Li Xiang said that the cheaper the better for the market above 300,000 yuan, but obviously the BBA does not think so.
Recently, BMW dealers in some areas issued promotions,The BMW iX3 dropped 100,000 yuan, and the bare car price of the entry-level model dropped directly from 400,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan.
Many netizens posted the landing price on the forum, and their jaws dropped in shock. The landing price is tens of thousands cheaper than the fuel version of the X3.
Some netizens posted the price of the iX3 in the round. Source: Autohome iX3 Forum
The terminal discount rate of i3 has also reached more than 80,000, and only the entry-level version has been reduced, and the price has been directly reduced from 350,000 to 260,000. In the eyes of many people, when the i3 is still 350,000, there is no such thing as a longer battery life and a larger Jikrypton 001. But as soon as it enters 260,000, the presence of Model 3 becomes weaker.
Mercedes-Benz EQE has also reached a drop of 100,000 yuan, directly from the range of 470,000-530,000 to 370,000-430,000. Although the Mercedes-Benz E-Class discount is not small, the price of EQE is still very high. Affordable.
Recently, in the in-app purchase list released by SAIC Audi, the price cut of Q5 e-tron is as high as 105,000 yuan, and the price of Q5 e-tron 40 Xingyao is directly reduced from 356,500 yuan to 250,500 yuan. This strength is not only cheaper than the terminal Q4 e-tron The final price is still a good deal, and even dropped directly to the range of ID.6.
SAIC Audi in-app purchase price list Source: Internet
SAIC Audi also seems to realize that the price is too sweet, and also issued a notice stating that employees are prohibited from reselling internally purchased cars.
In fact, from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the BBA has successively downgraded new energy models. In November last year, Mercedes-Benz announced the official reduction of its EQ series. Among them, the EQE 350 has a maximum price reduction of 50,700 yuan, and the adjusted price is 478,000 to 534,300 yuan; The price of the AMG EQS is 845,000 to 1,314,000 yuan; the AMG EQS has dropped by 198,600 yuan, and the adjusted price is 1,547,000 yuan.
In November last year, the Mercedes-Benz EQ series underwent an official drop. Source: Internet
In February of this year, SAIC Audi also made an official reduction of its models, and the two models of the Q5 e-tron entry version were respectively reduced by 20,000.
At present, the discounts of EQE and Q5 e-tron are basically based on the official reduction. It seems that after the BBA cannot bear the sales pressure and starts the price reduction, the inventory pressure of dealers is still not small.
In fact, the earliest official downgrade was the BMW iX3. As early as 2021, the official downgrade of 70,000 yuan was carried out. Straight up. Last year, BMW iX3 was second only to NIO in the 300,000-400,000-class electric vehicle market. Mercedes-Benz EQE was a bit miserable, selling more than 1,000 vehicles a year.
Down a level, sales immediately soared. After a year of hesitation, Mercedes-Benz and Audi also decided to follow suit.
2022 300,000-400,000 pure electric vehicle insurance rankings Source: Internet
Unexpectedly, electricity is lower than oil, and BBA has already been realized first.
Of course, for the vast number of consumers, when BBA solves the biggest problem of “expensive”, users will be more tolerant of BBA’s trams.
Source: Network
In the Chinese electric vehicle market, the intelligent BBA is never discussed, and it always seems to be a little less fashionable. But when you buy the Mercedes-Benz EQE for 370,000 yuan, the sense of dignity of the luxury brand immediately takes over, and it makes you finally realize clearly that the premium for smart cockpit and smart driving doesn’t matter.
To be honest, BBA has a basis for electrification.
Before the Chinese brands figured out what is going on, BMW released the i brand in 2011. If we go back 40 years, BMW has already developed the first electric car. In 2013, when the pure electric model i3 and the hybrid model i8 under the i brand were launched, they were full of technology. Of course, cutting-edge concepts are a test of market acceptance at that time.
After suffering setbacks, BBA, including BMW, began to become conservative in the electric vehicles launched in China, and the biggest criticism was the question of its oil-to-electricity transformation.
For example, the BMW iX3 and i3 are developed based on the CLAR platform that can be fueled, mixed, and powered. The famous X3 was also born on this platform. In terms of cost strategy, multinational groups always have a lot of considerations, and it is this kind of prudence that allows new Chinese forces to gain the upper hand in the high-end market.
Although both iX3 and i3 were born on the same platform as fuel vehicles, it is not as simple as just plugging batteries into the X3 and 3 series. Improve your driving experience.
The i3 is equipped with an air suspension with adjustable softness and hardness on the rear axle, and is also equipped with the front suspension top pull rod and the dual-axis HRS hydraulic rebound shock absorption technology. The front and rear track is wider than that of the 3 series, and the center of gravity is lower. The driving fun is not inferior to the 3 Series.
