Roomy: The media under the Outing Bai Ren Group, focuses on the evolution of the automotive travel industry chain

Roomy’s original article reports that An Conghui, the CEO of Zeekr Intelligent Technology, did something remarkable on June 15th.

“At Zeekr, we want to provide products to everyone instead of selling futures. We are trying hard to implement selling spot goods.” At this point, four months before the original delivery time, Zeekr 001 has stopped taking orders.

Industry speculation suggests that the objective factor for Zeekr to stop taking orders apart from the capacity ramp-up is also the chip shortage that has affected the industry. Zeekr 001 is equipped with Mobileye EyeQ5H, a high-performance self-driving chip with 7nm technology, which is a high-tech integrated chip.

Therefore, An Conghui emphasized again that “in the new normal of tight global supply of automotive components, Zeekr is actively integrating the group’s global resources to ensure the production capacity supply of 001 and ensure that deliveries will begin in October.”

Clearly, sales are not the only pursuit of An Conghui. He knows that establishing a good reputation with the first batch of delivered models is the top priority for Zeekr 001. This means laying the groundwork for a new brand and is also a key battle in Geely’s electrification transformation.

Zeekr is the fundamental change of Geely

Seven years ago, the launch of Lynk & Co. asked, “Does the world really need another brand?” At that time, Geely was already considering a change.

When Lynk & Co. was first established, many people answered, “No, we don’t need another one.” However, everyone knows the story that follows. With continuous innovation, Lynk & Co. successfully broke through to the high-end market.

Seven years later, Zeekr faced the same question again—but this time, the change is more resolute.

“What changes are there in the automotive industry and how can we win the future?” Those who are familiar with An Conghui know that he has never pursued comfort and ease since his first day at Geely.

This man who stands in front of Geely has spent 25 years exploring new possibilities in innovation.

Therefore, Li Shufu entrusted the burden of transformation to him again. The message he conveyed was very clear: “The Zeekr brand is a change of the entire Geely system.”

Within the group, there is no option of failure for this brand. Geely, which has already established a foothold in the era of fuel vehicles, must also establish a foothold in the era of new energy.

Based on this, Zeekr, backed by the vast platform, has shown maximum sincerity.

“Seven years ago, we started building the entire industrial chain ecosystem, four years ago we began developing the Haohan architecture, and three years ago we began developing Zeekr 001.” In order to achieve Geely 4.0’s comprehensive transformation of “Technology Geely,” SEA Haohan architecture has been developed at a cost of more than 18 billion yuan over four years.

An Conghui revealed that “Zeekr has been considering the development of SEA Haohan architecture from the beginning and that is where its core competitiveness lies.”# Zeekr 001 – A Revolutionary Electric Vehicle Born on a Grand Architecture

Zeekr 001, the first model born on the grand architecture, is of utmost importance.

There are three versions: Long Range Dual-Motor WE version, Extended Range Single-Motor WE version, and Extended Range Dual-Motor YOU version, with a price range of 2.81-3.6 million RMB.

When 001 was launched, it went viral, not only overshadowing the Polestar 02 launched the same day but also upstaging the global debut of the first pure electric car Mercedes EQS manufactured on a new electric platform.

Testers who had the chance to test driver Zeekr 001 during the “once in a lifetime 001 engineering car test drive opportunity” spoke highly of the car, saying, “This car has a great potential to hit it big.”

Zeekr 001 lived up to expectations. With 001 as a starting point, Zeekr quickly established three labels: Trendy Tech, Ultimate Performance, and Hunter Outfits, breaking traditional thinking and establishing an EV brand featuring trendy technology.

“Everyone has shown tremendous enthusiasm for luxury trendy technology options for 001.”

A 100 kWh battery, high-performance dual motors, 8 million pixel high-definition cameras…these have all become reasons why “Zeekr is truly awesome”. Some have given up buying Tesla and turned to Zeekr. “With 360k top configuration, you can say that everything but laser radar is maxed out.”

“At the Shanghai Auto Show, the two best EVs are NIO ET7 and Zeekr 001. ET7 is mature and confident in design, while 001 has a high cost performance.” Li Xiang, CEO of Ideal Automobile, didn’t hesitate to praise this new rival that competes directly against Tesla in pricing.

Zeekr 001 didn’t disappoint Li Xiang’s high praise.

“The entire team didn’t take any rest time and has been working overtime.” An Conghui didn’t want the delivery period to exceed six months, so he and the team put a lot of effort into production supply.

Under the “co-creation” model, Zeekr 001 is off to an impressive start.

“The original estimate was about 7,000 to 8,000 units, but it looks like it will exceed expectations.”

An Conghui also provided some data: the average amount of orders reached 335,000 RMB, 40% of the top-spec YOU version was ordered, and the ratio of optional customers reached 82%. The average amount per car for optional accessories was 19,000 RMB, with 92% of fans aged 18-39 years.

