Author: Chen Buqi

Produced by: Jieche Technology

Amidst the challenges of reforming the traditional dealership model, the one-price sales strategy has emerged as a pivotal tool for joint ventures to compete with new market entrants. This phenomenon has become the central theme of competition between "old and new automotive forces" in 2025.

On the first working day after the Lunar New Year, GAC Toyota officially launched its "One-Price Purchase" and "Lifetime Warranty" campaigns, offering official price reductions and lifetime warranties for three core components on the Wildlander and Fenglanda models. The maximum discount for this one-price sales strategy reached RMB 44,000, with the Wildlander starting at RMB 128,000 and the Fenglanda at RMB 89,800. Additionally, promotional activities such as "0 down payment, 0 interest" further lowered the entry barrier for Japanese joint venture SUVs.

In fact, GAC Toyota is not the first joint venture to introduce a one-price sales model. This disruption of the traditional sales model began last year.

At the Chengdu Auto Show in August 2024, SAIC Volkswagen announced that its newly launched entry-level SUV, the Tharu New Trend, would be sold at a one-price of RMB 79,900, a direct reduction of RMB 46,000 from the official guidance price, lowering the entry barrier for Volkswagen SUVs to below RMB 80,000. At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, SAIC Volkswagen added the all-new Viloran to the one-price sales model, with a limited-time one-price range of RMB 199,900 to RMB 299,900, representing discounts of RMB 74,900 to RMB 102,900 compared to the guidance price.

On September 24 of the same year, SAIC-GM-Wuling announced a National Day promotion, offering the all-new Envision Plus at a limited-time one-price starting at RMB 169,900, a one-time discount of RMB 60,000 compared to the guidance price of RMB 229,900. Following the launch of the one-price campaign, the "outdated star" that sold 4,188 units in September received over 7,800 orders in October and achieved monthly sales of over 10,000 units in November, December, and January of this year, with sales in December exceeding 14,000 units.

Dongfeng Nissan has fully embraced the one-price sales strategy, successively launching the Altima Sincere Edition starting at RMB 127,800, the all-new Sylphy Sincere Edition starting at RMB 89,800, the Classic Sylphy Comfort Edition starting at RMB 69,800, and the Qashqai Prestige Sincere Edition starting at RMB 99,800. From compact SUVs to B-segment sedans, the one-price sales strategy has brought Dongfeng Nissan, whose voice has weakened, back into the spotlight of consumers.

Under the fierce onslaught of independent brands, mainstream joint ventures from the US, Japan, and Germany have entered the one-price sales model and achieved positive market feedback. However, within the fine print on promotional posters, is it a "genuine deal" or a "hidden agenda"?

"The Wildlander standard configuration (2.0L CVT two-wheel drive leading version) is priced at RMB 128,000 with no preconditions. If you choose a five-year installment plan, you can repay the loan two years in advance, and our store can return the full interest for the first two years based on your down payment ratio," a salesperson at a GAC Toyota 4S store in Shandong told Jieche Technology. Notably, even with a zero down payment, GAC Toyota can still return all the interest, making the "0 down payment, 0 interest" promotion fully redeemable.

On a Sunday afternoon, this GAC Toyota store located at the junction of the urban and suburban areas was experiencing a peak period for car viewing. All front desk staff were busy receiving and attending to customers who came to view cars. Beside the Wildlander display car with a one-price tag, there was even a situation where one salesperson was simultaneously attending to multiple groups of customers. Perhaps to alleviate store pressure, salespeople actively guided customers to use the "GAC Toyota Fengyunxing" mini-program, stating that viewing and ordering cars could be completed within the mini-program at the same price as in the store. The overall user experience had a distinct flavor of new-energy vehicle brands' apps.

"There are currently no discounts for the Viloran in the store. The popular 330 version (330TSI Business Edition) is priced at RMB 199,900, the same as what you see online, and there is no need for trade-ins or loans. If you choose a trade-in, you can enjoy an additional RMB 2,000 manufacturer trade-in subsidy on top of government subsidies," a salesperson at a SAIC Volkswagen 4S store in Shandong told Jieche Technology. Consistent with GAC Toyota's policy, if you choose to purchase the car on loan, you can receive a full refund of the interest for the first two years on top of the one-price of RMB 199,900.