BMW i3 Source: Internet
Although in terms of battery life, Chinese brands have achieved 700+, which makes BMW’s 500-kilometer battery life seem ineffective, but many i3 and iX3 owners’ evaluations of the battery life not shrinking are real.
At present, the 811-type nickel-cobalt-manganese ternary lithium battery equipped with BMW electric vehicles is developed by the BMW Munich R&D Center and produced by Ningde Times. The rise of the Ningde era at the beginning was also inseparable from the fact that it occupied the high ground of technology by reading BMW’s thick technical books. At the same time, BMW’s battery technology reserve is relatively long-term. Cylindrical batteries and solid-state batteries are in BMW’s plan.
At the beginning of Mercedes-Benz EQE’s launch, the high price did scare off many users, but in fact, many people will be convinced by the luxurious interior of EQE. EQE is tailor-made for the Chinese market, so it understands Chinese users’ pursuit of luxury brands. For example, the EQE has transplanted the S-class split dual screen, the first active ambient light, and the exclusive configurations such as the gentleman’s function for the rear seats, which can be called the replacement of the EQS.
Mercedes-Benz EQE interior source: Internet
EQE’s construction of the bow-shaped body directly reduces the drag coefficient to 0.22Cd, which is remarkable both in terms of visual beauty and acceleration experience.
Of course, it is still difficult to compete in the 500,000-class market only relying on the positioning of EQS. In China’s electric vehicle market of more than 500,000 yuan, there is an ultra-luxury benchmark Porsche, and a local new force, NIO, which is famous for its customer service. EQE’s The light is somewhat covered up. However, if the EQE reaches the range of 400,000, the brilliance of leapfrog quality and luxury brands will be released.
Mercedes-Benz EQE bow body image source: Internet
The biggest problem with the Audi e-tron is probably that it uses the same platform as Volkswagen, so if the price of the e-tron is reduced, it can almost steal money in the electric vehicle market, but it will suffer from the same brother ID. series.
At the Shanghai Auto Show in 2019, Mercedes-Benz EQC made its debut, declaring a price of more than 500,000 yuan, Audi e-tron announced a price of 700,000 yuan, and BMW debuted a concept car iNEXT larger than the X5. On the eve of the domestic production of electric models, BBAs showed off their high status and directly persuaded those Chinese users who hoped that after the domestic production of BBA electric vehicles, they could buy electric vehicles comparable to the price of BBA fuel vehicles.
Audi e-tron pre-sale price announced at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show Source: Internet
Since then, the impression that BBA electric vehicles are too expensive has been deeply rooted.
In the past two years, BBA electric vehicles are still struggling between platform cost and driving experience. They tried to restore Chinese users with the electric version of the hot-selling fuel vehicles, but found that the effect was still limited.
BBA has not completely conquered the high-end electric vehicle market, but they also believe that the electric vehicle market of more than 500,000 yuan is still reserved for BBA in the end.
Therefore, at this rather embarrassing stage, price reduction is probably the best way to regain the favor of users. But rather than saying that BBA is fighting a price war, it is better to say that at this stage, they rely on the fuel vehicle market, and they can still support the lost profits of the electric vehicle market. At present, the high gross profit of BBA fuel vehicles is enough to support electric vehicles that cost 100,000 yuan. of decline.
Starting in 2025, BBA will gradually switch to electric vehicles with a new platform. In addition, whether it is battery technology, intelligent driving, or the digital experience of the cockpit, BBA continues to invest in research and development.
Earlier, BMW CEO Oliver Zipse said that the first electric car based on the new Neue Klasse platform will be in the same market segment as the 3 Series.Source: Network
However, before the replacement of electric vehicles in 2025, the most important thing for BBA is to defend its own fuel vehicle market, because they are becoming the targets of new forces. As the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China is getting higher and higher, the luxury car market is no longer at ease.
In 2022, although BBA still holds a 70% market share in the luxury car market, all three brands will decline to varying degrees. Interestingly, last year, with the blessing of luxury new energy vehicles, China’s luxury car market saw a growth of 6%.
On the one hand, it shows that the high-end models of the new forces represented by Weilai and Ideal have not yet formed a strong attack on the BBA market, but mainly swallowed more shares of second-tier luxury brands; at the same time, the impact of high-end new energy models on the luxury car market The pulling effect is likely to increase further.
However, as the penetration rate of new energy vehicles further increases, the threat of new forces to BBA may become greater. Just imagine, when Ideal uses the three models of L7 to win the Audi Q5 market, how much room will the Q5 e-tron have?
Then, the choice faced by the BBA will come. Should we wait for 2025 to start a real era of luxury electric vehicles belonging to BBA, or before that, seize the minds of users?
Obviously, the BBAs also believe that the latter is more important.