2009 was an extraordinary year.
This year, China's automobile production and sales for the first time jumped to the world's first, and incidentally opened a decade after the "global sales champion" road. Before that, the U.S. auto market sales scale, has led the world for more than half a century.
Multinational car companies began to shift the center of gravity to the Chinese market; China's local car companies have made efforts. "China is the world's most active automobile market," a conclusion that certainly held true in the aforementioned decade time.
In 2019, China's auto market sales fell more than in 2018.
2018 was the first time China's auto market fell after 28 years of consecutive growth, and another 8.2% year-on-year drop in 2019 is even more alarming to everyone. "China's market car companies elimination race accelerated" point of view repeated, there are industry gurus voice, "China will only be left with 3-5 car companies in the future."
Ten years of data is so huge, we find a small entry point to observe the market changes. Compiling the Top 10 best-selling cars in China in 2019 and comparing it to 2009, we found quite a few interesting changes in the Chinese auto market in this decade.
"Small cars" and low-priced cars have disappeared from the list
We marked up the pricing of all models in both tables, leaving aside the Wuling Hongguang, which was once considered a commercial vehicle. The cheapest of the Top 10 best-selling cars found for 2019 is also the $86,900 Volkswagen Santana. In other words, these Top 10 best-selling cars for 2019 have to be priced, essentially, at $100,000 or more for the main trim level.
(The cheapest 2019 best-selling car is the Santana, starting at $86,900; the lowest priced 2009 best-selling car is the Chery QQ at just $33,800. The Santana sells for more than twice as much as the Chery QQ.)
The BYD F3, the Chery QQ and the Xiali, all of which cost about 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, have all gone out of business, like the BYD F3, the Chery QQ and the Xiali that were on the 2009 best-selling car list. The once best-selling low-priced cars haven't just faded from the list, the Chery QQ and Xiali have been discontinued. The BYD F3?2019, with sales of just over 20,000 units for the whole year, is also on the verge of being retired.
Don't local Chinese carmakers need to recreate low-priced cars anymore?
A decade-long comparison of Japan's best-selling cars for reference.
In 2019, Japan's best-selling cars Top 10, in addition to the Prius, Sienta and Corolla is a standard compact car stature, the other seven cars are all small cars, the top three best-selling is a standard K-car level MPV. in other words, Japan's best-selling models are basically small size, space, small displacement, low fuel consumption models, can also be said to be the practicality of the supreme The company's main goal is to make sure that the company's products and services are of the highest quality.
Honda, Daihatsu, and other car companies have K-car models on sale in Japan. According to the latest regulations as of October 2000, models that meet the requirements of being less than 3,400mm long, less than 1,480mm wide, less than 2,000mm high, having an exhaust volume of less than 0.66L, and having a maximum power of no more than 47kW, are called K-cars.
Wouldn't something like small cars and K-cars be a very good answer to the problems encountered in China's rapidly advancing urbanization -- congestion, tight parking and exhaust emissions? What's more, because of their small displacement, these light vehicles have super low gas mileage. The Honda N-Box base version, with a 100km base fuel consumption of only 3.7L. For comparison, the automatic base model of the Ranger, which tops the list of China's best-selling cars in 2019, has a combined 100km fuel consumption of 5.5L.
If we want to be environmentally friendly and energy-efficient, wouldn't it be instantly obvious to promote these light-duty cars?
Japan has long been doing something similar, with the first version of the K-car standard dating back to July 8, 1949. The standards have been revamped many times, and the one thing that hasn't changed is that the policy has always been to encourage people to choose similar light vehicles. For example, you don't need a parking space certificate to buy a K-car in Japan, whereas other larger models must have a parking space to buy a car; you can also get a corresponding tax break for buying a K-car.
Policy is one of the reasons why the most popular models in the Japanese market are getting smaller and smaller, and the development of rational spending habits is also important. 2009's best-selling cars include the Nissan Serena and Toyota Voxy, two Chinese market Odyssey-sized MPVs, the Honda Insight, Corolla and Prius, which are compacts, and all others, which are minivans and miniaturizers.
The recent outbreak has catalyzed a more rational group of Chinese consumers -- just having a car is convenient, and you don't need to be big or powerful. The Fido also has a big youth following in the Chinese market, and the Wuling Hongguang has been able to generate so much buzz by taking a similar route to Japan's K-car?MPVs.
