Will the internal circulation of the automotive industry disappear after "killin

tech | 2024-05-12

Now, even more intense and cutthroat than the price wars are the speeches of the bigwigs on car forums.

This article represents my personal opinion only, after all, the bigwigs dare to say anything in public forums like this, and I believe that as a member of the media, there is nothing I shouldn't dare to say.

01

Regarding the atmospheric pressure fuel tank and non-compliant emissions

I hope to see the day when the truth is revealed as soon as possible, and by then, I believe all media will report on it. If we have truly made a mistake, we should stand up and take our lumps, and accept whatever penalties are due, without any issues.But I still believe that no one is qualified to convict before a trial. I extol integrity, support the fight against fraud, and even think that real-name reporting, even if we put aside the reasons for conflicts of interest, is commendable from the perspective of promoting the healthy development of the industry.

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However, the authority to make a final judgment does not belong to the whistleblower or the media; it is hoped that the relevant departments will provide an authoritative response as soon as possible.

02

Who is the Culprit of Involution

"Involution," I do not think it is only about price wars. Besides BYD launching the Glory Edition, has Tesla's frequent price reductions provoked a price war? Last year, Dongfeng Citroën's low prices, coupled with local subsidies, should they be held responsible for the price war?

The reason why a price war can be called a "war" is that it cannot be fought by one person alone. When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent.And attempting to attribute the causes of "involution" as if it were dirty water to be splashed onto certain brands is, in my view, at least unethical. Rather than saying that the market is competing on prices, it would be more accurate to say that the entire market is competing on "people."

Engineers and employees at every stage working overtime day and night, does this count as involution? Why can the original R&D cycle be compressed by 30% or even more out of thin air? When every participant in each link focuses solely on "When" to achieve their goals, aren't we all involved in involution?

Regardless of whether "involution" is a pejorative or a commendatory term, in my opinion, most manufacturers are indeed involved in it.

But would "killing" a BYD stop the market's involution and lead to healthy development? Would the price war cease? Are price reductions, overtime, and layoffs unique problems in the automotive market?All of this happened, all blamed on BYD's "rolling", and "suspected" of not following the rules while playing cards?

 

If that were the case, it would be simpler.

 

03

What exactly is "not rolling"

 

Its material is not rare, and the craftsmanship is not complicated. But the person who created it, the inner sense of relaxation is precious. When I saw it, I was deeply touched:

 

Living in an era that only cares about how to do things the fastest, rather than how to create fun, more and more new cars are piling up parameters and configuration tables, but fewer and fewer people are putting aesthetic taste and whimsy into a car—-not that they are incapable, but they don't have the time.Each Hermès Birkin bag requires a craftsman to spend 48 hours to create by hand, hence the average waiting time for customers can extend up to 6 years.

Those who truly understand AMG are not purchasing specifications and exterior kits, but rather the "ONE MAN, ONE ENGINE" philosophy: despite having the world's best assembly lines, they still provide each engineer with a dedicated workstation. The entire process of creating each engine is completed by a single engineer, and upon completion, a unique plaque bearing the engineer's signature is placed in the most conspicuous spot on the engine.

The much-talked-about 4.8-meter body line of Rolls-Royce requires highly experienced workers to spend over two hours to complete by hand.

True luxury, at least in one dimension, is the purchase of people's time with money—of course, this does not mean that we should regress from a highly industrialized state to that of craftsmen. However, at the very least, only those with a relaxed mindset can create products that are sufficiently relaxed and imbued with the joy of life.

To illustrate with an example that may not be entirely appropriate but is easy to understand: why is wagyu beef and free-range chicken more expensive than regular beef and broiler chicken? It's because they are raised in a more relaxed environment, and they are not mass-produced, easily accessible products.Loose and relaxed individuals are the ones for whom time is truly valuable. Behind the industrial products we ultimately purchase lies human time—this is also the fundamental reason why, in my eyes, products that rely on stacking and plagiarism can never command a premium.

