Weilai, once jokingly known as “Wei 10,000”, has finally become “Wei 20,000” for two consecutive months recently.
A total of 21209 new cars were delivered in June, double that of the same period last year, according to official figures.
What on earth did Weilai do after the chaos and inward volume in the first half of the year? During the same period of the 2024 China Automobile Forum, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers joined hands with its strategic partner Automobile House, a special planner, to invite industry leaders to jointly explore the development of China’s automobile industry.
The guest of this issue is Ma Lin, assistant vice president and head of brand and communication of Lulai Group.
The sales volume of broke through the 20, 000 mark for two months in a row, setting a new record.
Behind this achievement is the joint action of multi-dimensional factors.
Ma Lin made an in-depth analysis of several major reasons for the rise in sales: first, from the product level, the 2024 all-series models of Xilai have been on the market, and their product power is in a leading position in the new energy vehicle market.
Especially in terms of computing power, the Weilai model has enough redundancy to meet the needs of long-term update iterations in the future.
Users’ demand for intelligence is growing day by day, and their trust in Ulai products is also enhanced.
Second, the convenience of intelligent electric vehicles is also an important factor for users to choose.
Weilai has built more than 2400 exchange power stations across the country, which has greatly improved the user experience.
With the improvement of users’ awareness of the power exchange mode and the introduction of the long-life battery strategy, the service in battery life and quality assurance has further enhanced users’ willingness to buy.
, , third, the car-electricity separation mode adopted by Weilai has been recognized by more than 80% of car buyers.
This mode not only improves the service life of the battery, but also provides more convenience for users.
In addition, Weilai has strengthened the construction of the sales team internally, improved the sales capacity, and provided a strong support for the growth of sales.
Fourth, at the marketing level, Weilai has also made innovative attempts.
Li Bin, CEO of Xilai Automobile, personally made a live broadcast, so that users can have more intuitive access to a more real Weilai, which effectively enhances the affinity of the brand and the recognition of users.
In recent years, the car market has been unpredictable.
As a long-term activist, Weilai will also make strategic adjustments, but some of its original intentions will not change.
“Weilai has always been firm in its development ideas in the three areas of products, services and communities.
High investment in technological research and development, as well as resolute access to the global market, is an unchanging strategic direction.
Although the specific rhythm and strategy will be adjusted according to market conditions, the core ideas and long-term planning of Weilai are consistent.
” Ma Lin said.
In terms of the power exchange mode, Weilai will continue to promote the construction of the replacement power station, especially the layout of the fourth generation power station, which will provide a higher level of intelligent service.
Weilai plans to further increase the number of power stations in key areas and sinking markets across the country to meet the needs of users in different areas.
, in the face of the recent discussion of “the same right for oil and electricity”, Ma Lin believes that the development of intelligent electric vehicles needs the joint support of policies and consumers.
He advocated that the use of new energy vehicles, especially pure electric vehicles, should be more encouraged at the policy level to accelerate the shift of the global auto industry to smart electric vehicles.
As for the future energy structure, Ma Lin firmly believes that pure electric vehicles are the ultimate development direction, while hybrid cars, especially add-on electric vehicles, are only a transitional product.
“Today to develop an additional taxi, you will be out of date after three years on the market, so join the electricity exchange alliance to promote the development of power exchange and the standardization of batteries.
” Ma Lin said firmly.
The following is a record of the dialogue (edited): auto House: recently, we have seen the sales volume of Weilai, which has exceeded 20,000 per month for two consecutive months.
What factors do you think are blessed by this increase in sales? Ma Lin: we broke 20,000 in May, a new record, and another 20,000 in June, setting a new record.
This year, we basically achieved some of the goals set at the beginning of this year at our own pace.
This is the number given by our sales guidelines in the second quarter.
The final result exceeded, and it is also a very exciting message for us.
We will also continue to work hard in July to see if we can maintain this hot sales momentum, which looks good so far.
