Auto & Transportation

On the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, Southwest China, the 2021 China Automotive Chongqing Forum with the theme of "Integrated Development and Smart Leadership" was held here.

The current automotive industry is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. In particular, the rapid progress in the intelligence of the entire industry has also pushed intelligent networked cars to the "outlet" of development. Many questions need to be considered and answered by every Autobot-where will the industry go after the epidemic? How do new models and new formats profoundly change the face of the entire automotive industry?

In Chongqing, traditional car companies such as Geely, Changan, Chery, and BYD, as well as new car companies such as Weilai, Ideal, and Xiaopeng, launched a high-end dialogue at the venue.

Attack new markets with new technologies

"I think that the market share of Chinese branded cars in 2030 will definitely exceed 70%." At the round table forum, several car company leaders made loud judgments.

With the advent of the electrification era, Chinese brands have ushered in unprecedented opportunities for development. The "dominance and dominance" of foreign brands in the field of fuel vehicles may become history. How Chinese brands achieve new breakthroughs in the new era has always been the focus of the automotive industry.

Zhu Huarong, chairman of Changan Automobile, believes that there is fierce competition in the fields of traditional fuel vehicles, new energy, intelligence, and electrification. In the long run, the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, as well as the upgrading of emission standards, have put forward new requirements for the automotive industry, and are also new opportunities and new directions.

Zhu Huarong said that the three major car-making patterns have their own irreplaceable advantages in the car-making field, and there are also shortcomings that need to be supplemented urgently. In order to create a better automobile industry, Zhu Huarong proposed that the three major car-making patterns of Chinese brands should unite to learn from each other's strengths, integrate development, and jointly embrace the new era of China's automobile industry transformation.

Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., gave his own views. He believes that the automobile industry is currently an industry that combines tradition and openness, conservativeness and innovation.

In Yin Tongyue's view, unlike the vertical switching of the TV and mobile phone industries, traditional cars and new technology cars are coexisting and constantly widening tracks. But traditional cars are still the foundation of all new-technology cars, and car companies must lay a solid foundation. "So we think it’s not an exaggeration to learn Toyota for 100 years. We must first do well in traditional fields. But at the same time we must also learn. Technology companies such as BAT embrace new forces such as Tesla and NIO. They continue to make breakthroughs while constantly making use of new tools and new technologies."

"Yin Tongyue, Chairman of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd."

As a generation that has grown up with China’s automobile industry, Yin Tongyue believes that “the first attribute of transportation is safety.” He made a visual analogy—“it was an endless marathon on this track in the past. There is no marathon, and now I have to participate in triathlon and pentathlon competitions."

On the other hand, Geely, the first echelon of Chinese brand sales, has not let down its vigilance. Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, has a more pragmatic thinking. He believes that there is still a long way to go for the transformation and upgrading of the auto industry and high-quality development, and breakthroughs in many areas are still to be sought.

How to seek a breakthrough? Li Shufu's answer is simple, "Only by following the right path can we win the world." And Li Shufu's "right way" lies in "studying the law, understanding the law, and respecting the law." During the regular exploration, Li Shufu also put forward suggestions for Chinese brands.

"Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Holding Group"

In the past, Chinese auto companies particularly emphasized efficiency first, but now, Chinese auto companies should realize the shift from efficiency first to fairness first, so that they can be in line with the world. The primary meaning of fairness first is a more balanced labor-management relationship.

Li Shufu cited such an example, “China’s current front-line workers lack professional dignity, such as washing toilets, sweeping the floor, and being a babysitter. Front-line industrial workers always feel that they lack professional dignity because their relative income is too low and they are not valued enough. "Li Shufu worries that this is not conducive to the formation of professionalism for workers, and without professionalism, high-quality products cannot be produced.

Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Co., Ltd., focuses on the field of new energy. He believes that the breakthrough of Chinese brands should start with electrification. "From a domestic and foreign perspective, the general trend of alternative fuel vehicles with new energy sources has been determined." A set of data shows that my country's new energy vehicle penetration rate exceeded the 10% mark in March this year, and further increased to 11.4% in May, continuing to grow rapidly.

Wang Chuanfu believes that Chinese brand cars have been under tremendous pressure and challenges in the past two years, but it is gratifying that Chinese brands have not fallen, but are making continuous progress. They are catching up in many technical fields, and the only shortcoming is the Chinese brand. Awareness is low.

"Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Co., Ltd."

How to make the tide?

2021 is a very meaningful year for the entire new energy automobile industry. In the first quarter, the production and sales of new energy vehicles exceeded 460,000.

This is a considerable opportunity. At a time when new energy is destined to become a trend, how can new car companies that are already at the forefront of the trend continue to make waves? How to consolidate one's own advantages in the context of carbon neutrality? These are two topics worth discussing. At the Chongqing Forum, the founders of auto companies such as Weilai, Ideal, and Xiaopeng expressed their views.

Through a set of data, Li Bin, the founder of Weilai Automobile, analyzed the current status and prospects of China's new energy vehicle market. He said that from the current performance in 2021, China's new energy vehicle sales may exceed 2 million. Behind such figures, what is more far-reaching is the penetration rate of new energy vehicles. "From January to March, the sales of new energy vehicles in the country accounted for 10.5% of the sales of passenger vehicles. Only two months later, it reached 11.5% in May. The penetration rate increased faster than we expected."

Similarly, the increase in the proportion of personal car purchases has also given Weilai confidence. Li Bin said that the proportion of domestic personal car purchases has exceeded that of operating vehicles, and the growth engine of the new energy vehicle market has changed.

Li Bin emphasized his optimism about the future more. He believes that "the penetration rate of smart electric vehicles can account for 90% in 2030."

This judgment is a huge challenge for the entire industry, but for the new energy automobile industry, it contains huge opportunities. Xiaopeng Motors has its own unique thinking on carbon neutrality.

In He Xiaopeng's view, intelligence is a prerequisite for achieving carbon neutrality, and it is also an indispensable technology for carbon neutrality. "In the early morning when everyone is asleep, the driverless car can be driven out to charge, and charging at night is very cheap. This is some of the changes in the carbon neutrality of intelligence."

Also talking about carbon neutrality, Shen Yanan, co-founder and president of Ideal Motors, said that the three points of commercial value, industry value, and social value do not conflict. The more you pursue better social value, and the pursuit of higher industry value, finally The realized commercial value will also be higher.

"As a new energy car company, the highest possible social value is actually carbon neutral." Shen Yanan said.

Products are very important if companies want to be carbon neutral, and if consumers want to actively choose products that are conducive to carbon neutrality, companies need to take the initiative to enhance the competitiveness of their products. This is the ideal car's thinking about carbon neutrality.

"If more fuel users can like pure electric or extended-range vehicles as soon as possible, and convert new energy vehicles suitable for consumers, this will be the greatest help for energy conservation and emission reduction."

Written at the end:

In the same forum, traditional car companies and new car companies expressed their views on different topics. Traditional car companies focused more on the transformation and trend of the new energy era, while new energy car companies were consolidating themselves While taking advantage, think more about how to achieve a carbon neutral plan.

This is the best era, and it is also the era with the most opportunities. In the face of the new energy transition, traditional car companies can break through their own inherent barriers and gain more space. The continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles has once again proved the broad prospects of China's new energy vehicle market.

Therefore, the Chongqing Automobile Forum is not only a summary of a feast, but also the beginning of the next feast.