Undoubtedly, in today's market, a sense of relaxation is rare and precious, as everyone is too tense—so tense that even discussions on car forums become sharp and confrontational, and the source of problems is often directed at a particular brand, as if by eliminating this brand, all issues would be resolved effortlessly.

So tense that it's easier to blame others than to reflect on oneself. When one's own products don't sell well, it's relatively simpler to blame competitors for breaking the rules. Just as when facing difficulties, it's always easier to look outward for reasons and to complain, but it's always more challenging to break through inwardly and find innovative solutions.

What I want to convey is not to condone injustice—I'm saying that while insisting on justice and waiting for results, it does not conflict with doing one's own job well.

Confronting unfairness and injustice is a form of courage; at the same time, holding one's head high and moving forward is also a form of courage.Courage is not about stopping to repeatedly blame and complain.

If one truly feels that the "involution" within the entire industry is unhealthy, then one can start by not being "involved" oneself. Allow every employee in each position to have a sense of relaxation and to exercise creativity, and express this "anti-involvement" stance through products—unfortunately, many new products on the market now are merely pursuing quick success like pre-cooked meals, and even spending time on thorough durability tests has become a luxury.

Moreover, is there anyone willing to spend time on the "intangible" stories of corporate culture?

For example, using excellent corporate culture to continuously inspire and drive excellent people to create together, rather than using KPIs to push people to desperately compete and race against time.

Why not change from within to become a great brand, using the excellent values it advocates to truly influence and change the industry?It's quite unfortunate that choosing to close one's eyes and join the fray is, in fact, the simplest option.

Breaking through and changing oneself from within has always been the most difficult.

04

The Essence of Forum Public Relations Warfare

Why is everyone now engaged in forum discussions? In my view, it's nothing more than a marketing strategy.On the one hand, CEOs may also be burdened with certain hot search KPIs—since they are on stage to give speeches, they must have catchy phrases and keywords, as this is an opportunity for corporate exposure and to gain attention.

On the other hand, in a saturated market, every point of favorability towards oneself is an additional possibility of leading over competitors.

Rather than a confrontation of viewpoints, it is more like a public relations battlefield. The "forum PR war" of 2024 was particularly lively, closely related to the market environment and marketing anxiety.

On one side, BYD leads by a significant margin, dominating alone; on the other side, Xiaomi and Huawei have made the traditional automotive industry feel an unprecedented marketing anxiety.

Understanding the cause makes it easy to comprehend why this "PR war" has such an atmosphere and direction. In the automotive industry, the dark forest law has always existed: when the German series dominated, there were taunts about oil burning and oil paper bags; when the Japanese series was strong, there were legends of paper-thin cars and poor crashworthiness.Tall trees catch much wind, and a crown too heavy for the head may be its own undoing. When it comes to sales figures, BYD indeed stands at the top of the class. But has it answered every question correctly? It's impossible to get everything right. However, to claim that it has achieved its lead through cheating without any evidence, isn't that also a form of unfairness and injustice towards it?

Market leaders are not those who make no mistakes, but those who make fewer mistakes—more importantly, they score where it counts to create a gap. The German approach is strong in vision, being the first to invest on a large scale in the Chinese market; the Japanese approach lies in accumulation, educating users over the years to favor economy and durability.

Every leader wins by making the right choices at the right time, choices that others have not made, and by taking persistent and unwavering action. BYD has done the most correct "point-earning question," and it is also this question.

We must not blindly assume that everything a company does is right just because it has won this round and won big; but equally, we must not blindly assume that a company must have cheated to win so big.I do not specifically refer to BYD in the above statement, but I hold this view for any market leader.

I can understand the marketing rhetoric, but if it really rises to the level of corporate public relations strategy and marketing direction, it will make the corporate pattern narrow, and ultimately determine the upper limit of corporate development.

And when we have the ability to think independently, there is no need to take sides, blame, or be anxious.

For myself as a media person or content entrepreneur, courage is not only daring to speak when I want to speak, but also in the face of a noisy predicament,

Raise your head, walk through. And persist in doing what you think is right.Let us encourage each other.