According to the national automobile production and sales data provided by the China Passenger Car Association, the cumulative retail sales of the domestic SUV market in April 2024 were 738,000 units, down 9.4% month-on-month and 1.2% year-on-year. During the same period, Cheqq.com received 4,970 valid complaints from car owners about SUVs, a decrease of about 48% month-on-month and a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. After removing the information that the complainant voluntarily applied for withdrawal of the lawsuit, the ranking of the number of complaints about the sales volume of the top 30 SUVs in April 2024 is as follows:
The proportion of Japanese brands rebounded, and small SUVs reappeared on the list
Specific to the list, there are 4 new models on the list, an increase of 2 from the previous month. From the perspective of sales changes, two-thirds of the models on the list showed a month-on-month decline, among which the Beijing Benz GLC saw the largest decline, down 60.5% compared with March. In addition, the sales of Tesla Model Y, Wenjie M7 and FAW-Volkswagen Tanyue also fell sharply, with a decline of more than 4%. In contrast, there are fewer models in the list that have seen month-on-month sales increases, with two self-owned brand models doubling their sales month-on-month, namely the Wenjie M9 and BYD Yuan UP.
The proportion of domestic brands this month was the same as the previous month, still significantly ahead of other national brands. The proportion of Japanese brands increased slightly, up 3.4 percentage points from March, surpassing German brands to rank second. It is worth mentioning that the models of Japanese brands on the list are all gasoline models, and they are all compact SUVs.
In April, the small SUV appeared on the list again after 4 months, but there was only one model, which was a new model recently launched by BYD - Yuan UP. Large SUVs were the only models to see month-on-month sales growth this month, up 26.6% from March. In contrast, sales of compact SUVs, midsize SUVs and mid-size and large SUVs declined to varying degrees month-on-month. Among them, medium and large SUVs saw the largest decline, down 45.7% month-on-month.
The proportion of quality problems rebounded, and the reputation of some independent brand models improved
In the list in April, a total of 8 models saw a month-on-month increase in complaints, among which Changan CS75 PLUS became the leader, with a month-on-month increase of more than 8%. In addition, the number of complaints about Tesla Model Y and Li L7 also increased significantly, with a month-on-month increase of 50% and 47.6%, respectively.
In contrast, the number of complaints about more than 7 percent of the models on the list fell to varying degrees month-on-month, among which BYD Song Pro new energy became the model with the largest decline in complaints, down 93.8% from March. In addition, there are 10 models with a month-on-month decrease of more than 5%, most of which are self-owned brand models, and the short-term word-of-mouth performance is worthy of affirmation.
This month, the proportion of complaints returned to normal, and after the explosive growth in March, the number and proportion of complaints about other issues fell sharply. Although the number of complaints about simple quality problems decreased month-on-month, the proportion increased by 38.9 percentage points, exceeding 6% of the total.
21 models complained that the sales ratio was better than that of its peers
According to the statistical rules of the complaint sales ratio of the car quality network, the complaint volume of the model includes all valid complaints in the current month (including the information that the complainant voluntarily applied for withdrawal of the complaint due to the proper resolution of the complaint). According to statistics, the average SUV complaint sales ratio in April was 38.5 per 10,000, down significantly from 78.7 per 10,000 in March, and the overall complaint sales ratio has improved. A total of 21 models in this month's list had a lower complaint-to-sales ratio than the SUV average in April, a decrease of three from the previous month.
Specifically, a total of 17 models this month saw a month-on-month decline in the sales ratio of 17 models, which was the same as in March. Among them, the models with a large decline are all from BYD, such as Tang New Energy, Yuan PLUS, Song Pro New Energy and Song PLUS New Energy, and the performance of the complaint sales ratio has improved significantly compared with the previous month. During the same period, a total of 12 models reported a month-on-month increase in sales ratio, a decrease of 1 model from March. Some German and self-owned brand models have reported a large increase in the sales ratio, such as FAW-Volkswagen Tanyue, Beijing Benz GLC, Haval H6 and Changan CS75 PLUS, and the performance of the complaint sales ratio has deteriorated.
Analysis of key models
1. Sales have been cut in half Beijing Benz GLC market trend is not optimistic
In April, Beijing Benz GLC, which had just set a record for monthly sales, suffered a waterloo, with sales falling by 60.5% month-on-month, and the pace of sales exceeding 10,000 for four consecutive months came to an abrupt end. It can be seen from the trend of its sales complaints in the past year that since the completion of the model replacement in 2023, the sales of Mercedes-Benz GLC have shown a temporary recovery, but the overall trend is not stable, and the sales volume will fall to the bottom in November 2023. On the other hand, the monthly complaint performance showed an overall upward trend, and the number of complaints remained in double digits for seven consecutive months. According to the data of the car quality network, the failure problem of Mercedes-Benz GLC is mainly focused on "engine failure light on", involving many models of the year such as the 2023 model. In addition, in the complaints in April, there was also a new "seat failure", which was mainly manifested in cracking, bulging and peeling of the seat leather, and the short-term word-of-mouth performance showed signs of deterioration. Judging from the current market situation, although Mercedes-Benz GLC is still ahead of BMW X3 and Audi Q5L in terms of sales, the gap between them has gradually narrowed.
2. The investment-sales ratio has regressed significantly The development prospects of Changan CS75 PLUS are worrying
As a "veteran" in the domestic compact SUV market, Changan CS75 PLUS once had brilliant market results, but since entering 2024, the market performance has been significantly weaker. It can be seen from the trend of its sales complaints in the past year that the overall trend is declining. After setting a record sales volume in January, the monthly sales of the Changan CS75 PLUS began to decline, and in April it fell to an all-time low, down 33.6% month-on-month, and it was even more halved compared with the same period last year. Compared with the sluggish sales volume, its monthly complaint trend in the past year is full of fluctuations, but the number of complaints in most months remains relatively high, and the number of complaints in April increased by 85.7% month-on-month, and the word-of-mouth performance continues to deteriorate. According to the data of the car quality network, the failure problems of Changan CS75 PLUS are mainly concentrated in "audio and video system failure" and "engine oil leakage", of which the former has gradually become a "stubborn disease", and the second and third generation models have been affected. Judging from its complaint sales ratio in April, under the influence of the sharp decline in sales and the continuous increase in the number of complaints, the value has increased significantly, and its ranking in the list of models has dropped to the tail, and the performance of the complaint sales ratio has regressed significantly. In the short term, the market performance of Changan CS75 PLUS may continue to be sluggish, and it is unknown when it will recover.