For the first time in 2020, we took a serious look at Geely, perhaps starting from this news: On January 28, Geely Holding Group joined hands with the Li Shufu Charity Foundation to set up a RMB 200 million new pneumonia epidemic prevention and control center. A special fund for epidemic prevention and control is used to support epidemic prevention and control work in Hubei, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Henan and other areas with serious new pneumonia epidemics across the country.
Yes, 2020 is an uneven year, and 2020 is destined to be an extraordinary year as well. Also facing the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, some car brands collapsed and delisted, while other car brands "turned crisis into opportunity" to achieve another take-off. Geely Automobile, which has performed well in recent years, undoubtedly belongs to the latter.
The Geely Automobile in 2020 is like a majestic and mighty unicorn, breaking through the cold wind to usher in another leap when the wind and clouds converge.
Production and sales exceeded 10 million units
Although 2020 has not yet completely passed, Geely Automobile has achieved a proud enough record in the market - data shows that Geely Automobile has accumulated The production and sales volume exceeded 10 million units. It’s cumulative, it’s cumulative, it’s cumulative. Important things have to be said three times... It has also become the first Chinese brand automobile company to produce and sell more than 10 million passenger cars.
As a young automobile company founded in 1997, Geely Automobile has gradually improved its product matrix over the past 20 years, from cars, SUVs to MPVs and now to new energy layout, and has achieved simultaneous advancement in multiple fields, finally ushering in the Widely recognized by consumers, it has since become the first to enter the multi-million passenger car club.
Under the impact of the new crown epidemic, almost all car companies encountered unprecedented difficulties in 2020. However, Geely Automobile was able to rise to the challenge and achieved excellence in the most difficult year of 2020 with a total of tens of millions of vehicles. score. The reason for this lies not only in Geely's deep market accumulation, but also in the face of the overall warming of the domestic market in the "post-epidemic period" in the second half of the year, Geely's strong attraction to the consumer market.
The latest data shows that Geely Automobile’s sales exceeded the 150,000 mark in November 2020, reaching 150,517 units, a month-on-month increase of approximately 7% and a year-on-year increase of approximately 5%. This is also Geely Automobile’s fourth consecutive sales Both month-on-month and month-on-month growth occurred. The year-on-year and month-on-month growth for many consecutive months just proves that the previous difficulties were only due to the impact of the epidemic, and when the epidemic eases, many consumers are still more willing to buy Geely cars.
It is reported that Geely Automobile’s sales target for 2020 is 1.32 million units. As of the first 11 months, Geely Automobile has completed 88% of the target tasks, and is less than 160,000 units away from the final target. According to the current sales volume Based on the sales trend, Geely is likely to become one of the few car companies to achieve its annual target in 2020.
The reason why Geely Automobile has exploded with such great market vitality after the epidemic eased is undoubtedly due to Geely Automobile’s own strength, especially in the face of the crisis in 2020, which can turn the crisis around and launch the A number of powerful new cars are also quite attractive.
What has Geely done this year?
In addition to the 200 million yuan donation we mentioned earlier in January, Geely also promptly launched the car-grade "CN95" high-efficiency composite air-conditioning filter element (hereinafter referred to as the "car-grade CN95 air filter"), and obtained the China The "CATARC? CN95" certification mark issued by the Huacheng Certification Center of the Automotive Technology Research Center (hereinafter referred to as China Automotive Research Institute) has become the 001st vehicle air conditioning filter product officially certified by China Automotive Research Institute, making its own contribution to the fight against the epidemic. .
The following February 25, the world-renowned certification agency "Germany Rheinland TV Group" awarded the No. 001 vehicle-level solid particulate/aerosol filtration protection China-mark (China Mark) certification to Geely car.
In June, the industry generally recovered. At this time, Geely launched a season of promotions at the right time, with an overall range of up to 2 billion yuan. The best-selling model Xingyue is an example, with cash discounts of up to 10,000 yuan and financial discounts of 8,000 yuan. , and there is also a replacement gift of 10,000 yuan, which is very powerful and very attractive.
At the Chengdu International Auto Show on July 24, Geely announced that it would officially name its world-class modular architecture the "CMA Super Matrix".
