Although Tan Yue X originated from this successful model, it should not be a problem for the market to applaud, but whether it can become a seat still needs to be questioned.
The biggest reason for this view is that coupe SUV has been entered into a niche market.
As can be seen from the sales data, even the BMW X6, which leads the trend of coupe SUV, cannot change the fact that this market is niche.
Since the market sales of coupe SUVs are not high, why should Volkswagen develop models with a small audience?
In fact, the reason is not difficult to find. For the masses who have been running wild in China auto market for 30 years, it has always been a tried-and-true means to subdivide products with a family-like look, further occupy the market and boost sales under the environment of stock competition.
1 and "addition" can go on forever?
In the face of the declining auto market in recent years, head car companies like Volkswagen have always been accustomed to increasing the launch of new products to boost sales.
But why did you choose a coupe SUV?
There are two main reasons, one is naturally from the cost considerations.
As we all know, it is not easy for car companies to develop a brand-new model. We have long been used to the research and development of hundreds of millions or even billions of yuan.
However, as a derivative model such as coupe SUV, the investment will be much less, which involves a most basic problem of diminishing marginal cost.
The reason why Volkswagen launched Exploration X is because they are basically based on the platform of existing traditional SUV models. They can enjoy the platform architecture, with low bicycle cost, short research and development cycle, saving time and effort.
Moreover, focusing on star models, building star families and turning Tan Yue series into star models can not only give full play to the role of Tan Yue brand, but also enrich product lines and rapidly expand new markets.
Second, at a time when the automobile consumption market has begun to become younger, it is understandable for Volkswagen to launch models that conform to the times in this critical period of market transformation.
But just like a coin has two sides, "addition" does enrich the product line and expand the new market, but the models currently on sale in FAW-Volkswagen market are already dense. There are as many as 20 models on sale at present, not to mention other models of FAW-Volkswagen.
How to make consumers remember so many car models is a big problem.
In this regard, many big coffees in the industry have also vomited. "Many times, after the owner bought the car, he realized that there were so many models he had never seen before."
If you want consumers to buy your car, you have to stand out from the vast sea of cars. According to the breakdown, you need at least a dozen PK models. For car companies, it is necessary to increase publicity investment, but many times a lot of resources are invested, and the result is likely to be unsatisfactory, which is equivalent to spending money on trial and error.
After 30 years' development, China automobile market has gone through the "barbaric era" and started a more cruel "the leftover is king" era. Consumers are no longer as ignorant and gullible as before.
Therefore, it is hard to say whether this kind of "addition" can continue to play, even if it is better than the public.
2. What about "subtraction"?
After talking about the example of the public, you should be able to see it clearly. If Volkswagen can't guarantee another high score, it will be even harder for ordinary car companies to do well.
For them, changing their thinking and doing subtraction may be a better solution.
Usually there are two aspects to subtraction: one is to streamline the product line and reduce the development of too many new products; On the other hand, we must decisively cut off redundant and unprofitable products and production capacity, and do a good job in iterating the existing product sequence.
This can not only reduce the cost, but also spend all the money on the cutting edge.
However, even so, few car companies are interested in "subtraction".
After all, the last product is not difficult, and removing a product is the most complicated. For the whole automobile industry, especially in China, there are still many factors to consider.
It is precisely because of this that over the years, there are not many car companies that have always insisted on "quality is king", only Toyota and new forces.
Let's start with Toyota. The world's most profitable car company with the highest brand value is also famous for improving efficiency through "simplification" and "control".
Especially this year, under the double impact of epidemic and industry recession, sales and operating profit both fell. Toyota once again carried out lean slimming from products, channels to management system.
As a result, Toyota will not only continue to promote the reform of sales channels in Japan, but also deepen the adjustment of management system. The streamlining of its product line will not only cut Japanese car models by half. According to Toyota's plan, the company will reduce the number of 60 -70 models currently sold in China to about 30 in the future, and the possibility of reducing global models will not be ruled out in the future.
Of course, while slimming products, Toyota's launch of boutique models is also synchronized.
For example, the Asian Dragon launched by Toyota in China has achieved a good monthly sales of 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles after combining "the homology of luxury car platforms+the traction of luxury car explosion sales performance+the internal fashion design of transnational hot reviews+the size of C-class cars+the standard configuration and material technology of luxury A-class cars+the intermediate configuration price of B-class cars".
From this point of view, is it much more than Volkswagen blindly expanding the product camp and plunging into the barren land of coupe SUV?
Of course, if Toyota is active subtraction, then the new force is passive subtraction. Their common problem is lack of funds.
For the new forces that need to rely on financing to maintain their operations, the car-sea tactics obviously don't work. Xpeng Motors He Xiaopeng once sighed after completing the A+ round of financing: "I used to think that 654.38+0 billion was too exaggerated to watch others build cars. Now I know that 20 billion is not enough. "
Since we can't win by quantity, we can only make a limited number of models more exquisite. In fact, since Tesla, the new forces have been adhering to this concept.
From the overall effect, in the first half of this year, the new forces began to gradually increase their market share. Tesla even crushed many luxury brand models in sales with only one Model 3 this year.
So in the final analysis, achieving the ultimate quality of one or several main models may be a better way out in the next era.
3. Kung Fu is angry
Sima Guang said: "The art of raising soldiers is not enough." So are car companies.
At the moment when the demand for automobile consumption is gradually maturing, if automobile enterprises indulge in the tactics of car-sea instead of taking the boutique route, the development cost, trial-production cost and mass production cost of the wrong model will be higher than one.
How to do the "simple" math problem of addition and subtraction well will be a big test for future car companies.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.