10 years ago, everyone controlled the country to make electric vehicles, called cornering overtaking. No matter what we thought at that time, we couldn’t believe that one day, China’s electric vehicles not only surpassed the joint venture brands in China, but also went abroad to kill the Quartet!
At the 2022 Paris Auto Show, the French system has completely lost the halo of the host, but Chinese electric vehicles are attracting attention. At this Paris Auto Show, BYD and Great Wall both announced their official entry into the European market, and announced the prices of several flagship models. Leap and Seris also made their debut. The electric cars in the audience were dominated by Chinese brands. So much so that the French media said sourly, “Either Chinese electric cars or not electric cars are at the Paris Motor Show.”
2022 can be regarded as a landmark year for Chinese automobiles to open up key overseas markets. More importantly, China’s automobile export sales also have a gratifying rise, which can be called an explosive year.
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Export volume increased by 55%, the world’s second largest exporter!
How to break out? According to data from the China Automobile Association, from January to September this year, my country’s auto companies exported 2.117 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 55.5%, and new energy vehicles exported 389,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of more than double. Among them, the export volume in September was 301,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 73.9%, and the export of new energy vehicles was 50,000 units, a year-on-year increase of more than double. This data also shows that China has surpassed Germany to become the world’s second largest auto exporter, ranking second only to Japan.
According to the statistics of the China Passenger Car Association, the average price of China’s auto exports has risen from US$12,900 in 2018 to US$16,400 in 2022, and reached US$18,900 in August.
This year, the sales of Chinese brands in Europe have also grown rapidly, and it is expected that the number of registrations in Europe will reach 150,000, twice the number of last year.
At the beginning of October, NIO products and services were fully launched in Europe. Three models, including NIO ET7, NIO ET5, and NIO EL7, were launched in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark in the form of “subscription”, and synchronized Started delivery of the first batch of ET7 users. Also in October, BYD signed an order for 100,000 electric vehicles with the German leasing company SIXT, and brought Tang TANG, Han HANG and ATTO 3 to the Paris Auto Show, announcing that it will be available in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany Waiting for many European countries to start delivery.
In markets other than Europe, Chinese brands are also making frequent moves. In July this year, BYD released three models based on the e-platform 3.0 in Japan, namely SEAL, ATTO 3, and DOLPHIN, and announced that they will officially land in the Japanese market in 2023. In September, the 10,000th new energy vehicle of Great Wall’s Rayong New Energy Plant in Thailand rolled off the assembly line, and Haval’s third-generation H6 DHT-PHEV was officially launched in Thailand.
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Is it a coincidence that the outbreak will be concentrated in 2022?
The road of Chinese brands going overseas will usher in a collective explosion in 2022, and there are traces to follow. First of all, the evolution of China’s industrial base has enabled the rapid and high-quality improvement of the automobile manufacturing industry chain. Especially under the decoupling of trade and the interference of the epidemic, the capabilities of China’s automobile industry chain have been consolidated; at the same time, the domestic market has the soil to nurture new ventures , sufficient competition has created a situation of more innovation and rapid iteration of Chinese brand products. Moreover, China also has the largest electric vehicle production capacity in the world, which can ensure the delivery of new vehicles to users in the shortest time. This is an inherent factor, and Chinese brands are getting better.
In terms of external environment, European countries have introduced policies to encourage the development of electric vehicles. However, the pace of electrification of local European car companies is slow. The most radical Volkswagen Group is going through a political struggle, and the progress of the ID series has slowed down; Stellantis has fallen into its own small strange circle, and has not yet launched a pure electric platform. product; another possible player, the Renault Group was also devastated by the Ghosn incident a few years ago; speaking of which, BBA takes electrification very seriously, but the current products are still unsatisfactory.
Under the stalemate inside and outside, the opportunity for Chinese brands has come. NIO, BYD and Great Wall, quickly seize this opportunity. In the past 2-3 years, NIO has taken Norway as its landing point, and has also done a lot of preparations in Europe. Only then did it take a key step to bring three second-generation platform models and services to Europe. BYD has been in Europe as early as 1998. In 2021, BYD will export sales of Tang to Norway. In August this year, BYD reached a cooperation with Hedin Mobility, a leading European distributor group, to sell new energy vehicles in Sweden and Germany. In addition, this year BYD ATTO 3 (Yuan PLUS) also received a five-star rating in the European ENCAP safety test.
Great Wall has actively participated in the European Auto Show since 2017, and has established a network of contacts in the local area. After more than five years of long-term preparation, Great Wall was able to win two five-star ratings in the European ENCAP safety test this year, and two models were officially launched at the Paris Auto Show. The reason for the new car.
All the gains are due to the hard work behind it.
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The beginning of everything is difficult, but it is the prelude to the war
The recent performance of Chinese brands in overseas markets has indeed exhilarated Chinese people. The increase in sales indicates that more and more overseas consumers are recognizing Chinese cars, and they are substantially participating in a globally important auto market such as Europe, and they have received a lot of recognition from local media, which is also a testament to their strength. .
This means that Chinese brands have entered the stage of globalization. It is said that the beginning of everything is difficult, but after the beginning is done, is it easy to do later?
Obviously, not everyone is happy to see Chinese brands in the limelight in Europe. For example, Tang Weishi, the head of Stellantis Group, believes that Chinese brands are developing too fast, and the European government should restrict Chinese brands from entering the European market. In the face of BYD’s 100,000-unit order, some German media commented, “Sixt’s large order to Chinese companies is a slap in the face to German automakers.” Some people point out that BYD’s entry into the European market is “unfair competition.” “As a result, in short, this matter is still attracting attention from all walks of life in Europe, and it has also sounded their defense alarm system.
The expansion of Chinese brands in Europe may involve the interests of local manufacturers and affect the employment of local residents, which will inevitably cause some local reactions. It is not easy for outsiders to participate in a mature market with strong industrial strength and its own strong automobile supply system. The European war of Chinese brands is only the prelude.
Entering Europe, the goal of Chinese brands is not only to sell hundreds of thousands of cars a year. Although the annual car sales in the European market have declined, they are still in the tens of millions. Generally speaking, Chinese brands have won at least 20% of the market share in Europe, and they also have an annual sales volume of nearly 2 million units. This requires Chinese brands to continue to invest more in the European market. On the basis that the current products can meet the requirements of local regulations, according to the different customs and economic conditions of more than 20 European countries and regions, they constantly adjust their products and services. Even special products are developed for the European market demand.
write at the end
From the beginning of only showing off at the auto show, to today, China has become the world’s second largest auto exporter. It can be said that it has been made step by step. If it is said that in the past few years, Chinese brands have been wandering overseas to find a living space outside the non-mainstream market, then from 2022, Chinese brands have entered a more core global competition. This time, they are more advanced. Electrification, intelligent technology, and better quality and service than ever before, this time will definitely have better results.