Localization is a cliché. It stands to reason that the development of models tailored to the target market should be commendable. Many of the products of international first-line manufacturers also have the so-called European version, the American version, and the Japanese version. However, some consumers have not recognized this behavior.
Why is that? Very simple. Based on the development stage of China's auto market, many manufacturers often choose "external increase and internal decrease" when "localization". That is, simply lengthening the wheelbase and body size, or reducing the use of invisible materials in the dark, or both. The aim is to create products that "look bigger and better" while at a lower cost.
This is understandable, as it actually better meets the needs of the market – as evidenced by the volume figures. However, it is precisely because of this "favoritism over the other" that it is more or less criticized by some people.
It is true that even if the Chinese market has developed so far, it is still impossible to be as "mature" as the European and American markets. So, is localization really only this one general direction? Let's look at a positive example. Lingdu (parameter | inquiry) is not sold in the European and American markets, and from this point of view, it should belong to the ranks of "local cars". But at the same time, since its listing, its positioning has been higher than that of Sagitar on the same platform (in essence, Lingdu can be regarded as a coupe version of Sagittarius, similar to the relationship between Volkswagen CC (Arteon) and Magotan, and it is normal to have higher positioning).
The problem is that according to the conventional understanding of the Chinese market, this kind of product with a smaller size space and a more expensive price should be more suitable for the European and American markets than for the Chinese market. However, the final result is just the opposite - although the sales volume of Lingdu cannot be compared with the mainstream car such as Sagitar, the absolute number of 50,000 or 60,000 vehicles a year is already quite considerable in the subdivision of the "coupe version". The reason why Lingdu has not been put into the European and American markets is naturally related to the fact that the public believes that such products are difficult to obtain considerable sales in the local area.
『Lingdu L』
This "exception" gives us a new perspective. For "localization", many people (including manufacturers) simply look at this problem from the "development stage", but do not notice another uniqueness of the Chinese market - the large population, the large difference in purchasing groups, and the large difference in market demand at all levels, which is also incomparable to any regional market in the world.
For example, in some high-end consumer areas, a new generation of electronic products, a new generation of technology applications and other fields, the absolute demand formed by the Chinese market may have exceeded any regional market in the world. This provides another direction for localization - it can also be tailored to products that are more personalized and of higher intrinsic quality than overseas markets, rather than winning with "big cars and low prices".
Judging from the product development ideas of the first generation of Lingdu, the public still has a "test the water" mentality. That is, it is not certain that this new research and development direction will be successful, so at the product design level, it still retains too much commonality with Sagitar. The success of the first generation of Lingdu undoubtedly gave the public more confidence - this confidence is clearly reflected in the protagonist of this article, Lingdu L. So, as the second bullet of this "innovation of the local", what kind of enlightenment will Lingdu L bring us?
Break the shackles: Value doesn't just cater to the target group
When Lingdu L was first released, it was ridiculed as "the most unsound Volkswagen car". This may be "quite normal" for other brands, but it is a small breakthrough for the public.
Volkswagen's familial design is well known and is also called "matryoshka doll" by many people. There is a set of strictly forbidden logic behind the "nesting doll", such as reducing the difficulty of design, reducing development costs, etc., so as to apply more resources to improve quality, technology, etc., and finally cash into a more powerful product force.
『Popular classic front face design style』
However, the side effects of "matryoshka dolls" are also obvious, that is, it is easy to cause aesthetic fatigue. This applies to the German market, but not necessarily globally. As a "globalized" public, it is only natural to consider a breakthrough in this regard. Therefore, from a shallow point of view, Lingdu L can be understood as it is more innovative design for the aesthetic orientation of Chinese consumers, but at a deeper level, it can be understood as the public's attempt to make some design breakthroughs in different regional markets.
At the same time, we also noticed that Lingdu L was not "imaginative" in design. Although combined to look at "not the public", if you look at every detail, many places are like "absorbing the strengths of all" in the entire volkswagen system - in particular, a large number of design elements of the ID. series, that is, Volkswagen's latest generation of new energy models.
For example, placing the intake grille on the front bar to create the illusion of a "closed grille" is much like the practice of electric vehicles. The idea of the through-type headlights is obviously also from ID. Seemingly unique special-shaped headlights, if combined with the shape of the entire front face, in fact, you can also find some ID elements. Needless to say, the taillights are different from all Volkswagen fuel vehicles, but they are the same as the ID. series.
『Lingdu L』
The same goes for the interior. If you study the structure from the perspective of "engineering" and "science and engineering man", you will find that the overall structure of the console is still born from Sagitar. However, in terms of design elements, it is also "eclectic". For example, the steering wheel of the ID., the small gear handle of the new generation of Volkswagen cars, and the through-line air conditioner outlet on the Magotan/ID.4X. Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the large horizontal screen that runs through. It's true that it didn't originate from the Volkswagen family, but why (so designed) you know - even BMW has been adopted in a large area, why does Volkswagen have to insist so much (without the idea that once originated from Mercedes-Benz but is very popular)?
In some closely watched structural designs, Lingdu L has also made a breakthrough. For example, subject to cost, the use of frameless doors at this level is "inappropriate" in traditional (manufacturer) perception (it will affect the cost performance). Previous localization cases have often changed the overseas "frameless" to the domestic "framed" (such as the Peugeot 508, which everyone talks about). Ling Du L does the opposite - the result it brings is probably not just "more handsome".
