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The wave of layoffs in the automotive industry may have affected more than 30,000 people. Volkswagen has been exposed to have been emphasizing layoffs and cost reduction internally
According to a recent report by China Business News, Volkswagen Group has set up a performance project called "KI 10" for all its companies, aiming to reduce fixed costs and personnel costs by 20% within three years. Volkswagen Group's purely German-owned subsidiaries in China, such as Volkswagen China, Audi China, and CARIAD, received the document, while joint ventures such as FAW-Volkswagen were not involved.
It is also understood that Volkswagen has been emphasizing layoffs to reduce costs. The normal natural loss of employees for three years will not be recruited. In addition to some other measures to reduce personnel costs, it can basically achieve a 20% cost reduction. Volkswagen's layoffs mainly affect production personnel, and white-collar employees are more likely to lose naturally. Volkswagen Anhui, a joint venture in which Volkswagen holds a 75% stake, has basically become the first choice for internal employees to transfer and the receiving place for personnel turnover.
Volkswagen Group has already optimized its personnel at the headquarters level. After announcing a sharp decline in profits in the first quarter, Volkswagen Group announced plans to improve its full-year performance in 2024 by reducing the size of its German administrative staff, with a total severance pay of up to 900 million euros (equivalent to approximately 6.975 billion yuan). It is reported that Volkswagen Group's 2023 financial report shows that Volkswagen's revenue will increase by 15.5% in 2023, but the profit growth rate is almost negligible. In terms of delivery volume, Volkswagen Group delivered 9.24 million vehicles last year, and the delivery volume of pure electric vehicles was 771,100 vehicles, accounting for only 8.3% of total sales.
Last month, FAW-Volkswagen Foshan Branch launched a personnel optimization and adjustment, and nearly 700 employees will face layoffs. In addition to N times the economic compensation, they will also provide additional compensation such as special benefits and performance bonuses. This year is not even halfway through, and according to incomplete statistics, the wave of layoffs in the automotive industry has affected more than 30,000 people. (Jiemian News)
Industry News
INDUSTRY NEWS
Cadillac dealers offer buy one get one free, and traditional brands such as BMW and Cadillac have slashed prices for promotions
A Cadillac dealer in Harbin recently released a poster saying, "Buy one, get one free" - if consumers purchase an XT5 or XT6 at the recommended price, they can get a CT4 with the lowest configuration for free. At the same time, it is said that the price of the BMW i3 pure electric car has plummeted. The official recommended price of the 2024 eDrive 35L is reduced from 353,900 yuan to less than 190,000 yuan, with an unprecedented discount.
A media reporter visited several car dealerships in Shanghai and found that traditional luxury car brands such as BMW and Cadillac not only reduced their prices, but also reduced them by a considerable amount.
BMW China explained that the entire industry is in a difficult situation at present, and automakers and dealers need to work together. BMW has a guide price for each model, but dealer sales are market behaviors and have their own transaction prices. As a world-renowned automobile brand, BMW still has strong product and brand power, and hopes that the industry can develop healthily.
A person from SAIC-GM said that the "buy one get one free" policy is not supported by the automaker but by the dealers. (Shanghai Securities News)
Ideal Auto adjusts its sales target for 2024 again, and the growth rate of stores has also slowed down
According to Wandian.com, Ideal has lowered its full-year sales target twice this year. In February this year, on the eve of the launch of Ideal MEGA, Li Xiang first proposed a full-year sales target of 800,000 vehicles and achieved "No. 1 in sales of luxury car brands in the Chinese market" that year. This target was lowered shortly afterwards. In March, due to the order volume of MEGA and the 2024 L model falling short of expectations, Ideal adjusted its full-year sales target to "a 50%-70% increase on the basis of 2023 sales", that is, 560,000-640,000 vehicles.
After the release of three pure electric SUVs was postponed, Ideal once again lowered its annual sales target. It plans to achieve an average monthly sales of 50,000 vehicles in the second half of this year. Previously, in October 2023, Ideal CEO Li Xiang posted on Weibo that if the monthly average sales were only 50,000 vehicles next year, he would have to go out and find a job.
