Trainee reporter | Zhang Zhuoran
Image source | Respondents provided
Walking on the streets of Liuzhou, the unique smell of snail powder fills the air, it is difficult to say whether it is "intentional" or "careless", perhaps the city of Liuzhou has the unique personality of "Internet celebrity manufacturing machine", which can always make some seemingly niche products popular all over the country: Jin Yong praised "Liuzhou coffin, famous all over the world" in "Deer’s Cauldron"; Liuzhou golden throat treasure, is the first impression of Ronaldo after many 90s; Liuzhou street snack snail powder, in recent years, has become a phenomenon of "national cuisine"…
Wuling Hongguang MINIEV is the same. It is also a generation of "Internet celebrity" produced by Liuzhou. As of now, the cumulative sales of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV have exceeded 1.11 million, and it is popular all over the world.
Global sales champion of small pure electric vehicles
"In 2022, the cumulative sales volume of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV exceeded 554,000 units, becoming the global sales champion of small pure electric vehicles." On January 30, SAIC-GM Wuling held the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV2022 Global Sales Champion Celebration and Thanksgiving Owner Conference at Wuling Liuzhou Direct Store (Bayi Store). Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the Passenger Federation, announced the championship transcript of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV at the event site.
This is a landmark moment. Since its launch in July 2020, as of January 29, 2023, the cumulative sales of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV have exceeded 1.11 million, won the first place in the sales of pure electric vehicles of Chinese brands for 28 consecutive months, and topped the global monthly sales champion of new energy single models for 7 times.
This "high score answer sheet" highlights the benchmark position of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV in the new energy scooter market segment. Cui Dongshu pointed out: "Wuling’s global sales record proves that China’s pure electric cars have supported the market leader, and new energy scooters have become the new mainstream of the world." At the event, SAIC GM Wuling announced that before March 31, 2023, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV will be priced at 29,800 yuan for a limited time.
Insight into users’ short-distance travel needs
"The most popular car on the road here is the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV. In some neighborhoods, eight out of ten households own this car," a local taxi driver told reporters.
At present, the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV can almost be called a city card of Liuzhou. In the city center area, this exquisite car can be seen everywhere. The municipal government even designated a parking area for the A00-class car represented by the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV on the sidewalk of the roadside, and built a "10-minute charging ecosystem", forming a local spectacle. In other cities, the place used to park bicycles and electric cars is full of Wuling Hongguang MINIEVs in Liuzhou.
"The new energy conversion rate of automobiles in Liuzhou is close to 50%, and Wuling Hongguang MINIEV has contributed greatly." The relevant person in charge told reporters.
What is the secret of Wuling Hongguang MINIEV’s hot sales? The reporter got a variety of answers from a group of car owners: "Cost-effective, cheap and high-quality." "Exquisite and compact, it is very convenient to drive and park, and it can come and go freely in the city." "Household electricity can be charged, and the charging speed is fast and the power consumption is low, which can fully meet the commuting needs in the city."
Whatever the reason, Wuling Hongguang MINIEV meets the needs of this group of users for a city scooter, which also coincides with the car consumption scene observed by Wuling. "80% of Chinese users drive less than 30 kilometers per day, and the average speed does not exceed 30 kilometers per hour. This simple short-distance travel demand faces many travel pain points such as difficult parking, high cost and insecurity in the city," said Zhang Yiqin, director of brand and public relations at SAIC-GM Wuling Wuling.
Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, which is positioned as a "people’s scooter", was born in response to the situation, with a smart body, flexible control, small battery for easy replenishment, and safety that can stand the test as the product label, bringing users the value experience of "easy to open, easy to stop, and easy to save".
Millionchaochuang, directly connecting users
Wuling Liuzhou Direct Store (Bayi Store) is located in the center of Liuzhou. In the past year, this direct-operated store has sold more than 4,000 Wuling and Baojun brand pure electric cars, making it a benchmark store for Wuling LING HOUSE.
Large floor-to-ceiling windows, various peripherals, coffee desserts, modified areas… In the Bayi store, there are only 4 cars on display, but there is an endless stream of customers entering the store.
"The meaning of LING HOUSE is different from that of traditional dealers. This is the window where we can directly connect with users," Wei Shengyun, a partner at Liuzhou New Energy Vehicle Experience Center, told reporters. "This can be a rest area for users, and it can also allow users to make tide changes and personalized DIY on vehicles. It also allows us to directly hear the voices of users and avoid the valuable opinions of users being filtered by the dealer system."
This direct user window has given SAIC-GM Wuling the confidence to defeat competitors and attack the next "1 million" sales. According to Wei Shengyun, there used to be a 4S store of the same level of competitors that opened diagonally opposite the Bayi store, but the inflow of customers and the sales volume of the store are less than one-tenth of the Bayi store. Now there are no people there.
Big data shows that among Wuling Hongguang MINIEV users, the post-90s generation accounts for more than 75% of users, and the proportion of female users is as high as 78%. "No makeup." This is the customary "habit" of many Wuling Hongguang MINIEV owners represented by "Wuling Girls". Through customization, they have turned the car into a carrier of personality and hobbies, which has also led to a change in domestic car consumption attitudes, allowing the concept of car modification to gradually penetrate from overseas to domestic.
The relevant person in charge introduced: "Wuling Hongguang MINIEV has achieved a user trend creation rate of up to 72%." With Wuling Hongguang MINIEV as the carrier, SAIC-GM Wuling plays with users to create and resonate at the same frequency, continuing to lead the trend creation and trendy makeup culture. It also cooperates with KFC, Wufangzhai, Fashion Bazaar and other young people’s favorite brands to establish multi-faceted links with consumers.
This user-created cross-border marketing is also one of the reasons why Wuling Hongguang MINIEV has sold a long rainbow all the way. If the first "million sales" cannot be separated from Wuling’s first-mover advantage in the blue ocean of the "people’s scooter" category, then a high proportion of young users, as well as the company’s strong user request insight and system power, will become the source of confidence for this car to hit the next "million sales".
"After the demand for short-distance transportation is met, the small new energy vehicle market will develop in the direction of meeting the advanced needs of user differentiation (such as large space, intelligence, personalization and other needs). SAIC-GM-Wuling will continue to put people’s needs first and market development as the guide to bring users a more diverse and personalized travel experience," said the relevant person in charge.