"Great Wall Motor's product matrix is the best, the most complete, the most advantageous, to pick up trucks, to new energy to have new energy, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, gasoline, diesel all have." This is the evaluation of the company by Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall Motors, at the shareholders' meeting of Great Wall Motors.
On the afternoon of May 10, Great Wall Motor held a general meeting of shareholders, which was also the first time that Great Wall Motor broadcast the company's shareholders' meeting to the outside world. In previous years, the annual general meeting of shareholders was conducted internally, and the investors and shareholders who came to the meeting had to do a good job of "confidentiality". But this time, a number of Great Wall Motor's executives will "fight with investors" in front of the live broadcast camera, and the more than 120-minute live broadcast will talk about almost everything about Great Wall Motors.
Wei Jianjun used the "truth" circle of fans, and introduced the company's strategy, technical strength, understanding of off-road, new energy, and the layout of motorcycles in a frank and authentic style. He even bluntly said that Great Wall Motors is a very simple company, and everything else can be said except for what cannot be said by the regulations of listed companies.
"Wei Shi": Explain the secret of making money
For any car company, making money is the last word, and the same is true for Great Wall Motors. In 2023, Great Wall Motor's eight financial data will achieve year-on-year growth.
In the face of the industry's price war, the more you sell, the more you lose, in the face of the common phenomenon of the industry, Wei Jianjun said: "Great Wall Motors has something to do and something not to do. ”
In Great Wall Motor's product matrix, plug-in hybrid models dominate, and plug-in hybrid models are also the most popular products in the market in the past two years, and the cost is lower and easier to control than pure electric models.
In 2023, the pure electric vehicle industry will generally lose money. Wei Jianjun's understanding of the market is also very clear, and if the loss is serious, it will sell less moderately; Give full play to the long board, no loss, slight loss or relatively high profit, vigorously promote.
In this regard, Wei Jianjun said, for example: "Wei brand Blue Mountain, although the number is not large, but now the product is not loss-making, and the cost and revenue can be equalized; Euler's big sales are less losses, and more losses are burned down, although the niche is small, but the overall loss is not small, and the loss is less. ”
Great Wall Motors has always adhered to long-termism. Long-termism itself is the creation of social value by enterprises, which requires enterprises to have their own hematopoietic ability.
Only by making sustained profits can we ensure R&D investment, and in the face of user demand upgrades, we can produce products that meet consumers. Wei Jianjun once said that every penny paid by the people to the Great Wall Motors is not lacking, and the products and services that the Great Wall Motors give to the people cannot be short of catties.
Wei Jianjun judged that in the next three years, the competition intensity of the automotive industry will not decrease from 2024 to 2026, and Great Wall Motors must adhere to long-termism in order to better face the future competition.
"Baoding car god": adhere to the love of cars
If there is anyone who has served as chairman of China's auto companies for the longest time, Wei Jianjun seems to be the only answer. In the past 34 years, Wei Jianjun seems to have no fatigue in his love for building cars. His dedication to cars also gave him the title of "Baoding Car God".
In Great Wall Motors, as long as he does not travel, Wei Jianjun will arrive at the company on time at 7:30 in the morning, and hold a product analysis meeting every Thursday, and Wei Jianjun and the team will continue to test and polish each product.
34 years of experience in car manufacturing not only allows Wei Jianjun to better understand the positioning of each model, but also lets him know the significance of each technology.
For the current "square box trend", Wei Jianjun expressed his understanding, "The square box car does not represent off-road, and the off-road vehicle should also be divided into off-road functions and off-road intensity." ”
The main difference between Great Wall Motor's Hi4-T and other brands of electric off-road is that it is slow, and only by achieving a slow wheel end can better control be achieved. The huge torque output in the slow process is a function that electric vehicles cannot achieve.
As an off-road player of his own, Wei Jianjun divides off-road vehicles into pure off-road, high-intensity off-road, pan-off-road, and urban four-wheel drive, and Great Wall Motors has a layout in these categories. In his opinion, it is very dangerous for electric vehicles to do pure off-road in a sense, because when doing work with high torque, the wheel speed is very fast and it is easier to lose control.
It is hard to imagine that the chairman of a car company can have such a thorough understanding of automotive technology, and it is this understanding that allows Wei Jianjun and the Great Wall Motors led by him to lay out the best and most complete product matrix.
Wei Jianjun often said that as long as you have enough love for cars, overinvestment in technology is not a waste. Of course, this investment is not only in the automotive field, because Wei Jianjun is also a motorcycle enthusiast.
"For motorcycles, there is a real feeling." Wei Jianjun jokingly called building motorcycles "fake public and private". However, the production of large-displacement motorcycles requires not only feelings, but also ability. Great Wall Motors is one of the few car companies in China that has the ability to control the eight cylinders of gasoline engines.
Wei Jianjun confidently said: "We want to write a motorcycle written in the annals of history that can represent the latest technology in China today." ”
Of course, Wei Jianjun did not forget his role as an entrepreneur, saying that he would try his best to balance feelings and make money.
"Influencer": quality traffic
Before 2024, Wei Jianjun rarely met with the public, and he himself said at the shareholders' meeting: "In fact, I rarely even see the media for a long time. ”
However, after entering 2024, Wei Jianjun will become active on Weibo, frequently appear in public, test NOA live, interact with Lei Jun, the founder of Xiaomi Auto, and become an "Internet celebrity".
drove more than 700 kilometers to participate in the Haval H9 Ninth Annual Meeting; Personally participated in the delivery ceremony of the tank 700Hi4-T and issued the new car keys to the representatives of the owners. After Wei Jianjun personally left the game, he did close the distance between Great Wall Motors and consumers. Many netizens were "circle fans", "road fans", and "general fans" became "iron fans" by Great Wall Motors.
From behind the scenes to the front of the stage, after a few live broadcasts, Wei Jianjun seems to have quickly adapted to the new role of "Internet celebrity". When netizens asked "When will Mr. Wei start the next live broadcast", he responded calmly: "It's not good to say, I think the future live broadcast is like eating, you can broadcast if you want to, and the Internet will pursue a sincere and truthful life." ”
In the Internet era, the automotive industry also needs Internet thinking. Wei Jianjun called it "the spread of the new era". He also came out to set an example for the team, and he also humorously said: "I must do better than them, I have an advantage because I am the boss." ”
However, Wei Jianjun also emphasized that Great Wall Motors does not do things that pursue traffic, but wants to be a "quality Internet celebrity". Quality traffic is much more important than simple eyeball traffic. This also implements the consistent concept of Great Wall Motors, and runs the concept of "quality is the lifeline" through every corner.
epilogue
A breakthrough shareholders' meeting allowed more people to understand the diversified Wei Jianjun and Great Wall Motors. "Wei Shi", "Baoding Car God", "Internet Red", these labels show the 34-year-old car company helmsman embracing the changes of the times and the persistence of the original intention of car building.