According to Changan Automobile dealers, even if the car pick-up cycle is lengthened, Changan Automobile users also choose to wait patiently. It can be seen that Changan Automobile's product strength and brand power have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Of course, in the face of the shortage of chip supply and the double pressure of high order demand, Changan Automobile is also working hard to ensure the production of new models by constantly adjusting the production capacity structure, and strive to complete the scheduling and delivery of user orders. It can be expected that with the acceleration of Changan Automobile's new car launch, the number of users visiting the store will continue to rise, and the order conversion rate will gradually rise.
Write to the end
In short, Changan Automobile always adheres to the concept of user-centricity and treats users with the spirit of "partner". This allows Changan Automobile to continuously introduce models that are more suitable for user needs, and comprehensively improve service quality to meet user needs. These have helped Changan Automobile to continuously win the trust of more users, forming a hard word-of-mouth barrier.
Over time, stretching the timeline has formed a healthy positive feedback between car companies and users. Under the changing situation of today's automobile market, this is the correct strategy and direction for Chinese brand car companies to maintain sustainable development.