On September 19, Geely Automobile officially entered the Doducheng Children’s Social Experience Center in Hangzhou. From car design to automobile manufacturing to car sales, teenagers and children can enjoy the full one-stop process at the Geely Automobile Experience Center. Experience and fully understand the automobile, the "crown jewel of modern industry".
On October 18, the establishment of the Sponsor Club of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou 2022 and the awarding ceremony of the first rotating chairman unit were held at the headquarters of Geely Holding Group. Geely Xingrui has officially become the official designated car for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, escorting the Asian Games with high Chinese sedan standards.
Launching technical architecture? Emerging powerful new cars
The reason why Geely Automobile is confident in 2020 is that it has launched the latest car-making architecture and a series of powerful new cars.
At this year’s Chengdu Auto Show, Geely released the CMA super matrix architecture. For Geely, although it has long been ridiculed as "buy whatever you need", it also has the research and development capabilities to independently develop a complete technical architecture. The emergence of the new architecture means that after more than 20 years of development, Geely has finally pioneered the 4.0 comprehensive architecture system era.
In fact, we never expected that the first model under the CMA super matrix would come so quickly, let alone that this car would be so popular in the market.
Geely Xingrui is known as the "Chinese family sedan subversive", and this car has indeed subverted the meaning of the traditional family sedan. Where is this car subversive? It is classified as a compact family car, but its 2800mm wheelbase has actually reached the threshold of a mid-size car. And Xingrui is not satisfied with being big in the general sense. Geely has directly put the 2.0T power of Volvo T4 into this car. This level of power is almost a chatter terminator in the price range of 113,700-149,700 yuan. .
Although this car still has some problems for home use, such as it can only be filled with 95# oil and is relatively expensive, as a CMA super parent model, it has FOTA upgrade functions and relatively high configuration. Gao et al. also sold 7,017 units of this car in the first month, and based on feedback from our actual store visits, sales will increase further.
In the stage of brand high-endization, the Lynk & Co 05, which was just launched this year, has achieved sales exceeding the 4,000 mark for five consecutive months, and the cumulative sales have exceeded the 20,000 mark, and Another brand-new model, the Lynk & Co 06, has been on the market for only two months, but its sales are already approaching the 10,000-unit mark. In addition, the new Lynk & Co 01 will be launched simultaneously in December. The classic Volvo combination of 2.0T+8AT should also make this car sell well.
On September 23, 2020, Geely Automobile Group released the SEA vast intelligent evolutionary experience architecture, which is the first developed by a Chinese car company to have high scalability and flexibility and adopt a new electronic and electrical architecture. A pure electric architecture with outstanding performance, higher level of intelligence and autonomous driving capabilities, and a more user-friendly interactive experience.
As the first pure electric luxury coupe under SEA’s vast intelligent evolutionary experience architecture, the Lynk & Co ZERO? concept will also launch a new car and be released on the market next year.
The core technology systems such as CMA super matrix and SEA vast architecture released in 2020 have given Geely higher and stronger car-making capabilities, and therefore have a comprehensive ability to make leaps and bounds even in difficult situations. strength.
Key models with advantages support the market
The reason why Geely Automobile can take off against the trend in 2020 is inseparable from its own balanced development. Specifically, it is in the field of SUV and sedan. , MPV field, high-end car field and new energy field have all made great progress. In particular, it also has representative models in each segment, which supports the market performance in the cold winter.
Geely’s outstanding representative models in the field of SUV are undoubtedly the “three good SUVs” composed of Boyue and Boyue PRO. Their sales have exceeded 200,000 for four consecutive years. In addition, the “SUV small steel gun” Binyue 11 The monthly sales volume also exceeded the 15,000 mark; in the field of cars, Geely's new Emgrand and Emgrand GL sedans both exceeded 20,000 units in a single month. The cumulative sales volume in the first 11 months reached 208,703 units, ranking second only to the Boyue The cumulative sales of the Emgrand family exceeded 3 million vehicles in 2020, contributing a large amount of sales performance to Geely; and in the MPV field, Jiaji has filled the gap in this field for Geely Automobile.
