In the last week, the sales volume of the Xiaomi SU7 reached 2,394 units, closely followed by new energy vehicle brands Zeekr and NIO.
According to the industry report on April 16, from April 8 to 14, the sales data of many domestic new energy vehicle manufacturers showed that the sales volume of BYD, Xiaomi, Li, Tesla, Wenjie and other companies have increased significantly. At the same time, the weekly sales volume of the Zeekr brand declined.
Among the many car companies, Xiaomi Auto's SU7 model stands out, with sales surpassing competing models in the same price position and achieving a breakthrough in the first full delivery week.
According to the data of the authoritative automotive information platform, the Xiaomi SU7 performed well in the sales comparison of single models in the above period, surpassing its competitors such as the Zeekr 001, Tesla Model 3 and Zhijie S7. In addition, Xiaomi Auto has also successfully surpassed Xpeng Motors' 1,611 units and Denza Auto's 2,222 units in terms of deliveries, and is close to Zeekr's 2,677 units and NIO's 2,529 units.
It is worth noting that Xiaomi Auto has only launched one model of Xiaomi SU7 at present, while NIO and ZEEKR both have multiple models on sale. Therefore, the market competitiveness of Xiaomi cars on the basis of a single model is particularly strong.
In the latest market trends, Li Auto's weekly sales significantly surpassed Tesla's, and the gap with Wenjie widened significantly, from 1,437 units in early April to 2,254 units, a gap of 1.6 times. As of the current point in time, the cumulative sales of Li Auto in April exceeded that of Wenjie by about 3,700 units, and the market competition is becoming increasingly fierce.
The upcoming situation is even more striking, as in the coming week, both Li Auto and Wenjie will launch their respective new flagship models. The Li L6 is expected to be officially launched on April 18, while the new M5 is scheduled to be released on April 23. Both companies are competing for the leading position in China's local NEV market, and the competition is becoming increasingly tense, and the competition between the two sides has entered a new stage.
At the same time, other automakers such as Tesla and Xpeng are facing the dilemma of declining sales. Despite the growth in weekly sales, Tesla has struggled to maintain its leading position in China's NEV market over the past few years due to negative headlines such as layoffs, shrinking market capitalization, and attrition at the top of the market.
The SU7, the latest model of the Xiaomi car brand, delivered 2,394 units in its first full delivery week, a significant increase from the first week of April. According to reliable sources, the production capacity of the Xiaomi SU7 is scheduled to be strengthened this week, and the daily production is expected to increase to more than 400 units, which in turn will push its monthly production to the standard of 12,000 units. This increase in productivity is expected to facilitate vehicle deliveries on a larger scale.
According to a public statement from Xiaomi's automotive customer service department, the order delivery schedule will be dynamically adjusted based on the current order volume and production capacity status. In the future, it is expected to speed up the delivery process by increasing production volumes, with the possibility of an early delivery period of 1 to 4 weeks.
Mr. Lei Jun, Founder and Chairman of Xiaomi Group, expressed his thoughts today: "Less than 20 days after its release, the acceptance of the Xiaomi SU7 has far exceeded our initial optimistic forecast, and the order volume has significantly exceeded expectations. He also pointed out that the challenges facing Xiaomi Auto remain severe, including ensuring that products are delivered as planned and that after-sales services meet user expectations.
At the same time, the main competitor of Xiaomi SU7, Zhijie S7, has been relaunched in the market last Thursday. Zhijie Motors successfully delivered 1,011 vehicles in the first week of April, and although the exact number of orders for the second week was not disclosed, the Zhijie S7 has achieved 2,079 pre-orders in two days over the weekend since the model update was released last Thursday.
The production and delivery process of the S7 has also been significantly accelerated. According to Chery officials, the new factory of the Zhijie S7 has the capacity to produce one Zhijie S7 per minute. Based on this, the plant is estimated to produce 60 vehicles per hour, or 600 vehicles per day based on 10 working hours per day, and 18,000 vehicles per month including weekends. If this delivery schedule is maintained, the monthly sales volume of the Zhijie S7 is expected to be extremely substantial.
In a related development, Li Auto's weekly sales once again surpassed the Wenjie brand, and the difference between the two sales widened to more than 2,000 units. New vehicles from both brands are ready to be launched in the near future, and the market competition is expected to become more intense.
In the previous week's sales comparison, Li Auto achieved significant growth, with more than 7,160 units sold in a single week, an increase of more than 1,500 units from the previous week. At the same time, the sales volume of Wenjie Automobile did not reach 5,000 units, which further widened the weekly sales gap between Ideal and Wenjie. As of the first half of April, Li Auto's cumulative sales have led the world by more than 3,700 units.
In previous practice, Li Auto had the habit of publishing weekly reports every Tuesday. However, in the face of sales being surpassed many times, Li Auto's founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Li Xiang, sent an internal letter in late March, pointing out that the company needs to reduce the excessive focus on sales figures and focus on ways to achieve healthy growth, especially in terms of user value and operational efficiency. As a result, Li Auto has not released weekly sales figures in the near future.
