According to the sales data of new energy vehicles in March, Wenjie and Ideal won the first and second place in sales that month, and the extended-range new energy vehicles continued to dominate the market of more than 300,000 yuan. At the same time, BYD DM-i models with its strong performance firmly occupy the dominant position in the market below 200,000 yuan, Changan Qiyuan with 100,000 ~ 150,000 yuan price range, achieved excellent sales of 15,228 units, successfully ranked fourth in the sales of new energy vehicles in the month. However, in the price range of 200,000 ~ 300,000 yuan, brands such as Xiaopeng, Zeekr, Zhiji, and Tesla collectively encountered difficulties, both by the competitive pressure of traditional fuel vehicles, and faced with the problem that it was difficult to break through the market segment, making the brand performance in this range relatively bleak.
01
The "mid-range price range" is difficult to break through
According to the latest data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 1~3 months, the new energy passenger vehicle market showed a diversified development trend. Except for the sales volume in the price range of 200,000~250,000 yuan and 400,000~500,000 yuan, the sales volume decreased year-on-year, and the other price segments maintained positive growth. It is particularly noteworthy that the range of 200,000~250,000 yuan has decreased significantly, reaching 4.9%. At present, the price segment with the most concentrated sales volume is still 150,000 ~ 200,000 yuan, with a cumulative sales of 535,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 18.2%.
In the pure electric vehicle market, the "mid-range price" market of 200,000 ~ 300,000 yuan is still facing breakthrough problems. The Tesla Model 3, the once star model, was not spared, with sales of only 14,481 units in March, not only losing its position as the top seller of pure electric vehicles, but also showing a trend of declining sales.
As the price war intensifies, the competitiveness of "mid-range" pure electric vehicles continues to decline, and the decline in sales is inevitable. At present, the price war of the entire auto market has led to the chaos of the price system. B-class cars in the traditional fuel vehicle market, such as mainstream models such as the Accord, Camry, and Passat at the 200,000 yuan level, have entered the range of less than 200,000 yuan after price reduction. High-end models with more than 300,000 yuan, such as BMW 3 Series, Audi A4L, Mercedes-Benz C-class, etc., have become the main force in the mid-range market of 200,000~300,000 yuan after the price reduction. In the minds of consumers, this price range has become the main battlefield for high-end cars.
Compared with high-end brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the pure electric models of new power brands are obviously lacking in brand competitiveness. At the same time, due to serious homogenization and consumer aesthetic fatigue, it is difficult to increase the sales of pure electric vehicles of new forces.
In fact, in the traditional car market, the proportion of sales in the "mid-range" segment has been low, and the demand for pure electric vehicles in this range is relatively low. For a single new power brand, it is extremely difficult to achieve a sales breakthrough in this market. Peng Lixin, a professor at Hunan University, pointed out that the current pure electric vehicle market presents an obvious "dumbbell" structure, and the "mid-range price" models have not yet opened the market, so it is naturally difficult for sales to improve. In the fierce price war, the "mid-range" pure electric models are facing greater competitive pressure, and the products in this price range are in an embarrassing situation, which is not "luxurious" enough and has lost its cost-effective advantage. More critically, consumers in this price range are mainly middle-income groups, and their purchasing power has not yet fully recovered due to the current weak consumption, which further affects the sales of products in this price range.
02
Success or failure lies in intelligence
Intelligence has become the core focus of today's automobile market, especially the new energy vehicle market. A senior industry expert admitted: "Nowadays, major brands are working hard to improve the intelligent driving experience, constantly piling up configurations and carrying out OTA upgrades. For a new brand, it is extremely difficult to create a unique brand label of intelligent driving. "In the fierce competitive environment, everyone's intelligent driving functions tend to be similar, and with the continuous progress of technology and effective cost control, the configuration cost of intelligent and intelligent driving is gradually decreasing. Nowadays, not only the "mid-range price" models will be intelligent as the standard, but even many models in the range below 200,000 yuan have been equipped with basic intelligent functions.
Through comparison, it is not difficult to find that the new power brands currently hovering in the "mid-range price" are in serious homogeneous competition in terms of intelligence and lack distinctive characteristics, which will inevitably make consumers have aesthetic fatigue on products. Recently, the dispute between the two major brands of Zhiji and Xiaomi has attracted widespread attention, and their main models are positioned in the range of 200,000~300,000 yuan. The focus of this dispute is precisely on similar configurations and performance, especially in terms of intelligence, and the competition between the two brands is becoming more and more fierce.
According to public information, Zhiji L6 is equipped with advanced intelligent functions such as "No Picture City NOA" and "Future Smart Cabin". These features are designed to provide an easier and safer driving experience. However, these features have gradually become standard in today's "mid-range" models, and it is difficult to highlight the uniqueness of the Zhiji L6. What's more, Zhiji L6 faces many competitors in the "mid-range price" market, such as Xpeng, Zeekr, Tesla, Jiyue, Zhijie, Galaxy, and even BYD Han EV and other models, although these models are also trying to improve the level of intelligence, but the lack of obvious features makes it difficult for them to stand out in the market, resulting in almost no "explosive" products in this range.
In addition, there are still natural shortcomings in driving range and charging compared with range-extender models, which also affects their sales performance to a certain extent. As Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said: "In the current market environment, the growth rate of pure electric vehicles is much slower than that of plug-in hybrids (including range extenders), especially in the 'mid-range' price range. Therefore, for new power brands, how to break the shackles of homogenization in the fierce market competition and create a unique charm of the intelligent driving brand label will be the key to its future development.
03
Borrowing traffic to complete the game?
Although the sales of "mid-range" BEVs have not yet achieved a significant breakthrough, there is no shortage of popular models in the market to lead the way. Among them, the Xiaomi SU7 has performed particularly well, receiving orders for 89,000 units within just 24 hours of its launch, and sales have quickly climbed to 1,093 units in the first week. Despite rumors that the cancellation rate has reached 40%, the Xiaomi SU7 is still expected to set a new first-month sales record for new car manufacturers, showing strong market appeal. This wave of popularity not only enhances the popularity of Xiaomi SU7 itself, but also brings hope and expectation to the entire "mid-range price" pure electric vehicle market.
The survey data of Kailian Capital Research Institute reveals the current situation of the "mid-range price" new energy vehicle market: in the price range of 200,000 ~ 300,000 yuan, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles is relatively low, about 10% lower than the overall market. At the same time, sales of traditional fuel vehicles in this price range are also flat. However, there have been successful precedents in history, and Tesla Model 3 has created a sales myth in the pure electric vehicle market in the range of 200,000~300,000 yuan with its excellent performance and reasonable price. However, with the intensification of market competition and the escalation of the price war, even the Model 3 has to reduce prices to maintain sales, and it is difficult to continue its glory.
It is worth noting that with the advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, the pure electric vehicle market below 200,000 yuan is rising rapidly and has become the main driving force for sales growth. The high-end car market of more than 300,000 yuan has formed a relatively stable consumer group by virtue of the strong competitiveness of various brands and the continuous improvement of pricing power. In contrast, the "mid-range" pure electric vehicle market is facing multiple challenges such as brand building, technological innovation and cost control, and it is not easy to achieve market breakthrough.
Despite this, the "mid-range" BEV market is still full of opportunities. With the growing consumer demand for environmental protection, energy conservation and smart travel, as well as the government's continuous support for the new energy vehicle industry, this market is expected to usher in a broader space for development. In the future, whoever can seize the opportunity and break through the encirclement will become the leader of the "mid-range price" pure electric vehicle market.
Text: Wang Jinyu Editor: Guo Chen Layout: Wang Kun
Add a chicken leg to the editor!