It is reported that after the sales target was adjusted, not only were there layoffs, but the growth rate of stores also slowed down. Ideal originally planned to open more than 800 stores, but the number of stores has been adjusted to less than 600. As of May 19, Ideal has opened 43 new retail stores this year, and the total number of retail stores is 488. The pace of store opening has slowed down, but store operations need to be more refined. In early May, Ideal established the MEGA Special Forces. The overall idea is to transfer some sales elites and concentrate on selling MEGA. In order to improve sales efficiency, Ideal recently merged the functions of the retail and delivery headquarters into sales. An Ideal person told us that Ideal has both commercial (headquarters) and regional (headquarters). When it is good, it is very good, and when it is chaotic, it exacerbates the chaos. There are also contradictions between sales and delivery, so sales and delivery are merged together.
Some netizens said that even with the L6 in May, the price could not exceed 40,000 yuan, and then the price was reduced for promotion? The price was reduced once in the first half of the year. In addition, the rival Q7 was just released, and the second half of the year was followed by the release of Weilai Ledao, Xiaopeng Mona, and other modified cars. The second half of the year will be a difficult time for Ideal. (
Late Auto)
Xiaomi cars appear on high school exams, involving 3 multiple-choice questions
On June 5, Xiaomi Group's Wang Xiaoyan posted a photo showing Xiaomi cars on the second-year geography test paper of a high school in Guangxi. There were three questions about Xiaomi cars in the test paper, namely "the distribution characteristics of the first batch of Xiaomi car delivery centers", "the main purpose of Xiaomi cars adopting the direct sales model", and "the reason why Xiaomi cars will be mass-produced and launched in three years".
It is reported that the title is: In March 2021, domestic smartphone giant Xiaomi Group announced its entry into the smart electric vehicle market. In September 2021, Xiaomi Auto was established in Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, focusing on the research and development and production of new energy vehicles. In March 2024, Xiaomi Auto held a listing conference. In April 2024, Xiaomi Auto began to deliver in the first batch of 29 cities at its self-built delivery centers.
Zhou Hongyi reminds Nezha Auto CEO Zhang Yong: Don’t get carried away by the large number of orders for Nezha L
June 5 news: Recently, a Weibo post by Nezha Auto CEO Zhang Yong, "No one is starting a business anymore, everyone is working on entrepreneurial IP," sparked heated discussion.
In response, 360 Chairman Zhou Hongyi released a video saying, "I think the problem with Nezha Auto is not discussing with others whether to increase traffic or not. Without traffic, there are no customers. The biggest problem with Nezha is that it is not well-known at all, and there is no mention rate. Most people don't even know the name. Why would they buy your car? Now that it has gained a certain degree of popularity, I heard that the delivery is not keeping up. I think Mr. Zhang should pay attention to the delivery issue, otherwise even if you are given a huge amount of traffic, you can't handle it."
Zhou Hongyi said, "Don't get carried away just because Nezha Auto has received more orders. I think we should remain modest and cautious and continue to focus on traffic. Regardless of whether the traffic is generated by ourselves or obtained by others, I think traffic represents the ability to acquire customers and the degree of awareness of users. We must make a comeback with Nezha L." (Zhou Hongyi's Weibo)
Ideal L9 accident driver questioned LCC, product manager responded that the driver had taken over manually before the accident: driving recorder restored the truth
On June 5, according to a recent report by 1818 Golden Eye, at the end of last month, Xiao Wu was driving Ideal L9 on the Hangzhou Airport Expressway and had an accident. She said that she had turned on LCC, which means lane centering, and the car turned right by itself, and the accident happened. She was also injured and hospitalized. She suspected that it was caused by a vehicle recognition error. In an interview, she said that because the road conditions were relatively good, she turned on LCC lane keeping, and suddenly the car turned right by itself, crossed multiple lanes and hit a normal-driving vehicle, and then lost control and hit the central isolation guardrail, and finally hit the iron horse on the ramp before stopping.
