Yes, it's Cheetah v3 1, just like Mitsubishi Pajero. Military green is very eye-catching.
This is a memory after 70/80, which will soon be forgotten. As a result, a friend asked me an affectionate question yesterday: Do you know what a Changfeng car is, the one with a cheetah?
This question suddenly opened my memory and reminded me of Geely's acquisition of cheetah not long ago. China's automobile industry is facing high-speed integration, and it is doomed to be annexed if it fails to keep up with the times.
However, Geely's answer is that it will try its best to help cheetahs out of trouble.
On April 27th, Geely Holding Group announced that it had formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hunan Provincial People's Government and Changsha Municipal People's Government in Changsha, entrusting Changsha factory of Hunan Cheetah Automobile Co., Ltd., a provincial state-owned enterprise in Hunan Province, to engage in the production and sales of new energy vehicles.
Geely will introduce new energy automobile products and technologies to promote resource integration and enhance the overall competitiveness of Cheetah Automobile Company after officially hosting Cheetah Automobile Factory. In the future, Geely will continue to deepen cooperation in the field of new energy and actively participate in and promote the structural adjustment, transformation and upgrading of Hunan's automobile industry.
The dilemma of cheetah
Actually, it's not bad to be taken over by Geely. For cheetah cars, in addition to the advantages of traditional off-road vehicles, we must keep up with the trend of the times. New energy vehicles may not belong to the big stream at present, but if they are not laid out in advance, you will be eliminated faster in the future.
Of course, this is also a new situation that Hunan automobile industry will face. In this potential blue ocean market, the field of new energy vehicles needs to be further developed. Geely also saw this and took over this "negative asset" with such fanfare.
In recent years, Cheetah cars have experienced ups and downs. In 20 17 years, it sold125,000 vehicles, up 40% year-on-year, and realized sales income of113.2 billion yuan. However, the "bad weather" in the domestic automobile market and the "fever reduction" of SUVs interrupted the explosive growth of Cheetah cars.
In 20 18, the cumulative sales volume of cheetah cars was 86,402, down 32% year-on-year; In 20 19, the sales volume of cheetah cars was 33,200, down 6 1.6% year-on-year, and many of its main models declined to varying degrees.
At the end of 20 19, it was reported that cheetah officially launched self-help actions, including shutting down, transferring bases, financing and implementing debt-to-equity swaps.
Starting from 20 18, China automobile market bid farewell to the era of high-speed growth, and now it has entered the stock competition, triggering a series of chain reactions, and some independent automobile brands have entered a difficult period.
The data shows that from 20 17 to 20 19, the market concentration has greatly increased, and the top 10 independent brands accounted for 80% of all independent brands in 20 19.
From the sales volume of automobile enterprises, SAIC, FAW, Changan, BAIC, GAC, Geely, Great Wall, Chery and other automobile groups occupy 97% market share.
Starting from 20 18, I also saw cheetah cars begin to transform and embrace young people's thinking more boldly. The biggest change is that the model design is more in line with the requirements of young people.
However, these changes have not played a role in increasing sales, and being taken over by Geely may be the best result of self-help!
Cheetah is expected.
It is an eternal truth that youth is the future. For any industry, the right to speak in the market and the main consumption right will be taken over by young people sooner or later.
At the same time, young people are relatively sensitive to brands. Everyone can often be moved by heroes and idols in childhood, and such worship and hobbies will occupy his heart for a long time.
And these "idols" can also get the effect of "love me, love my dog" around them, and become the products and brands that teenagers have longed for since childhood.
In every post-70 s and post-80 s youth, the cheetah car painted in military green and camouflage that occasionally passes through the streets has become one of their deep memories and continues to this day.
In fact, in the eyes of the post-80s generation, cheetahs were like "idols" from the beginning. We all fantasize about driving that v3 1 off-road one day. I shouldn't be the only one with this idea of having fun!
Cheetah car is such a brand that has been "planting grass" in the hearts of the post-70 s and post-80 s since the 1980 s. It started from the military industry. In the 35-year history of building cars, its products have always maintained a distinct impression of militarization and military industry.
