Figure | Source Network
In the eyes of some loyal fans of French cars, French cars, like French dinners, are not only the embodiment of taste and attitude towards life, but also the understanding of "French romance".
However, in the eyes of many domestic diners, French food is not only time-consuming but also has not directly hit the expected taste buds. As a result, French cuisine, which pays attention to ingredients and techniques, has gradually become an unpopular market and cannot satisfy the tastes of the public.
So, just like the case of French cuisine, when global car manufacturers are desperately trying to please China users to seize the high ground in the segmentation field, French cars are obviously still intoxicated in their own world. Many consumers feel that the design logic of French cars seems to be not based on products to cater to users, but to let users adapt to products.
But in fact, after years of sales decline, French cars are really anxious in the China market. The reason is very direct, because the China market and Iranian market (with annual sales of around 400,000 vehicles) are sluggish, French car companies like PSA have lost nearly 6,543,800+vehicles in the global overseas market.
What does this mean? It means that the "synergy effect" of 654.38+0.2 billion that PSA merged into German Opel has been "eaten" by the shrinkage of China market and Iranian market. If PSA's withdrawal from Iran is still due to political reasons such as US sanctions, then the slump of PSA in China market can only be said to be mostly due to the reshuffle of the "natural selection" market.
However, there are also many consumers who complain about French cars. It is said that cars are actually conscientious in many aspects, especially where users are hard to find. The phrase "you can't learn the honesty and frankness of French cars" thrown by netizens tells the helplessness and bitterness behind the stubbornness of French cars.
French cars may "not understand the needs of China", but this does not mean that French cars are not excellent. In fact, he is not good at writing, and shows "Excellence" in places where users are not intuitive and obvious.
For example, in terms of chassis training, Citroen brand gave back the WRC event (World Touring Car Rally Championship) to the civil automobile market. Compared with the brand, it does not conform to the aesthetic appearance of China people. This magic carpet hanging hidden under the car is amazing enough.
In Dongfeng Citroen? It can be seen from Tianyi that after special adjustment, the rear suspension with variable beam with lateral stabilizer realizes the comfort close to that of independent suspension on the basis of emphasizing stability. Using PHC adaptive hydraulic stabilization technology, the vibration frequency of the car body can be controlled between 1.05 Hz and 1.2 Hz.
Strictly speaking, French cars can be called "technical houses". From the technical structure, this set of PHC adaptive hydraulic stabilization technology has solved many comfort adjustment problems.
Compared with ordinary shock absorber, adaptive hydraulic stabilization technology adds a hydraulic stopper on both sides. When the shock absorber approaches the maximum stretching stroke and compression stroke, the shock absorber will absorb more energy and make the contact between the car body and the road surface softer.
For another example, French cars are generally generous as long as they are "frank" in the materials used for work, as long as they can't save money.
In terms of sound insulation materials, the environmentally friendly cotton felt made of PU foam or PP/PET precursor replaced the traditional sound insulation cotton. Hot-formed steel whose strength is five times that of ordinary process steel is also added to the reinforcement of A-pillar and B-pillar, roof longitudinal beam and part of body base. It can be said that providence has made great efforts to stamp PSA safety patents, environmentally friendly water-based adhesives and hot melt adhesives on full-frame doors, which has increased the cost by nearly 40%.
However, consumers who "look at their faces" are philandering, and consumers who are brainwashed by independent suspension are realistic, so the market situation of French cars is cruel.
There are two kinds of opinions about French cars in the market: the old owners who admire chassis and the new users who pay attention to product strength. Looking at the performance of French cars in China, the outside world still can't give it a very accurate positioning and description. But continue to choose to wait and see.
As we all know, today, all car companies in the world have launched a rapid offensive against the electrification strategy. From the product blueprint to the strategic Red Sea, the "honest" French car was slowly listed in China last year.
From the brand's strategic point of view, compared with Japanese and Korean cars that have already realized a variety of domestic electrification, the French cars of Buddhism failed to break the circle at the starting line again. As far as electrification technology is concerned, P0+P2+P4 architecture of pure electric rear drive, pure electric four-wheel drive and hybrid four-wheel drive can be realized, which makes China consumers "love and hate" French hybrid cars.
But then again, the technical advantage of honesty and frankness is still difficult to hide the pain of users. Take the brand-new Peugeot 508L introduced to China last year as an example. The overseas version of the hatchback design was cancelled due to the lengthening of the domestic wheelbase, and the amazing frameless doors disappeared.
Not only that, the design of the shift paddle for displaying the product sports label was really puzzling at first, and the shift operation was limited to the silver touch pad with a small area. Even though these "bright spots" are not in line with the absolute aesthetics of China consumers on B-class cars, for a product that can change the domestic users' views on French cars, such a setting obviously bears the superiority and even willfulness of French cars.
From 4AT and 6AT gearboxes, to 1.6L and 1.8L displacement engines, and then to the semi-independent rear suspension of torsion beam that remains unchanged for a hundred years, these three works branded with "PSA secret recipe" can always produce different flavors in the hands of legal engineers. However, we hope to see that after focusing on CMP and EMP2, French cars can really activate the other side of the future.
In short, the "frankness" of French cars is not only reflected in the points that users can't see, but also the scientific and technological spirit of making complex French meals to the extreme; At the same time, it is more reflected in those places that users can see, such as design and functional settings, and even the adoption of a mature technology, and still choose not to cater to or compromise.
With the increasing emphasis on positioning, differentiation and personalization in consumption today, will there be a bright future for French cars with "frankness" in their bones? Let's start with changing the "prejudice" of the media and users on French cars.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.