Since TOYOTA, Toyota began to focus on the automotive field, its development history can be seen as a microcosm of the Japanese automotive industry. Track, home, commercial, engine, transmission, chassis, etc., there is no car field that Toyota can't play. In the long history of the development of the automobile industry, there are very few people who can be called "hard currency" in the world market, and Toyota is one of them, and it is a very dazzling one.
Almost every Toyota car sold in the domestic market can reap good sales, from Corolla, Leiling and other people-friendly cars, to the price of nearly one million Elfa, Will law, are widely recognized by consumers. When GAC Toyota Saila first went public, it also gave people the feeling of continuing the tradition of "Toyota cars are not worried about selling". At that time, peers did not talk about a few words of "Sai Na" when they exchanged together, and it was not like they were talking about cars.
It will be officially launched on October 30, 2021, and the following November should be the best time for sales, after all, consumers are full of enthusiasm for "domestic Xena". This overly optimistic expectation of sales is not only because the price of the domestic post-Saina is much lower than that of the imported version, but also because there is another "reliable MPV" from Toyota in this market. But Sena's sales figures for November 2021 didn't even make it onto GAC Toyota's list of main sales models, why? The probability is that the just-listed Sai Na is in the stage of production and sales climbing, and the announcement of sales at this time is not a good thing for the market expectations behind. Perhaps GAC Toyota is not willing, but the same thing actually came and went in December to "replay", and Xena still failed to convert the "heat" on the line into the same hot enough sales.
Fortunately, the "sluggish" sales performance of Sai Na stopped in 2021, and it can be described as a strong outbreak in the first quarter of 2022, which also proves that it is still a world-renowned "star MPV". In March 2022, Xena sold a total of 6,319 units, and a total of 15,738 units were sold in the first quarter, with an average monthly sales of more than 5,000 units, which finally made it successfully land in the C position of GAC Toyota's first quarter sales poster. What exactly caused the sales of Xena to have such a big gap between years ago and years later? This article will explain the story behind Xena's sales for you.
Today's market is more accepting of affordable sales
Junior high school political textbooks have told us that supply and demand determine prices. When Xena was first listed, some dealers played "mark-up" without authorization, and called it "decoration" and did not force the installation. But obviously consumers do not buy this move, because everyone knows in their hearts that buying the so-called non-mandatory decoration is to buy an "accelerator" for their own waiting time, which is almost indistinguishable from mandatory decoration.
When a commodity is in short supply, using a "mark-up" approach to determine ownership is actually a normal market behavior, such as the hot real estate market in the early years. Toyota's products are not short of such precedents, Alpha, Wilfa, and the discontinued Land Cruze and Prado, including Lexus LM, etc., the "mark-up" is more than an exaggeration. However, these models also have significant characteristics, that is, there are few "flat products" in the market. Local tycoons who do not care about "price" are obviously more concerned about driving these cars on the road, so that people can see through the attributes of their "status" at a glance, and are willing to "Amway" to their relatives and friends.
But looking at the current domestic MPV market, Xena is obviously not yet to the point of "no flat replacement products at all". With the domestic MPV market gradually being valued by major OEMs in the past two years, a large number of models have emerged on the market, such as Kia Kahua, which is domestically produced in the form of CDK. When communicating with a Kia executive last year, his words were always sending out the signal of "don't worry about selling", and even the orders have reached the point where they need to be scheduled. The reason why Kia Jawa can have good sales in the early stage, in addition to its own strong product strength, the disguised addition and decoration of the Xena dealer may also be an indirect booster.
Not every Toyota MPV is Alpha, Alpha gives the local tycoons social status, is taste, is Toyota used to distinguish luxury and ordinary exclusive LOGO. Although the awareness of domestic consumers for "Toyota" is extremely high, even the way to understand these two words has penetrated into every detail of life, such as Yao Ming's famous home in the Houston Rocket period - Toyota Center, and the "old Toyota Camry" opened by so-and-so's father. The "bull head label" hanging from these models is also naturally labeled as "household" in the minds of consumers. When consumers need to pay an "extra price" for the ordinary "bull head label", it is obviously unacceptable to them, and the Sai Na is exactly a Toyota family car with the "bull head mark" in the minds of most consumers.
