Bitauto Original In the past few days, BYD has thrown out a big bomb - "Looking Up", which has attracted heated discussions across the Internet. The new energy hardcore off-road U8 that appears sideways, and the pure electric performance supercar U9 that breaks 100 mph in 2 seconds. It shocked everyone, and netizens could feel their shock even through the screen.
The launch of the Look Up brand and two million-dollar new cars directly drove the soaring of related concept stocks in the stock market. When "looking up" at the stars, we need to be down-to-earth; in the midst of fanaticism, we need to think calmly, how many people will pay for it?
This article will be analyzed from the following content structure:
1. Service first: Can service keep up with the pace of high-end development?
2. It’s hard to get a good reception: the high premium of million-level new energy vehicles is a big challenge
3. Write at the end: Look at BYD’s brand improvement rationally
Service first
A few years ago, it would have been a fantasy for independent brands to break through the million-dollar sales price. However, in recent years, independent brands have led the world in the three major technical fields of battery, electric drive, and electronic control, creating high-end luxury for independent brands. New energy vehicles open a window.
BYD, which is at the forefront of technology, relies on its latest hard-core technology - the Yi Sifang platform electric drive assembly system, which brings unique skills to the U8 such as lateral movement, in-situ U-turn, emergency floating escape, and precise control of vehicle body stability. .
The maximum power of a single motor is 220-240kW, the maximum torque is 320-420 N·m, the maximum system speed reaches 20,500 rpm, the vehicle has over 1,100 horsepower, and the 0-100 km/h acceleration time reaches 3 seconds.
When the above-mentioned bluffing skills and data are displayed in front of us, it seems to tell us that the "science and engineering man" in front of us really has two skills.
At the same time, it must be affirmed that the emergence of BYD's Yi Sifang, hardcore off-road SUV U8, and pure electric performance supercar U9 are unprecedented disruptive breakthroughs for BYD and even Chinese brands. By creating an image of leading technology, BYD has achieved a rare premium for luxury brands and is truly worthy of praise.
However, BYD has mainly served the mid-to-low-end market for a long time, and Denshi did not have a strong presence in the high-end market before rebranding. Therefore, BYD's road to high-end development is still full of uncertainties.
For luxury brands, technology is the basis for supporting million-dollar prices, and brand marketing and service systems are equally important. Which luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, and Porsche do not have the historical accumulation and emotional value of decades or even the first half of the year as endorsements to attract Chinese consumers to use them as their dream cars?
On the other hand, BYD has established brand barriers with e-platform 3.0 and DM-i, so it should not have to worry about brand marketing issues. However, as sales soared, complaints about after-sales service arose one after another on the Internet, and the uneven service quality was invisibly compromised.BYD's brand image.
Although the responsibility for the problem mainly comes from the dealers, it also proves that BYD, as an OEM, also has room for optimization in dealer management, training, communication and other aspects. This is particularly important for brands that are about to look up to them. Otherwise, car owners will "turn around" when encountering similar experiences.
BYD has also previously revealed that it is currently recruiting new partners and establishing self-operated channels for the Look Up brand. Many issues surrounding the brand's brand building, channel expansion, capital investment, etc. are still to be announced by BYD.
But in fact, regarding this issue, the domestic market already has a reference answer in front of BYD.
Looking at China, NIO is the most worthy of learning among independent brands in the field of brand marketing and service marketing. With its one-stop worry-free after-sales service, all-round energy replenishment and other services that can be described as fishing under the sea in the car industry, it has attracted high-end users.
Li Bin once mentioned: "The automotive industry needs to change not only products and technologies, but the real direction of change is how to create users' excitement of owning a car. Weilai will redefine all processes of serving users and provide users with services that exceed expectations. A pleasant experience throughout. ”
"Creating users' excitement of owning a car" is a bit abstract, but it is undeniable that many existing 4S service systems still have criticisms of shop owners bullying customers and unsmooth service processes. Haidilao Weilai in the car circle is equivalent to a stock market It will clear up the industry and bring a demonstration effect to the entire industry.
Service-oriented has made Weilai a success, allowing it to create a high premium of more than 60,000 yuan in gross profit for bicycles. On the other hand, it also confirms the strong demand for high-quality services among high-end consumers.
If the brand can learn from experience, I believe that Yi Sifang's technology combined with "Haidilao"-style services will be able to capture high-end people and form a strong fan effect.
Can a good review also attract crowds?
Looking at the brand's debut, BYD once again showed off its technical muscles, and also let the outside world see BYD's determination to build a high-end brand. But how many will pay for it? This poses the second question before looking up to the brand.
Although the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender, which are the benchmarks for the U8, have successfully set the benchmark for off-road SUVs and have a 99.9% return rate on the road, their sales volume is only three digits and cannot be said to be mainstream.
Even high-end luxury pure electric vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz EQS and Porsche Taycan that are better suited to urban roads have not yet achieved the sales volume expected. Taking the Porsche Taycan as an example, 7,315 units were sold in the Chinese market throughout 2021.
To some extent, consumers have a sense of separation between million-level pure electric vehicles and fuel vehicles.
In the era of fuel vehicles, car companies often combine the most advanced and expensive technologies withBeing carried in a million-dollar luxury car makes it have a clear gap with models worth 500,000 to 600,000 yuan in terms of interior atmosphere, quietness, and power performance.
In the new energy era, new domestic forces have made intelligent air suspension, electric suction doors and other configurations standard equipment. The interior atmosphere is remarkable, and the three-electric technology brings performance control, making The gap with million-level pure electric vehicles is gradually narrowing.
No, Li Auto calls itself “the best million-level family SUV.”Once consumers accept the settings with a small gap, the real millionaire It is becoming increasingly difficult for luxury cars to establish higher premiums in the new energy era.
Of course, looking at the brand positioningfrom the perspective of the million-level market, it will definitely not take on the task of driving volume,but will be used to boost BYD. The fundamentals are to improve the overall image, improve profit margins, and bring considerable premiums with decent sales volume.
Write at the end
In 2004, BYD, which had just acquired Qinchuan Automobile, held its first exhibition at the Beijing Auto Show. At the auto show, a green-painted pure electric concept car was quite eye-catching. This was the prototype of Yi Sifang.
The car uses four motors to drive the four wheels independently, just like a cheetah running at high speed, with four independent and powerful legs.
Although most people in the outside world have long forgotten it, BYD has never given up its pursuit of this technology. Wang Chuanfu once said: "BYD entered the automobile industry 20 years ago. We have always believed that electrification must be the future trend, and technological innovation is the only opportunity to take the lead in change."
It is BYD's reverence and unremitting pursuit of technology for more than 20 years that has put itself at the top.
Objectively speaking, technology has made BYD a success, but if BYD wants to "look up" higher and further, it cannot rely solely on technology. Brand building, channel expansion, and service value systems are all indispensable. This is also the step toward high-end development for all Chinese independent brands. a required course.