For many days, the raging epidemic has affected people's hearts, and the battle against the epidemic has tested each of us. This is not just a battle for medical personnel, but a tough battle against the epidemic that requires the participation of all people. Facing this "battle", car companies seem to be doing the same two things: on the one hand, they are donating money and materials to contribute; on the other hand, they are actively fighting the epidemic and exploring more economic growth points.
First of all, in response to the new coronavirus pneumonia, various companies in the automobile industry have donated funds, rescue supplies, negative pressure ambulances, etc. to support the anti-epidemic work. According to incomplete statistics, the total amount of materials and funds donated by car companies has exceeded 1 billion yuan. Moreover, the list of donations from the automotive industry to support the fight against the epidemic is still being updated.
A few days ago, Audi collaborated with FAW-Volkswagen’s Volkswagen and Jetta brands to donate a total of 40 million yuan. Not only that, Audi "launched the White Angel Care Package" to pay tribute to the frontline medical workers fighting the epidemic, and provided preferential car purchase policies, car support and service privileges covering all series of models to the frontline workers fighting the epidemic, highlighting the brand sentiment.
Of course, due to the different "magnitude" of each car company, there are differences in the money and materials donated, but there is no doubt that everyone's love is the same.
Secondly, in the face of the sudden COVID-19 epidemic, while car companies have demonstrated their due social responsibilities and responsibilities, they themselves will inevitably be affected accordingly. In addition, the automobile industry has experienced a downturn in the past two years and will face more uncertainties. Therefore, how to explore more economic growth points under the epidemic has become a top priority for major automobile companies.
As the saying goes, challenges and opportunities coexist. Many car companies have made corresponding adjustments and launched a series of work and preparations in response to the epidemic. Among them, Audi has also taken the lead in setting an example, launching dealer burden reduction, dealer empowerment, one-stop online service experience, etc., to minimize the impact of the epidemic while exploring new sales growth points.
Reduce dealer operating pressure
As we all know, automobiles are one of the industries that rely heavily on circulation, and automobile dealers play an important role in the entire use cycle of the product. . According to a report from the China Automobile Dealers Association, due to the epidemic, service technicians are unable to arrive on time, there are no showrooms with customers, and there are no customers for repairs and maintenance to enter the store... This has become a common situation faced by many car dealers.
Facing the channel pressure caused by the pneumonia epidemic, many car companies have announced the launch of dealer and user care support policies to tide over the difficulties with dealer partners. Among them, Audi is more bold, not only announcing that it will not assess February sales targets and other measures, but also providing financial support to all dealers in the network, as well as early rebates to dealers, etc. These policies all effectively alleviate the operating pressure of dealer partners. In addition, Audi will also actively coordinate logistics, production scheduling and other related departments to meet the needs of dealers to the greatest extent possible.
In addition to reducing the operational pressure on dealers, in order to ensure the normal operation of 4S stores, Audi immediately issued guidelines for safe entry into stores during the epidemic period and epidemic prevention and control operation guidance Zhihu. It also assists dealers in purchasing masks, thermometers, disinfectants and other urgently needed epidemic prevention items. In addition, Audi dealers will disinfect their showrooms, workshops, and materials and tools every day. Dealer personnel on duty will undergo health checks every day and wear masks throughout the process.
It can be seen that Audi has demonstrated efficiency and rationality in adhering to epidemic prevention work, and its practical step-down and empowerment policies have not only brought warmth to dealers, but also further established dealer partners. their confidence. This is the most rare and valuable thing in the current cold winter of the car market.
Developing new online marketing and after-sales models
Currently during the epidemic, it has become “people’s common sense” to go out less or even not to go out, but the problem we face is-customers enter Checking the car in the store has become a problem.
With the temporary suspension of offline channels, car companies have introduced pressure reduction policies to work with dealers to tide over the difficulties. Dealers have also found new ways to carry out "self-rescue" and carry out online marketing to support consumption. VR allows you to view cars online, place orders online, etc.
In fact, online marketing is no longer a new thing, but its role will be amplified in the face of the epidemic. Audi is the first luxury brand in the industry to have a leading and complete one-stop online service experience platform. During this epidemic, it has played a "preparatory" role. Through Audi's "Online 4S Showroom", users can experience the integrated services of online car viewing, online car selection, and online car purchase without leaving home, and can achieve zero-contact car delivery, etc.
At the same time, in addition to online marketing, in order to cooperate with this epidemic prevention work, Audi has also launched corresponding services. For example, in terms of after-sales service, Audi continues to carry out 7x24-hour rescue, door-to-door pick-up and delivery of car repairs and maintenance for Audi users. Users only need to call the dealer to complete repair and maintenance services without leaving home; in addition, Audi second-hand car online 4S store It also launched a free online evaluation function and provided online one-stop services to solve users' needs for car sales and replacements; it also launched online financial business services to help users handle deferred repayments, car insurance insurance and claims, and liability insurance online. Insurance and claims settlement. These measures will minimize the risk of infection.
Of course, as a bulk consumption of cars, offline transactions currently seem to be the most conservative and safest way. However, as the new retail model further develops and matures, the future consumption model that combines online and offline will Becoming mainstream and breaking through time and geographical restrictions will undoubtedly stabilize consumers' psychology of buying cars.
Audi: The epidemic is just an "interlude"
Although the impact and consequences of this epidemic are not small, most people in the industry believe that the epidemic will not become an irreversible problem for the automotive industry. Save the "disaster". Because once the epidemic is lifted, the country will also intensify its corresponding policies to ensure "stable growth." The automobile industry, which accounts for 9% of domestic GDP, must be one of the priority beneficiaries. With the help of policies and the gradual recovery of consumption expectations and purchasing power, China's automobile market will still accelerate its adjustment along the previous market inertia. In this regard, Audi also said: Challenges and development opportunities coexist in 2020. From a medium- to long-term perspective, this epidemic is only an "interlude."
In fact, it can be seen from the 2020 plan announced by Audi that Audi still has great expectations for market performance this year. It is reported that in 2020, Audi will launch more than 18 new cars in the Chinese market, including new car series, replacements, new models, and new models, and even plans for new car products every month.
Judging from the current planning, most of the new cars launched by Audi in 2020 will be mid-term facelifts and replacement models. For example, Q7, A4L, and other models will usher in mid-term facelifts; Audi S6, S7, S8 will also usher in a new generation one after another. In addition, there are also heavyweight models such as e-tron in terms of new energy. It is not difficult to see that whether it is the mid-term facelift of Audi Q7, A4L, or new energy models such as Audi e-tron, they are all very popular products in the auto market in 2020, and they are very likely to become Audi's new sales in 2020. growth point.
Looking at Audi's performance in the Chinese market in 2019, its cumulative sales for the year were 690,083 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 4.1%, and the Chinese market's contribution to Audi's global sales reached 37.39%. In 2020, Audi will continue to develop deeply in the Chinese market. With the addition of a large number of new models, as well as in response to the epidemic, Audi's own corresponding adjustments and reforms will make Audi more competitive in today's fiercely competitive market. Let's wait and see.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.