On March 1, Shanghai Steel Federation released data showing that the quotations of some lithium battery materials continued to rise. Battery-grade lithium carbonate increased by 5,000 yuan/ton; lithium hydroxide increased by 9,000-10,000 yuan/ton. ; Metal lithium rose by 20,000 yuan/ton; lithium manganate rose by 5,000-6,500 yuan/ton.
In the two years since January 2020, the prices of battery-grade cobalt, nickel sulfate, and lithium carbonate have increased by 119%, 55%, and 569% respectively. Starting from the beginning of 2021, battery-grade The average monthly increase in lithium carbonate is about 22,000 yuan/ton, and the fastest increase was in December last year, reaching 71,000 yuan/ton.
As the price of raw materials rises, the price of batteries is bound to rise, and the price of new energy vehicles will also rise. This is especially reflected in the micro electric vehicles with small profits but quick turnover. Euler is the first to "carry" the Lived.
Back on February 23, the Great Wall Euler brand issued an announcement stating that the suspension of orders for the Black Cat and White Cat models was not due to the suspension of production, but due to the price of raw materials. The price rises, leading to huge losses. Taking Black Cat as an example, the car lost more than 10,000 yuan in sales of bicycles, so it is necessary to find new strategies to deal with it.
However, the phenomenon of stopping taking orders currently only appears in the Euler brand. Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, Chery Ant, QQ Ice Cream and other models have no signs of adjustment yet.
"Stop order"
In fact, the Euler brand completed its brand upgrade two years ago, positioning itself as a "car brand that loves women more" and renovated its products. According to the naming system, black cat and white cat are its main sales models. In 2021, the Euler brand sold 135,000 vehicles throughout the year. The cumulative sales of the Black Cat and White Cat models exceeded 88,000 vehicles throughout the year, accounting for more than 65% of the sales volume. However, according to data released by the Passenger Car Association, the terminal sales of Black Cat in January this year were only 3,891 units, a year-on-year decrease of 36.1%; the White Cat only had 318 units, showing poor market performance.
On the other hand, Euler Haomao, despite experiencing the "chipgate" incident, still sold 8,612 vehicles in January, a year-on-year increase of 313.8%.
The pressure of rising costs does exist, but due to the decline in sales of the Black Cat and White Cat models, the scale advantage is no longer available. It is not difficult to understand why Black Cat and White Cat stopped taking orders, while Haomao did. No.
The reasons can be viewed from three aspects. The first-level reason, as mentioned earlier, is that the cost has increased significantly; the second-level factor is the increasingly fierce competition in the industry, and the two models have no price advantage; and the third-level factor is that the points earned are of little value.
The first two points are not difficult to understand, but the third point needs to be emphasized. According to Dong Yudong, CEO of Euler Brand, the price of a single carbon credit in 2021 is about 2,500 yuan, but with the entire new energy industry in 2021 The automobile market has grown by 160%, and the carbon credit transaction price has been reduced to 500-800 yuan in early 2022. From the perspective of the value of points and profitability, cyclingThe loss was 6,000-7,000 yuan. According to the predictions of the China Automobile Association, the new energy vehicle market will reach 5 million units in 2022, which means that the price of points will also decrease. "Our internal prediction is that it may become 200 yuan in the future. If we follow the current sales method, Euler White Cat and Black Cat bicycles will lose 17,000 yuan next year."
In short, black cats and white cats don’t make money, so stop it for now.
Before Euler stopped taking orders, Changan New Energy actually took a "playful" approach to stopping taking orders in November last year. The two models of Benben E-Star and CS55 E-ROCK were stopped. The reason for accepting orders was due to insufficient supply of automotive chips, power and production restrictions in some areas, etc., which resulted in insufficient factory production capacity and a serious backlog of orders. It was not because of loss of money that it stopped accepting orders.
Points
Micro electric vehicles are nicknamed by netizens as "Old Man Le" that can only be legally driven on the road. The premium capacity of this level of models is low, and they are small profits but quick turnover. Expand market share, achieve economies of scale to reduce costs, and harvest traffic for advertising. In addition, the most important point is to obtain new energy points.
