On November 6, overseas media reported that Skoda had designed a light-emitting seat belt buckle and applied for a patent for it. Such an inconspicuous technological innovation reminded me that Skoda has not been reported for a long time.

Few people know that 2020 is the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Skoda brand and the 15th anniversary of Skoda entering China. In July this year, Skoda celebrated its 3 millionth vehicle rolling off the assembly line in China. But compared with such a weighty history and sales volume, Skoda's voice in the Chinese market is getting smaller and smaller.

After the National VI, it fell into a slump

In 2019, Skoda sold 282,000 vehicles in China, a decrease of 17.3% compared with the previous year. Due to the insufficiency of the Chinese market, Skoda’s global sales were The market experienced a 0.9% decline. If the Chinese market is not included, Skoda's global growth exceeds 5%.

Skoda’s contribution in China is not only not what it once was, but may even become a drag. Did this situation only happen in 2019?

As early as mid-2017, Skoda commemorated the milestone of delivering 2 million complete vehicles in China. Skoda spent 10 years in China to produce these 2 million vehicles. Since 2017, Skoda has quickly completed sales of another one million vehicles. Skoda's actual market performance does not seem to be as cold as what we have seen.

In 2017, 309,000 vehicles were sold;

In 2018, 341,000 vehicles were sold;

In 2019, 282,000 vehicles were sold;

< p> In 2019, Skoda experienced its worst ever decline in China. The overall depression of China's automobile market is inevitable. However, people also found that Skoda's sales fell by 21% in the first half of 2019, lagging 15.2% behind the broader market. In the "last crazy" moment before the switch to National VI last year, Skoda even experienced a sales shrinkage of up to 31%.

Consumers have keenly discovered that when the entire market is experiencing price cuts and promotions, Skoda's once most recognized "cost-effectiveness" advantage is no longer recognized. In March 2019, in order to cooperate with the country's value-added tax reduction policy, Skoda had an official price reduction, ranging from 4,000 to 15,000 yuan. In addition to the recommended retail price, dealers will also provide additional cash discounts. Take this opportunity to clear inventory as much as possible. Prior to this, Skoda's inventory coefficient was already much higher than the market average.

Some people once said that switching from "National Five" to "National Six" is a life-or-death disaster for some car companies. This sentence is particularly appropriate for Skoda. On the one hand, the brand's price reduction and inventory clearing before the National VI were not able to be promoted well. On the other hand, after the National VI, new car prices no longer have room for recovery. When the price/performance ratio is no longer good, and the value retention rate and brand reputation decline, it will be difficult for Skoda to satisfy those picky consumers with tight budgets.

After experiencing the downturn in 2019, fewer and fewer people will choose Skoda in 2020. In the first nine months of this year, Skoda’s sales in China were less than 100,000 vehicles, on average every month Sales just exceeded 10,000. According to this development trend, Skoda's year-on-year decline this year will increase to more than 40%.

SAIC Volkswagen Skoda, a helpless return

In October this year, Skoda changed its name in the Chinese market, from "SAIC Skoda" to "SAIC Volkswagen Skoda". Regarding this Changes have different interpretations from the outside world.

From an official perspective, this is a brand re-start and resource readjustment. As early as 2005, the Volkswagen Group introduced Skoda to China, placing it under the Shanghai Volkswagen brand and launching it on the market under the name "Shanghai Volkswagen Skoda".

Relying on Shanghai Volkswagen, which was the most recognized by Chinese consumers at that time, this brand imported from Europe was able to be understood and accepted by Chinese consumers as quickly as possible. Because of the aura and support of Shanghai Volkswagen, less than five years after Skoda entered China, the Chinese market became Skoda's single largest sales market in the world.

Putting Skoda in the Shanghai Volkswagen system is an effective strategy: on the one hand, Skoda needs to use the publicity method of "same roots as Volkswagen and first-line production" to make consumers recognize Skoda product quality; on the other hand, it also needs to use "the price is slightly lower than that of Volkswagen, and the investment in new technologies is slightly faster than Volkswagen" to form a difference and strengthen the cost-effectiveness advantage of the Skoda brand in China. Because of Shanghai Volkswagen's intentional actions, the Skoda model once had the reputation of "cheaper Volkswagen" and "people who understand Volkswagen bought Skoda", thus successfully expanding sales.

However, the subtle relationship with SAIC Volkswagen has supported Skoda, but also delayed Skoda. As early as 2016, the tail logo of each Skoda model was no longer "SAIC Volkswagen" but "SAIC Skoda". However, until the first half of this year, SAIC Volkswagen still needed to explain Skoda's "independence".

In fact, the vast majority of consumers who buy Skoda are aware of its relationship with SAIC Volkswagen. It can even be said that they buy Skoda precisely because of its relationship with SAIC Volkswagen.

However, Skoda does not want consumers to form such a concept: Skoda hopes to establish a separate joint venture brand image, with a slightly lower profile than Volkswagen, to compete with second-tier joint venture brands, rather than as a sub-brand of SAIC Volkswagen (similar to (from FAW-Volkswagen's Jetta), sharing the market in the camp of independent brands.

But Skoda also understands that except for those strong Japanese, German and American brands in the Chinese market, it has always been difficult for other overseas brands to survive alone. This is the case for Skoda, and Seat, which failed to enter China for the second time. Even more so. Therefore, after SAIC-Volkswagen emphasized the independence of the Skoda brand at the communication meeting in April this year, at the Beijing Auto Show at the end of September, people discovered that Skoda had once again used the name "Shanghai Volkswagen Skoda".

