As the development of the new energy industry is more and more beyond the boundaries of people's cognition, the current automobile market has long ceased to follow the past technological iterations and changes. In the context of the new era, from emerging car companies to a large number of traditional car manufacturers, as long as they want to continue to shine in the market, they cannot easily carry the heavy pressure of industry transformation.
For Volvo, when many Chinese car companies choose to use the name of electrification to penetrate into the high-end car market of more than 300,000 yuan, how to maintain their brand tone and find a breakthrough has become a top priority at the moment.
As we all know, among European luxury car companies, Volvo is a well-deserved changemaker. In addition to announcing early on that it will become a pure electric luxury car company by 2030, the pace of comprehensive electrification upgrade of its models is extremely rapid compared with similar brands.
Shortly after the release of EX90 and EX30, at the end of 2023, Volvo once again gave its own answer to the transformation of the industry.
The launch of the EM90, a new luxury electric MPV, looks like the birth of just another new Volvo model. But in fact, when Volvo completes the latest interpretation of the new era with the new car, it brings Volvo's new brand proposition to the world; On the other hand, with Hong Kong, China as the hinterland and won the favor of Guo Jingjing, the "Queen of Diving", we can believe that the luxury car market in the electric era will be reshaped by Volvo.
* The future is better than creating the future and moving with the trend. Only by having your own point of view can you know what to insist on and what to doubt in the midst of chaos, and then follow your own path with determination. As Senior Vice President of Volvo Car Group and President and CEO of Volvo Cars Asia Pacific, Yuan Xiaolin is also so determined about the future development.
Even the emerging car companies led by Tesla have been ahead of everyone by mobilizing consumer enthusiasm with geek thinking. However, for Volvo, taking 2024 as a new starting point, upgrading brand building from "safety" to "security", and building new emotional value for users, will still be a good strategy that is different from others, but has its own school.
Promoting comprehensive transformation is the consciousness of industry pioneers
Volvo is also a brand that is close to 100 years old, with nearly 100 years of car manufacturing heritage, strong ability to resist risks, and has a competitive advantage of brand differentiation. ”
For a long time, as Yu Kexin, President of Volvo Cars Greater China Sales Company, has firmly stated, safety is Volvo's brand label.
In the past 100 years of market cultivation, Volvo has never changed itself due to external factors, and its grasp of car safety is always very accurate and has its own way. However, at present, seeing that the market is no longer only traditional but evolving, it is also necessary for Volvo to complete the re-examination of the market in a timely manner.
Providing consumers with a sense of experience and security that will only exist in the era of electric cars is the next direction that Volvo will settle down, so looking back on the market strategy for the whole year of 2023, no matter how Volvo's positive attitude from the outside world, I think its significance is very forward-looking.
Especially after the launch of the new EM90 on the market, Volvo's new concept of safety around the transformation of the industry has become another guiding principle to inspire the future.
In the past, car safety was only the result of continuous optimization in the state of hardware, but now, when Yuan Xiaolin said: "Volvo will continue to launch pure electric products on the product side, from EX90, to EX30, EM90." On the brand side, we will continue to deepen Volvo's safety genes and strengthen the brand label of Volvo Smart + Safety; On the management side, Volvo will continue to strengthen its system strength, including channel planning, digital transformation, and comprehensive to C. ”
In my opinion, as Volvo decides to fully electrify the safety of its cars, a new signal can be extracted from the outside world: Volvo, as a traditional luxury car company, is extremely determined to disrupt the existing pattern. And it is very clear that only from EM90 is determined to be listed in the Hong Kong market and won the love of Guo Jingjing's family.
In the new automobile era, "what is the sense of security" has always been very mysterious, some people attribute the answer to the question to the safety and reliability of the three electric technology, and some people regard the improvement of the intelligent configuration and energy supplement system as the core of development. So what is Volvo doing in comparison?
In 2023, the concept of environmental protection will be implemented with the full electrification of products, so that more and more potential Volvo users will feel the sense of mission of developing new energy vehicles; In the face of the upsurge of direct sales in the era of electrification, Volvo, as a luxury brand, took the lead in taking the "middle route" of integrating dealer 4S stores + city center stores, with the purpose of facing customers directly and optimizing customer experience, and selecting the appropriate user care mechanism according to the timing and product.
Nowadays, for the development of exclusive products for different groups of people, just like EM90 is popular with Hong Kong tycoons, Volvo's adherence to the concept of "user-centric" has become more and more effective, and it is undoubtedly systematically polishing the brand's sense of security into a golden sign that can block the torrent of transformation alone.
