Strategic forward-looking tactics are conservative
Needless to say, from 2003 to the automotive industry, the past two decades of development, a major core pain point that has long plagued BYD Automobile is that the brand power has not really been engaged, giving people a relatively low-end and low feeling.
The first ten years are not to say, in that era, cars accelerated into thousands of households, cheap and affordable "cost-effective" was the usual magic weapon for independent brands to fight the world in that period, and Wang Chuanfu's personality was "strategic adventure, tactical extremely conservative and stable".
We see that although BYD's original intention and competitiveness in entering the automobile industry were destined to be in the field of new energy vehicles at the beginning, in order to "live in the present and live well in the present", BYD, which has just broken into the automotive industry, is still very "vulgar" to follow the trend of fuel vehicles.
BYD once relied on an F3 to become popular all over the country
In contrast, Tesla, which started in the same period, founder Musk was born an "adventurer and gambler", and Tesla, founded in 2003, directly targeted the field of new energy electric vehicles at the beginning.
You know, at that time, the electric car was basically a "premature baby", and even for the general consumer, the electric car was a "freak", something that only a crazy fool would do.
Practice has proved that the "crazy" Musk walked the "unconquerated, sparsely populated" trail, which just made Tesla soar to the sky and become the leader and banner of the tide of electric vehicles in this era.
In contrast, BYD Wang Chuanfu has been more "pragmatic and realistic" in the dormant, and Qin, released at the end of 2013, even postponed the listing time in order to wait for the landing of the policy.
To put it bluntly, Lao Wang, who is very strategic and forward-looking, is actually a very "practical/pragmatic" helmsman in the face of reality.
This is not difficult to see from BYD's too many major decisions.
For example, in the first two years of the outbreak of the epidemic, Lao Wang saw the opportunity to take the lead in the "mask" business.
After the outbreak of the epidemic in 2020, Wang Chuanfu personally supervised the production of masks
As a result, BYD made money on masks that year, far more than in the field of new energy vehicles (new energy vehicles for a long time, BYD did not actually make money, and all it earned was subsidies).
Ten years a dream, the end of the momentum
Another example is what we want to talk about next - Denza.
This is a joint venture between BYD and Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, ten years ago, and can be called the earliest high-end electric vehicle brand test project in China.
Denza was mass-produced and listed in the second half of 2014, and the high and low went to around 2017 and 2018, and it was no longer enough to wear both sides.
Last year and now, Mercedes-Benz basically faded out of BYD to take over, hoping to rebuild the Denza brand again, based on which to create BYD's first high-end electric vehicle brand.
Ten years of defencence were fruitless and the soldiers were defeated like mountains.
Although some "legacy" (such as brand awareness, channel system, etc.) is left behind, this is like building a house, do you choose a new foundation to be completely rebuilt, or on the basis of a "rotten tail building" and then repair and modify?!
Obviously, BYD, which is known for its steady and conservative tactical level, chose the latter, and Denza has been engaged in it for ten years, even though it is "tasteless and regrettable to abandon it", but Lao Wang is still reluctant to give it up directly.
The preparation for the establishment of a new high-end brand has not been built to start a new stove, but still hopes to make the best use of the "rotten tail building" of Denza to the greatest extent.
As a former member of Denza, the author witnessed the complete landing of Denza's first mass production car.
How to say it, I always think that Denza was a "test of the water" product between the two giants of BYD and Daimler from the beginning.
Can be better, can not get everyone's loss is not big, the most core strategic foothold of the two sides in the field of electric vehicles, it can not be Denza, but their respective brands.
Moreover, in the joint venture project of Denza, the two sides are already "pregnant with ghosts", and their core interests are not the same.
Mercedes-Benz hopes to use this as a starting point to explore the way for Mercedes-Benz's local electrification exploration (accumulate market experience), and if it can "learn" to BYD's unique electric vehicle technology at that time, it would be better;
BYD does not say anything else, just "dipping" daimler's "light", it is already very satisfied, and it has raised its brand image.
You see Mercedes-Benz parent company has cooperated with me, BYD in the field of new energy vehicles strength is not blown!
Including the "BYD Toyota" cooperation project that has been making a lot of noise in the past two years, BYD also has a lot of components and wants to get the light of "Toyota Dafa".
After all, BYD's three electric technology is, and on brand awareness and brand power, it is still 18,000 miles away from Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.