The outside world does not think that the return of "SAIC Volkswagen Skoda" is a reset. In the past few years, "SAIC Skoda" has been unable to find a clear position for itself. In the future, the market competition will become increasingly fierce. Skoda is unable to face it alone and can only choose to tie up with SAIC Volkswagen again.

The significance of this return is already different from the merger in 2005. Skoda and SAIC-Volkswagen both prospered and suffered losses. This year, SAIC-Volkswagen continues to be affected by the Passat incident. After experiencing "ten consecutive declines", SAIC-Volkswagen's sales in the first ten months have fallen by 24% compared with last year. For example, in the past October, when the entire automobile market picked up, SAIC Volkswagen became the only brand among the top ten sales to see a year-on-year decline.

Today’s SAIC-Volkswagen’s reputation has collapsed after the Passat incident. In addition, the SUV series is not competitive enough, is suppressed by FAW-Volkswagen and Japanese brands, and Lavida’s position as the sales leader is not guaranteed. Many problems have caused SAIC-Volkswagen’s current situation. . As a result, Skoda, which has long relied on SAIC-Volkswagen, is in greater danger. When consumers are unwilling to choose SAIC-Volkswagen, they will not consider the cheap version of SAIC-Volkswagen.

The official downgrade will not help the brand to start again

In April this year, Skoda carried out a price adjustment in China to celebrate Skoda’s 125th anniversary. The official guide price of all models It was lowered to 77,900-247,900 yuan, with the overall decrease ranging from 1,500 yuan to 24,500 yuan.

At a time when the overall theme of the automobile market is "brand improvement", Skoda has chosen to downgrade its entire series, which is self-evidently harmful to the brand. Regarding the decision to downgrade the entire series, SAIC Volkswagen’s explanation is quite honest: this downgrade is not a short-term marketing behavior, but the first step in repositioning the Skoda brand.

So, what is the position of Skoda after its official resignation?

Currently, the Skoda sedan category includes the Xindong, Xinrui, Octavia series and Superb, with the adjusted price range ranging from 77,900 to 229,900 yuan, and the SUV category includes the Kamik series, Karoq and Kodia Gram series, the adjusted price range is 89,900-247,900 yuan.

Take the entry-level model Xindong/Xinrui as an example. The 2020 models launched in February this year are priced between 7.84 and 11.14 yuan. Among them, the lowest 1.5L manual standard version of the Xindong is 81,400 yuan. , Xinrui's lowest equipped 1.5L manual standard version is 78,400 yuan, and after the official price reduction, the entry price of both models is 77,900 yuan.

On the surface, after the official downgrade, Skoda set the threshold within 80,000 yuan, and is more modest about its position in this market. But if you look back at the previous Skoda Xinrui/Xindong, you will find that every time it has been revised in the past few years, the price has been lowered. The 2019 Xinrui starts from 71,900 yuan, and the 2018 Xinrui starts from 76,900 yuan. The entry-level model of the 2019 Xindong is even as low as 69,900 yuan.

When the 2020 models were launched at the beginning of this year, Skoda has actually raised the threshold for these two entry-level models, removing the 1.5L manual entry version and using the 1.5L manual standard version as the lowest configuration, making all models start from The price is 78,400 yuan. Compared with the 1.5L manual standard version of the 2019 model, the price of the 2020 model has also increased by 1,500 yuan.

2020 Xinrui/Xindong official price before price reduction

The adjustment of the official guide price reflects the brand’s understanding of its market positioning. This year Skoda has adopted a new price system. The price of entry-level compact cars has reached less than 80,000 yuan, which is still at the level of joint venture brands. However, based on the price of entry-level compact cars, the threshold of Skoda Xinrui is already lower than that of Hyundai Yuedo. , Chevrolet Cavalry and other similar products.

According to SAIC Volkswagen, after the official downgrade, there will be a more obvious price difference between Skoda and Volkswagen models, which will further highlight Skoda’s cost-effective advantage among competing products of the same level. Based on the relationship between Skoda and SAIC Volkswagen in terms of brand, model research and development, technology investment, etc., the price of Skoda after the official downgrade is still higher than that of the Jetta brand. Skoda does not believe that the official downgrade is to enter the price position of its own brands.

The idea is reasonable, but the market response is not enthusiastic. After the price adjustment was announced in April this year, monthly sales of the Skoda brand still fluctuated around 10,000 units. Only during the "Golden Nine and Silver Ten" periods did the monthly sales increase with the general environment to nearly 20,000 units. However, compared with December last year, the monthly sales volume was still serious. Moreover, even though Skoda has officially lowered the prices of all series, due to the impact of terminal price cuts for a long time in the past, the adjusted prices will not give consumers a clear perception. Today, the dealer quotations for entry-level models of Xindong/Xinrui are still as low as less than 70,000 yuan.

If the main models are like this, it will be even more difficult for Skoda’s entire series to benefit from this new price system. For example, in the medium-sized SUV market with the strongest demand and the most opportunities, Kodiak's monthly sales have been below 2,000 units this year. As the brand goes downhill, its presence is getting lower and lower.

Aston Summary

When a brand chooses to downgrade its entire series and takes it as the first step to restart the brand, it will be more difficult for the brand to move up. Maybe for Skoda or SAIC-Volkswagen, Skoda's mission is not to go up, but to sell as many cars as possible down to contribute to the size of SAIC-Volkswagen.

Nowadays, it seems that such an idea is not easy to realize. Skoda is surviving in the cracks, but the gaps are getting smaller and smaller, and there are more and more competitors.

Picture?|?From the Internet

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.