Foreword:Approaching 3.15, many users in the daily car process of the current problems are also being paid attention to one by one, in 2022 our "Hello" series of content has a strong response, to solve the pain points of many users, in 2024 we will continue to speak for users, to keep the pure land of the automotive industry, we have been in action.
2024 is a crucial year for Volvo, and it is also a time node to connect the past and the future. In the past year, Volvo has delivered new cars in Greater China18020,000 units, a record high; Delivered 1 new car in January this year690,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 389%。According to this trend, Volvo's performance in the Chinese auto market is remarkable, and we should be happy.
The reason why 2024 is a pivotal year for Volvo is because there is not much time left until 2025 to achieve full electrification. As the president of Volvo Greater China Sales Company, Yu Kexin is bound to carry this banner.
Sales**? There is still a long way to go
For Volvo, the current sales performance can be said to be the perfect end to 2023 and set a record high, which is something to be thankful for.
But as industry commentators, we can't just look at the sales of the Volvo brand, as a second-tier luxury brand, compared to second-tier luxury brands such as Cadillac and Lexus, Volvo's sales are only visible, but not good enough.
According to the data, Cadillac's annual sales in 2023 reached 1830,000 units, a slight year-on-year decline, while Lexus achieved 18140,000 units, these two brands are two mountains that weigh on Volvo's head.
Of course, we can't ignore China's independent luxury brand Hongqi, which won 370,000 units in 2023.
Can't fight ** war? I don't think so!
At the beginning of 2022, Yu Kexin said in an interview with **: "We hope that in 2022, XC40 and S60 will each have monthly sales of 3,500 4,000 units, which will significantly help to achieve the annual sales target of 200,000 units." We will not fight the best war, nor will we be disturbed by mainstream brands, we will refer to the marketing methods of major brands, but we will not blindly follow, go our own way, and still have the opportunity to complete the overall sales plan in 2022. ”
Standing at the node at the beginning of 2024, we found that even Volvo will not complete the annual sales of 200,000 in 2023.
In fact, it can be seen from the performance of the Chinese auto market in 2023 that if there is no ** war, Volvo's market sales performance will be even worse.
According to some cars**, Volvo Cars' main products are XC60, S90, S60, and XC40. The price reduction of the XC60 model is about 100,000 yuan, and the maximum can reach 12980,000 yuan; The price reduction of the S90 model is also about 100,000, and it can reach a maximum of 13810,000 yuan.
In addition, the author learned from the dealer that the imported version of the V60 model once only supported the official website in the form of a fixed price, and now there has been a discount of 2-30,000 yuan, which is not confirmed from the side, Volvo can not survive without fighting the first war?
Of course, the decline of the Volvo XC90, which entered the Chinese market in the form of imports, is even more outrageous, and has even reached the range of BBA mid-size SUVs**, which is quite competitive.
May I ask Mr. Yu Kexin, is such a decline in the first war?
Product quality**, how can users be embarrassed?
*If you don't fight, you can't do it, but if you fight, can you keep the bottom line of quality? Not necessarily!
In fact, otherwise, the author learned from relevant channels that the transmission of Volvo S60 was changed from the previous 8-speed automatic transmission to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and only the top model was retained as 8AT.
Of course, in addition to the problem of reducing the configuration, the quality problems of the Volvo brand in China are also endless, among which the situation that the engine cannot be started is reflected in most products.
The author found more than one case in the Volvo S90 car circle, and the owner complained that "look at the quality of Volvo, there are encounters, and the new car in less than a year has broken down countless times".
At the same time, we also found a lot of situations about the failure of the vehicle engine to start on a car complaint**, one of which was an S60 owner demonstrated the starting process several times through a 36-second **, and the vehicle could not start normally.
And his S60 was only purchased for a week, and after re-evaluating the software in the 4S store, it still couldn't start normally.
For such product quality, how can users buy with peace of mind?
With such product quality, how can users who have already bought Volvo models be embarrassed?
Once fully electrified, how will sales be guaranteed?
In the past six months, there have been frequent changes in the top management of Volvo Greater China. In mid-August 2023, Pan Hesong succeeded Qin Peiji as the president of the Greater China sales company; After less than four months in office, he was no longer in charge of the sales business in Greater China, because Ke Xin became the president of the sales company.
Volvo's explanation to the outside world is also straightforward, which is to better accelerate the company's electrification transformation in 2024. By then, 50% will be fully electric and 50% hybrid.
According to the data, Volvo's pure electric models will only account for 16% of sales in 2023, and the best-selling new energy vehicles in the Chinese auto market are still firmly controlled by Chinese brands, and the electrification of joint ventures and imported brands accounts for a negligible proportion.
Volvo's vision of 50% electric vehicles is very simple. Since the release of the EX90 luxury SUV, Volvo's pure electric platform has been built, and the rest will continue to develop new models on this basis, which is simple for a century-old car company.
But it is not simple that in the face of the competitive pressure of China's own brands in each ** range, how does Volvo ensure the sales level of pure electric and plug-in hybrid models?
At present, Volvo's pure electric models include XC40, C40, EX90 and EM90, and from the current market situation, these products are almost not competitive in their sales range, and the sales volume is not worth mentioning.
EM90 as Volvo's first pure electric MPV model, its high price has dissuaded countless car owners, after the analysis of product force, many friends think that the same platform, stronger power, ** lower, the safety factor is equal to the extreme krypton 009 is a more worthy product.
May I ask Mr. Yu Kexin, after simply realizing full electrification, it is impossible to guarantee the sales of pure electric products, so what is the significance of achieving full electrification? Is it just to cater to the market?
Write at the end
At present, although Volvo has achieved a record high in sales, it is facing a very competitive Chinese car market, especially the new energy vehicle market.
If you want to stand out from the Chinese auto market, you need to face not only Cadillac, Lexus and other brands that are also second-tier luxury brands, but also face pressure from Chinese new energy vehicle brands.
This is extremely unfriendly to the current Volvo brand architecture, of course, this does not mean that Volvo does not have opportunities.
Adjusting the brand strategy, improving the brand marketing method, optimizing the channel layout, and creating more competitive products will be effective means for Volvo to change the status quo.
So, in 2024, we will wait and see if Volvo can start anew!