At present, the growth momentum of Li Auto's sales shows that the company's internal adjustment strategy has successfully promoted the improvement of sales performance. In addition, the more exciting news for the industry is that Li Auto plans to refresh its product line this month, with the launch of a new model Li L6 in two days, while Wenjie Auto will also unveil its facelifted M5 on the eve of the Beijing Auto Show.
The outcome of the market competition has not yet been decided, and the industry is waiting to see who can win the leading position in the sales of China's local new power brands in April.
On the one hand, Tesla has sold only 8,000 vehicles in the past half month, a result that has been accompanied by store layoffs, top management departures and stock price fluctuations.
In the latest industry report, the emerging automaker set new sales records, but it also revealed a significant industry dynamic: Tesla's sales performance has not returned to its previous period of high growth, despite the recovery of weekly sales.
Specifically, Tesla's sales in China reached 6,212 units in the past week, a significant increase of 4,305 units compared to 1,907 units in the first week of April. However, the total sales in the past half month have only slightly exceeded 8,000 units, a figure that is significantly different from the previous sales peak.
According to media reports and analysis forecasts, Tesla's wholesale sales in China exceeded 89,000 units in XXXX, which means that the average half-month sales volume is about 45,000 units. Citigroup analyst Jeff Chung predicts that Tesla's sales in April could fall by about 60% month-on-month based on existing trends.
The internal situation put additional pressure on Tesla. The company recently issued a notice to employees that it will implement layoffs globally, with an expected reduction rate of 10%. Based on Tesla's headcount announced last year, the global layoffs could involve as many as 14,000 employees.
Earlier today, a source revealed that Tesla is communicating with various stores about the details of the layoffs, and almost every store will be affected, and the laid-off employees will receive "N+3" standard compensation.
In recent financial market activities, Tesla Inc. has experienced a significant decline in stock price, falling by more than 5% in a single day, resulting in an instant decrease in its market value by 30.4 billion US dollars (equivalent to about 220 billion yuan). Further compounding the company's disadvantage, two key top executives left on the same day, including a core member of Tesla's 18-year career.
Specifically, the departing executive is Drew Baglino, who spent 18 years as Tesla's senior vice president of battery, motor and energy product engineering, and also chaired the company's financial reporting call with CEO Elon Musk. Another departing is Rohan Patel, vice president for public policy and business development.
Tesla is currently facing sales challenges, and the previous high sales performance is no longer sustainable.
Xpeng Motors, which is also suffering from sales difficulties, sold 1,611 units in its latest week, and its sales volume has remained at the level of about 1,000 units for two consecutive weeks, and the total sales in the first half of April reached only 2,841 units, showing a weak growth.
In response to this trend, Xpeng has launched new models and implemented price concessions in several markets.
On April 11, Xpeng Motors officially released a new model of the mid-size SUV Xpeng G6, namely the 580 long-range Plus version, to stimulate consumer demand and improve market performance.
Recently, Xpeng Motors has made price adjustments for its product line to enhance its market competitiveness. The starting price of the 580 Long Range Plus model has been adjusted to 179,900 yuan, which is 10,000 yuan lower than the previous entry-level model, which is intended to attract more consumers to take advantage of the price reduction opportunity to buy a car.
At the same time, the promotion of Xpeng P7 has also caused heated discussions on the Internet. It is reported that the original price of the model was 239,900 yuan, and now the final price can be reduced to 140,900 yuan through cash discounts and other subsidies, which is close to 100,000 yuan, which is equivalent to providing a 6% discount on sales. However, according to the sales staff of Xpeng Motors' Shenzhen 4S store, the above discount is only applicable to the old model of the 2023 model year 586E, while the current 2024 model year Xpeng P7 does not enjoy the same preferential conditions.
In the sales data in March this year, Xpeng's sales doubled month-on-month, but the total number was only 9,026 units, failing to achieve 10,000 deliveries. Among them, the newly released Xpeng X9 took the main share of sales growth, with deliveries reaching 3,946 units. In contrast, the sales growth of other models such as the P7, P5, G6 and G9 in the market is sluggish. Given the current sales and inventory pressures, Xpeng Motors faces a significant challenge to its full-year sales target.
A number of emerging automakers are facing market pressure, and Xpeng Motors is seeking a breakthrough through the implementation of a price concession strategy, but its overall sales situation still needs to be further observed and analyzed.
In the analysis of the current automotive market, it is clear that there is a contrasting development trend. On the one hand, there are emerging auto companies represented by Xiaomi and Li Wenjie, which are making rapid progress in the market, while on the other side are companies like Tesla, Xpeng and Zeekr, which seem to be in a relatively sluggish state and face some challenges.
In this context, it can be clearly pointed out that the impact of marketing strategies on the market cannot be ignored. Among China's emerging auto companies, those with leading sales volume usually have strong marketing capabilities. In contrast, relying only on a small number of older models for price reduction promotions has a limited effect on increasing sales. In a market environment where many auto companies are fiercely competitive and seeking innovative marketing strategies, emerging auto companies urgently need to re-examine and adjust their strategies and status in order to better adapt to the rapid changes in the market.