What is surprising is that from January to November, Lynk & Co’s cumulative sales reached 150,603 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 28.4%. Among them, sales in November reached 22,798 units, a month-on-month increase of 4.25% and a year-on-year increase of 61.33%. This is the fifth consecutive month that Lynk & Co has set a new monthly sales record, and it is the eighth consecutive month that Lynk & Co has achieved year-on-year and month-on-month sales records. The double growth is enough to prove the success of Chinese brands in the high-end market.
In the field of new energy, models such as Geometry A, Geometry C, Emgrand EV, and Emgrand GSe have also become major contributors to Geely's sales in related fields, and their launch has triggered heated discussions in the market.
For Geely, the above is not enough. In order to seize more opportunities in the new energy field, Geely Group launched a new energy brand - Maple Leaf in 2020, targeting the entry-level new energy vehicle market and focusing on the battery swap mode. For this reason, it has actively participated in the reorganization of Lifan Motors, which may be controlled by Lifan in the future. OEM production of Maple Leaf cars. Lifan Motors stated at its second extraordinary shareholders meeting in 2020 that after completing the restructuring work, Lifan will first mass-produce Geely Technology Group's battery-swapping electric MPV "Maple Leaf 80V". It is believed that there will be related models to support Geely in the future. new energy market.
Have a huge reputation? Won respect from the world
In fact, looking at the history of famous overseas car brands, the development history of Geely Auto is most similar to that of Volkswagen. Geely Automobile has introduced many international management systems and technology systems through acquisitions and mergers, allowing it to achieve rapid technological progress. But like Volkswagen, Geely has not given up on its independent research and development route. At least in the next few years, Geely Automobile's research and development capabilities will still be at the top level among all domestic car brands.
It is precisely because of its high level of quality that Geely has received more and more good praises in the country, and related models have gained a great reputation. What's even more commendable is that Geely Automobile has not only gained a large number of fans in the domestic market, but also won recognition and respect around the world.
In 2020, British Brand Finance, a world-renowned independent third-party brand evaluation agency, released the ranking of the top ten automobile groups with the highest global brand value in 2020. Among them, Geely Automobile ranks ninth with a brand value of US$18 billion, only US$900 million lower than Nissan, which has a brand value of US$18.9 billion. Geely is also the only Chinese brand in the ranking, which not only represents Chinese car companies with pride and pride. , which proves that its strength has reached the forefront of international car companies.
In terms of market response speed, Geely is also very fast. After its launch, the Geely Binrui was ignored because of its three-cylinder engine. However, the author has learned at a Geely dealer that the Binrui Rui's 1.0T three-cylinder version has been discontinued, and the 1.4T power version is currently promoted. Although Geely has never admitted that the 1.0T three-cylinder engine has failed, in fact they have quietly made changes long ago.
But Geely Automobile is not invulnerable
Recently, it was reported that Polestar Motors and Beijing Yizhuang International Investment Co., Ltd. signed a strategic agreement. Polestar officials did not comment on this. Indeed, with the backing of Geely Automobile, a super tree, Polestar does not have to worry about funding sources at all, while Yizhuang State Investment urgently needs to find a focus in the field of new energy vehicles after missing out on the potential stock of NIO. However, objectively speaking, Geely's Polestar Motor did have some troubles during its growth period.
In the first half of this year, it was reported on the Internet that Geely head Li Shufu was dissatisfied with the development of his Polestar Motors. There was no sound, not even negative news. The expensive Polestar car has become a drag on Geely's tail. In addition, Polestar is also facing trademark and recall troubles in overseas markets such as Europe.
In addition to Polestar, the Geely Auto brand itself also has some problems. At present, except for the new car Geely Xingrui, Geely Automobile's discounts are quite impressive. Taking Geely L.com as an example, the current general discount for the 2020 Emgrand is between 14,000 and 17,500 yuan, and the discount for the 21 Emgrand Champion Edition is around 10,000 yuan. As for Geely Auto's other models, the Borui discount reaches more than 20,000 yuan, the Binyue also has the largest discount of nearly 10,000 yuan, and the Boyue Pro discount also reaches more than 17,000 yuan. It can basically be determined that this brand is exchanging price for volume.
