Observation: new forces have fallen one after another, and making cars has become a capital game.
[Know the way of car observation] Ten yearsBefore, new energy vehicles were like a spring breeze, favorable policies continued, the capital market was surging, and new forces to build cars were born. The new energy market was full of vitality, reaching more than 400 at its peak. With the help of capital, the new forces bid farewell to the "PPT grand blueprint" on paper, achieved a historic leap from "0 to 1" and officially opened a confrontation with traditional car companies in the market.
However, it is not easy to be new, and it is even harder to survive. In the past two years, the domestic market environment has turned sharply, and the new energy automobile industry is facing reconstruction. Under the double blow of the cold winter and the epidemic situation in the automobile market, the negative news of the new forces of making cars continued, and some new forces were eliminated in the "survival war" and left the scene sadly. During the ups and downs, these new forces can’t achieve the leap of life and death, and it is inevitable to eliminate bad luck.
Yundu automobile: from glory to loneliness
Yundu Automobile, which once sold 20,000 vehicles in 2018, is caught in the storm of production suspension, or will become the first "new power enterprise" to go out in 2022.
Founded in 2015, Yundu Automobile became the second new energy passenger car manufacturer in China to pass the examination of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In October 2017, when Tesla still had a headache for production capacity in the United States, Yundu Automobile had released its first model, "Yundu π1". As the first batch of new power vehicles in China, "Yundu π1" enjoyed the subsidy and care of new energy policy earlier than "Wei Xiaoli", and Yundu π2 was successfully listed in only half a year.
When Weilai Automobile had only one model of Weilai ES8, and when most of the "new forces in building cars" were still in the "PPT" stage, Yundu Automobile had already realized the whole process of "R&D, delivery and after-sales", and in 2018, it achieved a brilliant sales of 26,000 vehicles, which was simply "the peak of debut".
However, the instantaneous brilliance of Yundu automobile obviously did not last forever. In 2019, sales declined, executives left, financing was weak, product quality problems occurred frequently, and industry competition became increasingly fierce. Yundu automobile gradually fell behind in the tide of new energy vehicles, even the previously planned Yundu X-π concept car and Yundu π7 were delayed.
Yundu Automobile, whose sales volume continues to be sluggish, "has no such car" in the eyes of consumers in just five years.
Future car: the future is uncertain, and the resurrection is indefinite.
After the negative news such as unpaid wages and broken capital chain was exploded in 2020, the future car began to be silent for two years. Recently, Guanwei was suddenly updated, and the parent company, Beijing Great Wall Huaguan Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., officially announced the signing of a formal merger agreement with SPAC Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp., and the future car will go overseas for IPO, with a pre-investment valuation of 1.25 billion US dollars. A series of actions show that the future car has not given up. Is it really necessary to "resurrect" the future car with "uncertain future"?
As the earliest batch of new car companies in China, Future Auto was established by Great Wall Huaguan in February 2015, specializing in the production of pure electric supercars. Because of its superb attainments in design, it is often compared with Porsche Taycan.
In August 2018, the K50, the first product of Future Auto, went on the market, positioning itself as a high-performance electric sports car. After subsidy, the price was as high as 686,800 yuan, which was the most expensive model among the new forces in China at that time. However, apart from the pure electric drive and super-running appearance, the product strength of K50 is not outstanding. The cruising range of 380km under NEDC condition and the acceleration ability of 4.6s are obviously not in line with its price of nearly 700,000, so the K50 will only end up selling 131 vehicles in one and a half years.
In the face of bleak product sales, the future car has experienced a break in the capital chain, employees asking for wages, withdrawing stores, etc. It was once hotly debated because of "no future", and even the news of bankruptcy was repeatedly reported. The official said that the future car will create a "private customization" mode and realize scale customization, and "customized service" is also the core selling point of the future car merger and reorganization bet. However, customized solutions are not uncommon in the automobile industry, and the rivals of future automobiles will be a number of domestic new energy automobile enterprises with stable development, such as Guangzhou Automobile Ai ‘an and Tucki, and the challenge is difficult to imagine.
Sailin Automobile: A Joke-making Expert
From the appearance of the Bird’s Nest to the listing auction, from the super sports car to the old man’s joy, it only took four years for Sailin Automobile to grandstand and die of illness.
Recently, an auction message about "Jiangsu S Automobile Company" issued by Nantong Intermediate People’s Court appeared on Ali auction platform, which auctioned an industrial land of nearly 940,000 square meters in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province with a value of 2.38 billion, which is the Nantong base of Sailin Automobile in Jiangsu Province.
