The emergence of global cars can be said to reduce the design and development costs of similar models by car companies in major regions of the world, but due to the difference in traffic regulations and market demand, it is also commendable to make changes to the target market. Therefore, many international first-line car companies' models also have the so-called European version, the American version, and the Japanese version, and the domestic market is what we often call localization. However, some consumers have not seemed to approve of the behavior of "localization".
The reason for this situation is mainly because many manufacturers often choose to simply lengthen the wheelbase and body size when "localization", or reduce the material in the invisible dark place, or both, and then create a "bigger and better looking" product while reducing costs. Although this practice can meet the market demand, "favoring one over the other" will some consumers criticize. So, is localization really only such a general direction? From a few new cars that have recently been released or launched, we seem to see different answers.
Domestic BMW X5 - the old-fashioned and secure version of the solution
Although the "original taste" is still a positive evaluation in the domestic market, the reality is that most of the products that do not do a good job of "localization" have no future, so in the past many years, various lengths, various special equipment and special appearances are not uncommon, and the scolding received in the early stage is finally magically converted into market revenue. BMW is obviously one of them, from the 3 series to the 5 series, from the X1 to the X3, the success of the sales of many models obviously gives them enough confidence and confidence.
Therefore, we also see more repetition of the old tricks on the domestic BMW X5 (parameter | picture), Chinese consumers like large space / long wheelbase / leather / solid wood / metal / atmosphere lights / wireless charging / CarPlay, so BMW will give these configurations to the X5 long axis version: the 130mm wheelbase length can be directly reflected in the rear leg space through the rear leg space in the visual; the interior as a whole has been changed to a two-color design, the redesigned seat is covered with diamond-shaped plaster imitation leather, and the seat back tilt angle is increased to 31 degrees With more wood-grain panels, mood lights, metal-cased speakers, soft headrests, etc., the texture improvement on the "face" is obvious.
Of course, the disappointment may still be those who hold 500,000+ yuan to "consume upgrades", but the "basic disk" identified by BMW does not seem to be here, but consumers who are relatively insensitive to price but need to experience and face upgrades. After all, we can't expect the domestic X5 priced at 60.50-77.50 million yuan to have a qualitative increase in sales, and with the gradual introduction of imported versions into the market, keeping the original attributes unchanged or having a better rear seat riding experience is what Chinese consumers like.
It has to be said that the overseas medium-term modification is imminent, and there are new design and technical reserves such as iX, i4, etc., so that the series of operations of the domestic BMW X5 appear to be somewhat "old-fashioned", but behind this may be more of the primary consideration of "seeking stability". Previously, the imported BMW X5 was BBA's best sales in the luxury medium and large SUV market, and BMW did not want the launch of new cars to cause the X5 market share to be discounted.
The new Lingdu L - the breakthrough of the sword to take the side of the attack
The first thing to explain is that Lingdu is not sold in the European and American markets, and from this point of view, it should belong to the "local car". However, since the previous generation of Lingdu, its positioning has been higher than that of Sagitar on the same platform, and in essence it is more like the coupe version of Sagittarius, which is similar to the relationship between Volkswagen CC (Arteon) and Magotan. From this point of view, Lingdu is also one of the products of the "localization" of the public, but this time it is more sword-and-sided. After all, according to the traditional interpretation of the Chinese market, this kind of product with a smaller size space and a more expensive price seems to be more suitable for the European and American markets.
In fact, the sales volume of the previous generation of Lingdu is indeed not as good as the mainstream family car such as Sagitar, so although the new Lingdu L is still a coupe positioning, the wheelbase of sagittarius after the benchmark is lengthened makes its core more inclined to home; and the powertrain of the whole series of 280TSI is relatively not weak, but the overall driving sense will not be very aggressive, but it will focus more on the creation of a "sense of premium" such as noise vibration control.
There is no doubt that these practices have very strong "Chinese characteristics". If it is in the overseas market, Lingdu L will most likely not have elements such as a long axis and a focus on texture. It is not difficult to see that SAIC Volkswagen has chosen a more realistic "balance" than "pure", which may also be what the mainstream target group, even those young people who look "energetic", really need.
In addition, when Lingdu L was first released, it was ridiculed as "the least like Volkswagen Volkswagen", although it adopted more ID. series design language in details, but the combination still gave people a "non-public" visual feeling. From this point of view, it can also be understood that the public is making some kind of design breakthrough attempt for different regional markets, and then breaking the shackles of the previous "matryoshka doll".
It can be said that SAIC Volkswagen intends to make the coupe version meet the personalized and sporty needs of young people in the relatively "special" Chinese market through this attempt of Lingdu L, and at the same time have the same cost performance as the ordinary version. And the root cause of all these results actually stems from "localization".
The new Mondeo – the return from the world to China
Many people may not know that Mondeo's original intention was to create a "world car", and its English name "Mondeo" can mean "world". However, compared with Ford's native American market and Mondeo's native European market, under the leadership of three British bad old men, they chose to hold a "funeral" for this car, and the new Mondeo returned to the Chinese market in the way of Changan Ford-led research and development.
Although such a return makes the Mondeo more like a "special supply" model, there is news that it will also be supplied to other countries and regions in the future, so it is not strictly "China special supply". Of course, more embarrassing than the identity is the market that the new Mondeo faces. Although the joint venture brand mid-size car market is still stable and mainstream, the overly solidified competitive landscape has also led to serious market differentiation, and the overall recognition that has been consumed by the previous generation of models has also made the new Mondeo have a difficult start.
Therefore, if you want to regain the recognition of consumers, you must eventually return to the product itself, and there are main "characteristics" at a certain level. For example, Toyota/Honda focuses on energy saving, and Volkswagen/Nissan focuses on large space utility, and then gain a foothold in this solidified market. The same is true for the new Mondeo, which needs to do nothing more than two things to get back into the mainstream: one is not to make mistakes; the other is to be "new".
The huge horizontal screen in the new Mondeo car is its "novelty", although everyone has different evaluations of this exaggerated design, but this is obviously what consumers are pursuing in the current era of electric vehicle popularity; and the point of "no mistakes" is that the new Mondeo continues to maintain the size of medium-sized cars and the power equipment of the whole series of 2.0T+8AT, and keeps the main model below 200,000, which is obviously also pleasing to domestic consumers.
It can be said that the new Mondeo is a transformation from the world to China, and if it wants to regain the mid-size car market, it must have enough obvious and accepted characteristics to find a new competitive rank for itself, and it obviously chooses the "new forces" and "Generation Z" that are emerging in China as its own sample.
Full text summary:
But as the labels "Z Generation", "Electric Vehicles" and "Intelligence" appear more and more frequently in the current car market, localized "versions of the answer" such as BMW X5 may also change rapidly. However, it is certain that the particularity of the Chinese market has given many car companies a new understanding and cognition of the research and development and positioning of their products, and this change is not limited to the local market, and it is more likely to affect the global market. I believe that in the future, more models will come from China and go to the world.