"The globalization of Zerorun will be the globalization of products and technologies." This is Zhu Jiangming, founder, chairman and CEO of Leapmotor, who summarized the strategic goal of Leapmotor's globalization at the press conference held at the Munich Motor Show.
At the same time, Leapmotor also displayed its latest self-developed LEAP3.0 architecture and the first global model C10, a new generation of platforms and products at the Munich Motor Show, representing a new starting point for Leap's global research and development.
In the past few years, Leap's product architecture has undergone three iterations, and at the same time, the proportion of self-research and self-manufacturing of Leap vehicles accounts for 70% of the cost of the whole vehicle, and the vertical integration capability of the supply chain is at a high level. Zerorun has also successively launched the industry's first eight-in-one electric drive, battery-packless CTC battery chassis integration technology, and self-developed intelligent driving chip - Lingxin 01 and other innovative technologies.
Long-term investment in technology has also waited for new opportunities for industry transformation. Since the beginning of this year, foreign brands seeking the technology export of Chinese vehicle enterprises has begun to become a new model, and Leap has seized this opportunity in time.
Therefore, when Zerorun announced its globalization strategy in Europe, it proposed "eclectic forms of cooperation", including providing architecture platforms and three electric technologies, in Zhu Jiangming's view, platform-based cooperation is a relatively good shortcut, because cooperative relations can be established quickly.
A few days after coming to Europe, Zhu Jiangming also observed that in Germany, the price of an Audi A6 has reached 640,000 yuan, which means that the scale of the European market is also conducive to bringing higher product premiums.
With Chinese car companies taking the lead in the new energy transformation, becoming a "global car company" has also begun to become the goal of many Chinese car companies.
At the Munich Motor Show, Pinchai is also a witness of the new journey of globalization of Chinese car companies.
Zhu Jiangming said that in the first half of this year, nine of the world's top ten car companies were foreign car companies. Only by entering the top ten can you become a global car company and become the best, otherwise it will be difficult for you to even survive.
The following is the transcript of the interview (content is redacted):
Interview Subjects:
Zhu Jiangming, founder, chairman and CEO of Leapmotor
Cao Li, Senior Vice President of Leap Motors
Zhu Jiangming: Zerorun globalization is two parts, one is the output of technology, and the other is the output of Zerorun brand products, which is to take into account the resource input you just mentioned. We feel that the whole electrification is still a prototype is still in the process of progress, and we need to find partners in various forms in an eclectic manner, so we can add context, reduce investment, and use various models to find various partners to achieve globalization.
Zhu Jiangming: First of all, we see many parts companies in China coming to participate in this auto show, and there are vehicle enterprises, I think Zerorun still wants to take the third way, that is, between the whole vehicle and parts, that is, the four modes I just talked about at the conference, you can find more partners who want to participate in new energy vehicles, because we are very flexible.
For example, he is one of the top enterprises in a certain country, he also wants to participate in new energy, he can be an OEM, or he has a certain automobile production capacity, but the electrification is a little slower, Zerorun is the third mode, can be the whole vehicle platform level cooperation. Of course, all the core components of Sanden, or just one of our electrical and electronic architecture such technology can be, so that we can have more partners to do the global market.
Zhu Jiangming: Because we look at all the markets, that is, Europe and North America are the most important and largest markets, and the so-called largest market is the most valuable market. One has scale, and the second has price, both of which are the highest selling prices and largest markets. So only such a market, we feel that it has gold content. And now the process of electrification is also the two fastest markets outside of China, so we think we still have to look at some high-quality markets.
Of course, it is indeed difficult to build a brand, especially in some more developed regions, but we can adopt various cooperation models to do this market, which is some of our current thinking.
Regarding the C10, we just start with the C10, our future models are designed in terms of design, standardization is in accordance with the global model, there is left rudder, right drive, to Europe to meet its five-star standard. Our original models, including the T03, are also being improved and certified in line with European standards and in line with the original right-hand drive market standards. In general, small cars like Europe and Southeast Asia are still better sold, and we will also go to these markets.
Zhu Jiangming: Our first stage of landing is now in Israel and France already have distributors, and then I think through exhibitions like today, we may find more partners, because in fact, there are already too many distributors interested in our products this morning, I think this is a good start, and we also want to basically land it locally.