You see, Chinese consumers have not completely abandoned light vehicles, and the market still needs high-quality products.
Fido and Wuling Hongguang in the Chinese market are both highly sought-after low-priced vehicles, and local Chinese carmakers in particular shouldn't give up on similarly priced, classed and positioned models.
Local Chinese brands have been seeking "brand upward mobility" for years, but don't lose sight of the fact that brand upward mobility isn't just about producing high-priced cars, it can also be about delivering higher-quality cars at the same price. Wuling Hongguang is a typical representative of practicing the same price, quality upward, can become a contemporary young people's eyes of the net car, can be said to be the strength.
Chinese brands need to create their own "Corolla"
High quality has another form of presentation, that is, to create their own "star models".
Revisiting the list of China's best-selling cars in a decade of comparison, the Volkswagen Jetta, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Honda Civic and so on, are the star models of their respective multinational car companies. These cars are as popular as they have been for a decade, and it can even be argued that it is the collection of word-of-mouth from one star car to another that creates the brand's reputation.
The first generation Corolla dates back to 1969, and the current model is the twelfth generation. The long period of time has not only brought refinement to the Corolla's design, but has also built up a superb reputation.
Who do you think of when you think of China's homegrown star? The BYD F3, once the top seller, has long since faded from the public's view, and the QQ and Xiali have even ceased production. Chinese brands are in dire need of long-lived models like the Corolla and Golf, which have gone through many generations, not only getting better and better, but also accumulating word of mouth and forming a star effect. Local Chinese brands currently have "star" models, including the Geely Dihao, Chang'an YiDong and Haval H6.
Changan Yidong and Haval H6 have begun to take on a star-like appearance in terms of model history and quality evolution. Chinese brands need to work hard to create their own star models and have their own "Corollas".
A comparison of the best-selling models in Germany before and after the last decade also shows that star models have always played an important role. Volkswagen's Polo, Golf and Passat have led their European peers for a decade. Mercedes-Benz C and Opel Astra are also star models on the list both before and after ten years, and Ford switched from the Fiesta ten years ago to the Focus ten years later. Was Ford so popular in Europe that it wasn't expected?
Germany before and after ten years of best-selling models there is a clear change, that is, in 2019 two more SUV models on the list - Volkswagen Tiguan and T-Roc. that is, a few years ago, Germany is full of streets or station wagons, coupes and small cars. Little did we know that this same SUV tide was sweeping the land. The Haval H6 is the only SUV on China's 2019 best-seller list.
In addition to the Golf and other sedans as always, the 2019 German best-selling car list also appeared on the Tiguan and T-roc two SUV model name, it seems that the German old driver also around not rely on SUV.
Star models, the same pile of the U.S. before and after a decade of the best-selling model list comparison. The Ford F-Series represents pickup trucks, the Toyota RAV4 represents SUVs, plus the Toyota Corolla represents sedans -- same recipe, same flavor. It's no wonder that America is the "land of wheels," with relatively stable consumer habits.
Worthy of attention by local Chinese car companies is that these hot-selling pickup trucks in the United States still have good family attributes - not bad value, not bad space, not bad performance. Although large-displacement engines don't have much of a future in China, some smaller, personalized and passable pickup trucks are still believed to be popular with Chinese consumers.
Chinese brands' world-class impact can start with a "world car"
As mentioned above, star models are a great support for brands. Around the turn of the decade, the Toyota Corolla and Camry were bestsellers in almost every major market in the world, and they became icons of the Toyota brand. In other words, the Corolla and Camry are brands in their own right, bringing huge "traffic" to car companies. The same is true of the Volkswagen Golf, Polo, Honda Accord and Civic.
These star models could also be called world cars -- cars that sell well in major markets around the world. Chinese brands now seeking global influence should also start with world cars. Brand influence can not be established overnight, but the world car as an entry point, and gradually consolidate the brand in the minds of consumers - the first on the table well.
The 24th place Haval H6 has already appeared on the list of best-selling cars in the world in 2019. But the problem is that the Haval H6 currently has a very limited international presence, with the vast majority of sales still concentrated in the Chinese market. "The global market will also be left with only single-digit car companies in the future." Already, some Chinese automakers have set their sights on the world, and it's not a bad idea to take star models and world cars as an entry point.
Wen? |? Roc brother
This article comes from the authors of the automobile home car family number, does not represent the views of the automobile home position.