A car show has made these joint venture car companies lose face: empty booths are not seen, and selling cars has become the norm

There is often a saying on the Internet, look at things to see the bound book, with a comparison, you can see what the number in front of you means.

As for the Chengdu Auto Show, the fourth A-class owner after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the most important automobile sales exhibition in the country, with the end of this year, new data has been released. In 2023, the number of visitors will be 902,000, 35,028 orders will be generated, and the transaction amount will be 6.087 billion yuan.

At this year's Chengdu Auto Show, car companies showed more eagerness for sales, such as "on the day of the media day, the media reporters have not yet entered, and the sales consultants of most booths have all been in place" and "the passage of the venue is full of questions about whether they are interested in XX and whether they want to see the sales."

With the end, with the release of data, and then refer to the 2020 and 2021 Chengdu Auto Shows, there will be new conclusions.

The 2023 Chengdu Motor Show is a new high in recent years, with 902,000 visitors, far exceeding the 410,000 in 2021. In addition, the number of new cars exhibited has increased from about 1,500 in previous years to more than 1,600 today.

However, the sales volume and transaction amount in 2023 are not as good as in the past, and the root of the life is the Chengdu Auto Show, which sells cars, and the sales effect has gradually declined in recent years. In 2020, the order volume was 38,907 units, with a transaction amount of 6.806 billion yuan, in 2021, it was 37,730 units, the transaction amount was 6.516 billion yuan, and it was held for four days in 2022 and then restarted, and then no data was released, and in 2023 it was 35,028 units (2,702 units less than in 2021), with an amount of 6.087 billion yuan (429 million yuan less than in 2021).

Referring to the general pattern of the car market in 2023, it can explain the decline in sales and amount, such as the global auto show sales are decreasing, Geneva even directly does not do it, such as under the tide of price reduction, the transaction amount is unlikely to rise, and for example, live selling cars has directly snatched away a lot of sales.

However, in the final analysis, the Chengdu Auto Show has become a touchstone for many car companies to be eliminated.

Some people sell 100 units a day, and some people have a limited edition of 100 units but can't get it

After the Chengdu Auto Show, we asked many official staff of car companies about the sales of this auto show. Of course, the answer is as "vague" as ever, although the usual personal relationship is good, but car companies often do not release such strategic data to the media.

However, from the various details of many brands, it is still possible to piece together the changes in the structure of the car market displayed at the Chengdu Auto Show.

Six days before the opening of the car exhibition, Lantu has just launched its own overhaul Lantu Free, equipped with air suspension, replaced with the current consumption of high heat extended range, and finally more than 1200 kilometers of endurance, the price can be 52,900 cheaper than the entry version of the ideal L7 of the same size.

Go to the Chengdu Auto Show with new products, and the final results are also good. In terms of transactions, the performance of Lantu Auto is higher than that of both second-tier luxury and second-tier new forces, Volvo and AITO.

This reality reflects that as long as the product power and price are in place together, those topics about the brand and about the popularity can be put back, and consumers will recognize it.

At this Chengdu Auto Show, 100 is also an interesting high-frequency number. For example, NIO set a sales target for its single-day booth to "strive to win 100 units a day", while Ford set itself the goal of releasing the Explorer Red Gold Limited Edition model, and the number is also 100 units.

However, although they are all 100 units, the temperament and confidence embodied in the body are different.

On August 26, the day the Chengdu Auto Show officially entered the Visitor Day, I asked NIO how the media day was done, and his reply was "OK, good".

The Ford Explorer Red Gold Edition, which is limited to 100 units, was originally judged internally because of the enhanced performance and the accumulation of the Ford brand in the field of off-road, which can be easily digested. However, the end result was not satisfactory. How to review the bad sale of this limited edition model in the future, it is naturally difficult for you and me to know.

From the perspective of the automotive media, this result requires product power and price backing. The pre-sale price of 399,800 is not cheap, and the price is consistent with the existing Kunlun version of the top configuration, but the strengthening point that is different from the existing model is that it is different from the hard style of the Kunlun version, and the sense of fashion is stronger. So, there is a more luxurious gray paint, specialized chrome trim, new wheel style, a better-looking exhaust mechanism, and a less hard-core and more homely interior design and materials. The power has not changed, and it continues to be a combination of 2.3T + 10AT.

"One is okay, good, one is not satisfactory", behind different expressions, it is easy to see the same conclusion: "product power and price are more important, the original brand accumulation, now is not important".

In addition to the original brand recognition is less important, everyone pays more attention to the more realistic brand recognition in front of them, money and price, the original magic weapon of car sales, is now slowly failing.

Chengdu Auto Show official itself has a large policy tool for on-site car buyers, such as all those who buy cars on the day can draw a lottery, the largest amount is 49,999 yuan (including tax), the auto show organizers themselves also in Chengdu large and small in many media with the caliber of "100,000 to buy a car, subsidize half" to attract people to the exhibition. The attractiveness of other awards is also good to the outside world, including 4999 yuan (including tax), thousand-yuan digital products, 500 yuan shopping cards, 300 yuan gift bags, etc.