Zhu Jiangming: I think because China's new energy has indeed gone earlier than others, because this promotion of the state has contributed to the innate lead of Chinese car companies in electrification, of course, it also includes all the core electric vehicle-related parts in China, some of which are the most advanced in China, and it is also market-oriented, and the number is the largest, these are advantages, so I think there is a possibility of cooperation with European or global car companies.
In fact, the size of Chinese car companies is not large, so Chinese car companies still have a long way to go, there is still a long way to go to break through, without globalization, China's market alone is 20 million vehicles, 100% are Chinese enterprises that are 20 million vehicles, so it must go out.
As for what form to go out, it is because our thinking is that when I first started a business and did Dahua, it was also eclectic. At that time, the big brothers Panasonic, Sony, Honeywell, and Bosch in the security field, that was infinitely powerful, we may be very small, in 2003, 2004, 2005.
At that time, I also did my own brand, also ODM or OEM, all done, that is, constantly walking. But at some point, you may be strong, and it's a process. Because to do the global market, not just the Chinese market, we must go through this process. I think platform-based cooperation is a relatively good shortcut, because it can be established quickly.
Zhu Jiangming: Cars must be a global market, you said that relying entirely on China's market will definitely not achieve a car company, you now look at the world's top ten car companies, it must be global. To truly become a full-fledged car company, you have to be global.
Of course, if you come out first, you will definitely have a first-mover advantage, and at the same time, in the layout of the product, you can only plan your model in a global way in the planning process, not that I just look at a Chinese market. Because the Chinese market is what Mr. Wang just said, Chinese people are very happy, so cheap can buy such a good car, you can go to their 4S store in Munich to see how expensive its car is.
One of the drivers who helped me serve yesterday he drove an Audi A6, do you know how much it is? And he is just an ordinary version, he said that he spent 80,000 euros on this car, Audi A6 ah, that is 640,000 yuan, what price have we sold for A6 now?
So one has to be global in terms of scale, and I think this has to be done, otherwise you can't become a global company. Because the car is indeed everyone is saying that the world can become several, then in fact, our Chinese car companies into the top ten, this year may be BYD can enter, the first half of the global top ten, the front zero to nine are foreign car companies. The top ten must enter to become a global car company, to become the best, otherwise it will be difficult for you to even survive.
Zhu Jiangming: We have been trying overseas markets since last year, and we have done some European exports, like T03, so we have thousands of exports this year, and we have been talking about entering the EU certification, entering the Southeast Asian market right rudder and so on and so on, and all the certification work, so I think next year we will have several products suitable for overseas markets.
Cao Li: In the area of research and development, because it is true that its regulations and requirements are different from those in China and overseas, especially in North America, the demand may be quite different. Therefore, in the planning of the entire research and development, our strategy is to fully do a good job in the compatibility of the entire technical architecture and model platform, so we will consider the maximum platform compatibility, and then configure and distinguish between the technology according to the regulations and user needs of different regions.
For example, our same architecture can meet the security needs of the EU and China, and then through different structural experiments, or use different software solutions to match some of the differentiated needs of the two places.
Cao Li: Relatively speaking, I think the biggest advantage of our 3.0 architecture is that we can support the global self-research of the entire core components and systems, because this actually makes our entire architecture the most flexible. Because when we talk about architecture, we are actually talking about a support and platform for all future models, in addition to being able to cover different models and different needs, we focus on the four-leaf clover central integrated electronic and electrical architecture as a foundation, because it is the entire vehicle equivalent to neural networks and brains, so this and electrification, intelligent These functions are strongly related, in the future the entire iteration and expansion only these related technologies, as well as software and controllers, hardware, There are other systems that work with it that can be under our own control, so that we can quickly adapt to market changes and technological updates, which I think is the core advantage of our entire brand architecture.
Just now there is a pure electric and range extension, from the trend is definitely pure electricity is the most obvious, the most important advantage, but I think in fact, overseas and domestic is the same, as long as the user has demands for this product, there is a need, I think as for whether it is pure electricity or range extension, we can try, it is not the most critical to say what kind of technology must be used, but whether the market wants such a product.
Zhu Jiangming: In the next three years, because everyone knows that the pace of overseas is still relatively slow, we feel that its sales are not very large and rapid expectations for it, and there must be a process. So in the near future, we must still be more in the form of export, because if you want to build a factory, you don't have more than 50,000, 100,000 or more volume, the cost is definitely very high.