Within three days, two announcements of personnel appointments and dismissals, as well as the change of ownership of Volvo's Greater China sales president, have made Volvo the eye of the storm in the automotive industry recently, and everyone is speculating about a power struggle. Therefore, at the Volvo Cars president’s meeting the day before the Chengdu Auto Show, everyone wanted to find some answers.
"I have also heard that China and Sweden are like two sides. Where are the two sides? We are one side." Faced with everyone's questions, Yuan Xiaolin, president and CEO of Volvo Greater China, responded.
In this communication meeting that was originally about performance and electrification development, Yuan Xiaolin talked about the "essence" and "the logic behind" at least a dozen times, seeming to want everyone to put aside the recent turmoil as much as possible and pay attention to the story behind Volvo. soul. After all, the external competition in the automobile market is already chaotic enough. Can Volvo continue to maintain its core value, and what will be its next move?
"A car is called a luxury car if it has a soul."
Let’s take a look at Volvo’s report card first: from January to July this year, Volvo sold a total of 92,000 vehicles in mainland China, a year-on-year increase of 8%; global sales were 395,800 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 18%, and the Recharge model sales increased by 35%.
Volvo has not announced the sales figures of pure electric models in the domestic market, but it is estimated from the monthly insurance volume of its two pure electric models, XC40 RECHARGE and XC60 RECHARGE, that they account for about 6%. Compared with the overseas electric vehicle market, competition among domestic pure electric vehicles is more intense.
The domestic market was not optimistic in the first half of this year. Domestic passenger car sales were 9.645 million units, a year-on-year increase of more than 4%; new energy vehicles were 3.086 million units, a year-on-year increase of 44%; and fuel vehicles were 6.438 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 6.47%.
In this general environment, Volvo was able to achieve an 8% sales growth and its market share increased to 6.1%. In Yuan Xiaolin's own words, "it has passed the test."
The reason why it can withstand the test in today's environment of price wars and involution is Volvo's persistence in its brand philosophy.
"Are there still luxury cars in the electrified era?" This soul torture has appeared countless times in press conferences of various car companies and in articles of various automotive media. After all, when the most important powertrain and technical barriers of cars have changed, what is the essence of luxury brands continuing their luxury?
"Leather interior", "high-end audio", "air suspension"... these configurations of luxury cars ten years ago seem to have become the "standard equipment" of many mid-to-high-end smart cars, but for users, luxury The demand for cars is constant.
What are users’ needs for luxury cars in the era of electrification? The answer given by Yuan Xiaolin is:
First of all, it must be a qualified modern car that can drive and run, and have configurations that meet the basic needs of current consumers and industry requirements;
Furthermore, we need to achieve what others don’t have, and what others have, we have the best, that is, the high-end features provided must be forward-looking and to the extreme, so as to become a qualified high-end car;
Finally, the unique feature of luxury cars is that they have a "soul", which allows consumers to identify with the brand on a conceptual and spiritual level.
For Volvo, dedication to safety, persistence in sustainability, and innovation in intelligence and electrification are Volvo's unique soul.
Attack on Electrification:
"New energy MPV is still a blue ocean"
In today's automobile market, MPV, a niche model in the past, has become a hot topic and a must-have for all car companies. From January to July this year, the cumulative sales of my country's MPV market reached 617,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 20.1%. The growth contribution came from new energy MPVs. Only one model, Denza D9, achieved sales of over 10,000 units in a single month.
Although the market is so hot, Yuan Xiaolin believes: "Although the new energy MPV market is very lively, it is still a blue ocean." The reason why I say this is because at present, new energy MPV models are more concentrated in the mid-to-high-end market, and the choices left for everyone in luxury MPVs are still the familiar Alfa and other models.
Therefore, Volvo's next step in electrification is the luxury MPV field. Volvo's first pure electric luxury MPV, the EM90, will make its global debut on November 12, and pre-orders will be opened simultaneously in mainland China. From this point of view, the positioning of EM90 is likely to be higher than the current independent brands such as Denza D9 and Jikrypton 009. I wonder if it will meet the ideal first pure electric model MEGA?
(Volvo EM90)
Domestic consumers' demands for MPVs are nothing more than three points: space, safety and the increased intelligent experience in the era of smart cars. Safety and intelligence also determine the competitiveness of a luxury MPV model.
Safety has always been a label firmly welded to Volvo, and it is no exception in the era of electrification. Whether it is the new generation of "cage body" known as a road tank, the battery management system (BMS) with 3 millisecond power outage, or intelligent assisted driving, or in terms of collision safety, the use of 84km/h high-speed rear-end collision, 15 More stringent collision standards such as random multi-point side impact and 50km/h center pillar impact; the EM90 car has not yet been unveiled, but I am afraid that no one will question its safety attributes.
As for intelligence, Volvo officially gave a description, "The mobile Scandinavian living room can not only help users get from point A to point B, but also help users make full use of their time in the car." It seems that there are many things in the cockpit. Playability will also be a major selling point of this car.
In addition to launching new pure electric models, Volvo Cars is also developing charging solutions that cover all travel scenarios. It is expected that by the end of the year, the number of high-quality public charging piles will exceed 500,000, covering more than 330 cities across the country, as well as more than 3,100 high-speed service points, further broadening users' charging options.
at last
Perhaps the recent high-level turmoil has made everyone pay more attention to Volvo's operations. At this sharing meeting, Yuan Xiaolin shared his own 4P marketing theoretical framework for automobile operations: product, brand, price, and channel. In his view, products and brands determine core competitiveness.
I think this theory also applies to Volvo's electrification transformation. As the world's first traditional car company to embark on electrification transformation, Volvo has announced a comprehensive electrification strategy since 2017. It has invested a lot in innovative technologies such as three-electric systems, centralized electronic and electrical architecture, and intelligent experience. However, as a customer The product with the most value attachment point, the pure electric model, has been long overdue.
With the debut of the EM90 in the second half of the year, the launch of competitive electrified models such as the EX90, EX30 and EM90 may allow Volvo's electrified transformation soul to find a real fulcrum.
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