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

Chapter 196 A Naturally Evil Rival Company!

The marketing department has paid extra attention to the positioning of the new model.

Take, for example, the Starry Night Mini Limited Edition model.

It represents more than just profits exceeding those of other microcars in its class; it also helps redefine the core value of the Star brand.

There are several teams below that are conducting targeted online dissemination and marketing.

They all operate in a subtle, matrix-like manner.

The marketing concept has gradually shifted from "high cost-performance ratio" and "saving money" new energy vehicles to "safe and stylish" new energy vehicles with a touch of technology.

This is the first step in redefining the brand's core values.

To subtly imprint a label on consumers' minds.

For example, when Audi is mentioned, many people think of its executive status, while when BMW is mentioned, some people think of its sporty nature.

But actually...

That's all in the past tense.

Audi is now sportier than BMW, and BMW's tuning style in recent generations has all been geared towards comfort, with no "pure driving pleasure" whatsoever.

But that's okay, as long as the mass market thinks that way.

Ordinary consumers don't understand anything about Hammer cars.

To succeed in the small car market, one must focus on creating unique brand value.

So even without lowering prices, they can maintain a huge market share and continue to maintain high profit margins per vehicle!
This is the core of Xingchen Automotive's internal operational strategy.

As R&D costs were spread out and market sales continued to rise, everyone's production costs began to gradually decrease. It can be said that pure electric minis in the same class were all offering price reductions, but the Starry Sky did not, which is actually equivalent to a disguised price increase.

Even so, they can still maintain a slow but steady increase in sales, which means their profit margins are already incredibly high.

"Director, based on last month's user data survey and marketing report, our brand building efforts have achieved initial success. The average age of the largest segment of car owners has expanded from 23-38 years old to 19-45 years old, and our coverage is continuously increasing..."

Internal meeting.

On the digital dashboard, a radar chart displays the current user attributes of Starlight car owners.

The data lists age, income, preferences, and corresponding sales trends for each group.

These data are all dynamic, especially for users of different age groups. Depending on the number of reservations and the time of order locking, a core data point is the issue of "user conversion rate".

"Furthermore, our user conversion rate has increased by two percentage points compared to last month, thanks to adjustments in our sales strategy. We placed the more eye-catching Starry Mini Ultimate Edition in the most prominent position for test drives at our stores, and the accompanying images on our advertising billboards have effectively attracted more foot traffic..."

Lu Hongyu, the planning manager in charge of "brand visual communication and store promotion activities," reported.

"Okay, keep it up."

Yu Nian nodded.

A brand's print visual output is a very important aesthetic impact.

The remarkable dynamic results achieved indicate that the hybrid direct-sales model has begun to take effect.

Simply put—

Most other traditional 4S stores operate independently in terms of sales strategies and brand promotion. In those loosely managed channel stores, it's hard to say whether anyone will even greet a customer once they enter.

On the other hand, Xingchen can change the operational script of all stores at any time with just an internal order, so that the stores' promotions are synchronized with the promotional strategies designated by the headquarters.

"In the past three months, there have been more than a dozen publicly reported incidents of new energy vehicles spontaneously combusting or catching fire in collisions in China, of which about three have made it to the top of trending searches and spread through videos."

Kong Jiaming, who was sitting to the side, spoke up. He was the team manager in charge of vertical media management and digital communication.

Yes.

It's time to come.

Incidents of spontaneous combustion in new energy vehicles.

There are several such cases every year.

There are even more hidden beneath the surface that haven't been reported.

It's worth noting that the earliest new energy vehicles in China began to gradually gain traction around 10-12.

The market share is constantly expanding, with millions of new energy vehicles sold every year, and the growth continues.

Early new energy vehicle battery technology was so basic that it was something only those who knew about it understood.

Whether it's the quality of the battery cells, thermal management, collision risk, BMS protection, or the immature algorithms, it's hard to say they're reliable.

Although it meets national safety standards for road use.

But that's only just meeting the standard. As time goes by, the battery cells age and their internal resistance keeps increasing.

During the process of overcharging and low-temperature charging of the battery, lithium dendrites will precipitate on the negative electrode. These are needle-like crystals similar to those of metallic lithium. Once they pierce the separator, they will cause a short circuit and release a large amount of heat.

At that time, the spontaneous combustion incident occurred.

This incident is a blow to all new energy vehicle brands.

After all, safety is the top priority if we want to expand the new energy vehicle market!
If spontaneous combustion incidents occur frequently, then no matter how high the configuration or how fast the acceleration, even if it's free, consumers probably still won't buy it.

but.

At this moment, everyone's expressions were relaxed, even somewhat pleased.

The logic is very simple—

What does it have to do with Xingchen Automotive if other brands spontaneously combust?
What does the spontaneous combustion of ternary lithium batteries have to do with lithium iron phosphate batteries?!

...