When talking about micro electric vehicles, we have to mention Wuling Hongguang MINI EV. It is undeniable that Wuling Hongguang MINI EV is a phenomenal model in this market segment and is highly representative.
The starting price of this model is 28,800 yuan. Previously, some netizens did some calculations for Wuling Hongguang MINI EV. The total known parts cost of Wuling Hongguang NINI EV is about 14,950 yuan. - Between 23,000 yuan. In addition to the cost of parts and components, if you include R&D expenses, labor, transportation and other expenses, the profit per vehicle is about 90 yuan, which can basically be understood as not making any money, but what is good is that "at least no compensation is paid" ".
However, it is worth noting that according to the latest new energy vehicle point calculation method, the two endurance versions of Wuling Hongguang MINI EV can obtain 1.072 points and 1.352 points respectively. If multiplied by the sales volume in a year, through When trading new energy vehicle points, the profit from a single vehicle is very considerable.
The improvement in profit margin is only one aspect. You must know that SAIC-GM-Wuling topped the "negative points ranking" of fuel consumption in 2018. In 2019, it was a substandard enterprise. Two years later, due to the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV The large number of positive points earned for new energy vehicles turned the situation around.
Price increase
In Dong Yudong's view, the micro electric vehicle market is divided into three price ranges - below 40,000 yuan, 40,000-60,000 yuan, and above 60,000 yuan, but the product The quality is uneven, mainly reflected in the '4 lows', that is, low price, low battery life, low performance, and low safety.
In fact, consumers’ demand for micro electric vehicles is mainly for transportation. As long as the price is low, other aspects are not obviously important in affecting the purchase decision. For models below 60,000 yuan, if the price is low enough,The higher the market acceptance, on the other hand, it will take advantage of the "loophole" in the fuel vehicle market; if it is a micro electric vehicle with a price of more than 60,000 yuan, consumers will not only have higher requirements, but may also compete with fuel vehicles at the same price. car for comparison.
The price range of Euler Black Cat after comprehensive subsidies is 69,800-84,800 yuan, and that of White Cat is 71,800-88,800 yuan after subsidies. In terms of product strength, it is comparable to Wuling Hongguang MINI. EVs definitely have advantages in comparison, but based on consumer car needs, scenarios and overall cost performance, Black Cat and White Cat have lost their comparative advantages.
The most direct way to solve the problem of rising costs is to raise prices. This is what Wuling Nano EV did. The price of the entire series of cars increased by 3,000 yuan, with the price range ranging from 52,800 to 62,800 yuan. According to relevant channel dealers, all models of the Euler series, Chery Ant and other models will also see a wave of price increases. The price of the Euler Good Cat will increase by 8,000 yuan, and charging piles will no longer be given away. The price of the Chery Ant will increase by 3,000-8,000 yuan. , the policy is unknown.
The market performance of Wuling Nano EV after the price increase is currently unknown, but in front of Euler Black Cat and White Cat, the only way to solve the problem in the short term is to increase the price. However, after the price increase, the Wuling Nano EV is still around 60,000 yuan, which still has a certain price advantage over fuel vehicles. However, after the price increase, the Black Cat and White Cat may be launched in the range of 80,000 to 100,000 yuan. This price is different from the same price range. Compared with the fuel-powered models at this price, they are not "cheap" at all.
Written at the end: The increase in production costs caused by rising raw material prices is a problem faced by the entire new energy vehicle industry, especially for micro electric vehicles with low premium capabilities. Ping An Securities’ research report shows that the growth pattern of new energy vehicles will change in 2022. The growth rate of the micro electric vehicle market will be under pressure. The penetration rate of small electric vehicles is expected to increase. Smart new energy vehicles will also accelerate their penetration into the mid-to-high-end market. Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the Passenger Car Association, also said that the A00-class new energy vehicle market will maintain growth this year, but the growth rate will not be too fast. Against this background, competition in the micro electric vehicle market is bound to become more intense, and there may not be much time left for black and white cats.