For consumers, it is indeed a good thing that Geely has great discounts on these excellent models, but for dealers, it is a necessary survival action.
Geely's dealers have been dancing on a tightrope from a long time ago. If they are not careful, they may fall to pieces.
However, these may not be possible for Geely Automobile’s strategy. Geely’s rapid development in recent years is actually largely due to the rapid flow of capital chains, just like Country Garden in building houses. . As the most Volkswagen-like car brand among domestic independent companies, Geely Automobile's parts supply chain and product sales chain are also the fastest moving. This brand can concentrate on research and development, but that is a matter for the technical department. For the development of the company, Geely must get up to speed.
But once it gets "fast", a lot of uncontrollable things may happen. This speed is difficult to control, so Geely must and has to do its best in products, which is good for consumers and for consumers. Geely itself will be a positive boost to the domestic automobile industry.
Of course, both Polestar and Lynk & Co are Geely’s efforts to develop into the high-end market, but the results are not very good. Although the Lynk & Co brand currently has a good performance of selling more than 20,000 units in a single month, in fact, the sales of high-end models such as Lynk & Co 01 and 03+ are not ideal, and there are no star models. The low-level and low-priced Lynk & Co 06 is in better condition. This model is inextricably linked to the Binyue, which means that the value of the Lynk & Co brand is not high.
This is Geely’s current predicament. From Borui to Xingyue to Lynk & Co and Polestar, Geely, which has long focused on low-end markets such as Emgrand and Vision, still needs to spend more time and effort on brand breakthroughs. Greater efforts. Although Geely has done a good job in this regard so far, there is still room for improvement.
When can we make efforts in the new energy field?
To be honest, the sales volume of domestic traditional car manufacturers in the new energy car market is not very good except BYD. It is related to the small size of the new energy vehicle market. More importantly, traditional manufacturers still regard new energy vehicles as only a reserve project. But in 2021, this may change.
The recent rapid growth in market value of Tesla, Weilai, and BYD is no longer news, but this is all due to more and more good news about new energy vehicles, such as the extension of the suspension period of new energy vehicles. etc. Therefore, 2021 is a critical period for car brands committed to future development. Whoever can get on the track first will take the lead in new energy vehicles.
More than a year ago, Geely was also vigorously promoting the new energy brand Geometry, but currently, the Geometry brand, which also has Volvo technology, has not aroused the same response from the market as BYD.
In fact, we can take a look at the various new cars Geely has released in the past two years. Geely designers are always reminding consumers of the connection with Volvo. The problem is that Volvo may indeed be in the new energy field. The technology is excellent, but the reputation is not great. By following the strategy of using fuel vehicles, the Geometry brand has gone in the wrong direction.
Recently, there is news that Baidu and Geely are discussing a joint venture to build cars. Geely declined to comment, while Baidu said: What? Do I want to build a car? Of course, sometimes there is still a delay in the news between the public relations department and senior management, but we can see that Geely Automobile has been looking for breakthroughs in the new energy market.
Because Geely’s new energy brand, which is supposed to be the mainstay of electric vehicle sales within the group, is more like an add-on and has almost no effect. When new energy vehicles become the main force in the market in the future, whether Geely can become the leader of its own brands as it is now, 2021 is the most critical year.
Final remarks
With a series of balanced and powerful models, Geely Automobile has still achieved considerable achievements even in the bumpy year of 2020, coupled with multiple The successive launch of core technology architecture and related models has also given Geely Automobile the strength and confidence to turn crises into opportunities when faced with difficulties, and the good reputation and international professional recognition it has gained are well-deserved. Geely Automobile in 2020 is like a unicorn encountering the confluence of wind and cloud. Not only did it not fall like most brands, but it was able to kick the wind and cloud and help break through the ice and snow blockade and face the difficulties.
Although Geely's problems are not very serious at present, as the old saying goes, a thousand-mile embankment is destroyed by an ant nest. It is more difficult for Geely, a big ship, to transform or slow down than other automobile companies. Just as Great Wall Motors has launched a series of reform measures this year, making early changes to the layout is far more important to Geely than pursuing current sales.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.