"For those incidents with more serious nature and impact, the authorities have suppressed the trending topics, and related brands have secretly limited traffic and reduced their rankings. However, there are two spontaneous combustion incidents, and the videos and discussions on several platforms are still quite high, which shows that people are very curious about the underlying causes of spontaneous combustion."

Our team used this opportunity to conduct science popularization through our matrix accounts, as well as through comments and science popularization promotion by some small bloggers. The status of ternary lithium batteries is no longer as authoritative.

Kong Jiaming continued.

Previously, ternary lithium batteries were almost synonymous with the word "high-end." The reason for this is quite easy to understand.

Although Xingchen has become number one in lithium iron phosphate batteries, it has not immediately acquired the brand image of "high-end battery cells".

Because their lithium iron phosphate batteries still have a significant energy density that is far inferior to that of ordinary ternary lithium batteries.

Moreover, ternary lithium batteries contain many heavy metals, making them "expensive," but they are much lighter than lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Its attributes make it inherently suitable for high-end pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

-

Since Polestar batteries were advertised and launched.

There have been some vague rumors and some random content creators who suddenly appeared, but they didn't attack Xingchen or mention Polaris Battery.

Instead, they earnestly and "enthusiastically" provide science education to consumers and netizens.

They say how great ternary lithium battery cells are, and how high their energy density is.

The factories and brands that can manufacture ternary lithium batteries demonstrate their advanced technology.

Then, from a theoretical perspective, we evaluate the inherent defects of lithium iron phosphate batteries, namely their poor balance.

In conclusion, when buying an electric vehicle, choose a ternary lithium battery!
Yu Nian was initially unaware of these kinds of "professional articles" and "borderline videos".

Later, I discovered it and gradually figured out the trickery involved.

There are clearly leading battery manufacturers and related car manufacturers secretly pushing this forward.

We were originally from two opposing camps.

You use lithium iron phosphate, I use ternary lithium; we're completely incompatible.

Polestar batteries are making such a splash, acting like they're the mainstream pure electric vehicle, and they want to challenge the status of high-end battery cells. But they can't suppress you technically, so they have no choice but to resort to sweeping generalizations.

We absolutely have to control this!

The manufacturers behind this clearly don't want to make a big fuss; everything is being done discreetly behind the scenes.

Whether it's "technology popularization" or "ideology," it doesn't matter.

They are all tools for capital to guide public opinion.

...

"An inherently evil rival company!!!"

Yu Nian was filled with righteous indignation!

But then he laughed out loud: "Now they're reaping the bitter fruit."

"Yes, they exaggerated the characteristics of ternary lithium batteries. Now there are two spontaneous combustion incidents involving ternary lithium batteries. They've overcomplicated things."

Kong Jiaming nodded.

The Star Market team responded in a simple way.

It's simply a matter of "treating them as they treat you."

If you can do technical popularization, so can I!
By keeping things out of the open, we can be more flexible in our approach.

Following several spontaneous combustion incidents, a group of tech bloggers, car review bloggers, and others emerged "coincidentally."

They began explaining to the public the dangers of ternary lithium batteries exploding, and how lithium iron phosphate batteries, being less reactive, are not only resistant to needle punctures and impacts, but also have an extremely low probability of spontaneous combustion.

From beginning to end, the term "Polarstar Battery" was never mentioned, nor was any manufacturer's ternary lithium battery cell named.

But the general public and consumers don't see it that way.

Admittedly, top-tier ternary lithium battery cells can indeed make up for many shortcomings in terms of safety and protection.

But now you've spontaneously combusted.

That means it's a complete waste, indicating a problem with the packaging, or inadequate testing and security controls.

Those bloggers who previously vigorously promoted ternary lithium batteries were severely criticized.

Some videos were deleted directly.

Below the discussion about the battery, a group of "helpful passersby" also appeared.

Below each video, he tirelessly teaches contemporary netizens how to understand the scientific names of batteries used in new energy vehicles, as well as the differences in technology and materials.

This subtle influence is sometimes more effective than a manufacturer's public advertising.

People are naturally inclined to believe in "objectivity and neutrality".

Some bloggers jump out to popularize science and explain technical routes, enthusiastically explaining as if they have no vested interests, but in reality, they are all rife with inside information.

"We will continue to increase our efforts in popularizing science when similar videos are made in the future!"

After thinking it over, Yu Nian said, "Since they want to put the details of their technical route out in the open, we have no reason not to take advantage of it. We can use their own tactics against them and make them anxious on their own."

The core of information warfare lies not in dissemination, but in guidance.

The competitor's mistake was trying to create a comprehensive high-end image, making a product based on a technological approach almost flawless.

But how can technology be perfect?

Xingchen Motors doesn't dare to advertise like this right now.

There's a saying that anything in excess is as bad as being in moderation.

President Xu also clearly instructed that it's fine to casually compare with competitors and benchmark against them, but unlimited self-praise is like inflating a balloon; once it gets inflated, it becomes a huge and spectacular sight.

One day it will be pierced.

slap~
It's even more spectacular now!

(End of this chapter)