Jia Jianxu: The joint venture business model must exist in the future, and three years later will be SAIC Volkswagen's "big year of products"

Reporter Fang Chao and Quartz Jing report from Shanghai

"Our strategy of 'promoting fuel vehicles' cannot be changed, and the strategy of providing more intelligent cars for oil car consumers cannot be changed, but we must pay close attention to the basis of new car launches and the order of new car launches, find the right market, 'tell the right fortune' and 'bet on the right treasure'. During the 2024 (18th) Beijing International Automobile Exhibition (hereinafter referred to as the "Beijing Auto Show"), Jia Jianxu, general manager of SAIC Volkswagen, said.

The reporter of "China Business Daily" noticed that behind Jia Jianxu's above statement, SAIC Volkswagen launched the Tiguan L Pro, which is known as the "smartest oil car", at this Beijing Auto Show. It is reported that the car is equipped with the IQ. Pilot intelligent assisted driving system has attracted much attention from the outside world.

In addition to the Tiguan L Pro, many of SAIC Volkswagen's electric models such as ID.3, ID.4 X, and ID.6 X also appeared on stage, and for the current hot hybrid models, Jia Jianxu also revealed that SAIC Volkswagen will gradually introduce four products to the market, "filling the blank range of our existing hybrid models".

As a long-established automobile joint venture, SAIC Volkswagen, which signed a contract in 1984 to lay the foundation, is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. However, at a time when the market share of independent brands continues to increase and the new energy vehicle industry is accelerating, SAIC Volkswagen, as a joint venture leader, is obviously facing many challenges.

"Sino-German cooperation and economic cooperation must find a carrier, and SAIC Volkswagen is the carrier. Jia Jianxu emphasized, "The joint venture business model must exist, and Volkswagen is inseparable from the Chinese market." All our innovations, all teams must have a clear division of labor, resolutely do not internal friction, we must have a future. ”

Make full efforts to make oil vehicles intelligent

"There are many first-time buyers in China, and for various reasons, they still favor oil vehicles, and oil vehicles still have a certain market in China. Jia Jianxu said that SAIC Volkswagen's launch of the Tiguan L Pro "is to transfer intelligent things to fuel vehicles".

It is reported that as a flagship product of SAIC Volkswagen, the Tiguan model has been continuously optimized and iterated to create a star product in the SUV market since its birth, and has won more than 2.8 million users in the 14 years since its launch. SAIC Volkswagen bluntly said: "This generation of 'god car' has been renewed, and the product strength has jumped in an all-round way, opening a new era of gasoline and electricity and intelligence, and meeting user expectations to the greatest extent." ”

So, how smart is the Tiguan L Pro, which shouts "opening a new era of petrol and electricity intelligence"?

"In addition to the design upgrade, the Tiguan L Pro is more outstanding in terms of its leading intelligent driving system and forward-looking intelligent configuration. According to SAIC Volkswagen, the Tiguan L Pro is equipped with the IQ jointly developed by SAIC Volkswagen and DJI. Pilot intelligent driving assistance system has a number of functions such as advanced adaptive cruise control system Pro version, lane keeping system Pro version, intelligent paddle lane change, intelligent congestion response and intelligent obstacle avoidance.

SAIC Volkswagen also said that the Tiguan L Pro is equipped with a number of intelligent configurations, which will bring users high-end intelligent driving assistance that is more suitable for China's road conditions, redefine the new standard of intelligent fuel vehicles, and bring a new experience of "gasoline and electricity with intelligence". According to SAIC Volkswagen, the Tiguan L Pro is also equipped with the IQ, which is unique in its class. Light's high-resolution smart projection headlights create a digital cockpit with a sense of science and technology for users through 6-screen interaction.

The reporter noticed that SAIC Volkswagen, which has fully developed the intelligence of oil vehicles, in addition to Tiguan L Pro, Passat Pro also cooperates with DJI Intelligent Driving, not only that, but when improving the intelligence of the above two models, SAIC Volkswagen insists on "the new does not go to the old", Jia Jianxu said bluntly: "The classic Passat and the old Tiguan should continue to be sold." ”

When the Tiguan L Pro shouted "defining a new benchmark for intelligent gasoline vehicles", SAIC Volkswagen also revealed the latest progress of its hybrid models.

