"Introduction"

"Introduction"

No matter what the reason, missing out on this grand event is a pity.

“ This year's Chengdu Auto Show ， I won't be attending 。”

In the past week, as the “busy season” arrived as scheduled, I once again found myself in a non-stop mode, rushing between various brand launches, new car test drives, and executive interviews. Surprisingly, during conversations with several media friends whom I happened to encounter, they all spontaneously uttered the opening line of this article.

This would have been unheard of in the past. As for the reasons behind this, they are diverse.

Some of them are trying to take a break and relax their tired minds and bodies, while others want to settle down and create in-depth content that they enjoy. Still, others simply haven't received suitable invitations...

Among these reasons, the most striking and eye-catching undoubtedly revolves around: “It's quite simple. I feel like the value of the Chengdu Auto Show is decreasing, so there's no need to make a special trip. Firstly, the timing of the show always awkwardly falls between the Beijing or Shanghai Auto Show at the beginning of the year and the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of the year, making it unappealing to automakers. Furthermore, the Chinese automotive market is already highly competitive this year, disrupting the established communication rhythms of many automakers. Therefore, it seems like everyone is intentionally avoiding the Chengdu Auto Show to avoid spending large sums of money on activities that may not generate significant buzz due to the crowd.”

I cannot deny this.

However, in my heart, I remain firmly convinced that for many years, the Chengdu Auto Show has been the best “anchor point” for observing the development process of China's automotive market and the true state of the entire southwestern automotive market. It is far from completely losing its luster.

Regardless of the perspective, choosing not to participate will always be a regret and a missed opportunity for critical information.

Therefore, I packed my bags, filled with expectations, and boarded a flight to Chengdu.

Soon, after a three-hour flight, I landed at Shuangliu Airport. Instantly, I was overwhelmed by the heatwave that greeted me. Facing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, it seemed to hint that this year's Chengdu Auto Show would undoubtedly be unusually popular and fiery.

Isn't the purpose of an auto show to sell cars?

I've been in the industry for five years and have attended four Chengdu Auto Shows.

My deepest impression of this grand event is always full of “smoky atmosphere.” In other words, there's no false grandeur, no ungrounded exaggerations, just straightforwardness that perfectly aligns with Chengdu's charm.

From the moment I stepped into the China Western International Fair City, it was clear that “selling cars” was its main theme. Unlike other so-called A-class auto shows in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, which generally do not disclose sensitive sales figures, Chengdu consistently presents these numbers upfront.

Of course, this somewhat rough style is not to everyone's liking, especially among some professional media outlets.

But objectively speaking, “Isn't the purpose of an auto show to sell cars?” Especially when the economic environment is highly volatile and consumer confidence is low, this year's Chengdu Auto Show needs to play to its strengths and fulfill its role even more.

In fact, reviewing relevant statistics reveals that in the first seven months, Chengdu residents have shown remarkable purchasing power in automobiles. In terms of city sales rankings, Chengdu surpassed “Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen” to top the national list with 332,000 vehicles sold.

Furthermore, as of June, Chengdu had over 6 million vehicles, the most in the country. Based on a population of 20 million, that's one car for every three Chengdu residents. This solid foundation undoubtedly acts as a “catalyst” for new car sales.

Meanwhile, without the influence of “license plate” restrictions, Chengdu residents' preference for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the first seven months was evident, with cumulative sales approaching 151,000, and NEV penetration reaching nearly 50%.

Tesla, NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, Huawei, Xiaomi, BYD... they're everywhere on the streets. Even though power outages occur during summer, looking at the long queues of NEVs at supercharging stations fills me with repeated amazement.

“Chengdu residents love electric cars.”

Moreover, the government's measures are powerful, continuously introducing substantial incentive policies that tempt residents to spend their hard-earned money.

As it turns out, during the Chengdu Auto Show, another 100 million yuan in subsidies arrived. Upon inquiry, I learned that during the event, individual consumers who purchase new cars from participating dealerships in Chengdu, complete the registration process, and submit the relevant documents on the declaration platform will receive automotive consumption incentives after review.

Taking the 100,000-200,000 yuan price range as an example, gasoline cars receive 2,000 yuan, while electric cars receive 3,000 yuan. For vehicles over 350,000 yuan, gasoline cars receive 7,000 yuan, and electric cars receive 8,000 yuan.

The sincerity is overwhelming.

In addition, after sincere conversations with friends who live in this city, I learned that they are open to new things, enjoy improving their travel experience, and have a relaxed mindset. Combined with lower living costs, such as housing prices, that are not as burdensome as in first-tier cities, and without purchase restrictions, Chengdu residents are willing to continually upgrade their vehicles – first-time purchases, trade-ins, and additional purchases are common.

On weekends, they drive their beloved cars for a road trip to nearby destinations; at night, they drive to local restaurants to enjoy authentic cuisine; during holidays, they drive back to their hometowns to feel the warmth of reunion...

In short, Chengdu, with its advantageous “timing, geography, and people,” deserves its title as the “Number One Automotive City in China” for the first seven months.

Precisely based on this background, it is foreseeable that this year's Chengdu Auto Show will undoubtedly push the term “selling cars” to new heights. If you're willing to dive into the front lines and hover around various booths, you'll uncover many truly meaningful trends and clues.

