Stop using "allocation reduction" to incite Chinese consumers

Produced 丨 Tiger Sniff Car Group

Author 丨 Li Wenbo

Edited 丨 thoughtful

Head map丨 Movie "Hypnotic Master"

"I think BMW is very immoral", "secretly replacing the coarse aluminum alloy with two thin iron bars", "In order to save costs, cut corners, take consumers to do experiments, shoddy, there are safety hazards", "BMW is rapidly losing its conscience at a speed that is visible to the naked eye, in places invisible to the naked eye." ”

When the provocative copywriting, with the unobstructed chassis on the lift, a magnet used to visually show the true color of the material, plus a host with a righteous face, a high-pitched tone, sunglasses, and a very infectious voice. Combined with machine-gun-style high-frequency language output in a matter of minutes, your emotions are completely grasped by this so-called "conscience of the car world" in a very short time. After wasting a few hours brushing all his short videos, you suddenly realize that the car companies that have "lost their conscience" to Chinese consumers are not only BMW, but also Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche...

Indignant, you then left such a paragraph in the comment area: "The only conscientious car reviewer on the whole network to tell the truth, protect our X boss!" ”

Congratulations, you have successfully fallen into the information cocoon carefully constructed by these short videos from the media, they first use the cognitive difference to build a skeleton, and then use the gimmick of "no second person on the whole network dares to say" to lead you into the hole, and then use the set logic routine to high-intensity PUA, and finally stand outside the cocoon room waiting to harvest their booty - traffic.

Before blindly establishing stereotypes about these car brands due to short video content, it is advisable to analyze the rationality of these claims fairly and calmly. After all, it's easy to get into an information cocoon, and breaking it requires independent thinking.

PTSD reduction

In essence, people who believe in "aluminum for steel with a swing arm = reduction" and those who still believe to this day that "the german car steel plate is thick and the japanese car steel plate is broken when it is hit" suffers from the same disease: PTSD (post‐traumatic stress disorder, that is, post-traumatic stress disorder).

First of all, "aluminum for steel" is not a new topic, starting from the 2016 domestic Mercedes-Benz E-class under the magnet of car critic Yuan Qicong, these three words have always been traffic keywords that touch the sensitive points of Chinese car consumers. The reason is simple, all aluminum represents expensive, expensive means luxury, aluminum parts are partially replaced with steel, indicating that luxury cars are treated with double standards, bullying Chinese.

BMW's update of the control arm materials of domestic models happened as early as 2017 when the seventh generation of the 5 series G38 was launched. The fourth-bar rear suspension control arm of the sixth generation 5 series F18 is made of cast aluminum alloy, and the rear suspension of the G38 is upgraded to five connecting rods, of which 1 is cast aluminum alloy, and the other 4 are stamped steel, which is the "two thin iron bars" mentioned in the short video.

Check the BMW ETK to see that the weight of the F18 cast aluminum alloy front harness control arm is 1.060 kg, and the weight of the G38 stamped steel plate material front harness control arm is 0.810 kg. Under the premise of increasing the number of connecting rods by 1, BMW also reduced the unsprung mass by 23.5%. From BMW's point of view, increase the number of connecting rods, reduce the quality of the spring, reduce production costs and improve fuel economy. For consumers, models with longer wheelbases still have agile chassis responsiveness and are more fuel-efficient to drive. Such a change in material is a product of typical "result-oriented" R&D thinking: under the premise that there is no difference in final efficiency, the things that can be solved with 99 blocks absolutely do not need 100 pieces. The R&D experience and achievements of a thousand engineers on BMW will not be defeated by a small magnet.

Because of the material replacement, it is concluded that BMW lacks virtue and lacks strength, and there are safety hazards. After all, since there is no test data, no tensile test, no road test, no existing cases to support, it is necessary to use emotions to overturn science.

A senior media person who has long studied BMW told Tiger Sniff that the domestic 5 series long wheelbase, X5L these models are mainly luxurious and comfortable, bmw has been painstakingly operating this aspect of driving experience over the years. Under the premise of not affecting safety, the material changes made by ordinary BMW are in line with BMW style behavior. M this high-performance model is the ultimate sport, will inevitably continue to use aluminum parts, this is the bottom line, insurmountable.

In terms of the control arm, BMW's approach in two places is debatable: First, when questioned by users, it did not disclose information in time. You know, in 2016, Mercedes-Benz specifically made an official statement for the domestic E-class "change of material" incident, the effect is not discussed, at least the sincere attitude is placed here; second, there is no need to paint the control arm into an aluminum alloy similar color, if it is sprayed with protective paint, it can be said generously. After all, users who have already purchased a car will not choose to return the car because of a control arm, they value the right to know more.

Secondly, it is not these luxury car manufacturers who bully Chinese with double standards, but the melon-eating masses of non-luxury car consumers. These people who adhere to the principle of "both wanting and wanting" to buy a car always talk about details about performance, talk about materials with price, and pure tricks.

