A year's loss of more than 4 billion, weilai to take what to make mobile phones?
Since Geely decided to "cross-border" to make mobile phones, Weilai can no longer hold back. In fact, Geely's intention to make mobile phones is relatively simple, according to Li Shufu, Geely has never targeted a certain industry, but the entire technology ecosystem. For Geely, making mobile phones, investing in flying cars, and laying out the satellite industry are the same as strategic actions to deeply penetrate into "smart life".
Compared with Geely, Weilai's intention to make a mobile phone is simpler, and the answer is to block Apple.
First, Weilai: Made mobile phones to resist Apple cars?
At the end of March this year, Weilai released its 2021 financial report, and overall, it was half full of joys and worries.
The first is that WEILAI achieved a total revenue of 36.14 billion yuan in 2021, an increase of 122.3% year-on-year; at the same time, a net loss of 4.017 billion yuan.
Almost at the same time as announcing the financial report, Weilai confirmed the rumors of entering the mobile phone industry in a quasi-official manner. In an industry exchange group, Li Bin, founder of Weilai, said: "The starting point of our mobile phone is to create a mobile phone with the best interactive experience of car and machine. Regarding the intention of making mobile phones, Li Bin said that it was to fight against Apple Cars, which will come out in 2025.
According to Weilai's official survey, at least 60% of Weilai car owners use iPhone mobile phones, and in car-connected devices, mobile phones occupy the absolute mainstream. And this is very dangerous in Li Bin's view. Once Apple Auto is listed and a closed-loop ecology is formed with Apple mobile phones, then a number of domestic car and mobile phone manufacturers, including Weilai, are afraid that they are "not easy to do".
Li Bin's words are quite a bit of a "high-minded" feeling, but is Weilai really building mobile phones to resist Apple cars? Domestic mobile phones have not beaten Apple for so many years, can Weilai do it?
Second, Apple Cars: always stay on the map
As early as 2014, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk was still dumping rockets, Apple began to build cars.
According to rumors, the new car concept proposed by Apple that year shocked the entire automotive industry. Apple inherited Jobs's new concept of "no sound, one hit". The car developed by the new product, the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, the gear lever and other essentials of the traditional car are not available, and the only thing the user needs to do in the Apple car is to sit.
However, this is 8 years. After 8 years, Apple cars are still stuck in various "rumors". Not only did there be no progress in the layout of vehicle manufacturing, in March, the famous Apple "breaking news king" Guo Mingxi even posted a message saying that Apple's auto department was disbanded.
According to the 2021 autonomous driving data released by the California Transportation Authority, Apple is only ranked 15th. In terms of the key indicator that reflects the level of autonomous driving technology: average takeover mileage (MPI), Apple's performance is only 20, while the number of mid-way takeovers is as high as 663. It can be said that the "self-driving" car developed by Apple is inseparable from human control for a moment. According to the existing trend, the "full self-driving" that Apple has boasted wants to achieve in 2025 may not be large.
Since the Apple car has no drama, then Li Bin's sword points to Apple, has not it become a "void target"? Perhaps, the market value of an automobile brand with annual sales of only 100,000 vehicles can reach nearly 200 billion, and Li Zong's cleverness lies in this. Perhaps just like Xiaomi needs to use the car to "rush the joy" because of the decline in stock price, Weilai makes mobile phones, but also for it from 2021 to now plummeted more than 80% of the "rushing joy".
Third, Weilai's mobile phone, can be independently developed?
As we all know, the mobile phone industry needs precipitation, not only funds, but also time.
In terms of mobile phone chip manufacturing, there are many technical barriers set by Qualcomm, Samsung and even Apple, and domestic manufacturers have collectively exerted efforts in recent years, and only Huawei HiSilicon has taken a tip. In terms of operating system, Huawei spent 9 years to launch the first domestic mobile phone system - Hongmeng.
Weilai wants a mobile phone, can he afford it? According to the 2021 financial report, NIO's R&D investment is only 4.592 billion yuan, and Huawei's R&D investment in 2021 is 142.7 billion yuan, which is 31 times that of NIO. Nowadays, the cash on Weilai's account is only 15.32 billion, and there are more than 4 billion losses every year.
Perhaps, we all misunderstood Li Zong's meaning. Let's review how Li Bin answered the reporter about making a mobile phone.
Regarding the original intention of making mobile phones, Li Bin said: "Give our car owners a mobile phone with the best experience of car-machine interconnection. ”
Regarding the function of the mobile phone, Li Bin said: "It is to create a car-centered intelligent terminal device. ”
Regarding the market positioning of mobile phones, Li Bin said: "I will not think from the perspective of commercial success. ”
There are two key points here: the first is to be able to connect with the Internet of Vehicles, and weilai automobile as the center; the second is not to go commercial, not to participate in the fierce fight between mobile phone manufacturers.
The above two points are connected, and the answer is ready to come out. The so-called "mobile phone" that Weilai wants to do is actually just the "intelligent accessories" of Weilai Automobile, and it can also be said that it is a smart remote control! If you can surf the Internet, chat, and shop, there is nothing wrong with calling it a "mobile phone".
But does such a "mobile phone" really stop Apple and Apple cars?
IV. Conclusion
As the "first brother" of domestic new energy vehicles, in early 2021, Weilai had a market value of nearly 700 billion yuan, even exceeding BYD in the same period. Today, the market value is less than 1/3 of BYD's, and its monthly sales volume is even less than 1/10 of BYD's.
In the face of the asymmetry of sales volume and market value, do not increase investment in research and development, do not reduce the size to admit their shortcomings, but like to engage in gimmicks, concepts to cater to capital. Can such a company go on for a long time? Is such a business worth investing in? Can such a company beat Apple?
Maybe one day Weilai's market value can surpass Apple's, but as ordinary investors, today, we really don't need to stand under the dangerous wall.