Review of Ten Hot Events in 2020 Automobile Circle

The year 2020 is coming to an end, and in this extraordinary year, great events in the automobile circle come one after another. For example, automobile companies with poor long-term performance suddenly withdraw from the market; For example, the situation of new forces in building cars is frequent and the elimination is accelerated; Of course, there are also some emergencies, such as foreign car companies becoming major shareholders of independent car companies through equity acquisition for the first time.

These events have revolutionary breakthrough significance, therefore, we launched a special planning column, hoping to leave some views and thoughts when this unforgettable year is about to pass.

65438 +0 Ghosn escape

Carlos ghosn has contributed the first big melon for us in 2020. The former chairman of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance fled back to Lebanon on New Year's Eve, three passports were taken away, and the police, private detectives and cameras kept a close watch on it for 24 hours.

In the follow-up investigation, it was found that the truth of Ghosn's "great escape" was that when Michael Taylor and his son peter taylor met Ghosn in Tokyo, they hid Ghosn in a big box and let him fly to Lebanon by private jet. The process seems simple, but it is extremely scary to study it carefully, such as how Ghosn contacted them, how he escaped surveillance and met them, how he escaped airport security, and so on. There must be a lot of unknown secrets in this.

Today, Ghosn's feud with Nissan continues, and Nissan insiders have let go. Nissan's slump is not because of someone. Nissan now needs to face up to the reality and dilemma. Whether it is the "Ghosn era" or the "Uchida era", ending the chaos as soon as possible and accelerating the internal reform and transformation plan as soon as possible are the keys to getting back on track.

No.2 Toyota "engine oil door"

Toyota in the Japanese camp has always had a good reputation. The slogan "There is always a road, and there must be a Toyota in the road" is widely circulated. The impression of most domestic consumers is that Toyota cars are worry-free and fuel-efficient. However, this brand with a good reputation of "driving well" broke out serious quality problems this year and was involved in the "throttle" storm, which made people stunned.

In March this year, many Toyota models were complained about the increase of engine oil and the emulsifying phenomenon of engine oil. The models involved include Camry twin-engine 2.5L hybrid engine, Asian Dragon twin-engine and? RAV4？ Vehicles such as Fangrong Shuangqing, and even the Wilanda Shuangqing, which was not officially listed at that time, were also affected. However, no matter how consumers complain, they still haven't waited for Toyota's official apology and exact improvement methods. On the contrary, Toyota has always stressed that "it is not a quality problem and will not affect its use". As the weather gets warmer and the epidemic blockade is lifted, the matter will go away.

In a word, Toyota has a good brand and reliable quality, and has stayed in the hearts of consumers in China for too long, forming an inherent concept that cannot be easily changed for a while. Moreover, under the crash test of China Insurance Research Institute, many Toyota models have obtained high safety ratings, especially the astounding Passat and Tiguan L, and consumers naturally have a deeper affection for them. Rome was not built in a day, and word of mouth needs to be accumulated for a long time. However, if we really don't pay attention to the quality problem, it will collapse faster than expected. I hope Toyota can stick to the principle of reliability that it has always adhered to.

Third place Dongfeng Renault withdrew from the market.

Then in April, a shocking news broke out in China automobile market: French Renault Group will transfer its shares in Dongfeng Renault Automobile Co., Ltd. to Dongfeng Automobile Group Co., Ltd., and Dongfeng Renault Automobile Co., Ltd. will stop its business activities related to Renault brand, which also means that Renault brand will withdraw from China passenger car market. After Suzuki and Fiat, Renault is another joint venture brand that announced its withdrawal from the China market. Unfortunately, this young company went into production from the end of 20 13 to 20 16, and just finished its six-year life, and then delisted in 2020.

The disintegration of Dongfeng Renault will not only lead to the loss of dealers, but also affect the after-sales of employees and owners of Dongfeng Renault. Now Dongfeng Renault is a thing of the past. How long can the romance of French cars last? Data from the market show that under the pressure of German and Japanese giants and independent brands, the market share of French cars has approached zero at present. Who will be the next joint venture brand to withdraw from the China market? Maybe you and I already have the answer in our hearts.

Fourth Volkswagen buys JAC shares.

At the end of May, Volkswagen invested 65.438 billion euros to acquire 50% of the shares of Jianghuai Group, and at the same time expanded the shares of Jianghuai Volkswagen to 75% to obtain the core management rights. Subsequently, the birth of Sihao brand with the "lightning" logo is a clear evidence of the identity of Volkswagen's joint venture brand. It not only co-produces with Volkswagen, but also determines the tonality of its own brand, which further shows that the integration of Jianghuai passenger car brand and Volkswagen is getting closer and closer, and the German gene has changed from recessive to dominant, creating conditions for the next brand upgrade of Jianghuai passenger car.