To analyze the reasons for this, there are several dimensions.
first, in terms of products, 2024 all-series models have been put on the market.
at present, in the new energy vehicle market, the product strength of 2024 all-series models is in the lead.
There are two aspects are more obvious, one is computing power, at present, all the models are the existence of ceilings.
A new energy vehicle takes a long time to drive, including intelligent driving, including intelligent cockpits.
If you don’t have enough math power, you may not be able to update it after a year, a year and a half, or two years.
The calculation power of Weilai leaves enough redundancy to adapt to the update iteration for a long period of time.
Because now users’ demand for intelligence is very strong, and they understand more and more, so we have great confidence in the power of Weilai products.
This is the product level.
, , “ES8 (parameters | inquiry)”.
Second, people have a clearer understanding of the need for the convenience of replenishing energy for intelligent electric vehicles.
We have now built more than 2400 exchange power stations across the country, which is very convenient for users.
Last year, people were not particularly clear about what it is to change power stations.
After we launched the spread of the advantages of changing electricity in the past year or two, including the Spring Festival, people now have a clearer understanding of the convenience of changing electricity.
In addition, we have launched a long-life battery strategy this year, we all realize that batteries have a life, and if there are some attenuation and quality problems after the battery is overinsured, the cost of replacement is very high.
Because Weilaiyou power change mode actually provides a lifetime warranty for the battery, after these things communicate with users, there is a significant improvement in all aspects of our sales.
We adopt the mode of separation of car and electricity, and the number of car buyers has exceeded 80%, and it has been maintained at more than 80% for a long time, which shows that users are very concerned about the recognition of power change and the guarantee of battery life brought about by power change.
this is the reason for our service level.
The third reason is that there are some reasons within our own company that we announced in the fourth quarter of last year that we began to strengthen ourselves.
The construction of the sales force.
Because we found that compared with competitive products, the number of our sales staff is not enough, so through about half a year of team building, sales team building, our current sales capacity can support more than 20,000 units.
With such a sales capacity construction, including the layout of our local outlets, it also gives us a necessary guarantee for the recent rise in sales.
, of course, there are still some breakthroughs and innovations in our communication this year.
Brother Bin will do a live broadcast on his own, so that users can have more intuitive access to a more real Lulai, which is also a great improvement in the popularity of our brand.
Together, these major aspects have contributed to the recent increase in sales.
Auto House: brother Bin has said before that the number of more than 20,000 vehicles may already be the production capacity of the factory.
Why balance order demand and production capacity in the second half of the year? Because we will be on the market in the second half of the year.
Ma Lin: Ledao will be listed in September this year, the initial delivery volume is not particularly large, there is a climbing process, there will be a more obvious climb in December.
For us, in addition to sales, there is a very important dimension is the quality of operation, including the total gross profit, including the sales structure of eight models.
We now hope that in our sales structure, high-end models, ET7, EC7, and ES7, ES8, we hope that their sales will gradually increase in the total plate, which will be of great help to our business situation.
, , “Ulai ET7”, at the same time, we will also make appropriate adjustments to the production capacity according to the order, which may increase some production capacity to meet the needs of users.
Auto House: at the marketing level, Brother Bin has been doing a live broadcast this year, because we have also found that car companies in the market now have to fight not only for technology, services, but even for traffic.
What do you think of traffic thinking? Can it really be effectively converted into sales? Ma Lin: actually, we don’t talk much about traffic thinking, and we don’t think that traffic can determine the outcome of your business.
Our approach is to communicate with your target users in the most appropriate way.
The way may be different at different stages.
It is also a waste to get traffic when you are not ready for all aspects of your products and services.
if the time comes to seize these important points of marketing and communicate effectively with users, it is difficult for you to show your advantages.
The first thing is your own internal skills, whether your own product and service experience is ready, and the second thing is rhythm.
Let me cite a negative case.