The topic related to the incident became a hot search on Weibo. In response, Ideal product manager @哲伦班长 said on Weibo that he had contacted the owner and made corresponding explanations. In the accident, the driver first manually took over the LCC through the steering wheel, and then the vehicle deviated from the lane. After the manual takeover, the vehicle will take the driver's manual control as the highest priority. The 1818 Golden Eye video shows that before the accident, Xiao Wu was driving in slippers, his hands were not on the steering wheel, and his feet were not on the accelerator. (1818 Golden Eye)
Zhou Hongyi said that he was blind not to invest in Leapmotor
Recently, 360 Chairman Zhou Hongyi said in a conversation with Leapmotor founder Zhu Jiangming: "I almost invested in Leapmotor back then, but I was blind." However, Zhou Hongyi followed up by saying very tactfully that although he had invested in Nezha, he did not consider it a competitor.
"I think whether it's Nezha or Leapmotor, whoever can develop will contribute to domestic brands," Zhou Hongyi said. Finally, he also invited Zhu Jiangming to do some live broadcasts together in the future and to visit Leapmotor's factory when he has time. (Fast Technology)
NIO gets approval to build third factory in China: total production capacity will exceed 1 million vehicles, approaching the scale of Tesla factory in Shanghai
On June 5, Reuters reported that three people familiar with the matter revealed that NIO has been approved to build a third factory in China with an approved production capacity of 600,000 vehicles. The total production capacity of the three factories will increase to 1 million vehicles, almost the same size as Tesla's Shanghai factory (1.1 million vehicles).
Anonymous sources said that NIO, China's eighth-largest electric vehicle maker by sales, has started construction of its third plant, the F3 plant, but it is unclear when it will start mass production. The F3 plant, located in Huainan, Anhui province, will mainly produce vehicles for NIO's sub-brand "ONVO", the people added.
NIO told Reuters that it has begun construction of its third factory, with an initial production capacity of 100,000 vehicles. The expansion plan is aimed at meeting the growing demand for NIO and Ledao brand cars. "The production capacity of our existing factories is insufficient to meet market demand. NIO does not have excess capacity." When asked whether the F3 factory would expand its production capacity to 600,000 vehicles in the future, NIO did not respond. (Phoenix Technology)
BYD Fudi received an order from Tesla for energy storage batteries, with an order value of approximately RMB 3.5 billion
According to news on June 5, BYD's subsidiary Fudi Battery has reached a supply agreement with Tesla for the Shanghai Energy Storage Factory in March this year, and will supply energy storage cells to Tesla in the first quarter of next year. According to people familiar with the matter, Tesla's Shanghai Energy Storage Factory currently only plans the Megapack product line, and Fudi's supply share exceeds 20%.
It is understood that the designed annual production capacity of the Shanghai Tesla energy storage plant is 40GWh, so Fudi's order corresponds to a supply of more than 8GWh at full capacity. According to industry prices, the annual order value is about 3.5 billion yuan. At present, the factory's battery cells are supplied by CATL and Fudi. Fudi's successful order will help improve its competitiveness in the battery market. (Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, Late Post)
Well-known car critics
blasted Zhou Hongyi crazily in Zhang Yong's comment section, Zhang Yong: I'm not familiar with you, don't fan the flames and sow discord.
On June 5, Nezha Auto CEO Zhang Yong posted a Weibo post expressing his feelings: I heard a joke today, and I have been feeling it recently: No one is starting a business anymore, they are all doing IP for entrepreneurs. This has caused a lot of controversy, and many people think he is alluding to some people, including Zhou Hongyi. Car critic Yan Chuang reposted this Weibo post and said fiercely: Since Zhou Hongyi started to become an Internet celebrity, he has been nothing more than going wherever there is traffic, while Nezha's sales and attention have continued to decline. This is the so-called embrace of domestic new energy.
Zhang Yong then posted another Weibo post, saying that with the help and support of Lao Zhou (Zhou Hongyi), Nezha has received unprecedented attention and boosted the growth of product orders
.
Half of the credit for the success of Nezha L goes to Lao Zhou. At the same time, Zhang Yong also said that Zhou Hongyi is an investor and invested 1.9 billion yuan in real money.