At that time, the pioneering and enterprising cross-country spirit of cheetah began to be perceived and left a deep impression on many people's minds. It's just that now, the preferences of young people after 90 s and 00 s are obviously different from those of their predecessors, so you must change, otherwise you will only be "taken over"
In fact, cheetahs never give up on themselves. In order to better meet the preferences of young people and win more sense of value, it did something at the 20 19 Shanghai Auto Show: Cheetah brand released a brand-new LOGO, aiming at creating a brand-new "military fashion".
The image design of cheetah's new LOGO is similar to Iron Man's mask. The mechanical and metal image of the leopard head mask has changed the rigid and serious old impression given to the outside world before the cheetah car, but catered to the image that young people love and narrowed the distance between them, which is refreshing.
In addition, the brand spirit of "pioneering" and "forging ahead" advocated by Cheetah Automobile is highly consistent with the current mainstream social values of China, such as "the new era is the era of strugglers" and "dream catchers", and the brand-new logo is a new form of inheritance of this spiritual core.
The "hunting" has begun.
As can be seen from the new LOGO, the cheetah has changed its mind. For cheetah, a state-owned enterprise with many years of military background and always having an indissoluble bond with the army, the quality of military industry is the foundation of its existence, and it has also become the biggest uniqueness that distinguishes it from other brands.
Of course, cheetahs can get fixed orders from the government, the army and existing submarines every year. However, these customers' demand for products is relatively simple, and the usage scenarios are relatively solidified. Cheetah's original products are competent.
However, in the long run, such an existing model will make enterprises' thinking rigid, products more single, and lose their competitiveness over time, thus making brands gradually become a minority, and sales volume gives the best answer.
Behind the innovation of "novelty hunting" are also the lack of core technology, product iteration and product quality problems. Without the support of Mitsubishi technology, cheetah basically lost the "soul" of off-road products; On the other hand, the cheetah's quality complaints have also remained high, gradually losing its market and reputation.
At present, six products of Cheetah are CS 10, CS9, CS9EV and Mattu Mai Tu, hard-core SUV Q6 and pickup cheetah CT7. Due to the company's operating problems, some products have been discontinued.
As a lesson from the past, Changan Suzuki was completely taken over by Changan Automobile; Changan PSA was dissolved, and Changan Automobile and PSA Group both withdrew from the joint venture company; Dongfeng Renault withdrew from the market, and after Renault withdrew, Dongfeng Motor Group took over in an all-round way.
It is precisely because of operational difficulties that the "hunting" reform has been accelerated, and Geely's outstretched hand is particularly critical. Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, said: "We will actively help Changfeng Cheetah, a local automobile brand in Hunan, get out of trouble as soon as possible and achieve new development; At the same time, with new dreams, we will vigorously develop Hunan's new energy automobile industry. "
Hunan province, where the cheetah is located, is also an important strategic area of Geely Holding Group. At present, Geely also has a number of models produced in Xiangtan factory. In the future, Geely will give full play to its product, technology, management and market advantages, introduce new energy vehicle products and technologies, promote resource integration, enhance the overall competitiveness of Cheetah Automobile Company, and give full play to1+1> The effect of 2.
Generally speaking, the cooperation between them is win-win: Geely has obtained a ready-made factory, which provides more convenience for its own transformation.
Cheetah, which has not developed smoothly in the field of passenger cars, has obtained funds, talents and technology to accelerate the transformation to new energy and intelligence; Local governments also avoid inefficient or inefficient operation of state-owned assets.
Of course, the road ahead will not be smooth. This sudden epidemic this year has made some car companies unsustainable.
Xiaokang shares lost 494 million yuan in the first quarter, Jianghuai pre-lost 356 million yuan in the first quarter, Haima's revenue in the first quarter decreased by 37.85% year-on-year, Zotye lost more than 9 billion yuan last year, and the new car-making forces faced the situation of "no money to burn".
This year, the domestic auto market is destined to experience a wave of survival of the fittest, and the last surviving enterprises will make the domestic market more mature. With the help of Geely, I am looking forward to whether the cheetah will be "reborn"!
Writing an article? Sun Chen
Editor in chief? Sun Chen
Pictures? network
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.