ET5 took a lot of orders before, and the flow was huge at that time, but the production capacity was not ready, and many orders were not delivered, so we had a good grasp of the rhythm.
, , “Weilai ET5”, the third is some specific marketing methods, whether it is live broadcast or daily media dissemination, or some effective advertising, based on the first two to carry out an effective combination, of course, the content is becoming more and more important, how to communicate effectively with users through good content is becoming more and more important.
I even think content is more important than traffic.
Without good content, it is difficult to occupy the user’s mind with traffic alone.
Auto House: this year, everyone is speculating that Tesla FSD is going to enter China, in front of this hard-core player, is there any pressure from Weilai, and how will he fight? Ma Lin: we will also announce some of our next progress and plans on intelligent driving at this year’s NIO IN.
Judging from the current market situation, there is no doubt that smart driving is the case of the head.
We are still in the leading position in the country in terms of the mileage that can really use smart driving, and our mileage is not only provided but also verified.
We use the way of verification to provide services for users to ensure that the user experience is better.
Next, we will also have more new technology applications.
I believe that by the end of this year, enterprises in the field of intelligent driving will make very significant progress, because the application of some large models will progress very fast.
Just now we talked about whether Tesla will provide such a service in China.
From our point of view, we still hope to make some direct comparisons.
People think that it is particularly good, and perhaps they do not know where the good is.
This is not a good thing for consumers either.
, if it can enter China, I believe it will also have a lot of adaptive development, which is not an easy task, because the road conditions, laws and regulations, and the habits of traffic participants in China are still very different from those in the United States.
This is indispensable.
In fact, I don’t think it will come in so soon.
Automobile House: the industry is very concerned about the power exchange mode of Weilai.
Can you introduce the latest progress? Ma Lin: we will certainly continue to carry out the construction of the replacement power station this year.
Last month, we began to lay out 23 batteries of the fourth generation replacement power station.
The maximum number of times per day that can provide service replacement service is 480.
It is a battery package that is compatible with multi-brands and multi-platforms.
The whole level of intelligence of such a replacement station is very high, and its computing power is the same as that of the whole vehicle, such as 1016tops.
To achieve a function of changing electricity for customers, users can go to the service area to rest and buy things, and the power station can automatically summon the car to change electricity, which is also a very automated application.
Next, we will further build more power stations in key areas across the country.
For example, Brother Bin has recently put forward a new concept in Guangzhou, Zhejiang, Anhui and many other places.
We will also gradually lay out the exchange power station to a more sinking market, and then no matter whether it is the Weilai brand or the Ledao brand, we have to strive for more market opportunities in the sinking market.
Changing power stations is a very important means for us to win users in the sinking market, so the main direction of the layout of changing power stations this year is in the highway and sinking market.
, , Automobile House: Weilai has always been a long-term doctrine, and now the market is also unpredictable.
Compared with the previous long-term planning and vision, what areas do you think we have been adhering to? Which methods will change? Ma Lin: Weilai three areas, products, services, community, such a major direction from the establishment of the companyHe has been steadfast and unwavering since then, and has been walking in this direction.
The mode of power exchange that we just mentioned is also very determined to invest.
From the bottom, technology is the background color.
No matter what stage the company is in, its high investment in technology research and development remains the same.
Our combined investment in 2023 and 2024 is more than 25 billion yuan, accounting for more than 25% of the total revenue, which is very rare in the world.
In addition, we are determined to enter the global market is also unchanged, we continue to explore in Europe, including the following Ludao brand and the third brand will also resolutely enter the global market, which is the next to see continuous action.
A new department, GB, Global Business, has just been set up, which is also a basic preparation for our entry into the global market.
Generally speaking, our idea of resolutely investing in research and development, infrastructure construction, entering the global market and serving the community with products will not change.
However, according to the specific rhythm, we should make specific decisions according to the market conditions.
Whether we should enter the new European countries this year, this year or next year, we should make decisions according to the specific market conditions, including our products.
The rhythm of product launch should also be adjusted according to market conditions.
