In recent years, the automotive industry is facing major changes unseen in a century, and the wave of electrification and intelligent transformation is sweeping the entire automotive industry. At the same time, the "Generation Z" consumer group, which pursues individuality and diversity, is gradually stepping onto the stage, also subverting the pattern of the entire automobile market, bringing the same and different challenges to traditional car companies and new forces.
In the face of drastic changes in the industry, in the past 2023, SAIC Volkswagen, which is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary, has taken the initiative to find the right direction and put forward the nine-character policy of "promoting oil vehicles, stabilizing electric vehicles, and getting on Audi", and comprehensively consolidated its corporate strength at all levels such as traditional advantageous fields, emerging industry directions, and brand improvement.
Judging from the results, SAIC Volkswagen did what it said, selling 1.215 million cars for the whole year, the annual sales of new energy exceeded 130,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 32%, and the sales volume in December exceeded 20,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 88.8%, entering the first echelon of the new energy market.
Under the guidance of the nine-character policy, SAIC Volkswagen has achieved a breakthrough in both oil and electricity in the past year, and new products are being iterated in an orderly manner to meet the needs of emerging markets, and the cooperation with Audi is also progressing in an orderly manner. In terms of brand style, SAIC Volkswagen is also continuing to crack the communication code with young people, and thus announced to the Chinese auto market that although it has reached the age of confusion, SAIC Volkswagen still has a "youthful heart".
Stabilize the tram, ID. forms a word-of-mouth effect
For the whole year of 2023, SAIC Volkswagen's new energy ID. family sales will reach 109,700 units, of which 19,000 units will be sold in December alone. To date, the ID. family has sold more than 220,000 units. It ranks first among the joint venture brand new energy vehicles.
Among them, as SAIC Volkswagen's 27 million new car, the ID.3 has exceeded 100,000 units in cumulative sales since its launch.
The latest achievements of SAIC Volkswagen's new energy vehicles, led by the ID. family, are the result of SAIC Volkswagen's years of accumulation in the field of "New Four Modernizations".
In the face of the wave of transformation of the "New Four Modernizations", SAIC Volkswagen jumped out of the "comfort zone" ahead of its peers and staged a difficult and necessary "elephant turn":
As early as 2020, the two major shareholders SAIC Motor and Volkswagen Group made a clear plan for SAIC Volkswagen: from 2020 to 2025, it will focus on new energy vehicles and intelligent networking.
Earlier, the Volkswagen Group laid the foundation stone of SAIC Volkswagen's new energy vehicle plant in Jiading, Shanghai, for the first vehicle plant based on a pure electric platform in China, and officially started mass production in 2020. So far, four models are on sale: the ID.4 X, ID.6 X, ID.3 and the Audi Q5 e-torn.
In the past 2023, SAIC Volkswagen has participated in the fierce competition of new energy vehicles with the market strategy of "stabilizing electric vehicles". In July last year, the ID.3 launched a shocking price of 125,900 yuan, with the advantages of "good looking, easy to drive, good reliability" and high cost performance, making it a phenomenal hit in the pure electric vehicle market in 2023. As of December last year, the ID.3's sales have increased month-on-month for five consecutive months, and the annual sales volume has increased by 215% year-on-year, ranking first in sales of joint venture pure electric vehicles and A-segment hatchbacks.
At the same time, SAIC Volkswagen also used the ID.3 as an anchor point to give full play to the pull effect, and at the same time helped the sales of the ID.4 X and ID.6 X, so that the sales volume of the ID. family exceeded 10,000 for six consecutive months, ranking first among the new energy vehicles of the joint venture brand.
Under the guidance of the "stable electric car" policy, SAIC Volkswagen will consolidate and further expand the market share of the ID. family in 2024. Starting with the launch of the 2024 ID.3 and ID.4 X at the beginning of the new year, SAIC Volkswagen will also introduce more new products to enrich the product matrix of the ID. family and provide consumers with a variety of choices. Among them, the ID.NEXT, which was unveiled during last year's Guangzhou Auto Show, will be mass-produced and launched to the market, and Volkswagen's iconic pure electric MPV model ID.BUZZ which covers pure electric sedan users, is also expected to be exclusively imported and sold by SAIC Volkswagen.