Unexpectedly, Yan Chuang himself reappeared in the comment section and reposted a Weibo post saying, "It is meaningless to treat hooligans with the gentleman's way of tolerance and forbearance. Hooligans must be treated in a hooligan way. I hope Nezha Auto will be freed soon." In response to this comment, Zhang Yong said, "I don't know you well, don't fan the flames here." Some netizens also suggested to Yan Chuang, "Why don't you pay 1.9 billion to kick Lao Zhou out."
The vice president of Great Wall Motors' intelligent business was criticized by netizens. He responded: Doubts are inevitable, so it is better to turn them into motivation for progress.
On June 5, a netizen posted a post complaining that the poor intelligence of Great Wall Motors was related to the vice president of Great Wall Motors' intelligent business, and questioned the vice president's speaking skills and whether he was competent. The netizen said that Wei Jianjun asked the vice president to demonstrate how to lower the air conditioning temperature, but the vice president shouted "Hello, Xiaoha" several times, but the car did not respond. Then the vice president said: "I am too far away. Is it far to sit in the back seat?" and "People often say that you get what you pay for, and the intelligence of our car is the same.
Wu Huixiao, Vice President of Intelligent Product of Great Wall Motors, said on Weibo that it was not embarrassing, but live streaming did have risks. We had tested it many times before, and although it was a two-tone zone, the back row could be awakened regardless of low noise or high noise, and the voice navigation of waypoints was successful at the beginning of the live broadcast. At the highway, Xiaoha was actually awakened, but the live broadcast volume was very low at the time, and she couldn't see clearly whether the voice assistant was awakened from the angle of the back row, so she leaned forward to see.
Regarding netizens' doubts about whether Wu Huixiao is competent as the vice president of intelligentization, Wu Huixiao said that such doubts are not only from outside, but also from the internal team, the boss, and herself. Everyone also joked that this is a high-risk job. The existence of such doubts is inevitable, so it is better to turn doubts into motivation for progress. (Sanyan Finance)
Xiaomi Robotics officially moved into Xiaomi Automobile Factory in Yizhuang, Beijing
On June 4, Beijing Yizhuang officially announced that Beijing Xiaomi Robotics Technology Co., Ltd. officially moved to the Beijing Yizhuang Xiaomi Automobile Factory. According to reports, Xiaomi Robotics is currently promoting the phased implementation of humanoid robots in its own manufacturing system. In the short term, Xiaomi Robotics is a dedicated intelligent robot that is used in certain scenarios of intelligent manufacturing and will be expanded to more scenarios in the future.
Zeng Xuezhong, senior vice president of Xiaomi Group and president of the mobile phone division, said: "In the future, we will take root in Beijing Yizhuang, a place of innovation. We hope to work together with industry partners to continue to promote the development of the robotics industry. An 'era of human-machine integration' composed of intelligent machines, humanoid robots and human experts will surely come faster." (Beijing Yizhuang official account)
Huawei Hongmeng Zhixing delivered 30,578 new cars in May, and the M9 delivered 15,875 cars, accounting for 51.9%
On June 5, Hongmeng Zhixing officially announced the delivery data for May: a total of 30,578 new cars were delivered, and a total of 148,098 cars were delivered throughout the year, ranking first in sales of new brands in the Chinese market. Among them, the M9 delivered 15,875 units, ranking first in sales of luxury cars above 500,000 yuan, and also set a new record for sales of luxury cars in China; the Zhijie S7 steadily delivered 3,455 units.
According to the production and sales report for May 2024 released by SERES, SERES sold 34,130 new energy vehicles that month, a year-on-year increase of 298.62%. The cumulative sales for the year reached 156,823 units, a cumulative year-on-year increase of 342.35%.
Xpeng X9 wins China's pure electric MPV single-week sales crown: sales exceed Ideal MEGA by 3 times
On June 5, a blogger shared a latest pure electric MPV sales list, which was collected from May 27 to June 2. The list shows that Xpeng X9 won the single-week sales champion of China's pure electric MPV with a sales volume of 494 units, far ahead of other models. Compared with the recent blockbuster model MGAE launched by Ideal, the single-week sales volume of Xpeng X9 is more than three times that of MEGA, which sold 141 units per week.
