22/04/20
Lead
The new Changan Mazda still has a chance to make adjustments, but time is running out.
Author 丨 Yi Day
Responsible editor 丨 Cao Jiadong
Edit 丨 Chic
8,608 units, once the average monthly sales of Changan Mazda Onksela, has become the new Changan Mazda, or Mazda China's monthly sales.
In March, Mazda brand sales in China were 8,608 units, down 117.44% year-on-year, reaching a record high; from January to March, Mazda brand sales in China were 35,853 units, down 39.2% year-on-year, still miserable.
In fact, since the combined sales statements of Changan Mazda and FAW Mazda in September last year, the sales volume of the new Changan Mazda in the past seven months has declined to varying degrees. So, at this moment, I ask: Has the merger of the "two horses" really brought stronger competitiveness?
1
The product synergy is chaotic
On August 24 last year, Mazda contributed 47.5%, Changan Automobile 47.5%, and FAW Group 5% of the shares, and the new Changan Mazda, a joint venture jointly funded by the three parties, was born. FAW Mazda will be changed to a joint venture jointly funded by Mazda and the new Changan Mazda, and will continue to undertake business related to Mazda brand vehicles.
The new Changan Mazda not only unifies Mazda's product lineup in China, but also integrates Mazda's dealer channels in the north and south. Therefore, it is not difficult to see that in the Chinese market, if the Mazda brand wants to develop in the business, it must rely on the development of the new Changan Mazda.
However, it is worth noting that before the "two horses" merger, FAW Mazda's CX-4 and Artez could each provide an average of about 3,000 units per month. The top three models sold by Mazda in China are basically the Mazda 3 Axela, CX-4, CX-5 or Artez.
However, after the merger, Mazda China no longer announced sales of the CX-4 and Artez models, and Mazda China re-ranked the top three models in terms of sales, namely Changan Mazda's Unxella, CX-5 and CX-30.
But collating the data found that the average monthly sales of the CX-5 and CX-30, both last year and in the first three months of this year, were only more than 2,000 and more than 1,000, respectively.
That is to say, after the merger of "two horses", FAW Mazda's original star models CX-4 and Artez gradually declined, while Changan Mazda's CX-5 and CX-30 did not play a greater role. Therefore, the role of the "two horses" merger is 1+1<2?
For Mazda as a whole, high-value products such as artez and CX-4 should be operated by the new Changan Mazda. After all, the Artez fills the gap of Mazda's only mid-range car in China, and in the joint venture brand mid-range car, both Volkswagen Toyota and Honda Nissan have the main mid-range car.
Although Artez had previously suffered from quality problems, Changan Mazda, as Mazda's only overseas vehicle manufacturing company integrating R&D, manufacturing and sales, did not play its due role in key models.
In addition, the CX-4, a Chinese specialty car, is undoubtedly a high-profit model. This is also Mazda's first special model in China, and it can be seen that Mazda still has a forward-looking strategic vision. However, in the strategy of the new Chang'an Mazda, it is abandoned as if it were a wetted.
If that doesn't make sense, look at Unxella's performance. Changan Mazda's sales pillar and star products used to sell more than 10,000 vehicles a month. But since last year, the average monthly sales of Unxella have only been more than 7,000. Under the result of the "two horses" merger, sales did not rise but fell.
This year, Changan Mazda also ushered in a round of personnel changes. Sumioka will succeed Nakajima as President of Changan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd., Wang Hui will succeed Fu Yuanhong as Executive Vice President of Changan Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd., Ryoji Takahashi will succeed him and Naomi Kawahito as Vice President of Marketing sales and general manager of sales branch of Changan Mazda Automobile.
As a result, the new Changan Mazda senior management team has been replaced by 3 people.
Official data shows that in 2021, mazda brands sold 184,000 units in China, down 14.3% year-on-year, which is already the fourth year of Mazda's sales decline in China. This year, the sales target of the new Changan Mazda is set at 200,000 vehicles, and it is not difficult to see that the new Changan Mazda has a long way to go.
2
Ignoring China will be abandoned
The integration and adjustment of products, channels, personnel, etc., in essence, does not solve Mazda's fundamental problems in China.
Mazda has come to such a dilemma in China today, because it has not adapted and adjusted according to the characteristics and changes of the Chinese automobile market, and has not been able to meet the needs of consumers who are advancing with the times. For Mazda now, Suzuki, which withdrew from the Chinese market that year, is the best example.
As a Japanese brand that is persistent in its bones, Suzuki Motors achieved a peak of 220,000 vehicle sales in the Chinese market in 2011, but it still can't get rid of the fate of quitting China. The reason is nothing more than the slow speed of model replacement, the lack of competitiveness of existing products, and the fact that new products do not meet market demand.
And these problems are also very obvious in Mazda cars.
Suzuki's fuel economy is cheap, and Mazda's emphasis on handling is their advantage and their weakness. Former consumers still relished the mechanical properties of cars, but now more and more are beginning to pursue the convenience of intelligent configuration. Mazda has always scoffed at this, and as a result, it has been countered by the Chinese market.
To be precise, Mazda is not ignoring localization, but ignoring the Chinese market. In response to the growing global SUV segment, Mazda plans to launch five crossover SUV models from 2022 to 2023, including the CX-50, CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90.
Looking at Mazda's entire plan, it mentions the European, North American and Japanese markets in detail, while the Chinese market does not appear in its planning. That is to say, Mazda no longer regards China as the core market, so in this way, it abandons the world's largest automobile market, which is the rhythm of Mazda's imminent footsteps in suzuki and Renault.
Many people think that the electrification of Changan Mazda came too late, and the new car is not sincere. In fact, this is a common problem for all joint venture brands, and they are very cautious about electrification. It's just that car companies such as Volkswagen Toyota Honda Nissan have the market share of fuel vehicles as a base, while Mazda, which is already less competitive in the fuel vehicle market, has no way back.
So in general, the development dilemma of the new Changan Mazda can be described as well known in the industry. In the Chinese market, the car company, which advertises itself as "small and beautiful", has become smaller and smaller. But as for whether Mazda can make a little change, or still adhere to the uniqueness of the brand, this choice is still in Mazda's own hands.
"The Soul of Mazda Design" writes that as long as 2% of consumers in the world approve of Mazda cars, it is enough. However, judging from the merger of Mazda's SUV launch in the world and the "two horses" in China, Mazda is still very honest in pursuing sales.
The Chinese market is an integral part of automotive brands looking to expand their market share, and China's huge market potential continues to exude its unique allure. However, the withdrawal of international car companies such as Suzuki and Renault has also sounded the alarm for all car brands.
In recent years, the industry has been discussing who will be the next car company to exit China. The answer is that car companies that despise and disrespect the Chinese auto market will be abandoned by the Chinese auto market.