[Introduction: The situation of Korean cars in the domestic market is like a roller coaster, the Korean system is one of the earliest car companies to enter the Chinese market to achieve joint ventures, and has enjoyed the dividends of the market. In the past two years, from the opening of direct sales, to the introduction of "high-end", and then to the integration of sports totems such as Hyundai N, the Korean system is actively planning a "return strategy", and also intends to establish a new brand image, seeking growth in the Chinese market where opportunities and challenges coexist. 】
Written by Yun Li, edited by He Zi
Kia is one of the representatives of Korean car companies, and it is also a typical example of exploring breakthroughs in the Chinese auto market at this stage. The Chinese market is huge, the industrial structure is perfect, the ecosystem is rich, and the demand and consumption power have also maintained a long-term stable high level.
Is Sonai a good card?
At the Beijing Auto Show just past, independent manufacturers seized the traffic highland, foreign businessmen were eager to regain popularity and passenger flow, and more and more global models that had been used to press the bottom of the box were unveiled and launched a general attack on independent brands, and Kia was no exception.
Kia Sonai has many keywords, such as "global model", "small SUV", "80,000-class smart car", etc. Kia has obviously studied the preference for the Chinese market, so Sonai's product shaping has a strong purpose.
Starting at 88,900 yuan for a limited time, the car continues Kia's "quality-oriented" car manufacturing tradition, and at the same time has been specially upgraded based on the needs of young Chinese users, Kia bluntly called it "a smart SUV designed for contemporary youth".
Sonai adopts Kia's "Bold & Wild" design concept, which has just the right amount of style and power, but it is slightly ostentatious at the price point, and the appearance belongs to the category of pleasing the younger group. The front and rear LED light clusters are matched with frosted wheels and rear surrounds, which give Sonai a sense of "short but not lean".
Sonai's interior looks like a fuel car, and in the era when most new energy manufacturers are superstitious about "minimalist interiors", Sonai maintains some restraint and rationality or self-awareness.
Sonay retains a considerable part of the functional physical buttons, and the dual screens of the central control and instrument do not deliberately chase the wind "joint screen", and the interior style of the splicing color adds some layers to Sonai's cockpit. From the actual look and feel of the Sonai cockpit, the whole interior is conservative but not old, with fashion elements but not radical, like a product between the traditional cockpit and the minimalist cockpit.
The Sonai cockpit has achieved a balance in terms of workmanship materials, retaining classics, taking into account practicality and appearance control, etc., and the balance is not like a small car within 100,000 yuan, which is indeed a good attraction to a considerable number of independent young people, especially independent young people.
In terms of intelligence, the new car is equipped with a Level 2 intelligent driver assistance system and Kia Connect & Baidu Intelligent Connected System 3.0. Remote control, car-home interconnection, online entertainment, OTA upgrade, dual-tone voice recognition and other functions can be supported.
Sonay continues to use the cost-effective advantages that Korean cars are good at, and deduces the contrast drama of "Sonai is small, but it is full of functions", and it has rolled up to a new height, in the market segment within 100,000, especially the traditional oil car market, it is like a "non-martial arts" existence, and Kia does not shy away from using multiple "redefinitions" to describe Sonai's "subversive" attributes.
Sonay has significant competitiveness, is a "spoiler" for the market segment, and will even become the fuse that detonates the market segment and triggers a new round of arms race, which can not be underestimated whether it is the force of the B-end or the C-side.
Can Sonai consolidate Kia's gasoline car market?
At this year's Beijing Auto Show, many traditional manufacturers will, consciously or unconsciously, mention "consolidating the gasoline car market", and Kia is also among them.
Traditional manufacturers have come from the era of oil vehicles, and the focus of product base, superior technology and even user groups is in the field of oil vehicles, so it is reasonable to consolidate the oil vehicle market.
"What to consolidate" is a problem that needs to be faced, Volkswagen's "consolidation way" is "two cars at the same time", the effect is good from the market response alone, after all, Tiguan L Pro and a new generation of Magotan did give Volkswagen some yards, but you must know that these two oil cars were once the benchmark of the industry and the façade of the North and South Volkswagen, with a deep influence.
Kia wants to consolidate the market for fuel vehicles, but it is a bit reluctant to count on Sonai to boost the confidence of fuel vehicles. Although Kia did not directly express its position, the press conference also unveiled two new cars, including Sonai and EV5, which are "one oil and one electric", which is difficult not to make people think of this.
Sonet, also known as Sonet, is Kia's global strategic model and is available in India, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Middle East. Although it is called a "global car", unlike the models produced by European factories and sold to Europe, the United States and other major global car markets, Sonay's positioning when the project was first established was "special for India", and the car was also developed by the Indian side, and the first launch was completed as early as 2020.
Although Sonay, which debuted in China at the Beijing Auto Show, completed a "facelift" at the end of last year, Sonay's technical base and product novelty have not necessarily been able to keep up with the existing trend of "new cars", and the "conservative style" has been explained and verified. In addition, Sonay's definition of a "global car" is narrower than most people expected.
The essence of Sonai is "old wine in a new pot", in addition to the innovation of the product is difficult to convince the public, the power combination of Sonai's 1.5L Smartstream engine + IVT gearbox also seems a little thin and weak today, and even out of place.
It is not realistic to leave the matter of picking up the main beam and stabilizing the foundation to Sonai, who has just entered the market. In contrast, the more famous K3 and K5 Kaiku, or the compact SUV Liontop, which sells well, may have a better chance of holding on to their existing share than the former.
There is no more helplessness than there is struggle
The more desperate Kia wants to change the status quo, the more it proves how passive the status quo is. Kia's passivity can be perceived from the market share level of the Korean system, and the data of the "Country Market Segment" of the Passenger Car Association shows that in the past year, the monthly market share of the Korean system has been below 2% except for March 2024, which is slightly better than that of the French system.
The market pattern has changed dramatically, independent brands occupy most of the country, and although German and Japanese brands can maintain a share range of 10% to 20%, the pressure on independent brands is unprecedented. The relative relationship between the Korean faction and other mainstream factions is no longer the same as it once was, and it is an indisputable fact that the Korean faction is on the edge of China's auto market. In the context of the cold of the Korean system, Kia can only do a backwater.
Domestic cars are selling more and more, but Kia has embarked on a seemingly opposite path, is Kia really doing this because of how much the small SUV market has? Definitely not. The data shows that the share of small SUVs has long been less than 1/3 of the share of compact SUVs, nor less than 1/2 of the share of medium-sized SUVs.
In fact, if Kia enters the compact and mid-size SUV market, it means that it has largely fallen into the "mainstream trap", and will have to fight bayonets with its own brands, other joint venture brands, and even new car-making forces, and the chances of breaking through are slim. Therefore, Kia does not have many options, and "launching a small SUV to avoid short-term contact with mainstream manufacturers" seems relatively reliable.
Comments
Kia Sonai does have the leading product strength in its class, especially in the application of intelligent configuration, Sonai is a pioneering existence. The Sonai is Kia's bargaining chip for market expansion, and it is also a model that is currently expected to achieve profitability per car. Like Ford's Liema and Toyota's Crown, the Kia Sonai was officially launched at the Beijing Auto Show as a global model, and the top priority was to "boost the brand" or "regain lost share". However, although it is also a "global car", Sonay does not have the same weight as the roles of Liema and Crown, and the road to Kia's revival in China is still difficult.
(This article is the original of "Heyan Reading Cars", and may not be reproduced without authorization)