12 On February 23rd, Audi and two China partners, China FAW and SAIC, announced:
SAIC Audi will build an innovative business model, its products will be distributed and sold by the existing Audi investor network, and after-sales service will rely on Audi's existing network to provide consumers with high-quality and efficient service guarantee.
Behind this "* * * knowledge", although we don't know how many rounds of negotiations have been held under the platform of the three companies, it seems that we can still smell a rather subtle "balance" reached by the three companies in this protracted "channel war" from their respective press releases.
Look at the keywords in the above three press releases. SAIC is "attracting investment", FAW is "upgrading" and Audi is "* * * knowledge".
Generally speaking, SAIC, FAW and Audi have achieved "win-win-win" in such a solution, which also perfectly explains the management way of "making money harmoniously" for China people.
However, does this mean that Audi's future development in China will be smoother? At the same time, what kind of chemical reaction will the cooperation between FAW and SAIC produce? How long will the "balance" of the three companies last?
All this may be glimpsed when we carefully analyze the "initial heart" of the leaders of these three enterprises.
(1) SAIC Chen Hong: strive for progress.
I believe that the establishment of SAIC Audi project is of great significance to SAIC. However, in the press releases of the three companies, SAIC Audi has the shortest content.
As the most conspicuous word in the poster, "SAIC Audi Investment Promotion Launch" is to announce the official launch of the project; And the above sentence "Let's go together in the future" has a deeper meaning in the eyes of Kung Fu cars.
Previously, the progress of SAIC Audi project has been a major focus of SAIC shareholders' meeting. In the face of shareholders' doubts, Chen Hong, chairman of SAIC, has always insisted that the project is progressing steadily and the specific vehicle launch plan has also taken shape.
In September this year, some media reported that Chen Hong personally visited the headquarters of Changchun FAW Group and met with Xu Liuping, the chairman of FAW Group. Although the details of the meeting between the two parties were not disclosed, judging from today's cooperation agreement, the two may have discussed the real landing of the Audi project.
In fact, for Chen Hong, who has been in charge of SAIC for seven years, how to push SAIC further is undoubtedly a big challenge during his tenure.
However, in addition to SAIC Audi, Chen Hong has just unveiled Zhiqi Automobile. If these two trump cards can be played well, SAIC will usher in new structural growth opportunities.
"In the future, SAIC Audi's marketing channels will be promoted simultaneously online and offline." Chen Hong publicly responded to SAIC Audi's channel setting for the first time. Next, I believe SAIC Audi will explore new marketing models such as new retail and bring greater sales opportunities to the brand.
At the same time, SAIC Volkswagen's MEB factory will undoubtedly be a great support for Audi's electrification transformation in China. Especially when the first product of PPE platform is officially put into production in 2024, SAIC Audi, which was officially launched in 2022, will start the production of electric vehicles earlier than FAW.
(2) FAW Xu Liuping: seek stability.
Xu Liuping, who took over the post of Chairman and Party Secretary of FAW Group from August 2065438 to August 2007, believes that he has also made a lot of efforts to win the support of Audi brand.
One detail is that Xu Liuping's first activity after "airborne" FAW was the150,000 car off-line ceremony held by FAW-Volkswagen at Audi Q Factory, and Xu Liuping was also in a brand-new Audi A6L? E-tron and the guests left his "first photo" in FAW Group.
Subsequently, Xu Liuping reiterated the stable and good cooperative relationship between FAW and Audi in recent decades on several important occasions, and hoped to further "extensive and in-depth cooperation".
From the ten-year business plan of FAW and Audi, to the integration of sales resources and travel business of FAW and Audi, and then to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in June 5438+ 10 this year, related products will be jointly launched based on the PPE platform. During the years when Xu Liuping led the development of FAW, the relationship with Audi has been deepened and consolidated.
Therefore, people think that SAIC- Audi's sales network can only be built by FAW-Audi investors, which must be one of Xu Liuping's "achievements" in recent years.
However, the rapid development of Hongqi brand under FAW Group in recent years has also made FAW Group more confident to negotiate with Audi, but compared with SAIC, FAW obviously needs Audi more.
Some analysts pointed out that in any case, the official listing of SAIC Audi is always an unavoidable challenge for FAW Audi.
(3) Audi Anshihao: Seeking "Life"
For Seok-Ho Ahn, who took office as president of Audi China in March this year, it is the best result to get such "* * * knowledge" with two partners at present. It is related to Audi still being the biggest winner of this tripartite wrestling.
The data shows that before this year 1 1 month, Audi sold 595,400 vehicles in China, surpassing Mercedes-Benz and BMW, ranking first among luxury brands.
However, whether Audi can maintain this good development trend in the increasingly fierce competition in the future, the challenge Audi faces in China is undoubtedly greater than that of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Because on the electrified track, the partners of BMW and Daimler in China are much more powerful, and the scope of cooperation is wider than the whole vehicle. For example, recently, some media reported that the brand-new platform created by Great Wall and BMW will not only develop MINI, but also develop products of Great Wall, "and may also hang Euler's logo".
In the post-joint venture era, China's brand is becoming more and more powerful, and the joint venture model is bound to be endowed with newer connotations. For Audi, in addition to "balance", it is obvious that more "wisdom" is needed.
(4) Kung Fu is angry
From the birth of SAIC Audi to its official landing, it is not so much the result of a three-way game, but rather that the three parties have a clearer understanding of China's automobile industry? Coping with "Foresight"
Especially when China's automobile industry enters the "post-joint venture 2.0 era", the brand-new "playing method" brought by SAIC Audi this time may provide a brand-new idea for the future development mode of joint ventures.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.