However, from today's sales results, manufacturers cut prices, 4S stores involved in sales cut prices, Chengdu Auto Show organizers gave promotional policies, and the comprehensive results, the 2023 Chengdu Auto Show still created the lowest order volume and transaction volume in the past four years (except for 2022, which was suspended and restarted). Obviously, the main sales force in 2021 and the main sales force in 2023 are no longer the same thing.

In 2024, Audi can't sell Wei Xiaoli may become a reality?

The main sales force is shifting from joint venture brands to Chinese brands, which is obvious, with a market share of more than 50% in 2022 and a further march to 55% in 2023, which says it all;

The main sales force, from "no one buys if it's not smart" in 2021 to "no one buys brands that are not fun and can't tell a story" in 2023.

Storytelling, of course, is not making up stories, and the stories that are made up will always break, such as Borgward, Renault, Suzuki, who have left. Each consumer market has its own rules, and car companies that are not worthy of Chinese new habits will face elimination or a significant decline in sales.

Joint venture brands always cover their sales figures so tightly at the Chengdu Auto Show that we can't visually compare how much it fell or increased between 2023 and 2021.

However, the flow of people on the booth is more intuitive to determine that the premise of high sales is no longer there, because the basic number of its ability to capture consumers has become significantly lower.

The decrease in booth traffic was not only due to the first day of the auto show, FAW-Volkswagen's booth was not the protagonist of the car, not the audience, but the anchor who sold the car live.

The decrease in booth traffic is even more due to the fact that Volkswagen's booth at the 2021 Chengdu Motor Show was surrounded by bustling crowds, but 2023 was very deserted. In 2 years, the logic used by Volkswagen has not changed, the first ID.3 in 2021, everyone wants to come and take a look, but the first ID.7 in 2023, although it has the solid foundation laid by the Passat / Magotan before, but more people are passing by to see and leave, and even don't want to sit in the car.

Last year, Germans were still very confused, and after decades of Chinese of being in the honeymoon period, why they changed their minds. But this year, from the perspective of investing in Xiaopeng and increasing the investment of Volkswagen in Anhui, more and more European multinational car companies have woken up. Volkswagen is about to use the architecture of Xpeng G9 to bring SAIC Volkswagen a medium and large SUV with a high degree of intelligence, and the price is expected to be very close to the people. This will ensure that the public is not left behind in the hearts of Chinese.

"In the auto market, China is China, the world is the world, and the two play differently", this is the new conclusion.

Chinese reason for the change of heart of the joint venture brand is that the underlying logic of car manufacturing is now increasingly conflicting.

The model used by global multinational enterprises is "global chess game", the original intention of the research and development of a car is to be compatible with the needs of large markets such as China, the United States and Europe, and to achieve large-scale cost sharing as much as possible, which is due to the early success of Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, etc. in China for more than ten years.

However, the conflict point is also in front of us.

The replacement cycle of German cars is often about 7 years, and the research and development cycle is between 5-7 years, which is synonymous with backwardness in the current Chinese market. The practice of Japanese cars catching up with European cars in the fuel era is that although the replacement cycle is also between 5-7 years, their own research and development cycle can be shortened to between 3-5 years.

In other words, more and more Japanese cars can bring consumers significantly more surprising technology, power, or configuration when replacing new cars.

In the Chinese car market today, independent brands have dragged the replacement time from about 5 years to 2-3 years in the era of fuel vehicles 2 years ago.

Now the new forces are more ruthless, and in 2-3 years, the technical iteration can complete at least one iteration. For example, NIO's NT2.0, Xpeng's shake architecture, ideal switch from ONE to L789.

If you want to stay competitive in the Chinese market and earn more money, if you can't keep up with the rhythm, you can only eat the old capital. Today's Tesla obviously also figured out that Model 3 began to roll configuration, roll cost performance, roll comfort, its hometown Americans feel unnecessary, but Elon Musk feels necessary.

Nearly a week has passed since the release of the price and model of the new Model 3, and the market heat is about to be revealed. Tesla's thinking is also relatively pure, if the initial effect does not meet expectations, then clear the inventory of parts of the current Model 3, and begin to transfer to the new Model 3, the price is good to say, everything is good to talk about, after all, the cost control is firmly in their hands.

Well, this is a common statement of sales consultants at the Beijing Service Trade Fair in order to dispel many consumers' doubts.

At least in the Chinese market, the vast majority of people have no chance to make money lying down, and the coldness of the Audi booth and the left and right of sales consultants looking back at people who came to see the car say too much.

Write at the end

If we say that the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show is still an adjustment period with trial and error opportunities for all car companies. The 2023 Chengdu Auto Show has almost entered the conclusion period, whether fuel vehicles will be eliminated, the heat of this topic is no longer so concerned by consumers.

However, if you as a car company does not build/play, the price can hit people's hearts, configuration and play can hit people's hearts of intelligent new energy vehicles, then it is out of touch with today's society.

Look at the lively booths at the auto show, Geely has Galaxy / Extreme Krypton / Lynk & Co, Great Wall has Haval / Wei brand MPV, and Chery even placed 4 new energy vehicles from Chery to Xingtu on the booth. Look at the contrast between Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Changan, and Audi and Volvo.

Let's face a reality, "building new energy + intelligence is not a panacea (because the test controls costs, the test sets a low price), but it is impossible not to build", the former is Extreme Fox and AITO empowered by Huawei, the latter is about Audi, Volvo, American, Japanese, European cars and so on.