From brand to product, XR-V has created and continued a good reputation in the market with its high standards of service and consistent product characteristics.
Text: "Autobots" Zhang Min.
Around the Spring Festival, there is a car buying boom, and it is also the best time to buy a car, how do we make a choice?
According to industry statistics, more than 200 new cars will be released in the domestic market in 2024, basically two in 3 days. With such frequent new car shows, most of them have very little traffic, it is difficult to "hit" the consumer choice point.
But XR-V is different. The small SUVs on the market show a clear differentiation between strength and weakness, and everyone is desperately doing it, the car is getting bigger and bigger, and the equipment is getting more and more luxurious. And this part of the consumption power targeted by small SUVs has been overlooked a lot. The cumulative sales of XR-V in 2023 will exceed 50,000 units, and its long-lasting sales performance shows that Dongfeng Honda has not forgotten this part of consumers, and its product power iteration has kept up with the pace of the times and won the favor of a new generation of consumers.
Product power overflow
In 10 years, in a specific market segment, consumers have basically changed two to three times, with the progress of technology and changes in automobile culture, especially with the blessing of new energy and intelligent technology, consumer preferences have been very different from 10 years ago. In this case, the XR-V still retains its position as the mainstay of the small SUV sequence, like a pillar in a torrent.
The XR-V is a compact SUV and the entry-level model of the R-V family, with sales of 800,000 units in August 2020. For a small SUV, this is quite an achievement. Up to now, the XR-V has won the trust of 1.2 million+ users, and it is the first joint venture small SUV to exceed one million units in sales.
In the process of ups and downs in market sentiment, the growth rate of XR-V ownership has basically not changed. The market is the gold standard, which speaks volumes about the success of this product. Moreover, its successful performance continues.
We note that segment boundaries are not set in stone, and can form a fuzzy overlap with adjacent product lines. Some prospects, from initial planning to budgeting, may be interested in a compact SUV, but the decision may change when the XR-V is taken into account through various information channels.
Judging from the relative shrinkage of the small SUV market but the sales of XR-V remain unchanged, XR-V has eaten a part of the share of adjacent market segments, and its user radiation range has exceeded the initial positioning. From this point of view, it also proves the success of this model.
Why XR-V is popular among young people
In the past two years, the design pertinence of the vehicle market has changed a lot. Previously, when it came to "younger" and "youth version", it may be a euphemism for cheap or low-profile, but now the vast majority of brands claim that their products are designed for young people and take the younger route.
An important logic in this is that the preference of young people is gradually becoming the preference of the entire market. Customers of different ages are willing to move closer to "younger" design. Not only because the voices of young people occupy the mainstream of social **, but also because of the trend of technology and experience, there is a trend of younger people. Young people's choices and tastes, in many usage scenarios, have become the choice of the "standard line" - that is, products below this line have become independent vetoes.
XR-V has a trendy appearance and good looks. The front of the car is equipped with a hexagonal grille, a dot-matrix grille with silver plating, and LED headlamps are standard across the range. The side is designed horizontally with the core waist line, and the oblique tail shape is integrated, which is smooth and natural as a whole, highlighting the fashion attitude of young people.
Nowadays, it is difficult for young consumers to choose between fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles. Trade-in consumers may have more experience with the use case, and it is not difficult to make a choice. Under the limited cost frame, the former has mature technology, wide adaptation to scenarios, stable quality, low fuel consumption, and high residual value of second-hand cars, so the comprehensive use cost is lower; New energy vehicles, on the other hand, have low energy replenishment costs and are more likely to be equipped with software or entertainment functions.
In this way, fuel vehicles still have a broader spectrum of adaptability for those who do not have the conditions to install private piles and the use scenarios are not limited to commuting. And the variety of use scenarios is exactly what young people experience most often and are most willing to do. Few young people want to make their lives the same.
In addition, the XR-V is very suitable as the first car for young people, and not only because of the ** and cost-effectiveness. Just imagine, if the first car is a new energy vehicle, I have not experienced the driving pleasure of a fuel vehicle, will I feel a little regretful?
Budget, scenario, and segmentation requirements are cross-compared, and XR-V stands out as an option.
Values alignment
Compared with its predecessor, the 2024 XR-V maintains a classic shape, full of sportiness, but not the angular sense of squareness, and has achieved a delicate balance between home and sports.
As the official price is 11A small SUV starting at 990,000 yuan, with a length of no more than 44 meters, but the wheelbase actually reached 2610mm. Honda is known as the "space magician", with a flexible seat layout and "magic storage" in the back, making the space larger, suitable for the occupants to go out and put their luggage.