The predecessor of Sailin Automobile was founded by Steve Sailin, a former American racer. The original product was a modified Ford model. Later, the self-developed supercar Sailin S7 was on the verge of bankruptcy and was packaged and sold to senior lawyer Wang Xiaolin. On July 20, 2019, Sailin Automobile spent 300 million yuan to hold a grand automobile brand launch conference in the Bird’s Nest, which was called "the most embarrassing in history". There were many star platforms such as Hollywood superstar Jason Statham, and Wang Xiaolin told the story of Sailin’s glorious history, introduced several Sailin supercars, and said that Sailin Automobile would help more people realize their dream of supercars.
Ironically, however, after rendering the scene momentum and atmosphere in place, Sai Lin’s first mass-produced electric car "Maimai" was unveiled at the finale. This two-door two-seat mini-electric car with a starting price of only 158,800 yuan and a battery life of 305km is no different from "Old Man Le", which obviously forms a huge "contrast" with the luxurious press conference that was built with huge investment. What is even more ridiculous is that "Old Man Le" only sold 9 vehicles two months after its listing, and only sold 27 vehicles in total by the end of May 2020, which became a big joke in the automobile industry.
However, Sai Lin’s jokes can be far more than that. A series of farce such as employee’s real name reporting, employee’s salary arrears, the escalation of shareholder conflicts, and the founder’s patting his ass to go abroad to "support the elderly" have frequently caused heated discussions.
Perhaps "being listed for auction" is the destined destination of Sailin Automobile.
Baiteng Automobile: Bankruptcy and liquidation, hopeless mass production.
After struggling for more than a year on the "line of life and death", Baiteng Automobile was finally awarded the title of "burning 8.4 billion yuan in three years to make a mass production car" and formally applied for bankruptcy liquidation.
Since its establishment in 2017, Baiteng Automobile has carried out six rounds of financing, with a total amount of 8.4 billion yuan, including many well-known enterprises such as China FAW, Tencent Investment, Foxconn, etc. However, this new car-making star, once regarded as the most promising new force, has spent 8.4 billion yuan but still can’t build a mass-produced car.
M-Byte, the first product of Baiteng Automobile, gained enough attention with its interior at the beginning of its appearance. The 48-inch comprehensive large screen is divided into three display areas, with driving-related information displayed on the left and navigation and other services displayed on the center and right. This nearly 50-inch large screen is full of gimmicks. At that time, the official also said that the new car will be officially put into production in mid-2020. However, under the catalysis of epidemic situation and market competition, the dream of mass production of Baiteng Automobile has failed.
In June, 2020, Baiteng laid off employees with unpaid wages, the factory was cut off from water and electricity, and the office rent was cancelled one after another. On July 1, Baiteng Automobile’s mainland business operation in China was shut down, which opened a long-term shutdown. It is necessary to know that at the beginning of the year, Baiteng executives vowed that they could achieve profitability and catch up with Tesla within three years. However, the fact is that in less than half a year, Baiteng Automobile was in deep bankruptcy, and the company legal person patted his ass and left a chicken feather.
Guo Zhijun: Didi may become a life-saving straw
As a member of the second echelon of the new force to build cars, Guo Zhijun Automobile belongs to SINOMACH. Since its establishment in 2017, it has only completed equity financing once. The existing models are GX5, GC1 and GC2, with an annual sales volume of only 2000, and its survival status is in jeopardy. Now it is the last straw.
Didi’s dream of building a car began in August 2021, and the unmanned vehicle route that it tried to take at the beginning of building a car ended in failure. This time, it chose Guo Zhijun as a partner to try to extend the car-making business to the C-end market.
As a marginalized brand in the new forces, Guo Zhiwei Jun can be selected by Didi, which may be quite a "chosen son". However, although cross-border car-making is a current market trend, it is also an "industry curse", which has defeated many players who have rushed into the market. Although Didi is related to automobiles, its own strength and achievements are more focused on the Internet. It is still difficult to create a world in the ranks of manufacturing.
Xiaobian has something to say:
After all, for most consumers, cars are not the product of "falling in love" after all, and quality and strength are the last word. Therefore, the new forces that are radical, bold and whimsical, utilitarian and purposeful will only die out.
Once entered the automobile industry as a "subversive", the new force of making cars is surging and fearless, and the future can be expected.
However, if you don’t accumulate steps, you won’t make a thousand miles. With the continuous development of the automobile industry, the elimination of the new energy market in the future will only intensify, and the new forces who want to survive in the fierce competition need more precipitation and accumulation.