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Changan Ford proves that returning to mainstream circuit is not empty talk

From:Internet Info Agency 2021-01-04 16:51:35

Changan Ford, which experienced the painful period of 2019, has shown signs of stopping the decline and rebounding. Recently, the company announced the total sales of Changan Ford and Lincoln brands in the first November of 2020. The cumulative sales of Changan Ford from January to November 2020 are 222,174 units, a year-on-year increase of nearly 34%. Among them, Changan Ford sold 20,291 units in November, an increase of nearly 30% year-on-year, and sales exceeded 20,000 units for three consecutive months, outperforming the overall growth rate of the Chinese passenger car market.

Toughest year for the brand

Specifically, SUV models such as the Explorer and the Escape have become the main force in sales increase. Official data show that from January to November 2020, the Changan Ford SUV achieved a year-on-year growth of nearly 70%, of which the sales of the Edge increased by 4%.

In June 2020, the sixth-generation Explorer was officially launched, and more than 5,000 units were ordered in just one month. This model won the top sales of medium and large SUVs in the range of more than 350,000 yuan, achieving a positive quarter-on-quarter growth. It can be seen from the high-end SUV sales rankings released by China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) that the Explorer has entered the top ten list.

The Escape has been a very important member of the Changan Ford brand since its launch in 2019. The outside world has placed high hopes on it and is regarded as the core force leading the brand back to the mainstream market. The Escape did not live up to expectations, and has won numerous applause since its launch. After going through the wait-and-see period just after the launch, the Escape sales in April 2020 exceeded the 5,000 mark from the previous 1,000 units, laying a good foundation for the recovery of Changan Ford brand sales.

The Edge, which is positioned as a mid-size SUV, has also gained the favor of the market. In November 2020, retail sales achieved a year-on-year double growth, with a year-on-year growth of 4% and a month-on-month growth of 6%. At present, Changan Ford's SUV lineup has achieved full coverage from small SUVs to medium and large SUVs.

For sedan, the Fox lineup achieved a year-on-year double growth in November 2020, with a year-on-year growth of 4% and a month-on-month growth of 5%.

Care about consumers' health and safety

While COVID-19 was still going on and some companies were anxious about how to survive, Changan Ford had begun to pick up sales. The brand sold 18,429 units in April 2020, an increase of 8% over the same period in 2019. The most important measure to ensure sales growth against the trend, Changan Ford has broken through the past car purchase methods, allowing users to solve the car purchase problem without leaving home.

During the special period of the epidemic, in order to reduce the risk of going out, Changan Ford launched an online car service.

When offline dealers receive the order, they will agree with the consumer in advance the delivery time of the new car, and do a good job of disinfection and protection of the staff and the new car. After delivery, the staff will explain the functions of the new car to users in the form of video, which fully narrowed the time that consumers stay outside.

If consumers have a test drive demand, they can make an appointment for a test drive. After completing their personal information, they can choose a dealer to directly make an appointment for a test drive. The staff will also measure the body temperature every day and disinfect the entire test drive vehicle to ensure the health and safety of consumers in all aspects.

The sudden pandemic has disrupted the normal operation of society, economic development has been severely affected, and corporate profits have been gradually reduced. As a joint venture brand, Changan Ford not only tries its best to save itself, but also actively fulfills its social responsibilities. After the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Changan Ford immediately donated 2 million yuan in cash to actively support the frontline epidemic prevention and control.

The good corporate image established by Changan Ford has also contributed to the continuous increase in sales. However, the market's test of Changan Ford continues, and performance has improved, but we still cannot relax our vigilance. To return to the peak, Changan Ford will need to launch more new products to maintain the current growth pace.

New products, new plans

In the third quarter of 2019, Changan Ford announced that by the end of 2021, at least 18 new models will be launched in succession to further improve the product lineage. This is another landmark decision after Ford announced the "Ford China Strategy 2.0" and "Ford China Product 330 Plan" in April 2019.

At present, Changan Ford has successively launched a variety of new products such as the new Ford Escape, the sixth-generation Explorer, the Fox Safari version, and the Edge five-seater.

For NEV, Changan Ford has the Territorial EV. Facing the fiercely competitive BEV, Changan Ford plans to launch five new energy models by the end of 2021, including the Mustang Mach-E, a pure electric SUV. It is reported that the new car adopts pure electric drive, and the NEDC operating range will exceed 600 kilometers.

Lincoln set record sales

Lincoln brand sales performance was remarkable, with cumulative sales of 33,727 from January to November 2020. Among them, the sales of the entire series in November exceeded 7,400 units, an increase of 82% year-on-year. The brand had set a single-month sales record for 4 consecutive months, and achieved a year-on-year double growth for 7 consecutive months.

In terms of specific models, the brand-new Lincoln Corsair were sold more than 4,000 vehicles for three consecutive months. The cumulative sales in the nine months since its launch exceeded 27,000 units. Such strong sales also helped the Lincoln brand to win more users. As the best-selling model of the Lincoln brand, the Corsair also played an important role in promoting the Lincoln brand to hit annual sales.

The new Lincoln Aviator has been selling well. Since its launch in July 2020, it has successfully entered the ranks of hot-selling models in the SUV segment. In November 2020, the sales of the all-new Lincoln Aviator refreshed again, and the cumulative sales in the five months after its launch has exceeded 6,000 units.

Strictly implementing the epidemic prevention and control measures

In order to prevent the spread of the virus, the exhibition halls and customer rest areas of Lincoln Center are disinfected twice a day in the morning and evening. Service personnel in the exhibition halls wear masks and gloves throughout the process, monitor body temperature and health conditions daily, and establish an epidemic contact mechanism to popularize epidemic prevention knowledge.

The Lincoln Center has established an appointment-to-store mechanism to ensure that customers are in a comfortable and safe in-store environment. At the same time, they register and measure their body temperature, inform the exhibition hall that they have been disinfected, and provide disposable gloves. After entering the store, the chief consultant will provide customers with one-to-one services throughout the entire process, and will maintain a social distance of more than one meter when negotiating with customers.

Every test drive and show car at Lincoln Center will be fully disinfected and marked. At the same time, on-site test drive will be provided. After the test drive, the vehicle will be disinfected in time. The after-sales maintenance workshop and tools of the Lincoln Center will also be disinfected regularly. In addition, every scooter and emergency vehicle at Lincoln Center will be thoroughly disinfected every day before leaving the vehicle.

At least two new limited edition models per year

Active resumption of work during the epidemic has become an important guarantee for Lincoln's repeated sales volume. In the face of the unpredictable market, it is important to understand the needs of users at this stage. And how to increase market share in the future is also a topic worth considering.

Lincoln once proposed that from 2019 to 2021, it plans to launch 7 new models in the Chinese market. At the same time, Lincoln will "launch at least two limited edition models" every year.

Author: Every break is a rebirth. Only when it reaches the bottom can it bottom out and rebound. Changan Ford has passed the 2020 year which is called "the toughest year" by the world. The brand uses a steady and steady approach to continuously improve the brand's marketing capabilities and product quality, so that the trajectory of returning to the " mainstream circuit " becomes clearer. I believe that in the future, Changan Ford's rebound momentum will be even further.

Editor:Mao Kaiyue