It stands to reason that the demand for power for SUVs of this level is probably only "smooth and easy to drive". And the 2024 XR-V's 1The 5-liter engine produces 91 kW of power and 145 Nm of torque, which means that it is capable of acceleration at low speeds. Honda's power tuning ability is quite unique in the industry, and the data on paper does not reveal the smooth and silky feeling of its power delivery, which must be experienced by driving it yourself. Moreover, its comprehensive fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is only 63l, and do not pick "grain", the cost of use is quite reasonable.
During medium and long-distance travel, especially on holidays, I have seen too many queues in the service area. I think most young people prefer to invest their not very high income in "pleasing themselves", and are not willing to invest too much in large assets, and they are not like the previous generation, in order to save some money, they put on their coats at 3 o'clock in the morning to grab "night piles".
Using a product that is flexible, affordable, and able to meet your rigid and emotional needs is better than a product that needs to be carefully calculated for the cost and timing of charging.
Over the years, because of these comprehensive characteristics, the XR-V has been ranked first in the small SUV segment for many years. The "retention rate" is not only useful in calculating the residual value of second-hand transactions, but also reflects the quality stability of the product, the reliability of the manufacturer's service, and the ease of use and low threshold. In a word, the machine serves people, not worrying.
The choice of XR-V very accurately reflects the consumption outlook of the post-95 and post-00 generation of young people, who show a mature concept that does not match their age: bells and whistles, only when they first get the car, there is a sense of freshness and desire to experience, and the real thing is that it is easy to use and convenient. You can slow down in the car river in the first- and second-tier cities, you can also sprinkle a little wild on the vast Northwest Expressway, and you can also gallop on the county road and village road in your hometown, without considering whether there are charging conditions in these places.
XR-V's years of stable play have won a stable reputation, and they may not be very vocal in the ** channel, and they belong to the silent majority. However, stable sales do not lie, and the hard power of the product does not lie.
The evolution of technology and services
Stability is unquestionable, keeping pace with the times, and the XR-V is unambiguous. Dongfeng Honda cross-platform Honda Connect 30 intelligent interconnection system, support voice wake-up, navigation, mobile phone interconnection, equipped with applications can be iterated in a timely manner, and cockpit applications are commonly used and always new.
The importance of the field of intelligent driving is ahead of the intelligent cabin. The XR-V's Honda Sensing system has a number of auxiliary driving functions led by ACC active cruise control, especially the blind spot monitoring and traffic sign recognition system, which can help novices effectively relieve the pressure of attention and share the burden of driving.
In long-distance driving, even old drivers have an uncompromising demand for various L2+ assistance capabilities, and long-distance driving is not tiring, which has become a rigid need. Especially when high-speed and provincial roads are converted to urban roads, you need to adjust your driving strategy, and the "ghost probe" that appears at this time may catch people off guard, and the pre-collision braking system can help brake in time.
In the course of the changing times, XR-V has always been in the process of synchronous evolution of technological product capabilities. Not being outdated is just the basic requirement, easy to use, and maintaining safety is the "real need" that really penetrates the appearance.
Behind the product, the ease of use also means that the manufacturer's service is in place. You don't need to brush too much of your presence at ordinary times, and you have to be able to stand up and play at critical moments.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Dongfeng Honda, Dongfeng Honda named the first ecological conference as "Home Day", marking a new level of Dongfeng Honda's user system, that is, the so-called "six full services" (all-round butler, full-time protection, full quality protection, comprehensive transparency, full-speed maintenance, and wholehearted selection). As a result, car owners have a more intimate, worry-free and warm "home".
The "user-brand" is the latest embodiment of its adherence to the concept of "user-centric". Whether it is "home experience", "home service", "home community", or "family growth", they are all to provide users with deeper services and experiences, so that users can feel the company of Dongfeng Honda in the whole life cycle and grow together with the brand.
In the process of rapid changes in technology and aesthetics with the times, XR-V takes high appearance and high cost performance as the core label, and grasps the consumption preferences of young people. The Dongfeng Honda brand also provides basic support for the XR-V to build product capabilities.
From brand to product, XR-V has created and continued a good reputation in the market with its high standards of service and consistent product characteristics. But the earliest emotional connection with young people is only based on the moment of first acquaintance. I have to say that on top of reason, XR-V also has an eye for young people. The long-lasting is also the present, and I am afraid that this is the root cause of XR-V's youth. 【Copyright Notice】This article is the original manuscript of "Autobots", and it is not allowed to be unauthorized **.