Does the gasoline car have a future? Has the electric car taken over? Which has more potential: plug-in hybrids, extended-range electric vehicles, or pure electric vehicles? Is advanced autonomous driving just a facade? Have the positions of joint ventures and domestic brands swapped?

Each of these questions, I believe, can find corresponding stage-based answers here, which undoubtedly makes this year's Chengdu Auto Show one of its shining “highlights.”

The strong strive to shine

“This year's Chengdu International Auto Show covers an exhibition area of 220,000 square meters, attracting nearly 130 brands from Germany, the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, as well as joint ventures and domestic brands, showcasing nearly 1,600 models. Experience new car launches, technological advancements, and intelligent features all in one place.”

Two days ago, the official Chengdu Auto Show WeChat account officially released the exhibition layout. The introduction at the beginning of this paragraph prominently appears on the first page. In terms of scale alone, it's bound to impress.

Among the participating brands, BYD stands out with the most significant presence.

BYD has taken over Hall 9, showcasing its full range of passenger vehicles, including the Dynasty series, Ocean series, Yangwang, Fangchengbao, and Denza. The Dynasty MC concept car made its global debut, and the Dolphin 06GT made its first appearance. In the outdoor area, BYD will also display its intelligent assisted driving and Cloudride intelligent body control systems and other cutting-edge technologies.

It's no exaggeration to say that BYD, the current “big boss” of China's automotive market, is fully charged to wage a comprehensive marketing, communication, and brainwashing campaign at this year's Chengdu Auto Show, aiming to maximize its share of mind among southwestern consumers.

Today's BYD is terrifying in its power.

Of course, there are many other strong domestic brands striving to shine. Xiaomi and Great Wall in Hall 1, Geely and Deep Blue in Hall 2, Hongqi and GAC Motor in Hall 3, Hongmeng Smart Travel in Hall 4, Chery in Hall 5, Dongfeng in Hall 6, numerous new-energy vehicle startups in Hall 10, Jiyue, XPeng, and Changan in Hall 11, Lixiang and Lynk & Co in Halls 14 and 15, as well as many other brands not mentioned here, are all fighting to prove their existence.

The fierce competition among them, as they strive to outdo each other, can only be described as exaggerated. They compete in products, technology, energy replenishment, services, channels, marketing, and even who has the most eye-catching boss.

Among them, the most noteworthy rivalry is between Letao L60, Zeekr 7X, Zhijie R7, and Avitar 07, representing the strongest mid-size pure electric SUVs from Chinese automakers, as they engage in both overt and covert battles. In the past, Tesla Model Y dominated this segment. Now, the order and hierarchy are being redrawn.

Expanding our perspective, similar scenarios are undoubtedly playing out in every market segment.

Whether we admit it or not, domestic brands have achieved “overtaking on corners” through the wave of electrification. This year's Chengdu Auto Show will further confirm this trend. While expanding externally, internal competition will also intensify, and we can smell a strong “gunpowder smell.”

On the other hand, joint ventures have, for some unknown reason, become the target of widespread criticism and sarcasm at every A-class auto show. Labels like “struggling to adapt,” “stubbornly conservative,” and “slow to react” have been firmly attached to them.

This year, I heard another somewhat harsh saying.

“In this hailstorm of competition, the first joint ventures to be in peril are the unacclimatized French brands, followed by cost-effective Korean and American brands. Next, Japanese brands that emphasize fuel efficiency will encounter significant challenges. German brands, due to the presence of BBA and Volkswagen, have the thickest “health bar,” but they are far from their former glory.”

Looking at the data, joint ventures' share of China's automotive market has shrunk to just 40%, with a continuing downward trend.

It must be acknowledged that the glory days of absolute pricing power and discourse in the traditional gasoline car era are gone forever. However, even so, I still want to give them a big thumbs up during this year's Chengdu Auto Show.

Because, in many cases, we can still see subtle changes as they refuse to give up. For example, the all-new, extended BMW X3, the plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz GLC, and the rugged-looking all-new Hyundai Santa Fe are all defending their territories in their own ways.

When you explore the booths of luxury brands like BBA, Lincoln, Lexus, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Cadillac, Genesis, as well as Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Citroen, and other joint ventures, I believe you won't have trouble finding their unique “sparkling points.”

As I've said before, “Even though their situation in China is not what it used to be, they haven't lost the courage to stay in the game.”

Therefore, there's no need to be overly pessimistic. Throughout the development of China's automotive market, the contributions of joint ventures cannot be overlooked. Betrayal is never an option.

Here, the article is gradually approaching its conclusion.

Finally, I would like to borrow a line from the PPT behind He Xiaopeng at Xpeng's 10th-anniversary conference to set the tone for this year's Chengdu Auto Show: “Swimming in a sea of blood until the water turns blue.”

According to this visionary leader of new-energy vehicle startups, in the next ten years, there may only be seven mainstream brands left. In a way, the greatest charm of China's automotive market lies in its brutal yet dazzling nature.

In short, in Chengdu, we will once again witness new history. The exciting performances will officially kick off early in the morning on August 30th, Beijing time. Regardless of the reason, missing out on this grand event is always a regret.

Fortunately, the good news is, “I'm attending this year's Chengdu Auto Show.”