Obviously, when Xena was just listed domestically, consumers were more interested in finally waiting for the "affordable version of domestic Xena". On the basis of the same price, many consumers may be inclined to Toyota Xena, but this "eccentricity" is not equivalent to blindly accepting the high premium above the manufacturer's guidance price. In the face of a high premium, consumers will not hesitate to choose "flat products".
Returning to the "normal" Sai Na sales are booming
Supply and demand determine the price, and conversely prices can also affect the relationship between supply and demand. The unsatisfactory sales performance in the last two months of 2021 seems to have also made GAC Toyota understand this truth at once. Entering 2022, Xena "put down its body" and truly achieved affordable sales, and even after there was a certain amount of preferential treatment in some areas, sales could be described as skyrocketing. By March, sales in the mid-to-high-end MPV market were even closer to the "lonely and defeating" Buick GL8. Before the domestic production of Xena, domestic consumers can only buy parallel imported versions, then the landing price is much more expensive than the domestic Sale of the domestic Xena at the current affordable price, and at the same time itself is an imported version of SIENNA tailored for the North American market, the configuration has not been localized for Chinese consumers, but also in the high-end MPV market has accumulated "low car cost", "high comfort" and "suitable for home" excellent reputation. The domestic Xena, which adopts the strategy of affordable sales, not only has a price that is significantly lower than that of the parallel import version, but also has a more localized configuration, coupled with the excellent reputation maintained for a long time, it will naturally be generally welcomed by consumers. The syna that exchanges sincerity for the market also makes more consumers who feel the "true fragrance" willingly join the ranks of affordable cars.
Of course, Xena's best-selling is also inseparable from its excellent product strength. In the author's opinion, the core competitiveness of an MPV is space, and any MPV with little space cannot be regarded as a qualified MPV. And toyota syna's space performance is considered a "qualified Plus"! While models under the TNGA architecture may sacrifice some space for safety, this does not hold true on toyota syna. The nearly two-meter width of the car is exchanged for exaggerated lateral space, even in the face of 5 burly adults, the space of two or three rows is enough to accommodate. In some details, the designers of Xena also worked hard to ensure the utilization of space, such as the spare tire hidden in the left trim of the trunk, the use of "deep pits" to hide the third row of seats, and the use of "small size" rims, etc. All designs, configurations, and have to give way in the face of space utilization. It is no exaggeration to say that Xena's spatial performance is difficult to meet in the same class.
Looking at the configuration and power, Toyota after the full TNGA architecture is more stingy in these two aspects. After the domestic Sena, the L2 level auxiliary driving system is all standard, and the medium-equipped model gives a large-sized central control screen and the second row of seats heating and ventilation, and the top model is even equipped with a second row of "TV". Although these configurations are not unusual compared with those brands and models that pursue the ultimate cost performance, they are already a big step forward compared with the previous Toyota.
In terms of power, the fourth-generation THS hybrid system with the 2.5L engine as the core cannot let you enjoy the surging driving passion, but on the smoothness and fuel economy, it is absolutely unparalleled in the same class, and this is exactly the real quality that a qualified home MPV needs to have.
The most important point is that more and more consumers choose mid-to-high-end MPVs as family cars. The main uses of mid-to-high-end MPV are nothing more than two categories, domestic and commercial. When consumers are still experiencing "how to choose the first car", the mid-to-high-end MPV is more as a business car, the main audience group is the company, this part of the market is still firmly controlled by the Buick GL8. Most companies are willing to choose GL8 for procurement, after all, although choosing it will not make a contribution, it will basically not make mistakes, so it has also led to the situation that Buick GL8 has been thriving in the mid-to-high-end MPV market for a long time. However, many domestic consumers have reached the stage of "additional purchases and exchanges", and what they want is not an MPV that can only meet business reception, but an MPV that can provide comfortable travel for family members. The Buick GL8's overly "business" atmosphere makes it unsuitable for this change in market demand, and the more homely Sai na, which also has a good riding experience, has become a better choice.
Master observation
Today's domestic consumers are clearly no longer the headless flies who fell into the dilemma of "no car optional" in the early days, they have richer choices and clearer judgment. The domestic automobile market needs more excellent and sincere products, I believe that enough "can play" Sai Na after releasing enough sincerity, will also change the domestic household MPV market has been tepid situation, so that the market really ushered in another hit.