"If you want to buy it, you can't buy it, and you can't sell it if you want to sell it." When evaluating the development status of today's automobile industry, people in the industry often use professional words such as market downturn, weakening demand, chip shortage or production capacity setback, but a casual remark from the author's friend undoubtedly from the perspective of "outsiders", vividly illustrating the development problems of the current automotive industry. Especially in the field of new energy, this phenomenon is more obvious.
Today, as the "Matthew effect" continues to deepen, consumers are more cautious in buying cars, and the fault tolerance rate of car companies is further reduced; therefore, there are both explosive products on the market that are "not afraid of deep alleys" and unpopular works that are "unknown in the downtown area". However, unlike before, more and more independent models have poured into the "explosive lineup", which have proved the strong rise and unique charm of Chinese brands with their best-selling performance for several months.
As one of the representatives of Chinese car companies, Changan Automobile has a pivotal position in the fuel market and is one of the few independent brands that can take into account the parallel development of the two major markets of SUVs and cars. However, in the face of the mighty attack of the new energy era, what preparations has Changan Automobile made? How will we continue to lead the industry in the future? At the "2022 Changan Automobile Global Partner Conference" held on April 13, Zhu Huarong, chairman of Changan Automobile, and Wang Jun, president of Changan Automobile, brought more than 1 hour of pure dry goods explanations, and slowly unfolded The development plan of Changan Automobile in the next 10 years.
The foundation is solid, and the "most peaceful" accelerates the transformation
In the era of new energy, the new forces of car manufacturing and traditional car companies are clearly divided into "two gate sects". The new forces of car manufacturing have been given the label of leading and scientific and technological, and the rising stock price and high heat show full of vitality; in contrast, it is difficult for traditional car companies to get rid of the conservative and dogmatic impression, relying on the fuel market at the same time, the new energy process is relatively slow.
Why do traditional car companies dare not "All In"? Putting aside the superficial brilliance, the number of new car-making forces has gone from hundreds of them at the peak of 2018 to less than ten active in the domestic car market today, which has only taken three years; and even if it is a head car company like "Wei Xiaoli", the 2021 financial report is still in the situation of "not being able to make ends meet". The competition in the new energy market is far from the beauty of imagination, especially under the "undercurrent" such as vicious competition and subsidy decline, and it is not a wise choice to enter the game prematurely.
Therefore, even if Changan Automobile was involved in the field of new energy as early as 2001, it was not until the present of 2022 that it truly upgraded the "new energy brand landing" to the perspective of corporate strategy.
As for the reason, it is actually very simple. From the perspective of external factors, the penetration rate of the new energy industry and the market share of Chinese brand passenger cars achieved double growth last year, and a good development environment provided fertile ground for the growth of independent new energy. From the perspective of internal factors, the sales volume of Changan brand vehicles exceeded 1.75 million units last year, and the sales of new energy products exceeded 100,000 units, providing a solid base plate; at the same time, Changan Automobile ranked first in the sales satisfaction evaluation of the China Association for Quality last year, and gained a solid reputation.
Standing at the time node of the 160th anniversary of its establishment, Changan Automobile ushered in the heyday of development, and the state of "the most Chang'an" will also better promote the development of new strategies, new models and new patterns. Changan Automobile proposed the transformation from a "transportation provider" to an "intelligent low-carbon travel technology company", making the road to change clearer; choosing the right timing and direction, the subsequent efforts will naturally be more effective with half the effort.
Go hand in hand, new energy full coverage
When evaluating the entry of traditional car companies into the new energy market, a word that is often mentioned is "elephant turning", how to take into account the considerable capacity of the traditional market and the huge potential of the new energy market, which has become the biggest obstacle to the "smooth transformation" process of traditional car companies. Just like the skydiving in the beginning of the "chicken eating game", the landing point of abundant materials and the safe and stable posture will play a key role in the competition behind.
