From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 87 The Mini-Car Market—Its King Has Arrived!

If the initial unveiling of the Star Mini was like throwing a pebble into a calm car market, creating ripples in the water...

Then.

With the expansion of offline stores and channels, the Star Mini has truly begun to face the consumer market and gradually demonstrate the amazing dominance unique to "mini models".

Car dealerships, billboards along city roads, and large shopping malls with high foot traffic.

A brand new, simple yet technologically advanced car logo has appeared quietly.

……

Magic City.

Wanda Plaza.

That year, large commercial centers were extremely popular.

The entrances on the first and second floors are crowded with a large number of people.

The brand stores are exquisitely decorated on all four sides, but the central area is an empty exhibition area.

The exhibition area in this location usually displays cars from luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, and occasionally some cars from second- or third-tier brands.

The average price is generally above 300,000.

As for even lower-priced cars, they are basically nowhere to be seen.

The main problem is that the rental fees are too high, and most car companies believe that the return on investment in exposure is not high.

On the other hand, it also reflects the neglect of low-priced models.

Products targeting the low-end market have very limited budgets for both research and development and marketing, and are not given much attention. Traditional OEMs believe that relying on offline channels to dump low-end models is already quite widespread.

There was absolutely no intention to promote the brand image or to target areas frequented by young people.

...

A small, exquisitely rounded mini car was displayed in the exhibition area.

The white body with its rounded front and short rear, the unique and compact wheels, and the design that sets it apart from all current mainstream models have attracted many young people to stop and admire it.

The most attractive part is still the large number "42000" after the price subsidy.

"Huh... what kind of car is this? It's so cute."

"An old man's car? No... this looks like a new energy vehicle that can be registered. It's rare to find a car company that can make such a small car look so good."

"Let's sit inside and try it out. It looks pretty nice in here."

A group of people were discussing it, their expressions surprised.

Several young men simply opened the car door and got in without any hesitation.

But when they entered the car, their expressions of surprise and slight curiosity deepened.

Next to the display vehicle, besides a salesperson responsible for overseeing the site, there were free bottled water and QR code signs.

Before long, it was surrounded by people and became a "scenic spot".

"Honey, what do you think of this car?"

A young couple was passing by, and the mother suddenly stopped in her tracks when she saw the Starry Night Mini.

"Isn't this a lifesaver for old men?" The man was slightly taken aback.

"What do you mean by 'old man's car'? The sign says it's a registered new energy vehicle. Don't you think this car is perfect for me to drive alone?"

"We already have two cars at home, and a parking space, so you can drive whichever one you like, right?"

The man looked completely bewildered.

“Your two cars are so big and clumsy, they’re so hard to drive… I scrape them every time I park or turn corners, it’s infuriating! I want a small car to drive, isn’t this one perfect? ​​Look, it’s only 40,000 yuan, and it’s a new energy vehicle, so registration is free.”

The man's lips twitched violently: "..."

Those two are his beloved cars!

The cheapest one costs two or three hundred thousand yuan, and it also includes a parking space. He works hard without complaint, and when his car gets scratched, he can only feel bad in silence.

Now look what's happened! It's actually inferior to this little car that's just a fraction of the purchase tax?
To be honest, he's really annoyed.

He scrutinized the "new gadget" before him with a critical eye, but when he saw the interior space, the price, range, and features such as airbags, his furrowed brows relaxed.

Hmm...it doesn't seem impossible. Compared to the frequent scratches and damage to the other two cars every year, and the ever-increasing insurance premiums, even if this car is completely wrecked, how much money will it cost?

All things considered, it definitely saves money.

It can also reduce the suffering of my other two beloved cars, and most importantly, it can give me some peace and quiet.

"purchase!"

……

The car park in the city.

Numerous car brand 4S stores have opened in quick succession.

As can be seen, this area is dominated by traditional domestic car brands.

Both at the entrance and in the showroom, the cars on display range from entry-level to affordable models costing over 100,000 yuan, targeting the entry-level and mid-range markets. The flow of people coming to look at and buy cars is also very stable.

Several of these are traditional brands, all operated by a single large distributor.

Nearby these exhibition halls are large cooperative repair shops and flexibly rented storefronts, forming a cluster of the city's automotive industry.

Recently, a "newcomer" has arrived at the traditional auto park.

Hu Bin is a small dealer who has just joined the Xingchen Auto system. Before that, he was actually selling and repairing tricycles. His business was only so-so, just better than working for someone else.

Later, through a friend's introduction, I caught the wave of the popularity of high-quality replica old man's cars and bought a lot of Xingchen 01 and 02 models, which I then sold to towns and more remote rural areas.

He personally went to these places, hired people to deliver cars and contact customers. Through his efforts, he sold a lot of cars and earned his first pot of gold!

Later, he attended the dealer conference of Xingchen Auto.

According to his own personality.

It's highly unlikely that they would have the idea of ​​opening their own car dealership.

In his view, those who can open car dealerships are all big bosses, and their joint ventures with others often involve millions of dollars.

Even if he makes some money, it can't compare to that; he simply doesn't have that kind of foundation.

However, after listening to Mr. Xu's speech at the dealer conference, he suddenly had a moment of impulsiveness and went all in!
They operate on a joint venture model with manufacturers.

But after going all in, I felt completely lost.

I'm completely clueless about how to assess and select locations for brand stores, how many sales staff to hire, and how to train them.

At this point, the manufacturer's "assistance" arrived.

The sales system is uniformly trained by the manufacturer, and there are also market personnel dispatched by the headquarters to provide on-site operational guidance for three months.

Choosing a location is even simpler.

“Our Xingchen Auto sells entry-level cars around 50,000 yuan, so we don’t need to do market research… Just keep an eye on other car brand dealerships in the city, find out where cars in this price range sell the most, and drive there.”

Upon hearing these words from the manufacturer's instructor, Hu Bin felt as if the wrinkles in his cerebral cortex had been instantly smoothed out!

Simple and mindless – replacing thinking!
That makes so damn true!
So he chose this location for the store.

Next to it are dealerships of Geely, Changan, and Wuling.

Rows of Geely King Kong, Changan Benben, and Wuling Hongguang, all priced around 50,000 yuan, were neatly arranged outside, clearly indicating a sales-driven strategy.

According to Hu Bin's observation, these entry-level commuter cars priced between 40,000 and 60,000 yuan have a considerable monthly sales volume, with a single store able to sell dozens of units per month.

A single model like the Geely King Kong can sell tens of thousands of units nationwide every month, making it a top player in the 50,000 RMB price range.

After renovations, Xingchen Auto's store officially opened, and rows of Xingchen Minis in various colors were put on display.

This move naturally attracted the attention of sales staff in other stores.

Inside the Geely 4S store, two salespeople were looking outside.

"Another new store has opened."

"With government support, electric vehicles are really popular..."

"What's the use of being popular? There was a brand called Zhidou that opened a store before, but what happened? It was a no-name brand... a piece of junk, and it went out of business after a short time."

"Yeah, it's more reliable to go with traditional big manufacturers when it comes to franchising. Small distributors and individuals invest recklessly. Don't be fooled by the low entry barriers of emerging brands; they're bound to fail."

……

(End of this chapter)