Joint-venture independent models will enter the mid-to-low-end auto market or trigger changes

On March 26th, the first production car S1 of Guangzhou Honda’s own brand concept officially went offline. The so-called self-owned first car concept S1 after the brand release, the introduction of the concept car to the production line off the assembly line, 3 years of painstaking efforts to finally break free, will soon be public in April. Following the release of Baojun, concept, and Qichen’s several joint-venture independent brands and the introduction of new models, it is reported that the autonomy of joint ventures such as Changan Ford, Beijing Hyundai, GAC Toyota, Dongfeng Honda has also accelerated, and industry insiders predict that with more With the advent of multiple joint ventures and auto models, the auto market may experience new changes.

Joint venture autonomous vehicles will be unveiled

Before the concept S1 went offline, Guangzhou Automobile Honda announced that the car will be listed in April, the specific time has not been revealed, and before the SAIC GM Wuling Baojun 630 is scheduled to be listed at the Shanghai auto show, next month can be said that the joint venture will test the water The starting point of autonomous auto market. Unlike the passenger vehicle launched by Baojun, which is transformed from the production of commercial vehicles, Guangzhou Honda Concept S1, which has a good sales background for passenger cars, has made many consumers look forward to it.

Different and traditional autonomous models, joint venture autonomous models have many joint venture genes. Taking the Guangzhou Honda concept as an example, the vehicle's R&D was led by the Japanese Honda, and the appearance of the vehicle was said to have borrowed some of the features of the Honda Sidi. The car was also on the same platform as many Honda models, even if it was released. The site also chose the same location as the 6th generation of Ya line, 12 years ago.

Similarly, SAIC-GM-Wuling also did not say that the Baojun 630 came from GM's technical support. Qian Huikang, Deputy General Manager of SAIC-GM-Wuling, once stated that in addition to vehicle design, GM provided support for SAIC-GM-Wuling’s production technology transformation, supporting system construction, key personnel training, and even Shanghai GM Wuling and General Motors. Share data resources.

The two major car companies have announced that their own brands will follow the route of “low-cost operation and cost-effective competition.” Some have predicted that the market price of the concept S1 is estimated to be between 6 and 90,000 yuan. The sales price of Baojun 630 may not be high. At 80,000 yuan. Analysts in the industry said that with the influx of self-owned joint-vehicle models, the impact of the joint venture's own brand will not be underestimated, especially for the low-end market.

Why joint-venture car companies look into the low-end market

Why are the joint venture car companies with good sales performance still engaged in autonomy and looking at the low-end market?

As Yao Yiming, deputy general manager of Guangzhou Honda said, the 12-year market-changing technology road has enabled the joint venture carmakers such as Guangzhou Automobile Honda to develop rapidly. However, if the joint-venture car company wants to develop in the long term, it must master the core technology from vehicle design, parts procurement, production process to quality control, and establish a complete set of new independent research and development system and process. If we do not have the ability to continue to develop independently and innovatively, we will inevitably be stagnant and eventually lead to reverse-water boating. In this way, if the joint venture wants to achieve technological innovation, it will need a branded platform for innovation and research and development, which will create its own brand.

In addition, in recent years, the State has increased its support for the autonomy of auto companies, the research and development of complete vehicles, and in particular the realization of the autonomy of key components and technologies. This has also provided a broad space for the development of joint venture independent brands. In particular, the “12th Five-Year Plan” will encourage auto companies to develop their own brands as one of the important tasks. Joint venture autonomy is the inevitable trend and the only way out, whether it is supported by policies or based on its own development.

In addition, due to the relative saturation of vehicle ownership in Tier 1 cities and the impact of limited-line purchase policies, major joint-venture auto makers have turned their attention to 2-4 cities with large market growth potential. Concept S1, Po Chun 630 was positioned at the beginning of the downline mainly for sales outside the first-tier cities. This area is the home base of traditional independent brands.

An industry source said that this move will face new challenges for independent brands. Although the current independent brand development has emerged a trend of upward competition, but the person pointed out that while expanding space, but also to hold their ground, after all, the current advantage of independent brands in the low-end areas. How to speed up the research and development of core technologies, build independent innovation systems, and achieve low prices but not low quality, is to increase the competition with the joint venture brands.

How to gain an identity on the road to independence

Before the idea S1 went offline, some media launched a survey on whether they would choose a joint-venture model. After all, for Chinese consumers, joint ventures are still new, and even auto companies cannot make absolute judgments.

The joint-venture label of the joint-venture autonomous vehicle not only became its advantage, but also became a worry factor for many consumer purchases. Both the Baojun 630 and the concept S1 emphasize the joint venture background, technical advantages, etc. in explaining the models. In particular, the concept S1 also regards the “synchronous technology, the same quality, and the same service” as the “trump card” in the product description. "The car will also enter the Honda dealership store in Guangzhou after it is listed, and will no longer build another store." Consumers can not help but worry that good services are often accompanied by high service fees because the market does not have free lunches.

In general, after-sales of joint venture brand models, including spare parts, maintenance and repair costs are relatively higher than the independent brand models, for consumers who want to buy joint venture autonomous vehicles, this can not but be considered. This should also be a factor that should be taken into consideration when the joint venture model develops its own model. In response, Yao Yiming, deputy general manager of Guangqi Honda, made it clear to reporters that Guangqi Honda has fully considered this point. Whether it is the spare parts price or the cost of maintenance, the concept S1 is competitive.

No matter whether Guangzhou Automobile Honda or Shanghai GM Wuling, both regard the cost control as the focus of the cost-effective competitive advantage of the independent model. Where the cost control is saved is in the chassis, the assembly, or in some basic configurations, it is close to the joint venture vehicle. Still closer to domestic cars, is an intriguing topic.

In addition, regardless of concept S1 or Baojun 630, the current autonomous part mostly stays in the relatively independent R&D aspect of exterior design. The road to autonomy has just started, and how to persist in the face of the test of the market is also an aspect of the joint venture vehicle enterprise. problem.

The first to enter a field, risk and opportunity coexist, how to grasp the market situation, read consumer psychology, the same test of the joint venture car prices, otherwise still unable to avoid falling into the quagmire of price war.