"Volkswagen in the Chinese market, low-end car program is likely to restart Seattle." Recently, the reporter learned from the insider, Volkswagen China President Heizman revealed in 2018 will launch the economic brand, is likely to be the West Yate
Volkswagen low-end car (cheap car) plan, held in early 2015 at the Volkswagen Germany headquarters management meeting to determine the plan in August 2016 on the market. However, the plan was once stranded. It is said that because of consumer upgrades, as well as car prices generally homeopathic upgrade, so that the public low-end car program lost its meaning, and if the public bent on the introduction of low-end cars, not only can not seize more of the market, but makes the public brand image damage.
Informed sources, at this time to mention low-end car plan, the public plans to layout through the low-end market, the new brand, to care for the existing public brand, is also an important layout of the mass brand to go high.
Embarrassing public brand high-end
"Volkswagen brand launched cheap cars, in addition to seize entry-level consumption, the most important purpose is to promote the existing brand of high-end." Informed sources.
In recent years, Volkswagen brand high-end, become an important issue facing the public China. Although the consumer upgrade, the general upgrade of their own brands, are aimed at the joint venture brand, making the public brands, including joint ventures, the original brand to maintain the advantage is gradually weakened. Such as SAIC, Guangzhou Automobile and other domestic mainstream car prices, in the cut when they chose the high-end, and Geely, Chery, the Great Wall and other independent brands, in recent years with the product layout integrity, have also launched a high-end brand or high-end products, Joint venture.
Volkswagen brand upgrade problem is: on the one hand, in order to expand the market capacity, Volkswagen brand must maintain the existing entry-level car sales to accumulate the base disk users; the other hand, in order to meet the consumer upgrade, to promote the public brand upgrade, FAW two public partners have been advancing.
However, the popular brand upgrade road is not smooth, Shanghai Volkswagen launched Hui Ang, although the listing of 11 days, that is, to sell more than 700 vehicles, but withstand the most luxurious brand of luxury, but not the same as Shanghai Volkswagen other models There is a fare increase, but the decline was more than 40,000 yuan. Volkswagen brand upgrade bottleneck is the Audi brand dropping, consumers in the same price under the premise of choice or Audi.
Need for the West?
In the market competition is in full swing competition, the public low-end car plan, if you use a base without any of the brand, is not sensible.
Although West has lost China, but in the Chinese market there is still a certain basis. Four years ago, the public's Seattle brand officially entered China, but in the end because of poor operating performance, Seat two years ago to withdraw from the Chinese market.
"Seattle's main reason for losing China is because of the failure of positioning, and the introduction of the first model errors." An interview with the industry analysts said.
In March 2012, the Seattle brand officially entered China, and in the form of imported cars, according to Volkswagen Group's plan, the public's Spanish brand, the main high-performance sports market, target consumers located in the young consumer groups.
However, Seattle did not succeed. In 2012, Seattle sold only 2200 units in China, and by 2013 only sold 1,100, and ultimately, Seattle had to quietly withdraw from the market in 2014.
Seiyate reluctantly quit the Chinese market, the main reason is that there is no preparation for the Chinese market, Seattle's first introduction of China's leon models, based on the PQ35 platform to create, and golf is no significant difference; and its high prices outrageous , And performance, positioning the most direct comparison of golf GTI, the price is higher than 60,000 yuan. Coupled with its positioning for the performance of the car "small steel gun", so that it failed to integrate into the mainstream consumer groups.
If the new brand with Seattle, then it can be said that the West made the "comeback". In fact, Seattle has long been in China's plan, in 2006, Skoda declared soon after China in China, when the Volkswagen Group's Seattle company management board chairman Erich? Schmidt, they deliberately start West Yate brand of domestic plans. However, because of Schmidt's departure, the planning of the West made the shelter will be shelved.
By 2012, Seattle opened the "second entry into China" process. However, in domestic matters, because of concerns about the awareness of the brand, the public China was hesitant.
Some people think that Seattle out of the Chinese market, is due to the Volkswagen Group's prudent domestic lead, however, the most critical reason is the public in the Chinese market, the lack of domestic conditions of Seattle.
Skoda domestic brand in the breakthrough, after ten years, sales for the first time more than 300,000. If the West made too early domestic, regardless of its brand itself or on the growth of Skoda, are not favorable.
There is news that the public's low-end brand, may choose to cooperate with JAC. September 2016, Volkswagen and JAC in Germany signed a "joint venture Memorandum of Understanding", the two sides plan to share 50% each, set up a research and production integration of a joint venture company.
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