In addition, in addition to becoming a sales growth point, the SAIC Volkswagen ID. family is also moving forward in brand rejuvenation, from the animated movie based on the ID.3 to the limited co-branded Pokémon card, with the addition of new products and the expansion of brand influence, the ID. family is also continuing to crack the communication code with young people.
Constantly new, the advantages of traditional fuel have a second spring
At the same time, SAIC Volkswagen has also been constantly renewing its traditional advantages, with a diversified and youthful attitude, with a strong momentum in the fuel vehicle market, and remarkable results in "promoting fuel vehicles".
Among them, the Lavida family sold more than 42,000 units in December, and the annual sales exceeded 350,000 units, while the B-class sedan benchmark Passat continued its high growth momentum, with sales reaching 25,000 units in December and a total of more than 200,000 units sold throughout the year.
Since its launch, the cumulative sales of the Lavida family have exceeded 5.9 million units, and the cumulative sales of the Passat family have exceeded 3.4 million units. The cumulative sales of the SUV family also exceeded 4.2 million units.
Among them, models such as Lavida Xinrui, Xintuyue, Weiran, 2024 Lavida, 2024 Lingdu L, and 2024 Passat have been "renewed" in the past year:
For example, the 2024 Touron adds the 380TSI 4WD Qingfeng Limited Edition, which has a limited texture car color, Yuanshan Blue with a high-gloss black sports package, the 2024 Passat adds the 380TSI Elite Edition with a 2.0T high-power engine and Starry Night Blue car color, and expands the front face of the Starry Sky Edition to all 380TSI models, the 2024 Touron X is equipped with all-round drive 4WD, and the new Tuyue is equipped with a new 1.5T EVO II net efficiency engine equipped with high-efficiency VTG variable section turbocharging. The 2024 Lingdu L breaks the "floor price" of the coupe at a price of 143,900 yuan......
According to statistics, at present, SAIC Volkswagen's post-90s and 30-year-old users account for a relatively high proportion. Like the new energy series, SAIC Volkswagen also continues to provide consumers with younger, personalized and cost-effective products in traditional advantageous areas, and promotes the stable development of the fuel vehicle business. For example, the "double front face" mode of the new Passat and the new Lavida exudes a strong youthful atmosphere through the star version, and the high-end models represented by the Passat have also become the growth point of SAIC Volkswagen's young users.
Seeking new breakthroughs "Upper Audi" enters the luxury market
Also in the past 2023, the "Upper Audi" project has entered a new phase. On July 27 of the same year, SAIC Motor and Audi AG signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate the development of SAIC Audi's new electric vehicles by combining their core competencies and integrating products, technologies, and processes on the basis of deepening the existing cooperation.
According to the plan, from 2025 to 2026, SAIC Audi will launch a number of new cars. The new models will complement the existing product portfolio and expand into more segments and customer segments in the fast-growing Chinese e-mobility market. Its electrified products will also be located in Anting to meet the demand of Chinese users for high-end electric intelligent connected vehicles.
Since the establishment of the joint venture in 1984, SAIC Volkswagen has taken off together with China's economy and China's automobile industry, and has written a strong chapter in the history of reform and opening up. The nine-character policy of "promoting fuel vehicles, stabilizing electric vehicles, and getting on Audi" will not only run through SAIC Volkswagen's annual operation in 2023, but also be the core of SAIC Volkswagen for a long time to come.
Don't be confused, don't be trapped. Only after experiencing the wind and rain can we better understand: life is like a marathon, if you run too fast, it is easy to lack stamina, and if you run for a long time, you can have the last laugh. In 2024, SAIC Volkswagen, which maintains a young mentality, will embark on a new journey and make unremitting efforts to reach a new peak for China's auto industry and achieve the global carbon neutrality goal.
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