In the fuel era, "Blue Whale Power" has become a trump card in the hands of Changan Automobile, and can even be called the representative of the autonomous power system. In June last year, Changan Automobile launched the "Blue Whale iDD Hybrid System" on the basis of the 1.5T high-performance Blue Whale engine; compared with the self-priming engine of the same level, this plug-in and mixing system can better balance low-speed economy and high-speed power, providing consumers in the "transition period" with greater choice initiative. At present, the UNI-K iDD that has been listed has a strong response, and the UNI-V iDD and Auchan Z6 iDD, which will also be listed this year, are expected to provide stronger sales support.
As the highlight of the new energy era, Changan Deep Blue, which is positioned as a "digital pure electricity brand", unveiled the mystery at this event. Specific to the product lineup, lumin glutinous corn positioning in the micro pure electric market, C385 entering the fiercely competitive medium-sized car market, and C673 that has not yet appeared have laid the tone for the development of the low-end market in the layout of Changan Deep Blue, and the brand characteristics such as focusing on technical advantages, strengthening emotional interaction, and deepening digital marketing will also give Changan Deep Blue a stronger "new force" attribute.
As for the high-end field, Avita 11, which was unveiled at the end of last year and will be mass-produced, will become a sharp sword for Changan Automobile to penetrate the luxury market. Backed by the three "giants" of Chang'an, Chang'an and Ningde eras, the Avita brand has full endorsement in terms of quality control, intelligent configuration and power performance, while China's top enterprises have joined hands and joined forces to create a good story of independent brands in the field of new energy.
From plug-in hybrid power to pure electric market, from household products to high-end fields, Changan Automobile has long planned a set of "combination fists", while maintaining steady sales growth, more quickly and efficiently joined the new energy market "card slot war". The glory of the fuel era is not simply the history of Changan Automobile, on the contrary, the keen sense of market smell and rapid response ability have long been engraved into its brand DNA, and this advantage is still applicable in the era of new energy.
Ride the wind and waves, and the grand plan is just around the corner
"In the next ten years, a world-class Chinese brand will be born." Following the remarks released at the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum in March this year that "80% of China's fuel vehicle brands will be 'shut down and turned' in the next 3-5 years", Zhu Huarong once again made a cross-era prediction, and the "world-class Chinese brand" is not only the grand goal of Changan Automobile, but also contains the ardent expectations of Chinese consumers.
Obviously, compared with most car manufacturers who are still suffering from the shortage of parts, relying on OEM production, and even hovering on the "struggle line" of survival, Changan Automobile, as the representative of Chinese car companies, has a more perfect supply chain system and quality control system, as well as a stronger ability to resist risks. Even if it was officially launched late, Changan Automobile has accumulated many years of experience, giving it the calmness of "looking up at the stars" and then moving towards a broader global stage.
On the other hand, Changan Automobile will have a stronger ability to continue to evolve and innovate after realizing brand renewal, digital marketing, intelligent manufacturing and supply chain ecology. These brand elements with the characteristics of the times will change the image of "traditional car companies" left by Changan Automobile before, and lightly load up to meet the new journey of the new energy era.
According to the plan, Changan Automobile will achieve a total sales volume of 4 million vehicles in 2025, of which 3 million are in the autonomous sector and 1.05 million in new energy sales, accounting for 35% of the total, achieving the goal of first-class in China; in 2030, Changan Automobile's sales will reach 5.5 million, of which 4.5 million in the autonomous sector and 2.7 million in new energy sales, accounting for 60%, reaching the international leading level.
It is not difficult to find that Changan Automobile's new energy era has both a "steady progress" in the Chinese auto market and a "full-speed march" for overseas markets; in addition to meeting the deep demand of domestic users for high-quality models, it also undertakes the historical responsibility of making Chinese cars exported to the world. The future of Changan Automobile is worthy of our common expectations.
Conclusion: From avoiding the real fragrance series, new energy products have quietly boarded the "top stream" of the times; and from being questioned to being sought after, independent brands have also gained affirmation after stumbling. Changan Automobile is a microcosm of China's automobile industry, and after walking through the thorny road of the new energy market, I believe it will eventually harvest flowers and applause from consumers.