New forces are rising, and BYD is lagging behind in high-end
Practice has proven that Neither Daimler nor Toyota is stupid.
People are also very clear about what BYD is trying to do, so once they cooperate with BYD for a period of time, they find out the doorway and see the depth, and immediately do not turn back to their own electrification.
Ten years later, BYD and Daimler's joint venture cooperation project - Denza, has long been "cool", BYD once publicized the old half-day Toyota cooperation project, perhaps not "yellow", but a few years around has not set off a big wind and waves.
But it is precisely in the past decade, especially from 2014 to the present seven or eight years, not to mention the domestic Tesla bar, once "Mao has not" Weilai, ideal, Xiaopeng, Nezha, Weima, Gaohe and other new car-making forces, like mushrooms.
After the first round of big waves and sands, a large number of "dead" people have died, but including "Wei Xiaoli" has also grown a batch, and the brand is getting stronger and stronger, and the product matrix is becoming more and more complete.
On the other hand, the once absolute bellwether - BYD, not to mention the circle in situ, but ten years like a dream, BYD's brand high-end has been ruthlessly left behind by a group of friends.
The ancients said thirty years of Hedong and thirty years of Hexi.
Reality shows that where it takes thirty years, ten years and eight years is enough to "attack and defend", and it is not surprising that the once absolute winner has fallen from the top to the second and third rates.
Of course, in view of the FACTD Dynasty series is still able to fight, and the bite of the teeth will also do the brand premium to 150,000, 200,000, and even the flagship Han and Tang series broke through the 250,000 mark, and from the overall sales scale, BYD is still very strong...
Therefore, BYD is still in the first-line camp, but it is not an absolute top stream.
Le Tease Observation:
Going back to the central argument at the beginning, character determines destiny.
The completely different personality traits of Wang Chuanfu and Musk have greatly determined the trajectory and direction of the fate of byBYD and Tesla, the two new energy factories.
It cannot be said that it is better or worse, but practice has shown that also in the strategic direction of new energy, Wang Chuanfu's steady and conservative style not only protects BYD but also makes it miss a lot of opportunities.
Tesla, due to Musk's whimsical personality characteristics, was held high at the beginning of the special idealization, resulting in tesla facing several times before the outbreak of the electric vehicle market, but after surviving, Tesla has thus become a banner.
Tesla founder Musk
In addition, the personality of the helmsman also determines the employment style of the enterprise.
Tesla does not say, as always, a big grin and "wild", bullish people come and go, go and come, BYD is often bullish people can not stay, can keep a small number of bullish and everywhere is constrained.
Taking BYD, which I am more familiar with, as an example, if nothing else, our thirty people (eleven business units) who gathered in Pingshan, Shenzhen, all over the country, basically did a few years later and then went almost ten or nine times, leaving a fraction of it.
Why, why does BYD's soil not retain people, especially those who are relatively more thoughtful and creative.
This naturally requires the boatman's brother to think deeply. Of course, in a sense, it also benefits from this talent strategy, so that BYD's basic talents are "more pragmatic".
In addition, we had an article last year titled "Lonely Wang Chuanfu, BYD in the Inner Volume", which actually used examples and analyses by Xia Zhibing, Hou Yan, Shu Youxing, Zhao Changjiang, as well as Lu Tian, Zhang Zhuo, Li Yunfei, Gao Zikai and other executives...
Lao Wang is indeed still debatable in the use and management of talents.
Ask yourself, in BYD's environment and system that either "can't keep people" or stays will often fall into the "serious internal volume of seniority", how many senior executives at the same level or above and below are difficult to "pee into a pot"?!
There is no doubt that even if we have been away for a long time, in our hearts, most of us do not want BYD to get better.
Just one yard to one yard, in fact, BYD's high-end has not let people see a real big turning point and hope, at least so far.
The comeback of the furnace will be a relatively low-cost test of the new water, but what are the chances of winning? I am personally cautiously optimistic.
As for Li Yunfei, who is known as the "BYD press spokesman", who does not know kung fu, what he claims and says:
Positioning 50-1 million, you will be shocked by the new high-end sub-brand at a glance, will not be similar to the "2.9S super sports car - Han" in previous years, the concept of Lin Zhiling mass production of Luo Yufeng, wait and see.
Time is not waiting for anyone, BYD bet to win the last decade of electrification, the next decade can continue to swing at the table, there is great uncertainty.