Few car brands in China can be so sought after by the people. Of course, going out of the circle is only a means, and selling cars is the purpose. For Wuling automobile, whose sales volume and profit are shrinking, it is the essence of struggle from the benchmark of tool car to the benchmark of family car. Capgemini's listing in the second half will be a key point.
Why did Capgemini hang the silver label?
On May 25th this year, while celebrating the brand's 22 millionth car off the assembly line, Wuling Automobile released a brand-new product line-Silver Label Wuling, and made its debut in the first MPV victory of the Silver Label series.
Regarding the positioning of the brand-new silver standard, Wuling Automobile gave a clear definition in the naming: global silver standard. In other words, it is not a substitute relationship with the red logo adopted by Wuling brand now, but a parallel relationship for different markets. In the overseas markets that Wuling has entered, including Southeast Asian countries, the products of silver label series will be the main products in the future, and the China market will also sell global silver label models and red label models with China characteristics.
For consumers in China, the parallel sale of the red label and the silver label means that Wuling Automobile is no longer a brand with strong tool car characteristics. According to the plan, the silver label products facing the global market are developed on the basis of the global market, and they are more practical and comfortable to meet the similar needs of consumers in different countries for family cars; At the same time, as a representative of China brand that has entered overseas, Yinbiao products will pay more attention to strengthening quality, reliability and process quality.
These are the places where the current models of Red Label Wuling are not outstanding. Taking the best-selling Wuling Hong Guang as an example, it has a strong regional feature: the use scenarios of users in third-and fourth-tier cities and towns are mainly cargo, supplemented by household use. Such a return artifact must be practical and durable enough, but it can be compromised in comfort and convenience.
Therefore, the classification of Silver Label and Red Label Wuling in China market is very clear: Red Label Wuling is still a travel product that emphasizes tool attributes, while Silver Label product is mainly to expand the consumption demand of household scenes and shoulder the heavy responsibility of reversing the impression of Wuling cars as cheap cars.
However, when the global silver standard was released, another problem was brought out. A few years ago, when Baojun 730 was listed as an explosion, consumers had accepted the feasibility of Wuling products going home. Now that the silver standard model and a quality home MPV are launched, won't they "crash" with Baojun or even Xinbaojun?
One fact that can't be ignored is that when Wuling Automobile rushed out of the circle with various "inaction" events, the automobile business was in crisis: on the one hand, the sales volume of the main Wuling Hong Guang series declined with the economic recession in recent years, on the other hand, the brand of Xinbaojun lost upward, and it was impossible to alleviate the sales downturn by hitting higher markets. At the same time, after Baojun was split into Xinbaojun and Baojun, the sales of both of them were shrinking.
In this context, Wuling has adjusted its product line, such as the merger of Wuling and Baojun, focusing on the market below 6.5438+10,000 yuan, and Xinbaojun independently developed and created the concept of intelligent networking. Between simple tool attributes and high-end smart cars, consumers also need an MPV product that simply performs well in household quality, that is, Capgemini, the first MPV of the silver standard Wuling that we are seeing now.
Is Capgemini internationalized?
Xinbaojun hopes to enter the young market with greater potential by creating an intelligent concept. However, judging from various outside events this year, it seems that the public awareness of Wuling Automobile is more extensive. However, whether young people like to stick the Hong Guang logo of Wuling on the back of the car to ridicule "owning a famous car in autumn" or Wuling is impressed by Hermes-grade Wuling snail powder, there is not so much brand burden, and it is still difficult to impress people outside the product level.
So, is the silver Wuling enough?
The first thing for Wuling Capgemini to hang up the global silver standard is to "de-tool". The demand for this kind of MPV in overseas markets does not overemphasize the load and durability, but is examined from the dimensions of family cars, including space, comfort, stable materials and performance.
From the perspective of Capgemini's car, the first step of "de-tooling" is to move closer to the direction of household MPV through styling design: the body is lengthened and widened, especially the engine compartment is lengthened, reaching a body proportion similar to that of a car; The lines of the roof do not overemphasize straightness to ensure the maximum internal space, but adjust the inclination angle of the roof appropriately to express the sense of movement and beauty with curves.
In order to create a sense of quality for the family car, the body will adopt more complicated lines. On the one hand, it creates a slender vision, on the other hand, it presents a sense of advanced through complex lines; Of course, there is also a consideration of "de-tooling" behind this: with a higher cost stamping process, the lamp group and the covering parts can make a car look higher. Because it is oriented to home users, there is no need to think too much about the demands of durable tool carts and low maintenance costs.
