Consumers exclaim that they have been fooled! Hidden door handles, screen shifts, when can stupid innovation rest?

Kung Fu shooting

2024-05-11 15:21Posted in Guangdong automotive creators

Because the door can't be opened after the accident of new energy vehicles, the "hidden door handle" has recently become popular again. From the initial stunning appearance, to the imitation of car companies, and then to the recent verbal criticism, in just two or three years, the wind reviews of hidden door handles have gone a roller coaster.

With electrification and intelligence, there are indeed many such "stupid innovations". Typical examples include panoramic canopies, touch buttons, and even screen touch shifts. They all look handsome, but who knows who really uses them.

Why do these stupid innovations keep coming? What is the game between car companies and consumers? Let Kung Fu Motors take you to take a look.

(1) The business experience of car companies

Similar to most of today's so-called "black technology", hidden doorknobs are actually not a new species born in the past two years. Back in 1952, Mercedes-Benz's 300SL was the first to use hidden door handles. Some subsequent performance cars also used the design of hidden door handles and frameless doors. It's just that this thing is not very useful, and there are many inconveniences, so it has not become mainstream.

It wasn't until Tesla entered China in 2019 that this technology attracted attention again.

Most people's first impression of a hidden doorknob should still be beautiful. Indeed, compared with the "abruptness" of traditional door handles, the door handles that are directly "retracted" into the body are undoubtedly more harmonious. But for new energy vehicles, the biggest significance of hiding door handles is to reduce wind resistance.

According to the data provided by the car company, a single hidden door handle can reduce the wind resistance of 0.003Cd, and the sum of the four can reduce the wind resistance of almost 0.012Cd. Don't underestimate this data, converted to the CLTC-P standard working condition, the comprehensive range can be increased by 5-10km. Especially in the short board highway conditions of the tram, the role of hidden door handles is even more obvious. Let's ask yourself, the range of the two cars is 590km and 600km respectively, which one will you choose?

Of course, in addition to aesthetics and reduced wind resistance, hidden door handles can be said to be all disadvantages. Because to embed the hidden door handle into the body, it is necessary to add a series of accessories such as retractors and sensors, which invisibly increases a lot of risk points. Not only are problems more likely to occur, but the cost of repairs will also increase. At the same time, the time to open the door has also increased, especially when it encounters situations such as freezing and cannot be ejected, pinched hands, etc., it is directly dead.

To put it simply, car companies have benefited, but the losses are all borne by consumers.

Other similar stupid innovations are actually quite similar, such as the integration of air conditioning and window buttons into the center display. It may not sound like a big problem, but when you actually drive, it will be a lot of trouble to adjust the air conditioner. Although it can be controlled by voice, it is really embarrassing many times, especially when the recognition is repeatedly inaccurate. Many people are puzzled, the physical buttons used to be used well, why do you have to do this?

As for the screen shifting, it may be even more excessive. Not to mention that there is no need to change gears during driving, just a switch between forward and reverse gears, many times there are people who will be in a hurry. At this time, you said that you want to control it layer by layer through the screen, isn't this a child's play with security?

The manufacturer is indeed trouble-free, not only saving the investment of mold costs and parts costs, but also making the control simpler. But don't you have to pay attention to the convenience of consumers?

Of course, there is also the so-called panoramic canopy, which is also caused by the fact that the battery of the tram is placed on the chassis, resulting in less headroom than the traditional petrol car. Then there are manufacturers who are smart and make the sunroof into a large piece of glass that cannot be opened, so that they don't feel depressed. But the price is that the owner has a "little sun" on his head all day long, and the whole summer is the same as taking a sauna.

I have to admire the publicity ability of these new energy car companies, the designs of these pit dads have been very popular, and many times they are still "high-level" representatives, but in the end it is all ordinary consumers who pay the bill.

(2) Counting on car companies to have a conscience, it is better to "punish" them?

Kung Fu Auto has always felt that there is no such thing as a conscientious enterprise. Even if there are good things to do in all aspects, it is only because they "have a plan". If companies can sell big without doing anything, they will rot; If evil can also increase sales, they will not hesitate in the slightest.

A while ago, Kung Fu Car went to change the battery of my wife's iPhone, because the health of the old battery was too poor. Then I found a shocking fact, that is, this old iPhone, which used to be thousands of years old, has a battery capacity of less than 3000Ah.

By the way, I checked it and found that there are very, very many complaints about iPhone battery life. The battery is not good, the battery life is too poor, the original battery is too expensive, and the third-party is unstable. There are also people who have a lot of science about how to charge it to be better for the battery. The problem is that the domestic mobile phones of two or three thousand, the charging is all casually charged, or 100W supercharged, and I haven't seen anyone charge the battery badly, but the more expensive iPhones are so "hypocritical".

It's 2024, why does the iPhone dare to do this? Because many people recognize this brand, it can easily make a lot of money, so what motivation is there to do better?

Including why Tesla has not been replaced for seven years, not only is it still a rough interior, but a semi-finished assisted driving dares to sell for 32,000, because some people pay for it. For enterprises, the more favored consumers are, the more they will be excessive, which has nothing to do with right or wrong, it is pure human nature.

Why did Tesla dare to design the screen shift? Because its audience will choose to forgive even if they are dissatisfied. Even many people will self-"domesticate", saying that they feel okay after getting used to it, and even "better than Huaifang".

The question is, can such a person be the majority? Most people are still not used to it. Is it better to have both mechanical and screen shifts? This gives consumers the freedom to choose. But apparently Tesla won't do that, because then it's better not to do these operations.

Fortunately, judging from the current situation, consumers have begun to "punish" these leading companies.

After entering 2024, the iPhone 15 series has been reduced in price several times, and now the channel price has dropped by more than 25%, which can be said to be the most powerful iPhone in history. The reason is not complicated, Apple's domestic sales have fallen by 19% since the beginning of this year, hitting a new low since the new crown epidemic around 2020.

Tesla also cut prices across the range last month, and the reason given was that manufacturing costs had fallen, so the terminal price had also dropped. But the question is how many rounds of manufacturing costs have been reduced before, why do you suddenly have to "cost pricing" this time? It's not because the sales can't stand it. Although it is uncertain how much the black technologies such as "screen shifting", "hidden door handles" and "panoramic canopy" have played, at least it shows that many consumers are no longer indispensable to Tesla.

Including recently, Tesla has also determined that it will step up the pace of FSD into China, and it plans to use newer power batteries in the future. In this way, it seems that the elimination of the rough interior is already in the works. The only trick that can make car companies "honest" is not to buy them, but to force them to improve, if they wait for their conscience to find out, it will be too difficult.

(3) Kung Fu shooting

Behind every "stupid innovation" is actually the business experience of car companies, and no one will take the initiative to do loss-making business. Including the current bunch of new forces saying that they lose money by selling cars, isn't that their own competition? Or because they really want to subsidize consumers?

For these "stupid innovations", of course, including some more naked cut leeks, in fact, we don't have a very good way, the best way is not to buy.

Discerning consumers are the source of progress for car companies, and tolerant consumers will only stop them. On the road to creating great products, we need to have less faith and more picky arrogance.

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