Car companies are not charities, and the purpose of producing cars is to make money to grow a business. A good car can't do everything, and it doesn't need to be comprehensive, just aim at the target user and make a product that meets their expectations. When spending power is up to standard, you're the target user.

Adapting and making targeted adjustments to the different demands of the global market is the manifestation of the great wisdom of an automobile company. Behind the choice of the market, the will and preferences of the vast majority of car owners are reflected. To take a most typical example, compared to the handling, Chinese consumers are more concerned about the rear space, and shrewd car companies have captured this wind direction and quickly introduced long-wheelbase models, one generation is longer than the next, and it is full of money. Stubborn car companies ignore the actual needs, bury their heads in the import of global models, the original taste is to do it, but in addition to some pure loyal fans, in the end can only end up on the verge of exit. That's right, it's Alfa Romeo Giulia and the BMW 3 Series.

To some extent, BMW and Mercedes-Benz "aluminum for steel" are commercial actions that accurately respond to the most practical needs of the Chinese market. What is the most practical demand in the Chinese market? It is a BMW or Mercedes at a suitable price.

You know, 99% of users can't make the difference between the two control arms, and 99% of consumers will not lie on the ground to pay attention to the material. If BMW now replaces the control arms on the 3 Series, 5 Series and X5L from steel parts back to forged aluminum, forced by the cost of the supply chain, the price of the car will rise by 20,000 yuan, and the number of potential users will be lost, obviously more than "as long as I change back to aluminum, I will immediately pay for it" users. You know, the reason why most 3 Series consumers buy a car, but because this is a big BMW that I can afford to buy with enough money or a loan. Note that here we all picture the BMW brand, not aluminum not aluminum. In the matter of "XX car import must buy", Chinese consumers have repeatedly shown their mouth cannon skills, from Subaru BRZ, to Ford Focus RS, to Alpha Romeo Giulia, each of which is a pure imported driver's car, but few people ask for it. The first determinant of most consumers buying a car is the price, followed by the brand and demand. As long as the discount is in place, what control, cornering, rollover, people and vehicles are integrated, can be left behind.

The same story also happened to Mercedes-Benz: the domestic Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which was vigorously made a fuss about because of the "steel door" six years ago, is still one of the benchmarks of long-wheelbase luxury cars today, and can still easily sell more than 10,000 per month. From the 2.0T engine to the 1.5T engine of mercedes-Benz C-class is more powerful, the more spray "reduction" the more popular, the more spray the more people buy, is the well-deserved mainstay of Beijing Benz.

Because the people who bought the Mercedes E-Class, and the people who sprayed the Mercedes E-Class, are two groups of people. The former will ask three questions: is the interior a thief pulling the wind, is the back seat can be cocked by the legs, and from a distance is it quite like the S class? Yes, swipe it. The latter will also ask three questions: whether the material of the four doors and two covers is the same as that of Germany, whether the lengthening is not so tasteful, and whether it can be sent twice more maintenance. No, goodbye, I bought the Camry and went.

In China, only one kind of reduction will really hit a car hard – a reduction that has been tested and verified by authoritative institutions. A typical case is saicid Volkswagen Passat breaking the A-pillar during the 2019 25% frontal crash test of THE CHINA INSURANCE Research Institute. This collision has caused the Passat to be seriously injured, the sales volume has temporarily stagnated, and the loss of trust in consumers is big. SAIC Volkswagen then spent a year strengthening the A-pillar structure, increasing the number of airbags, and testing twice, but the Passat never returned to the glory hall of 18,000 per month.

Rejected "plastic"

Before the control arm "aluminum for steel" storm, BMW actually endured a wave of unknown attacks from the oil pan.

The protagonist is still this conscientious "our X boss", the routine is still the same harsh words to rebuke BMW for cutting corners, the presentation form is still the same short video, but the object is replaced by a plastic oil pan.

The oil pan, located in the lower part of the crankcase, is also known as the lower crankcase. The function is to close the crankcase as the housing of the oil storage tank, preventing the entry of impurities. Collects and stores the lubricating oil flowing back from each friction surface, dissipating some of the heat and preventing the oil from oxidizing. The working environment of the oil pan is quite harsh, so the overall design requirements are higher, and the choice of materials can neither be broken by a touch, nor can it be too heavy, which will form a reaction force on the weight reduction of the whole vehicle.

The right oil pan can help simplify the structure, reduce the size and reduce the quality of the car engine. The main route for the development of oil pan materials is lightweight. Oil pans are generally divided into three categories: the first is single-layer stamped steel plate; the second type is die-cast aluminum alloy; the third type is engineering plastics.

The commonly used emerging oil pan material is polyadipatadilidene (PA66 for short), which is mixed with 35% glass fiber (35% GF). For the same automobile engine, under the condition of similar strength and stiffness, PA66+35% GF material is 50% lighter than single-layer steel plate material stamping parts, and 30% to 40% less than aluminum alloy die casting parts, and the advantage of lightweighting is very obvious. In terms of cost, the cost of plastic oil pan will be about 20-40% lower than that of cast aluminum oil pan, and the use of lightweight new material oil pan will greatly reduce the weight of the engine, improve NVH, reduce fuel consumption, and save costs.