Ledao launches the first car, and the second car needs to make a scientific decision according to the needs of the market.
Including us according to the mood of the whole society, our way of communication, some ideas need to be partially fine-tuned, and the things at the bottom remain the same.
Auto House: does the recent EU countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles have a big impact on us? Will you adjust our rhythm? Ma Lin: our current pricing in Europe is unchanged, and we have to see what to do in the light of the next market situation.
The EU government is still negotiating and deciding on the next step according to the results of further consultations.
We hope that the two sides will reach some positive negotiation results.
In the long run, our development in Europe, including the direction of infrastructure construction will remain unchanged.
, , Automobile House: what do you think of the recent hot discussion on the topic of equal rights of oil and electricity? Ma Lin: the development of any new industry needs a lot of help.
we can see that the policy support for smart electric vehicles in Europe and the United States is still very large.
of course, Europe has some repetitions because of electricity prices, but from the general trend, no matter from the development of the industry, the development of the automobile industry, or the requirements of environmental protection.
The general direction of intelligent electric vehicles is very deterministic, and they all need to be supported by everyone from policy makers to consumers.
At this level, encouraging the use of more environmentally friendly models to curb the use of fuel vehicles is something that every promising and environmentally friendly government in the world must do, so at this level, it may not be a question of whether oil and electricity have the same power, but the proposition of how to accelerate the shift of the global automobile industry to smart electric vehicles.
The same right of oil and electricity is a choice at the market level under this proposition, and I believe it will eventually be left to the market to make a decision.
Now that we have gradually abolished the concession on vehicle purchase tax, I believe other concessions will also gradually decline.
This must be a process.
What people are talking about now is that you claim to be a new energy vehicle, but your fuel tank is even bigger than a fuel vehicle, which shows that we still have a lot of way to go in our transformation, including that the proportion of our pure electric vehicles in new energy vehicles has not increased significantly at present, so I think what we need to do at the policy level is precisely how to encourage people to use new energy vehicles, especially pure electric vehicles.
Stop going to cars with fuel tanks.
This is what I hope to give specific measures at the policy level.
As for whether you restrict the consumption of fuel vehicles, this is another topic.
I can only say from the brand point of view of smart electric vehicles that I hope that the policy will encourage more people to use electric cars.
I feel that there are also many traditional car companies whose production capacity and demand are indeed gradually shrinking.
It is possible that many enterprises have such a demand in operation.
If people can move faster to new energy vehicles, faster to smart electric vehicles, and invest more in the technology of smart electric vehicles, I believe these brands will also be able to walk to the new track faster, this problem may naturally be less obvious.
Automobile House: some experts say that the future car market is divided into fuel cars, hybrid cars and pure trams.
What do you think of the energy structure in the future? Ma Lin: this is possible.
We believe that fuel vehicles will exist for a long time in special situations, such as over-consumption or special-purpose vehicles.
Pure electric vehicles must be the ultimate development direction.
Hybrid, especially extended range, I think it is a relatively transitional product.
Because now we see that after many users have bought an extended ride, the charging experience is not very good.
Basically, they have to recharge once every two days.
If there is a home charging pile, if there is no home charging pile, it will be recharged frequently.
The possession of users’ time is very unfriendly.
So many extended-range users are saying that the next car must change pure electricity, but he also found that he has not used much of the fuel in the fuel tank of the extended-range car, so it is not necessary.
He thinks that pure electricity is also very good, and the available degree of pure battery will be even higher.
The battery with an extended range of 50 degrees can only use 40 degrees, and your experience is very bad.
So I believe that next, everyone will definitely go in the direction of pure electricity.
If the ideal incremental development is so good, it will also be pure electricity, so everyone must be in the same direction, but different companies will have some different choices.
I firmly believe that if you go to develop an additional taxi today, you will be out of date after three years.
It is better to join the power exchange alliance to promote the development of power exchange and the standardization of batteries.
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