The 2024 Volkswagen ID.3 will be available in three configurations, with prices dropping to 36,900 euros
On June 5, Volkswagen ID.3, a small, relatively affordable and stylish electric hatchback, has been selling well in regions other than North America since its launch in 2019. In order to enhance its market competitiveness, Volkswagen recently launched three new configurations of the 2024 ID.3 models and lowered the prices of some models.
The 2024 ID.3 features a new front bumper and an upgraded infotainment system, among other details. The most significant upgrade is the addition of three new configurations: ProS, Pure and GTX. Volkswagen also launched a new entry-level Pure model, which is equipped with a 168-horsepower motor and a 52kWh battery pack, with a range of 385 kilometers and a starting price of only 36,900 euros (currently about 291,000 yuan), which is much more affordable than the Pro version's 47,595 euros (currently about 375,000 yuan).
It is worth mentioning that the new ID.3 finally adds a battery preheating function, which is a major pain point of the old model. This function can be turned on manually or automatically when the vehicle navigates to a DC fast charging station. Thanks to battery preheating, the maximum charging power of the new ID.3 can reach 175kW, which is a significant improvement over the 120kW of the old model. (Autohome)
Industry attention
INDUSTRY FOCUS
Japanese government raids Yamaha Motor headquarters, finds fraud in vehicle performance tests
On June 5, following the inspection of Toyota Motor, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan began to inspect the Yamaha Motor headquarters in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Yamaha Motor was found to have conducted noise tests on a production model under inappropriate conditions and to have committed other violations. Two models produced in the past filled in the vehicle identification code of another car when submitting the horn test documents, and one of the production models has stopped shipping.
During the on-site inspection, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will check the test data of the violations, question the responsible persons and senior executives, and investigate the detailed facts. Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan announced on June 3 that in view of the continuous violations of Daihatsu Industries and other companies in Japan in the process of obtaining the model certification required for mass production of automobiles and engines, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan instructed a total of 85 automobile production companies to investigate whether there are similar situations. (NHK)
The most valuable domestic brand among large pure electric SUVs: NIO’s three-year value retention rate is over 60%
On June 5, the China Automobile Dealers Association and Jingzhengu jointly released the "Research Report on China's Automobile Retention Value in May 2024". The report shows that compared with April, the retention rates of all levels of models in May have declined to varying degrees, among which fuel vehicles accounted for the vast majority.
However, unlike the decline in the value retention rate of fuel vehicles, the value retention rate of leading new energy brands has risen against the trend. In the traditional second-hand fuel vehicle market, the value retention rate of luxury brands has remained high, with a three-year value retention rate of more than 60%. This report shows that Tesla's value retention rate ranks higher than Land Rover, indicating that electric vehicles have been recognized by consumers in the second-hand market. At the same time, the value retention rates of NIO's three models, EC7, ES8, and ES7, are all above 60%; among them, NIO EC7 and ES8 have become the most valuable Chinese brand models among large pure electric SUVs with scores of 67.3% and 67% respectively.
The United States has raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to 100%, and Polestar CEO is puzzled by this: I hope to achieve "fair trade"
On June 5, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath expressed "puzzlement" about the Biden administration's decision to increase tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles. He hoped that even if free trade could not be achieved, at least fair trade could be achieved.
“If the tariffs became 100% overnight, there would be a certain instability,” Englat said at the recent Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 launch event in Spain. Although Polestar has deep roots in China and is partly owned by Geely Automobile, the company began exploring ways to globalize production three years ago.