This is the advantage of PA66 material, of course, this material is not a panacea, it also has certain disadvantages.

First of all, the high temperature resistance is not as good as die-casting aluminum alloy. PA66 melting point temperature of 253 °C, according to different additive materials, the temperature can reach up to 290 °C, digitally better than die-cast aluminum alloy, but fully meet the working temperature requirements in the oil pan, even if the extreme working conditions exceed 200 °C, PA66 can also cope with no pressure.

Secondly, the impact resistance is not as good as die-cast aluminum alloy. This is determined by the strength characteristics of the engineering plastic material itself and cannot be avoided. The solution that the engineers came up with was to use the strong plasticity of plastic to upgrade the structural shape inside the oil pan, cover the protective ribs on the outside, and install the engine guard plate at the same time, so as to improve the structural strength and reduce the risk of damage that the impact may bring to the oil pan.

In the choice of oil pan material, the practices of various automobile companies are different and irregular. According to the statistics of the "Radish Report", the imported Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Maybach use plastic oil pans, mercedes-Benz E-class uses metal oil pans; Audi longitudinal platform models use plastic oil pans, horizontal platform models use metal oil pans; Porsche full range of plastic oil pans.

The choice of oil pan material, which is closely related to the calibration and adjustment of the performance of the whole vehicle, is the optimal solution to adapt to the overall engineering goals, and has nothing to do with cutting corners, and it is not in line with the user experience. If you disregard the thickness of the material, the structure and the process, the simple material theory hero is not rigorous in itself. If we follow this logic and simply and rudely equate plastic oil pans with the low end, then the 1.5 million Maybach will be lower than the 100,000 Volkswagen Langyi.

Leaving aside the discarded polymer engineering materials, the BMW exposed by "our X boss" has been "all replaced by plastic oil pans in recent years", and there are two information misunderstandings: First, plastic oil pans are the old things of the N20 engine era. In 2017, BMW discontinued the N20 engine and replaced it with a new B48 engine, which is all matched with an aluminum-magnesium alloy oil pan; second, even the N20 engine will adapt to two different materials of oil pan according to the different models on board. Among them, the oil pan made of aluminum alloy is suitable for the xDrive model, because the oil pan needs to support the front axle differential in the four-wheel drive system. The oil pan of the rear-drive model does not need to support other structures, and is made of heat-resistant resin material, that is, plastic oil pan.

Plastic does not equal inferiority, nor does it equal low-end. BMW in the flagship electric SUV iX's Carbon Cage structure, a large number of CFRP (Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Plastic) carbon fiber reinforced composite plastic material instead of traditional steel components, covering the body side, roof frame, front wall, rear window frame, car rear wall, etc., CFRP structure is thin and light, the weight reduction effect is obvious (some parts can lose 5 kg), the stiffness is stronger, if you see the name in the " The word "Plastic Plastic" is a vain speculation that it is not safe, and it is really a leaf that blinds Tarzan.

Write at the end

In the process of scientific and technological progress, new materials continue to emerge, any new car in the replacement, a component with a new material to replace is the most normal behavior. Behind the replacement of parts and materials is a large number of professional and rigorous reviews from within the automotive company, external supply chains and third-party supervisory agencies. It is impossible for an automobile company to use a magnet to absorb it as a criterion for judging whether a part is qualified, and the automobile company is willing, and the supplier is not happy. At the same time, the automobile company is a commercial activity, cost reduction and efficiency increase is one of the important means to make the company's healthy development, without affecting the design indicators, reduce the cost of parts and components is blameless.

In December last year, Toyota Motor Corporation, which is known for its lean manufacturing and product quality, confirmed that it will assemble the vehicle using defective parts from suppliers without affecting the safety of the vehicle. The reason is that the supply chain pressure is too great, and we want to use defective parts to optimize costs and solve supply chain pressures. Toyota explained that these "defective parts" refer to parts that do not have product defects and usage problems, but may have slight wear or scratches. To this day, Toyota has neither fallen off the altar because of the reduction in allocation, nor has it degenerated from the "craftsman spirit" to the "craftsman spirit".

In April, BMW and Bcomp, a Swiss innovation company for natural fiber composites, develop renewable raw materials and natural fibers, such as hemp, hemp or flax, for use in veneers and inserts in vehicles. According to the thinking of some self-media, this is a "reduction" without compromise, reducing the steel plate, solid wood and resin that should be used. But in fact, the use of renewable raw materials is one of the means of practicing the concept of sustainability, which can not only minimize the amount of material used, but also reduce the weight of individual parts by 50% and extend the endurance.

The selective release of existing information is itself an unauthentic. Judgments based on incomplete information have no reference value and will only mislead the onlookers who are unclear. And this kind of misdirection is precisely the most ardent desire of the self-media that some of themselves are packaging themselves as consumer spokesmen and are actually traffic traffickers. We should be wary of this kind of personal bias, emotions over the facts of the spread of the way, after all, for the average consumer, the money to buy a car is from their own pockets, not from the pockets of short videos from the media.