Instead of “following the trend”, it is better to “create the trend”. In the future, the new energy vehicle industry needs a “long-termism” pattern. In the process of value creation, it will find the direction and track it is good at, and run farther, more steadily and better.
During this period, a friend was preparing to buy a new energy vehicle. He went to a 4S store to test drive a new car and was thinking about which one to buy. After a few days, all the models to be selected were reduced in price. On the one hand, my friend felt that he “saved money”, but on the other hand, he was even more afraid to buy it, “afraid of buying it too expensive”. In the car forum, many old car owners complained about the “price backstab”: two months after picking up the car, the price was reduced by 20,000 yuan, and the new model was directly turned into an “out-of-print car” when it was launched. In the new energy vehicle consumer market, why is the embarrassment of “the earlier you buy, the more you lose” lingering?
In recent years, with the decline in raw material costs and the intensification of market competition, price cuts and profit concessions for new energy vehicles are relatively common. Looking back a few years ago, when I bought new energy vehicles, I could only buy an entry-level small car with a range of only 200 kilometers for 80,000 or 90,000 yuan; now, with the same budget, the brands, models, functions and accessories that can be chosen have been enriched a lot, and the range has doubled. In addition to direct price cuts, some car companies have increased their discounts through strategies such as “one price” and “financial interest-free”, which has pushed price competition to a white-hot level.
It is of course a good thing that the price-performance ratio is getting higher and higher, but the extreme price reduction is actually difficult to be considered a “win-win” for consumers and car companies. Some consumers have just bought a car, and the brand is unable to support it because the profit is too thin, and subsequent maintenance and warranty have become problems; considering the value retention rate and long-term use cost of the vehicle, the car that was originally expected to be driven for ten years has now become an “antique” in less than a year, and the price of used cars has fallen by more than half, and there is no way to talk about value retention.
In fact, for consumers, “enjoying benefits” is important, but when it comes to buying new energy vehicles, the era of simply looking at prices has passed.
In today’s world of “new models every day”, design, personalization, high performance, and strong after-sales service are also factors that consumers must consider when purchasing new cars. Consumers who value driving feel care about the acceleration time from 0 to 100 kilometers and the high-speed power output level; consumers who like cool style care about intelligent auxiliary functions and futuristic interactive interfaces; and many consumers are more willing to pay for “appearance”. They study the lines of the interior, the shape of the wheels, and even whether the paint and the license plate color can be harmoniously matched. They have to struggle for most of the day… In the face of changes in consumer concepts and adjustments in consumer preferences, relying solely on “low-price output” will only put car companies in a dilemma of “more production and more losses” and “increased revenue but no increased profits”.
Not long ago, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers issued the “Initiative on Maintaining Fair Competition Order and Promoting the Healthy Development of the Industry”, guiding car companies to compete on “value” rather than “price”. Instead of “following the trend”, it is better to “create the trend”. In the future, the new energy vehicle industry needs a “long-termism” pattern. In the process of value creation, it finds the direction and track it is good at, and runs farther, more steadily and better.
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