Today, Jianghuai Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd. was officially renamed as "Volkswagen (Anhui) Co., Ltd.". On February 8, 65438, with the successful unveiling of Volkswagen (Anhui) Automobile Co., Ltd., Volkswagen Group had direct control over one of the three joint ventures in China for the first time, which also showed Volkswagen's firm determination to achieve the planning goal of "2025 electric strategy". After completing the transaction with JAC and Guo Xuan Hi-Tech, there is no doubt that Volkswagen will have more say in the future new energy vehicle market in China. The achievement of cooperation will certainly make other traditional automobile giants feel greater pressure.

The 5th China Insurance Research Leak.

In June this year, China Insurance Research Institute revoked the published crash test results of Hao Ying on the grounds of "stolen data". A stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the fairness, openness and transparency of China Insurance Research Institute were widely questioned for the first time. The video of the crash test can't be faked, but the final result may be tricky. Since then, China Insurance Research Institute has avoided talking about other issues such as whether the results published by "unknown people" on the Internet are the same as the real theft detection results, and has been "silent" for half a year since then. It was not until 65438+February 2 that the crash test results of five models were declared "return".

These five models include Guangqi Honda Hao Ying, which was controversial before, and SAIC Volkswagen Passat, which participated in the evaluation for the second time. Among them, Guangqi Honda Hao Ying, whose performance was "delayed" for half a year, got a G (excellent) evaluation on the details of occupant protection in the car, and SAIC Volkswagen Passat, who broke the A-pillar in the test, once again proved himself. Now, although China Insurance Research Institute may have lost its credibility in the past, it does have its significance. Without the impact of China Insurance Research Institute, Passat's problems would not have been discovered and naturally would not have been improved. Moreover, the frontal 25% offset crash of China Insurance Research Institute is the most stringent crash test project in China at present, which can still provide some reference for people to buy a car.

NO.6 polarization of new forces in building cars

In the face of the decline in sales of new energy vehicles and the cliff-like decline in subsidies, the new forces of car-making enterprises have been carried forward all the way, and all aspects such as capital, manufacturing capacity, supply chain, products, channels and markets are facing greater tests, either standing out or going out. According to the sales data of 165438+ 10, the sales momentum of many new car-making forces such as Weilai, Ideality, Tucki, Weimar, Zero Run and Nezha is gratifying. Of course, in front of them, Tesla is still the target they need to catch up with.

The data shows that Tesla's market value exceeded 600 billion US dollars during the year, ranking first in the global auto market list and more than three times that of the second Toyota. Weilai Automobile's share price has risen nearly 10 times this year, and its market value has surpassed traditional automobile giants such as BMW and General Motors, becoming the sixth largest automobile company in the world. In addition, Li and Xpeng Motors, who landed in the US stock market in July and August this year respectively, also created a cumulative increase of nearly 200% in just a few months.

On the contrary, the new forces making cars on the edge are moving rapidly towards the other extreme. Bo county "has no marketable assets such as land and factory buildings at present"; Lindsay "exhausted 5.9 billion financing"; Baiteng's "Shanghai and Beijing offices have been leased, and Nanjing factory has been shut down" ... After the capital winter of 20 19, the situation of the car circle began to become clear. As capital begins to move closer to the head car companies, the road for edge car companies to break through will become more and more embarrassing. The entry of Xinzhong Expressway Gaohe Automobile and Evergrande Hengchi Automobile will be accelerated, and the competition in the domestic new energy market will become more and more fierce in the future.

No.7 Li Xia was renamed, and Zotye/Lifan/Brilliance Group went bankrupt and reorganized.

In fact, it is not only a new force to build cars, but also a difficult life for traditional car companies.

In August this year, Lifan announced that chongqing lifan Holdings Limited, the controlling shareholder, applied for bankruptcy reorganization on the grounds that it could not pay off its debts due and its assets were insufficient to pay off all its debts. At the same time, Lifan shares said that due to the failure of restructuring, the company is at risk of being declared bankrupt. If the company is declared bankrupt, it will be liquidated.

165438+1October 20th, Brilliance Group officially entered the bankruptcy reorganization procedure. Due to long-term poor management, independent brands have been losing money. As of the first half of this year, the total liabilities of the Group were 654.38+032.844 billion yuan, and the asset-liability ratio exceeded 70%. Subsequently, on February 2, 65438, Zotye Automobile announced that Zotye New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned secondary subsidiary of the company, had been filed for bankruptcy liquidation by creditors.