Thanks to this, the Polestar 3 that Polestar will sell in the United States this year will no longer need to be imported from China. The car will be produced at the Volvo plant near Charleston, South Carolina. Similarly, the Polestar 4 will also be produced at the Renault Korea Motor Company plant in Busan, South Korea, which will also avoid tariff issues when entering the US market. (Drive China)
Honda's cumulative sales in China from January to May were 346,940 vehicles, down 16.7% year-on-year
On June 5, Honda China announced its sales in May. Honda China sold 66,202 vehicles in May. From January to May, Honda's cumulative terminal car sales in China were 346,940 vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 16.7%. Moreover, Honda's sales in China are still in an embarrassing situation of continuous decline. Data shows that Honda's sales in China in 2023 will be 1.2342 million vehicles, a year-on-year decrease of 10%. Due to shrinking demand, Honda is also reported to plan to cut 20% of its production capacity in China.
In fact, it is not just Honda that has seen a decline in sales. Japanese car brands in the Chinese market, such as Toyota and Nissan, have also shown a downward trend. In April this year, the market share of Japanese passenger cars in China fell to 15.2%, a new low since 2013. However, unlike the decline in sales of Japanese and other joint venture brands, the sales of domestic brands have soared year by year in recent years. According to the China Passenger Car Association, in the first quarter of this year, BYD sold 586,006 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 15.2%; Geely Auto sold 388,680 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 46.2%; and Changan Automobile sold 384,586 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 27%. (Sohu Auto)
Two former Apple executives join GM to lead its software division
On June 5, General Motors announced on Monday that it had appointed former Apple executives Baris Cetinok and Dave Richardson to lead the software and services division. They will officially replace Mike Abbott, who left in March due to health reasons. It is worth mentioning that Apple quietly canceled its years-long self-driving car project "Project Titan" earlier this year.
Cetinok will serve as GM's senior vice president of software and services product management, program management and design, while Richardson will expand his existing responsibilities to become senior vice president of software and services engineering.
GM executive: Cadillac sedans are not dead, a new generation of pure electric sedans will be launched
On June 5, it was reported that Cadillac is currently developing a new generation of sedans. Mike Simcoe, vice president of global design at General Motors, revealed at a recent media roundtable that Cadillac's new sedan will be released in the next few years and the company will launch a new sedan product portfolio.
He also said that in Cadillac's future product lineup, economical pure electric sedans will have a place. "SUVs are inevitable. They have occupied the market as a comfortable and rational choice. However, for those who can afford it, there will always be people who will choose models other than SUVs as their second car. Sedans are not dead."
Cadillac has previously released a pure electric sedan, Celestiq, which focuses on "ultimate luxury". The first limited edition Celestiq has begun to be hand-assembled at the General Motors Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, USA this year, and the annual production is expected to be between 100 and 150 vehicles. (Australian car media "DRIVE")
China Passenger Car Association: In May, the new energy vehicle market sold 790,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 36%, and wholesaled 903,000 units
According to data from the China Passenger Car Association on June 5, preliminary statistics show that the passenger car market retailed 1.685 million vehicles in May, down 3% year-on-year and up 10% month-on-month. The cumulative retail sales so far this year have reached 8.052 million vehicles, up 5% year-on-year. The wholesale volume in May reached 2.01 million vehicles. Although the year-on-year growth rate was 0%, it increased by 3% month-on-month. So far this year, the cumulative wholesale volume of passenger cars in my country has reached 9.56 million vehicles, up 8% year-on-year.
From May 1 to 31 this year, passenger car manufacturers nationwide wholesaled 903,000 new energy vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 33% and a month-on-month increase of 15%. The cumulative wholesale volume this year has reached 3.643 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 31%.
BAIC BluePark was selected into the first batch of pilot projects for intelligent connected vehicle access and road access
On June 5, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport announced the first batch of nine consortia to carry out the pilot of intelligent connected vehicle access and road traffic on June 4. The consortium is composed of automobile manufacturers and users, including Beijing Auto BluePark Magna Automobile Co., Ltd. and BYD Auto Industry Co., Ltd.
According to reports, the organization and implementation of the pilot is divided into five stages, namely, pilot application, product access pilot, road access pilot, pilot suspension and withdrawal, and evaluation and adjustment. Next, the four departments will guide the consortium that enters the pilot to carry out the pilot implementation work. (Titanium Media)
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