During the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, Chen Hao, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. and General Manager of Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Sales Company, was interviewed by Zhidian Mobility and other media, and had a frank exchange with the on-site media on topics such as Dongfeng Motor's market performance, future planning, and brand marketing.
Dongfeng Motor sold 660,000 units in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 28.3%, outperforming the market, and achieved significant growth in the field of new energy vehicles and high-end vehicles, showing a good momentum of successful breakthroughs in new energy transformation.
Chen Hao said that Dongfeng Motor will get better and better, and will definitely do a great job in the field of new energy, regardless of the first half or the second half, we will always be there. And you have to rely on science and technology to prove that you can be there, otherwise it will be a flash in the pan.
Dongfeng covers luxury, high-end, mainstream intelligent new energy brands
After its establishment in August 2023, Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Sales Co., Ltd. has built an organizational structure of "three verticals and three horizontals" in only four months. The "three verticals" are the three brand marketing divisions of Dongfeng Fengshen, Dongfeng Yipai and Dongfeng Nano, and the "three horizontals" are the three back-end support units of the marketing support department, Dongfeng Zhuolian and the relevant departments of the party and the masses. The construction and improvement of the organizational structure is conducive to gathering resources, efficient collaboration, and laying a good foundation for a good start in the development of the cause.
Chen Hao said: "Dongfeng Motor now seems to have more brands, in fact, it is Dongfeng Lantu, Dongfeng Mengshi and 'Dongfeng' brand. Everyone asked why they did Dongfeng Nano, Dongfeng Fengshen, and Dongfeng Yipai. We were also struggling at that time, because in my work experience, I felt that the biggest problem in the terminal market now is that oil trucks and trams are sold in one store, especially the heavier the burden of oil trucks, the more difficult it is to sell brand trams. ”
"In the transition period from this kind of oil car to electric car, when the penetration rate is about 30%, different brands can be used to precipitate, and each brand can be remembered by consumers with its own unique label. Using different brands to set up different personalities and different labels in different channels makes it easier to use this brand label well and please this part of consumers. ”
"But once the penetration rate of new energy exceeds 50%, or even reaches 70%, I think the market may return to relying on brands. ”
When talking about Dongfeng Motor's "change" and "unchanged", Chen Hao said: "For Dongfeng Motor, the biggest change is that based on the changes of the entire industry and the changes of the times, Dongfeng Motor has embarked on the road of new energy transformation and upgrading. ”
In 2024, Dongfeng Motor will launch 13 new energy passenger vehicles and 7 new energy commercial vehicles, and strive to sell 3.2 million units for the whole year, of which 1 million will be new energy products. In the next three years, Dongfeng Motor plans to invest more than 60 billion yuan to launch another 30 new energy passenger vehicles and 14 new energy commercial vehicle basic models.
Forward-looking technology leads the future development
When talking about how to view the production capacity and market situation of China's automobile industry, Chen Hao said: "With the reform of new energy, with the adjustment of Dongfeng Motor, coupled with the support of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and the entire industrial policy, Dongfeng Motor will get better and better." In the end, it is still necessary to rely on technology and technology to prove that they can be present, and everything else may be smoke, or they may be short-lived. ”
Dongfeng Motor has independently controlled a number of key core technologies such as platform architecture, powertrain, intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, vehicle-grade chips, autonomous controllers, in-wheel motors, fuel cells, etc., and has created technology brands such as Dongfeng Quantum Architecture, Mach Power, Longqing Power, Dongfeng Hydrogen Boat Power, and Dongfeng Yuexiang Intelligence.
As the first model of Mach electric hybrid PHREV technology, the Dongfeng Fengshen L7 has the longest pure electric range of 205 kilometers in its class and the longest comprehensive range of 1,500 kilometers in its class. In the previous actual test, it ran a mileage of 2054 kilometers with full charge and full fuel, which is higher than the official cruising range.
The Mach hybrid PHREV is a new breakthrough in Dongfeng Motor's hybrid technology, which further increases the cruising range by 10%, reduces the fuel consumption of feed-in to 3 liters per 100 kilometers, and continues to promote the thermal efficiency of the engine to exceed 50%.
Accelerate Dongfeng Motor's "driving" to the world
In the first quarter of this year, Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. exported 52,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%.
Dongfeng Company has basically completed the industrialization layout of the new energy "three electrics", independently controlled a number of key core technologies such as platform architecture, powertrain, intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, vehicle-grade chips, independent controllers, in-wheel motors, fuel cells, etc., completed more than 100 overseas adaptive developments, and promoted the "scientific and technological leap" achievements to be widely used in overseas markets.
Exports of own-brand vehicles totaled 35,000 units, reflecting a 26% y/y increase. In 2024, Dongfeng will anchor the goal of exporting 300,000 vehicles, promote overseas business to become an important growth pole for Dongfeng's vehicle sales, and comprehensively help Dongfeng's independent business transformation and upgrading.