"One of the biggest topics of our board of directors this time is to agree that all hybrid models will be handed over to SAIC Volkswagen, and SAIC Volkswagen will use it as a platform to work with Volkswagen and SAIC to jointly develop hybrid models that meet the needs of the Chinese market, including PHEVs and range extender products. "In other words, we will have range-extender products and long-range PHEVs on the market, and they will be electric vehicle architectures." ”

Jia Jianxu also revealed: "The next hybrid models we put on the market are completely on the electric vehicle platform. We have a total of four products that are gradually being introduced to the market to fill the gap in our existing hybrid models. ”

Electric vehicles play a marketing "combination punch"

In addition to hybrid models, what is SAIC Volkswagen's electric vehicle model plan?

"Electric vehicles can't be slowed down, we have positioning, but the loss must have a certain degree. We want to be in the top 10, and if we see the Volkswagen ID.3 in the top 10 list, we basically achieve our goal. Jia Jianxu revealed that SAIC Volkswagen's "strategy this year is not to collect but to enter, and the key to the simultaneous development of oil and electricity lies in progress."

So, in the case of a "price war" set off by many car companies this year, how does SAIC Volkswagen's electric models respond to market competition?

"ID.3 took the lead in launching the financial policy of '19,900 zero-pressure down payment, 1,399 yuan monthly payment, and 3 to 6% discount hedging repurchase' on March 3. Only three weeks later, ID.3 launched the exclusive financial plan of China Merchants Bank, adding a thanksgiving gift of '8,000 yuan + reduction in the balance after 3 years of using the car'. SAIC Volkswagen introduced.

Since then, SAIC Volkswagen has further increased its ID.3 marketing initiatives, and in April, the ID.3 upgraded to launch the ID.Care package, and at this auto show, the Volkswagen brand announced that the ID.Care package will be extended to the ID.4 X and ID.6 X. It is reported that from now until June 30, users who purchase SAIC Volkswagen ID. series can redeem ID.Care value preservation packages through the ID. beans presented with the car, and can enjoy 60% of the car price hedging repurchase after three years of ownership.

What has attracted the attention of the outside world is why SAIC Volkswagen has launched the "60% car price hedging and repurchase" strategy at the moment?

"In today's rapid development of the automotive industry, how to let consumers always use the latest technology?" Jia Jianxu believes that "automobiles are durable consumer goods, unlike electronic consumer goods, only car manufacturers take the initiative to undertake such obligations, including the management of the second-hand car market, and intervene in the second-hand car market in advance, so that consumers can get the latest technology products at the lowest cost of owning a car." ”

In Jia Jianxu's view, how to operate 27 million Volkswagen users is crucial to the future development of SAIC Volkswagen. "The '60% hedging buyback' strategy is already operating for our customers. So why buy back after three years? Three years later, SAIC Audi has many models launched, customers want to turn upward, PHEV, EREV, three years is our big year, users can pick our products as much as they want. ”

It is worth noting that at a time when many car companies are competing for "traffic dividends", how will SAIC Volkswagen break the game?

"What does a user who buys a Tesla buy? He doesn't buy Musk, he consumes the brand, and he buys the car and the service. Therefore, I think that car companies with IP will bring voice and traffic, which is conducive to brand building, and in the end, consumers still buy products and services, especially in the automotive industry. Yu Jingmin, executive deputy general manager of sales and marketing of SAIC Volkswagen, emphasized.

"The outside market has changed a lot, but it still depends on the change and the same. What has changed is that the market demand has changed, and what has not changed is that the quality of the car still has to be in place, and SAIC Volkswagen's car must be good. Yu Jingmin believes that in addition to giving full play to its own excellence, SAIC Volkswagen needs to strengthen offline services and couple online and offline experiences. In his view, product iteration is just the prelude to SAIC Volkswagen's change, and SAIC Volkswagen "has its own way to go" in the future.

(Editor: Quartz Jing Review: Tong Haihua Proofreader: Yan Jingning)