Reported by Xia Zhibin, a journalist from our newspaper, from Quartz Jing in Shanghai
This car is very popular now. From September 12th to the last day of National Day, in nearly a month, our national mass production exceeded 50000 vehicles, and our stores alone sold more than 70 vehicles. "On October 11th, Zhou Peng (pseudonym), a salesperson at a Huawei experience center in Shanghai, pointed to the Wenjie New M7 and said with a smile to a reporter from China Business Daily.
Zhou Peng told reporters that from September 12th to October 6th, the sales personnel in their store were very busy. Although there may be compensatory time off in the middle, there is no free time as long as you are in the store. Especially on October 1st, there was a long queue outside the store. The store was bustling with people, and a salesperson had to introduce products and answer questions to 4-5 groups of customers at the same time
The experience center where Zhou Peng is located is just a microcosm of the popularity of the Wenjie New M7. According to data, from September 12th to October 6th, there were over 50000 large orders for the Wenjie New M7 within 25 days of its launch, with a single day large order on October 6th exceeding 7000.
In fact, during the traditional consumption peak season of "Golden Nine Silver Ten" this year, in addition to the significant sales growth brought by the popularity of the Wenjie New M7, other domestic car companies have also launched multiple promotional measures and achieved good market performance.
The China Automobile Association believes that in September 2023, a series of policies to promote consumption were introduced at the national level, and the local level responded very well. Measures such as issuing consumption vouchers and purchasing subsidies were successively formulated and introduced. In addition, in the autumn, new products of enterprises were concentrated on the market, and the logistics industry stabilized and rebounded, which also drove the growth of trucks. The overall market showed a trend of "not weak in the off-season, but more prosperous in the peak season", and the car market continued to be hot, The "nine gold and ten silver" effect has reappeared.
Outstanding sales performance of new energy
According to data from the China Automobile Association, in September, the production and sales of automobiles completed 2.85 million and 2.858 million respectively, with year-on-year growth of 6.6% and 9.5%, respectively. From January to September, the production and sales of automobiles reached 21.075 million and 21.069 million respectively, with year-on-year growth of 7.3% and 8.2%, respectively.
New energy vehicles performed well in September. According to data, in September, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 879000 and 8060904, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 16.1% and 27.7%, and a market share of 31.6%. From January to September, the production and sales of new energy vehicles completed 6.313 million and 6.278 million units respectively, with year-on-year growth of 33.7% and 37.5%, and a market share of 29.8%.
On October 1st, multiple car companies released their sales data for September. Data shows that in September this year, Ideal Automobile delivered a total of 36060 new cars, a year-on-year increase of 212.7%, setting a new high for monthly delivery. As of September 30, 2023, the cumulative delivery volume of Ideal Automobile in the third quarter was 105108 units, a year-on-year increase of 296.3%, and the cumulative delivery volume for the whole year has reached 244225 units.
Regarding the above performance, Li Xiang, Chairman and CEO of Ideal Automobile, said: "In September, with the continuous growth of market demand, we achieved multiple historic breakthroughs, with weekly sales, monthly sales, and order volume reaching new highs. Among them, Ideal Automobile's order volume in a single month in September has exceeded 40000 units. The three models of Ideal L-series have delivered over 10000 units per vehicle for two consecutive months
In September, NIO Automobile delivered a total of 15641 new cars in "NIO Xiaoli", a year-on-year increase of 43.8%; In the third quarter, a total of 55432 new cars were delivered, a year-on-year increase of 75.4%, reaching a historic high. From January to September, NIO Automobile delivered a total of 109993 new cars.
Xiaopeng Automobile delivered a total of 15310 new cars in September, an increase of 81% year-on-year, with the delivery volume of Xiaopeng G6 reaching 8132. As of September 30, 2023, the cumulative delivery volume of Xiaopeng Automobile in the third quarter reached 40008 units, an increase of 72% month on month. The delivery volume of Zero Run cars in September reached a record high of 15800 units, with a cumulative delivery of 44325 units in the third quarter.
The performance of new energy vehicle brands incubated by traditional car companies continues to improve. In September of this year, Avita 11 delivered 3083 vehicles, a month on month increase of over 50%, continuously leading the high-end SEV track. Extreme Krypton delivered 12053 vehicles in September, compared to 8276 vehicles in the same period last year, a year-on-year increase of 45.6%. The order volume reached a historic high, with a cumulative delivery volume of over 150000 vehicles.
Lantu Automobile delivered 5010 new cars in September, an increase of 99% year-on-year and 25% month on month; From January to September 2023, the delivery volume of Lantu Automobile increased by 102% year-on-year. After successfully hosting the user night, the brand's popularity, user stickiness, and user reputation continued to rise. In September, the new Landu FREE launched nationwide delivery, and its excellent product strength was highly recognized. The market attention remained high, effectively driving Landu's product sales
It is worth mentioning that the sales of new energy vehicles by joint venture car companies are also steadily increasing. In September of this year, the sales of SAIC Volkswagen ID. family reached a new high, with monthly orders exceeding 20000 units, showing a strong sales momentum. Among them, the order volume for ID.3 in September reached 15000 vehicles.
In addition, SAIC General Motors sold 10002 new energy vehicles in September, a month on month increase of 24.8% and a year-on-year increase of 168%; Among them, Buick E5 sold 4868 units, Buick Micro Blue 6 sold 3578 units, and Ruige sold 686 units.