There is also a hatchback design. This is both in line with the structure of the coupe (slipback shape) and more practical. The previous generation of Lingdu was not adopted, and Lingdu L was also "made up".
Responding to demand: these localizations are indeed "can be"
In the case of three major pieces, in addition to the design, another important factor of a product is "setting the tone" - including size, space layout, tuning style and so on. For a "coupe version" of a model like Lingdu, how to hold it is actually a test of skill - too pure may flow in the minority, too popular and will flow into mediocrity.
How is Lingdu L handled?
First of all, its wheelbase is fast after being lengthened against the benchmark. This approach should not be controversial - although it is a coupe version, the core is still a family car, so "taking into account" is far more practical than "pure". In fact, we believe that the improvement of space and practicality of Lingdu L alone will make it far more popular than the old model.
Perhaps slightly controversial is the tuning style, such as whether it should be tuned according to "track mode" to suit some "players". There are indeed successful cases in this regard in the market. However, the public did not choose this direction, but put their minds on the "sense of quality". This can be understood in this way, that is, the chassis control limit and power acceleration limit of Lingdu L are not weak, but the overall driving sense will not be very aggressive. Instead, it will focus more on the control of noise vibration (the subjective feeling even exceeds that of the Passat during the test drive of the car home), and the creation of an overall "sense of premium". Obviously, SAIC Volkswagen does know exactly what the mainstream target group, even the young people who seem to be "energetic", really need.
There is no doubt that these practices have very strong "Chinese characteristics". If it is in the overseas market, Lingdu L is likely not to set the tone like this (long shaft, focus on texture rather than extreme driving experience).
At the same time, in the application of science and technology, Lingdu L is sparing no effort to keep pace with the times - we have said more than once that China's industrial chain has become leading in this regard, and joint venture vehicles will often be "outdated" if they are not deliberately strengthened. In this way, Lingdu L is equivalent to making up for the shortcomings of mainstream joint venture products in this regard.
『Lingdu L』
First of all, it is clear that everyone should not be too real about the car machine - some bugs that Volkswagen may have appeared at the software level before can be gradually solved through upgrades. So we should pay more attention to the hardware - this is difficult to improve through upgrading in the later stage. Lingdu L is equipped with dual 10-inch screens (high-end 12.3 inches), standard with the Internet of Vehicles, CarPlay and voice recognition, and in the software, full-speed adaptive cruise, lane keeping, traffic sign recognition and other entry-level functions are also quite rare in the joint venture circle at the same price.
『Lingdu L』
There is also personalization. There's no doubt that Lingdu L is suitable for playing personalization, but it's surprising to think about it to this extent – especially from the masses that are known for their stability.
For example, body color, in addition to 6 conventional colors, Lingdu L actually launched 5 kinds of personalized matte colors - mustard green, ginger powder, ice mellow blue, cardamom powder, juniper green. Just by looking at these names, you can believe how "hollowed out" the localized team is. Combined with the previous name campaigns including "spicy steamed buns" and the personalized car naming of various "spicy versions", it can be seen that Lingdu L is also thoroughly integrated into the current Chinese market in terms of product marketing.
Product strategy: coupe can actually be fully impulsed
"Coupe version" is a very common category overseas, and in order to reflect personalization, the original intention of such products is not to "impulse". This is also the main reason why the price of the "coupe version" is always higher than that of the ordinary version (it is difficult to spread the low cost through scale).
Based on the sales of the first generation of Lingpai (the original coupe version can also be sold so well), Lingpai L obviously wants to break this "overseas routine". On the one hand, as mentioned earlier, it ensures personalization through various customizations to meet the psychology of people who chase personality and do not want to "bump shirts" frequently; on the other hand, through the mainstream design ideas mentioned earlier, it can be guaranteed to adapt to the needs of a wider group. With this foundation, it is possible to develop a product strategy according to the standard of "impulse".
Compared with the new and old generations of Lingdu, everyone can clearly feel the improvement of Lingdu L in terms of cost performance. At first glance, the price range of the new and old Lingdu is comparable, but when you really pay attention to the car you want to buy, you will find that they are completely different in the configuration price level.
For example, the second and third gear models that may become the main sales, Lingdu L not only pulls the price down from the previous 176,900-18.69 million yuan to 159,900-16.99 million yuan, but also the corresponding configuration additions can pull out a long list. The results of the lateral comparison of Sagittarius are similar. The price of the old Lingpai is significantly higher than that of the contemporary Sagittarius, and if lingdu L is combined with the configuration, its guidance price is almost the same as sagitar.
conclusion:
From the above combing, we seem to be able to draw a conclusion that SAIC Volkswagen will have higher sales expectations for Lingdu L, and achieve scale effects through this expectation. That is to say, through this attempt of Lingdu L, the coupe version can not only meet the personalized and sporty needs of young people, but also have the same cost performance as the ordinary version. This should never have been seen in overseas markets.
This problem can also be understood in reverse: the particularity of the Chinese market has given the public a new understanding and cognition of the research and development and positioning of the coupe version, and finally resonates with the market, achieving a win-win effect. The root cause of all these results actually stems from "localization". So what do you think of this kind of "innovation local"?