On Wuling Motors' transformation journey, Zhou Xing's return was highly anticipated. However, this executive, once deified for his marketing prowess, has now become a stumbling block amidst Wuling's difficulties. His 'nostalgic tendencies' and poor imitation shows have not only failed to generate the anticipated market response for Wuling but have also sparked waves of online ridicule, further damaging the brand's image.

Zhou Xing's 'Lei Jun imitation show' is undoubtedly a significant blunder in his marketing strategy. Lying down for photos in a factory workshop and attempting to compare himself to Lei Jun and Elon Musk, this unoriginal imitation not only failed to win the approval of netizens but was instead ridiculed as pretentious and out of place. More disappointingly, Zhou Xing seems to have failed to learn from this experience, continuing to blindly follow trends in marketing, losing Wuling's once proactive stance and innovative spirit.

'Others arrive early and take a nap, but you pretend to nap during work hours when everyone else is still working hard around you,' netizens pointed out the crudeness of Zhou Xing's 'Lei Jun imitation show.'

Wuling's predicament did not arise overnight. With changes in the market and consumer demand, Wuling's performance in the gasoline vehicle sector and domestic market has weakened. Once best-selling red-logo products like Wuling Hongguang, Wuling Rongguang, and Wuling Zhiguang are now facing significant sales declines. According to statistics, in the first ten months of this year, cumulative sales of Wuling Hongguang were only 71,387 units, a year-on-year drop of 37.67%. Wuling Rongguang and Wuling Zhiguang sold 24,754 and 20,148 units respectively in the first ten months, with year-on-year drops of 40.49% and 19.03% respectively. While Wuling attempted to reverse its decline through a transition to new energy vehicles, the results? Although Wuling Hongguang MINI EV and Wuling Bingguo have achieved certain sales, these two small cars remain stuck in the low-end market, unable to change Wuling's low-end brand image.

Upon returning to Wuling from Xiaomi, Zhou Xing simultaneously managed the marketing for both the Wuling and Baojun brands. After Zhou Xing's return, Wuling's marketing performance has been deeply disappointing. From Baojun Yueye's 'Only Choice' to Baojun Plus's 'Traffic is King,' Zhou Xing's marketing tactics have consistently lacked innovation and breakthroughs. He blindly copied the practices of new forces, hard-pressed to capitalize on trends, yet failed to bring substantial market returns to Wuling. Instead, his repeated poor imitations and trend-following further damaged Wuling's brand image.

Wuling does not need marketing executives who only imitate and follow trends but leaders who can discern market trends and guide brand innovation. However, Zhou Xing's return has not brought about such change for Wuling. On the contrary, his 'nostalgic tendencies' and outdated marketing insights have made Wuling more passive and powerless in the fierce market competition.

Wuling's predicament is not unsolvable, but the key lies in finding the right transformation direction and marketing strategy. However, based on the current situation, Zhou Xing is clearly not the person to lead Wuling out of its difficulties. His return has not only failed to bring a turnaround for Wuling but has also pushed Wuling further and deeper down the wrong marketing path.

To truly escape its predicament, Wuling needs comprehensive upgrades and innovations across products, technology, branding, and other levels. All of this requires a visionary and charismatic leader to guide and drive. Zhou Xing's return was undoubtedly a wrong decision, and his presence only deepens Wuling's predicament. Wuling needs a leader who can guide the brand to new heights, not a marketing executive who only imitates and follows trends.