Comprehensive fancy promotions by car companies
In the current situation where the domestic car market is becoming increasingly "internalized", car companies have shown their respective abilities to boost sales, with discounts, subsidies, and small gifts being common promotional methods. During the Double Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day), the sales staff of automobile enterprises are even more "volume".
After scanning the code, you can receive a small gift here. "On October 4th, Tao Minghe (pseudonym) returned from Anhui to Shanghai, resting in the Yangcheng Lake service area. He saw the Jikron car set up for activities, and the staff said to him.
Tao Minghe said, "I often encounter similar activities while shopping, such as scanning the QR code or leaving a mobile number. A few days later, a salesperson will call to inquire if there is any intention to buy a car. Nowadays, the competition for car consumption is fierce, and I can understand
At the Huawei Experience Center, Zhou Peng told reporters that they were all on duty during the Double Festivals. Originally, I started work at 9:30 in the morning and finished work at 6:30 in the afternoon. During the Double Festivals, we come to prepare for the test drive at 8:30 pm and stay busy until 9 pm to finish work. It's really too busy to transfer, and if we have enough manpower, we feel like we can sign a few more contracts, which feels like we're lacking in skills
When the product price is in place, everything is not a problem, and the sales competition is not about ability, but about diligence. Zhou Peng told reporters that his throat has been hoarse since the 12th of last month, with a cough.
At around 7 pm on October 10th, the reporter arrived at Nanxiang Impression City in Jiading, Shanghai. On the first floor, I saw the booths of Ideal Cars and Avita, where consumers occasionally stopped and salespeople would introduce them over and over again.
The salesperson at the Jikron Nanxiang store told reporters that they will give a lipstick as a discount during the Double Festival. And at the Avita store not far from the Extreme Krypton store, a sign at the door reads "Courtesy for test drive, give Starbucks a voucher for test drive".
However, the enthusiastic service provided by sales personnel is only a bonus to impress consumers, not a necessity. Price and product strength are important factors that consumers value when choosing a product. During the Double Festival, car companies launched significant promotional activities.
Outside the Feifan store, the reporter saw the promotional slogans for limited time car purchases from Feifan Motors. Taking the limited time discount of the Feifan F7 as an example, it includes discounts on car prices, optional equipment, smart driving, financial, traffic, and worry free gifts. The salesperson told reporters that the F7 price ranges from 229900 yuan to 301900 yuan. Before October 31st, the standard range discount is 15000 yuan, and the long range discount is 20000 yuan.
The reporter noticed that from September 28th to October 8th, SAIC Volkswagen launched a "dual limited time welfare" campaign, covering multiple popular models such as the ID. family, Lavida family, Passat, and Tiguan L. For example, the "New National Quality Family sedan" Langyi Xinrui has a limited time direct reduction of 20000 yuan, starting from 79900 yuan. It also comes with 2 years of 85% off/3 years of 80% off value repurchase, 2 years of zero interest rate and other benefits.
On October 7th, a reporter placed promotional materials next to an ID.6X car at a SAIC Volkswagen 4S store in Jiading, Shanghai, featuring "Golden Autumn Anniversary Store Celebration Car Purchase Festival", "5-year low interest rate, 20% down payment; exchange subsidy up to 16000 yuan+2800 yuan".
SAIC Volkswagen stated that the continuous hot sales of ID.3 have further boosted the terminal attention and user satisfaction of the ID.4 X and ID.6 X electric SUV models. In three months, the two models, with their hardcore German quality and spacious cabin space, accurately met the core needs of family travel, and sales continued to rise month on month
Blow the year-end sprint horn
Boosting automobile consumption is crucial. On September 1st, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other departments jointly released the "Work Plan for Stable Growth in the Automotive Industry (2023-2024)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Work Plan"), which stated that in 2023, the automotive industry will maintain a stable and positive development trend, striving to achieve annual car sales of about 27 million units, a year-on-year increase of about 3%, of which the sales of new energy vehicles will be about 9 million units, a year-on-year increase of about 30%; The added value of the automotive manufacturing industry increased by about 5% year-on-year.
The achievement of the above goals naturally relies on the efforts of driving companies. The reporter noticed that in addition to the "fierce battle" on the sales end, car companies have also launched a new wave of product development during the "golden nine silver ten" consumer season, hoping to achieve good results in the year-end sales sprint.
On September 20th, the first model based on the concept of "super extended range", the Zero Run C01 super extended range, was launched. The new car launched three models, priced at 145800 to 169800 yuan, which is also the second extended range model to implement the "dual power" strategy.
Regarding the launch of the Zero Run C01 Super Extended Range, Zhu Jiangming stated, "The Zero Run C01 Super Extended Range has larger batteries and higher configurations within the same price range, truly helping users achieve 'money saving, time saving, and worry saving', closer to the essence of the extended range
It is worth noting that at the launch ceremony of the Zero Run C01 Super Extended Range, the Zero Run C11 also added three new Super Extended Range models, which performed excellently in pure electric range, vehicle NVH, and minimum charge fuel consumption, further enhancing product competitiveness.
Taking Jietu as an example, on September 26th, Jietu Traveler held a launch event, positioning the new car as a "travel off-road SUV" and launching a total of six models in three power combinations: two wheel drive 1.5TD+7DCT, four-wheel drive 2.0TD+7DCT, and four-wheel drive 2.0TD+8AT.
Regarding the current situation of the automotive market this year, the China Automobile Association predicts that as various policies to promote automotive consumption and stabilize industry growth continue to be implemented, the effects will continue to accumulate, forming strong support for the automotive market in the fourth quarter and helping the automotive industry achieve its annual stable growth goal.