Another key point is the spatial layout. At present, Capgemini's product drawing focuses on the layout of six seats. In fact, the six-seat layout is not the main sales configuration of Wuling Hong Guang or Baojun 730, because there are only two independent seats in the second row after the third discharge, and the utilization ratio can not be maximized whether it is carrying people or goods.
However, if it is a family car with occupant comfort as its core appeal, the advantage of six seats is very prominent. The selling points of Capgemini's products include: the second row of seats can move horizontally, and the two independent seats can move inward to facilitate parent-child interaction; The first and second rows can be tilted 180%, providing a sitting posture close to lying flat; After folding, the third row of seats can be the same height as the floor, which is convenient for the second row of seats to slide to the end: 560mm long slide rail, super spacious second row space; This emphasis on the functional diversity and comfort of seats shows that Capgemini pays attention to the ride experience rather than the simple use of space.
As for the soft and light color of interior color selection, the addition of air purification devices, the installation of six independent air conditioning outlets and USB interfaces, etc., the purpose is to clearly point to the comfort and convenience of family cars. Such details show that the positioning of the silver standard Wuling is quality, globalization, and more importantly, "de-tooling".
Will Capgemini take away the RM-5 market?
When the new silver standard was announced, Capgemini, which appeared in the name of victory, was still in a highly disguised state, and consumers were quite curious about this car. But when the official map of Capgemini was released, a familiar smell came to my face.
Capgemini and Xinbaojun RM-5 really have many similarities.
The first is styling. Capgemini's body size is 4875* 1880* 1690mm, which is slightly larger in length, width and height than Baojun RM-5, but it can be seen from many details such as the length of the front, the position of the front and rear wheels, the shape of the rear, etc., that the design of the two cars comes down in one continuous line. The differences in details mainly come from their respective brand positioning. For example, the third row of Capgemini has a glass running through the tail, which balances the height-length ratio of the car body, makes it look slimmer and makes the lighting in the third row better; According to the application information, Capgemini provided 18 inch tires, while RM-5 only had 16/ 17 inch tires. Relatively speaking, Capgemini looks fuller.
The same is true of the interior layout. Capgemini and RM-5 have many similarities in the position and style of the steering wheel, the angle and size of the central control screen, the air outlet line of the air conditioner, the design style, length and width of the instrument panel and the auxiliary instrument panel. Basically, it can be considered that the two cars are very close and even adopt the same set of procurement standards. However, Capgemini is bigger than RM-5 in both width and track, which should be for lateral space, especially for the lateral movement function of two rows.
Since they are quite similar in style and modeling, and they are all home-based products, how should they be differentiated in the market? Referring to the differences in pricing systems of Wuling, Baojun and Xinbaojun, the silver standard Wuling will be cheaper than Xinbaojun, and their product uniqueness will be established through the differential matching of intelligent configuration. For example, in Capgemini's application information, this car does not provide an external rearview mirror camera, and the corresponding 360 panoramic image and driving assistance function will not be equipped.
In any case, Capgemini and RM-5 are bound to compete where prices overlap. However, in Wuling Automobile's view, compared with the competition between them, it is more important for Capgemini to connect with RM-5 and steal the market where BYD Song Max is located. From the price range alone, the competition between Capgemini and Song MAX is closer, and they will face each other head-on in the price range of 654.38+ 10,000 yuan. Capgemini will have some advantages in size and space, and the horsepower parameters will be slightly better if it is matched with 1.5T engine.
It is worth noting that Capgemini has a space advantage over Song MAX's complete home setting. Song MAX and Baojun RM-5 are both designed with the maximum height of trunk less than 900mm, and the width of RM-5 is larger. But the design and volume of trunk opening and closing are similar. Capgemini has more practical considerations than Song MAX in the loading of large items, because of the concave flat design of the third row of seats and the higher trunk height and opening and closing angle brought by the higher body.
However, judging from the sales of Song MAX, Baojun RM-5 and even Geely Cargill, the pure household property MPV in this price segment has little potential. Capgemini wants to set a new benchmark for home MPV and strive to get rid of the short-term high and long-term calm sales situation. Being a global model doesn't bring them much aura.
Figure? |? From the network
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.