At the same time, just this month, *ST Li Xia announced that FAW Li Xia was renamed China Railway Materials Co., Ltd., and its business scope was the manufacture and sales of new high-speed rail equipment. As soon as the announcement came out, it meant that FAW Li Xia was reorganized, and a generation of magic cars withdrew from the history of China. Behind the failure of these car companies are the same reasons: out of touch with the market, lack of technology accumulation and lack of independent research and development capabilities. And this is just the beginning of the reshuffle of China auto market. At the end of the manufacturer's sales list, there are more than 40 car companies whose monthly sales are insufficient 1000 vehicles. The elimination of the automobile industry is accelerating, and more and more automobile enterprises will fall.

NO.8 traditional car companies blow high-end "horns"

In recent years, self-owned brand cars have never stopped on the road of high-end. Although Geely's Link, Chery's Star Road and WEY of the Great Wall have gradually opened up the market, it is still too early to say that they are successful. FAW Red Flag has been greatly improved. By February 20th, 65438, the total vehicle output of Hongqi Automobile in 2020 had exceeded 200,000 vehicles, up by 100% year-on-year, achieving a historic cross-domain. Looking back on 2020, the sales volume of FAW Hongqi increased steadily. While the models H5 and HS5 continued to sell well, they successfully launched their heavy models H9 and E-HS9. The good market performance of FAW Hongqi has also reshaped the new pattern of the second-tier luxury car market.

In addition, as the heat of the new energy vehicle market continues to heat up, the high-end of new energy vehicles has become the focus of traditional car companies. These new energy automobile brands, such as Lan Tu, ARCFOX, and Zhiji, seem to be independent brands compared with the new forces of building cars with zero foundation. Behind it are traditional domestic automobile companies such as Dongfeng Motor, BAIC Group and SAIC Group, which have become a veritable new force in the new energy vehicle track. It is good for consumers that more new brands and products enter the market. Only full competition can promote the iteration of industry technology and then mature.

No.9 Wuling is needed for making people.

An epidemic has turned China automobile manufacturing into China automobile hood. Based on the slogan of "what people need, Wuling must make", SAIC-GM-Wuling became the first car company to produce masks across the border. In addition, BYD, GAC, Chang 'an and other car companies have also started mass production of masks. As foreign media commented on us, this epidemic once again showed the world "China Speed" and "Made in China", and also showed the world the responsibility and responsibility of China enterprises.

At the same time, in the subsequent "stall war", Wuling launched trucks for sale in Wuling Glory, and the slogan "What the people need is made by Wuling" was refreshed in Weibo, which made Wuling succeed in the circle again after "Famous Mountain in Autumn". Not only that, but what about Wuling Hong Guang MINI, which is positioned as a "Volkswagen scooter"? The hot sale of EV in the second half of the year not only made it a new generation of "magic car", but also made the industry's attitude towards the new energy vehicle market quietly change.

Now, Wuling Automobile has set its sights on the family car market, so it launched the first four-seat family car (actually six-seat) of Wuling Yinbiao-Wuling Capgemini. In today's ever-changing automobile market, Wuling is still the same Wuling, never playing with those fancy configurations and designs, only building what people need most.

NO. 10 The Great Wall is going to open a "zoo"?

To say that the car companies that can play marketing best at present, Great Wall Motor is definitely the first to bear the brunt. Through online voting, it won the nickname "Big Dog" for its brand-new model, which made it popular on the Internet before listing. Later, the appearance of Euler's good cat further strengthened the nickname of "Zoo". In addition, catchy revolutionary product names such as Harvard First Love, Great Wall Cannon, Tank 300, etc., have even opened the naming method for the new models of Great Wall in 2020.

All this has benefited from the technical accumulation of Great Wall Motor in recent years. With the recent release of lemon platform, professional off-road platform, automobile intelligent platform and lemon DHT technology, the first domestic HEV dual-motor hybrid system, new products will follow. Wei Jianjun is accelerating its commitment to transform Great Wall Motor into a global technology travel company.

Generally speaking, the automobile market in 2020 is full of thorns, but there are also many bright spots. There will always be leaders and laggards on the way forward, but one thing remains unchanged, that is, the enterprises that stay will always be enterprises that build cars with their hearts and master core technologies. Looking back at 2020, it is also to welcome a better 202 1 year. We look forward to the accelerated growth of every automobile brand and the more transparent and mature automobile consumption market in China.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.