As an MPV model, the Viloran is a relatively niche product in SAIC Volkswagen's lineup. Even so, the one-price sales strategy has attracted many potential customers who came to view the car. "Buying a Volkswagen business car for just over RMB 200,000 is quite attractive. I wouldn't have come to look at it before," a man viewing the Viloran in the store told Jieche Technology.

However, not all one-price sales are zero-threshold, as manufacturers often hide layers of conditions behind them.

"The Altima Sincere Edition priced at RMB 127,800 requires you to trade in an old car at the store to enjoy the discount. Of course, we will also give you a relatively high price when assessing your old car," a salesperson at a Dongfeng Nissan 4S store near the GAC Toyota store told Jieche Technology.

Without a trade-in, the price of the Altima Sincere Edition approaches RMB 140,000, and the bare car price even exceeds that of the 2022 Altima Enjoy Edition. Comparing the configurations of the two models, the latter adds a segmented panoramic sunroof, leather seats, a built-in dashcam, electric folding exterior mirrors, heated exterior mirrors, and a series of other configurations compared to the former. Even with a trade-in, the store has considerable leeway in valuing the old car. Overall, the "sincerity" of the Altima Sincere Edition remains questionable.

A similar issue arises at FAW-Volkswagen dealerships. Although the Audi Q7 lineup enjoys a direct one-price policy, to truly enjoy the maximum discount of up to RMB 170,000, customers must purchase the car on an installment plan. The bare car price for the 45 TFSI quattro S line Black Edition with a full payment is around RMB 510,000.

With the rapid rise of independent brands and the explosive growth of the new energy vehicle market, the foundation of joint ventures in the Chinese market is constantly being shaken. Domestic cars with superior experiences and highly competitive prices are impacting the brand premium capabilities of joint ventures, which is directly reflected in sales figures.

Last year, as the "cash cows" of GAC Group, both GAC Toyota and GAC Honda lost ground. GAC Toyota sold 738,000 units, a year-on-year decline of 22.32%, while GAC Honda sold 470,600 units, a year-on-year decline of 26.52%, both experiencing annual sales declines of over 20%. Dongfeng Nissan, the "pillar" of Dongfeng Group, sold 631,000 new cars in 2024, while Dongfeng Honda sold only 428,000, representing declines of 12.7% and 29.2%, respectively, compared to 2023. The loss of market share and the shift in consumer preferences are issues that joint ventures must face head-on.

Against this backdrop, the one-price sales strategy has become a "sharp sword" for joint ventures to save themselves. As the name suggests, the one-price sales model transforms the past price negotiation process into direct price reductions by manufacturers, selling new cars at transparent and uniform prices through a direct sales-like approach.

For customer groups with car purchasing needs, the price negotiation with 4S store salespeople significantly impacts their car-buying experience. In the past traditional sales model, to obtain the most favorable price, consumers often needed to compare prices across multiple stores. After deciding on a store, they still needed to conduct multiple rounds of price negotiations and strive for free gifts.

Under the one-price sales model, consumers can intuitively understand the true selling price of the vehicle without the need for cumbersome price negotiations with salespeople, saving time and energy spent traveling between multiple stores and greatly accelerating the transaction efficiency of the store. This allows the car-buying experience of joint ventures to rival that of new-energy vehicle brands that primarily adopt a direct sales model.

However, it is important to note that while the one-price sales strategy boosts sales, it is also a "double-edged sword."

As early as 2023, DPCA sparked a price war with large government and enterprise subsidies, with the Dongfeng Citroen C6 Co-Creation Edition priced at RMB 121,900, making it a "pioneer" of the one-price sales strategy. This strategy did indeed trigger a buying frenzy in the short term and created quite a stir on the internet. However, as the heat faded, this buying frenzy proved to be ephemeral, even exhausting the past "romantic" and "bourgeois" brand image of French cars.

Overall, the one-price sales model can indeed achieve a short-term sales recovery for joint ventures, but its long-term effects and potential impacts still need further market validation. When adopting this strategy, it is crucial to carefully weigh the relationship between short-term benefits and long-term brand value. Whether joint ventures can defend their market share under the onslaught of independent brands and new energy vehicles depends on whether they can focus on consumer needs and win back consumer trust and support with products and services.