"315" is imminent, no company wants to be the focus on this day, and as a place where rights protection complaints are high, the automotive industry is either fine, and once it is on the "party", it must be a big event.
Therefore, during this time, mature car companies should know what to do so that they will not be "targeted". For example, Lexus, BMW, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and other companies issued recall announcements this week, which is somewhat "calculated", after all, the recall is now also regarded as one of the "image engineering" of "corporate responsibility".
In contrast, WM, which has been "chased and beaten" by the media for various shutdowns and salary cuts since the end of last year, now has its biggest appeal is to stay alive.
Another enigmatic act is that the predecessor of GAC NIO's Hechuang Automobile, which was invested by GAC Group and GAC AION. It seems that GAC, which is performing well in the field of new energy, does not seem to need another brand other than Aion to carry its new energy strategy.
A number of automakers issued recalls
Event overview
Last week, Lexus announced the recall of 22,965 models such as IS, GS, RC300, and RC F. Due to the improper shape of the upper part of the fuel tank ventilation pipe shell (resin material), micro-cracks may occur during use, and cracks may gradually penetrate the housing after prolonged use. When the fuel tank is filled with fuel, fuel may leak out from the cracked penetration of the ventilation pipe shell, which may pose a safety hazard and unreasonable emission hazard.
BMW announced the recall of more than 90,000 iX3, i3, i4, iX, imported 7 Series and other models. According to the announcement, these BMW electric vehicles may be misjudged by the software due to the unreasonable setting of the voltage monitoring threshold of the high-voltage battery control unit (SME) microcontroller, resulting in unexpected interruption of vehicle charging or shutdown of the high-voltage system, and in extreme cases, power interruption, which is a potential safety hazard. In addition, there is a problem with the software signal processing logic of the pedestrian protection warning sound control unit of i3 and iX3 models, which may cause the vehicle to fail to emit external pedestrian protection warning sound when driving at low speed or reversing, increasing the risk of pedestrian injury and potential safety hazards.
Ford, GAC Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz also carried out recalls to varying degrees last week.
Comments
: Generally speaking, manufacturers should carry out automobile recalls when the national standards and industry standards for protecting personal and property safety or other unreasonable dangers endangering personal and property safety are generally present in the same batch, model or category of automobile products due to the design, manufacture, marking and other reasons of the car.
However, the automotive industry and the automotive industry have developed for more than a century, and recalls have become one of the indicators of whether car companies are responsible in addition to repairing in the field of engineering and products. There are more recalls, and in some contexts, this car company will be considered trustworthy.
According to my immature observations, how to distinguish whether a recall is a "real recall" or "build a corporate image" mainly depends on the severity and prevalence of the problem of the recalled model. If it involves problems such as engines, gearboxes, brake systems, and assisted driving systems, which are more likely to cause the failure of the vehicle system and endanger life safety, the recall of car companies is a "real recall".
But in reality, product problems of this magnitude will be pressed again and again, until they can no longer withstand the pressure of public opinion, and then forced recalls are carried out - such as the Takata airbag recall with a bad impact and long-lasting, and consumers in the Chinese and foreign markets are clearly treated differently.
Problems such as these materials released last week such as improper shape design and unreasonable voltage threshold setting, although they can also cause many consequences in extreme situations, but the probability and severity of occurrence are far less than the problems mentioned above. Such seemingly "insignificant" problem car companies often take the initiative to recall, because companies know that even if this "small problem" is exposed, it is not enough to erase the positive image gain brought by the recall behavior.
WM sent a communication letter: as far as possible to gradually resume work and production, most employees arrange unpaid leave
Event overview
: On February 24, WM sent another communication letter to employees. In the letter, WM acknowledged the difficulties encountered and informed the employees of the management's decision - each department determined the list of personnel who resumed work and production first and the actual work arrangements according to business arrangements, and the company did its best to ensure the salary and treatment of the personnel who resumed work and production. The remaining personnel will be placed on unpaid leave and gradually resume work and production according to business development.
Comments
: The wall falls and everyone pushes it, which is not interesting. WM is currently in the "ICU", which is something that everyone in the industry knows, and WM's employees and owners are even more upset. Not to mention the times, even if "a grain of sand of the company" falls on the head of an individual, it is a mountain.
New forces in car manufacturing, some people suffocate for dreams, some people want to make money, some people do not change their original intentions, and some people give up halfway.
Whether WM will survive and for how long, we do not know. However, judging from the content of the communication letter, if it is forcibly operated, it seems to protect the treatment of every employee, but in fact it may die faster.
GAC Group and GAC AION invested in Hechuang
Event overview
: On February 23, GAC Group announced that, with the approval of the board of directors, the company and its holding subsidiary, GAC AION, will increase their capital to Hechuang Automobile by approximately CNY 107 million and CNY 493 million by 20.54% respectively.
According to the announcement information, there were actually 11 directors who participated in the voting at this board meeting, and one of the directors abstained from voting on the "Proposal on the Capital Increase of Hechuang Automobile" on the grounds that he believed that the future development of Hechuang Auto was uncertain and recommended prudent investment.
Comments
: There are still people on the board who understand. GAC NIO, which was jointly established by NIO and GAC, was highly anticipated by the industry and created a precedent for cooperation between new and traditional forces. However, in the following years, Aion's sales took off, while Hechuang performed mediocre, and gradually marginalized because its positioning overlapped with Aion.
According to public data, Hechuang 007, the first electric SUV, was officially launched in April 2020, with a price of 262,600-303,000 yuan after subsidies. Less than a thousand units of this car were sold in 2020. The second car, the Z03, and the third car, the A06, did not improve. By the end of 2022, Hechuang Auto had delivered more than 20,000 new vehicles. GAC AION sells 30,000 units a month.
Perhaps the only explanation for this capital injection is that GAC is trying to verify the new technology of its technology company Juwan Technology Research on Hechuang. The V09 model launched and delivered in 2023 will be equipped with an XFC battery pack custom-developed and produced by Juwan Technology.
It is reported that Hechuang V09 will also be the world's first mass-produced MPV equipped with an 800V high-voltage system and supporting 4C super fast charging, with a peak fast charging power of up to 380kW, a maximum charge of 5 minutes, and an increase of 200km in endurance.
If the verification is mature, this technology will most likely be applied to the larger GAC AION products.