Since September last year, sales of independent brands have been facing a downward trend. By April this year, the overall sales decline turned into concrete numbers. Does this really mean that independent brands are not good?

Correspondingly, joint venture brands have shown rapid growth since last year. By April this year, they showed astonishing sales. The sales volume of North and South Volkswagen Both have exceeded one million units. Shanghai GM alone has sold 1.2 million units, accounting for more than half of the overall self-owned brand (passenger car) sales.

Some people analyze that this is not surprising. The problem lies in insufficient product power, and the root cause is weak brand power. Polls show that within the same price range, joint venture brands are still the main brands chosen by first-time car buyers. When considering independent brands, most of them start from the perspective of cost performance, aiming for cheapness or affordability, including joint ventures and independent cars.

This is an objective fact that no one can control, because it is the result of independent consumption and free choice. Its objectivity and judgment represent market recognition and consumer sentiment. But for ordinary consumers, their consumption principle is to balance both face and dignity. So, what is the concept of independent brands in people’s minds?

To be honest, there are not many independent brands entering the market at present, and most of them are still at the mid-to-low-end level, in the lower segment of the automobile value chain. Wander. Even the independent brands produced by the three major groups are difficult to squeeze into the market-leading or best-selling models. Due to well-known reasons, its recognition, reputation, and respectability are actually still far behind those of joint venture brands.

Although no one wants to see this scene, it is an indisputable fact that joint venture brands have a higher premium than independent brands for the same level of models. For example, under normal circumstances, the usual formula for launching new cars of independent brands is to exchange high cost performance for market appeal. The most typical slogan is: "The performance of a B-class car, the price of an A-class car." ?Thinking that selling pork at the price of vegetables will generate sales and win the favor of the market.

For example, when Junjie was launched, Brilliance executives said at the new car launch conference in the Great Hall of the People that if the car had the Niutou brand (Toyota trademark), it would not be at this price and would cost at least tens of thousands more yuan. . It represents the psychology of many independent car companies. Before the new car is launched, they will be dwarfed first. Joint ventures and independent models are different. Models that tap the potential of technology stocks are also confident, but they sell green vegetables at pork prices. Therefore, some people have raised this question, if Lavida is replaced with its own LOGO, will it still become popular?

In fact, there are many such examples. Some of them come from the acquisition of foreign platforms and technologies, or the new cars developed through cooperation, which are not bad in terms of production and technology. Just because they are branded with their own brand trademarks, they are dumb in marketing and cannot tell the pain.

It is undeniable that the current marketing routines of independent brands are still based on the thinking of selling products. There are still many hurdles to pass before brand marketing, and there is a long way to go. In the words of industry insiders, if the product is good, you can say whatever you want. That is to say, the product is "bold" and the marketing is "drama". The problem is that the core technologies of many independent brands are always questioned by the outside world, and manufacturers are not afraid of the source of the technology. For example, when Trumpchi rolled off the assembly line, the manufacturer revealed that its technology was Originated from Fiat; BAIC's mid-to-high-end models come from Saab; Pentium's technology is related to Mazda; the prototype of the Roewe 750 is Rover, etc. Almost many independent brands are related to foreign technology. Can you find the shadow of the prototype, and it is called? Bring doctrine?.

In addition, many of the early self-owned brands were copycat versions. Every time the Beijing-Shanghai Auto Show came, the media would take issue with this, because the original models and imitation shows were intuitively presented to the audience, and were criticized. It's called "reverse engineering" (imitation design), and the technical content is undoubtedly a piece of cake. In terms of communication, independent brands all like to be "sugar daddies". They often claim to be the trumpet of a certain foreign brand model, boasting that they are "famous", that is, they use well-known parts and components, ask foreign R&D institutions to develop them, and say they are made by "masters". Hand? Wait. Using this to embolden and package things, the heart is not strong enough.

An authoritative report last year disclosed: 95% of the profits in the automotive industry are earned by joint ventures, and independent brands are at the low end of the value chain. ?Reveals the fact that on the one hand, the market share of independent brands is declining, and on the other hand, profits are declining. Recently, Chery announced its first profit in April this year from its ten-year independent brand exploration as news, which seems to confirm this. Many independent brands are struggling, and it is not an exaggeration to struggle with losses.

For Chery, the purpose of announcing profits in a high-profile manner is to try to convey the message of Chery's successful transformation, indicating that it has found a new direction. In Yin Tongyao's words, Chery can no longer take the route of low quality and low price, nor can it launch high-priced products simply to enhance the brand. And it is recognized that high-priced products must be accepted by consumers on the basis of high quality. This expresses the confidence to benchmark and challenge joint venture brands and join the ranks of international competition.

Such reflections are not new. In the face of severe market competition, many independent brands have realized that the reason for failure is not only inferior skills, but also quality and system. The underlying reason is the starting point of strategy and the choice of technical route. In fact, the early self-owned brands did not lack popularity, but when people mentioned it, why did they not have a high reputation and often gave people a negative image? Why did the brand power not improve? Although the self-owned brands dominated by the three major groups in the later period were somewhat ?High-end?, but consumers still don't buy it. The reasons are basically similar. In the end, they cannot avoid the competition between core technology and support system. The strategy behind it has not yet got rid of the mentality of quick success and quick profit.

Looking at the current situation of independent brands, we have to admit that this is the biggest weakness. There are very few independent car companies that can master core technologies. In addition, there is still a lack of forward development, that is, original technology and design, which makes the support for brand building and image creation insufficient and unable to stand up. In today's Internet age, consumers no longer have any secrets about products, and their judgment does not need to be induced. They can make choices by intuitive comparison. Moreover, the diversification and richness of automobiles have long passed the era of resource shortages. Market supply and demand and consumption concepts have also undergone fundamental changes.

As the automobile market rapidly enters full competition, many independent car companies complain that consumers do not know the goods and sell pork to independent brands with green vegetable prices, which is not flattering, especially in the face of... The joint venture independent brands of Sheephead Selling Dog Meat are frantically conquering cities and territories, and they feel the pressure and are aggrieved. The market does not believe in tears. Instead of blaming others, it is better to ask ourselves: What is the reason for the low or no added value of independent brands?

However, it is worth noting that just when many independent brands claim to give up? Low When targeting mid-to-high-end models, joint venture brands are actively producing low-end models and penetrating into the low-price areas where independent brands focus. There is a situation where the increase in joint venture brands is the sales volume of independent brands. What is worrying is that joint venture brands have intensified their efforts to seize the low-end market, and have formed a joint force to suppress independent brands. Originally, joint ventures were involved in the mid-to-high end, while independent companies were involved in the mid-to-low end. However, with the introduction of "joint ventures and independent brands", the introduction of After adopting the concept of "joint venture", the joint venture not only failed to converge and exit, but instead intensified its efforts and expanded wildly, making the already weak independent brands even worse. This leads to a more serious topic, which will not be discussed here.