When it comes to Volvo's actions in Hong Kong, it has to be mentioned that Volvo Cars has achieved 100% electrification in Hong Kong in 2023 and has become the first luxury car brand in the region to enter all-electric vehicle sales.
In Yuan Xiaolin's words, "Volvo's organizational structure will always serve the business, and in order to improve organizational efficiency, it will face the challenges of future electrification." Volvo's organizational changes are focused on products, users and value chains. ”
In other words, in this global market vane, when Volvo is determined to implement its sustainable development strategy, it wants to take advantage of Hong Kong to become the fourth regional market in the world to achieve 100% electrification, and it is also the opportunity for the regional market in Greater China to reach 100% electrification for the first time, bringing a new atmosphere to the global luxury car market with China as the hinterland.
From providing safety to shaping safety, Volvo is imperative
In 2025, it will be fully electrified, and the proportion of pure electric vehicles will reach 50%, and the rest will be hybrid models. In 2030, it will become a pure electric luxury car company; By 2040, we will strive to become a zero-load climate benchmarking enterprise; All BEV models will only be available for sale.
Volvo's approach to electrification has always been strong.
Not only that, given that Volvo's global sales reached 708,716 units last year, and the sales volume in Greater China reached 180,234 units, both of which reached a record high, of which the sales of new energy models in Chinese mainland increased by 25% year-on-year, we can also know that Volvo has taken advantage of the situation to rise and become the most successful brand in the transformation of luxury brands.
Yes, the industry's electrification transformation continues, and there will be many difficult questions left for Volvo to answer, but as consumer demand for new energy vehicles begins to diverge completely differentiated, as mentioned above, Volvo has a deeper understanding of safety.
Now that we have identified the direction of electrification and intelligence, we should do a good job in the ecology in accordance with the objective laws of the automotive industry, so as to continue to provide consumers with products that truly meet their needs. Volvo Cars believes that the greatest luxury is a sense of security, the deepest love is a sense of security, the strongest strength is a sense of security, and the truest commitment is a sense of security. ”
Yuan Xiaolin's words, I read out, Volvo's sense of security in the new era is no longer limited to physical security, but will be another embodiment of brand value and the spiritual yearning of consumers.
Throughout history, when the automobile society has entered a mature stage, there is an obvious sign that consumers' emotions about cars have long been not limited to the level of transportation, compared with the commuting attribute of moving from point A to B, the pursuit of every emotional release in the car link has become extremely important in the past two years.
So, at this point, what should a luxury car company with a century-old heritage look like? In my opinion, insisting on the evolution of the product side is always only one aspect, and the reason why the modern automobile society can develop steadily is that the relationship between car companies and users must not be a simple buying relationship.
As a concrete example, a Volvo V90CC owner last year recounted an unforgettable experience. In the article titled "Roadside Rescue Across 4,000 Kilometers Round-trip - V90CC Qinghai Uninhabited Area Adventure", Volvo, as a luxury brand, shows almost textbook level of corporate responsibility in the face of helplessness when the user's vehicle breaks down.
During this period, Volvo roadside assistance has been running for thousands of kilometers before and after, and the professionalism of the after-sales service team is the absolute reason why the protagonist is willing to hand over his back to Volvo.
Afterwards, some people commented that compared with the new car-making forces, Volvo's after-sales service must not be the most swordsman.
But Yu Kexin also said, "Volvo really can't go away with eye-catching marketing, so we will build a connection between safety, security, safety culture and customers, which is in line with the tone of the Volvo brand." ”
It can be seen that in terms of urgency for customers, Volvo has never been stingy with its own ability, and in order to bring customers an absolute sense of security, there is no resistance.
At present, just entering 2024, there is no need to mention the electrification output of the product side, in order to reach the core of car safety, Volvo announced the establishment of the "AED Road Messenger Alliance" with all car owners who are full of great love, aiming to help more people master first aid knowledge and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) skills, and equip vehicles with AED equipment, hoping that every Volvo car can become a "mobile rescue station".
Compared with similar brands, as the only car company in the industry that has officially established the AED Road Alliance, Volvo is still calling on the whole society to join in this action and deliver this sense of security to every part of the society.
That's all, for a truly people-oriented company like Volvo, what else can you worry about?
For an auto brand to stand the test of time, it must stick to its own value proposition. Volvo Cars is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary, a journey that has been marked by countless twists and turns, but safety, health, sustainability and personalisation have always been our constant pursuits. ”
Needless to say, whether it is Yuan Xiaolin or Yu Kexin, in the accelerated transformation of electrification, Volvo will seek further development under the existing development trend. In the end, no matter what kind of pattern the luxury car market will have, I think Volvo can win a place in the subsequent market competition and have a positive impact on the development of the industry.