Not only did the number of orders exceed expectations, but the proportion of high-level options was also higher than expected, “originally estimated to be only 10%.”

He believed that Zeekr’s two biggest competitive advantages are consumers’ trust in the Zeekr brand and increasing understanding of cars.

“When communicating with users, some questions can even stump our professionals.”# Experience of over twenty years, dealing with dozens of car models, An Conghui knows where the core issue of transformation lies. Thus, Geely’s positioning is very clear.

Geely 001 was born from the vast architecture. From the beginning of its development, it advocates that all technologies should start from the user’s travel experience, ultimately leading to the new user ecology of Geely.

“If you let customers choose, they will definitely pick a faster horse instead of a car”. An Conghui took this quote from Henry Ford to explain the necessity of co-creation between Geely and users.

“Competitive enterprises create demand.” Creating demand means that Geely must co-create demand. Therefore, Geely has been following two points in user co-creation.

Firstly, deeply understand users, their needs and intentions; and secondly, be skillful in technology inspiration.

In Geely’s view, users are friends, colleagues, and co-creation partners. Geely hopes that users can truly participate in the entire process of product development. Therefore, Geely offers 4.9% of equity to support co-creation and encourages users to participate in Geely’s development in the highest possible form.

In addition, when developing products, Geely has two requirements: a user perspective and a user scenario.

Within the first two months of its release, Geely held six user meetings, and important opinions from these meetings were adopted for rapid iteration. “Co-creation” has become the most frequently used word at these meetings.

This way of thinking is also due to Geely’s team, which includes members from new vehicle manufacturers such as NIO and XPeng, as well as internet companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

After many years of planning, An Conghui understands that only when the team is diversified can they better understand users and have an atmosphere that understands technology. “Having a positive attitude towards change is important.” With a rich user mindset and mature experience in car making, Geely 001’s achievements are also expected.

However, Geely also has troubles. “The 800V electrical architecture is what attracts me the most.” Some car owners believe that Geely 001 does not have obvious shortcomings in terms of design, styling, three-electrics, performance, handling, and intelligence. However, consumers’ perception of Geely’s technology is still insufficient. And, new opponents constantly threaten Geely’s possibilities.

“I hope to show everyone the facts and products.”An Conghui is leading the team to lay out both online and offline. The whole team is no longer rushing, but taking off. Starting from July 1, including 20 cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, Geek+ Spaces and Geek+ Centers will hold opening ceremonies successively. In addition, Geek+ APP will be officially launched on June 30, and will co-create a brand new car purchase rights plan with users after August 1…

“The goal is to create a pleasant environment for all users in the delivery and usage process.”

The heavy banner of transformation is waving in the wind. However, An Conghui still needs to work harder to balance between the complex option settings and production capacity.

001 is boldly entering the battlefield unexpectedly due to the unexpectedly high presale performance.

In recent years, there has indeed been a sense of changing times.

The “war between S and 7” is no longer between the Mercedes-Benz S and BMW 7 Series. These two top-end models that have competed for many years have become the tears of the times. With the rising trend of electrification, the protagonists of the war have become Tesla Model S and NIO ET7, both of which will be delivered in the first quarter of next year after 9 years of upgrades and replacements.

Of course, in terms of the electric car market, this war can also be called “Double 7 Vs. S”, and the price-discrepant Xpeng P7 is also included in the mix. Indeed, as Xpeng’s best-selling model, the P7 can also hold its ground against the “7”.

Obviously, this is not a market situation that is already decided. As the battle goes on, new challengers have entered the game.

Musk once compared the many automobile giants in the old world to dinosaurs that once lived on Earth. The new world represented by Tesla will be the asteroid that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. He XPeng was also asked what a person from the internet would face when he suddenly entered the car manufacturing industry.

Musk, He XPeng, and Li Bin five or six years ago were all seen as outsiders who barged into the auto industry in a bold way.

At that time, the traditional car industry bosses in suits and leather shoes were still arguing whether it was “Internet +” or “+ Internet”, and did not take these “outsiders” who prefer to wear POLO shirts seriously.

Five or six years later, the boundaries of the debate have become blurred. Technology companies have entered the car-making industry, and there is no longer a clear boundary between traditional giants, internet companies, and tech companies. Just like BJEV Arcfox, it revitalizes its fame with two aces in the field of autonomous driving-Huawei and Baidu.The new pattern is gradually taking shape in the shuffle, but it is constantly being broken by new participants rushing in. The flag of the king on the city wall changes, the war between S and 7 changes its protagonist, as expected.

This is still only the beginning of a war, and it is not surprising that new opponents appear. However, what Wei Xiaoli and Tesla need to be wary of is that traditional car companies, once they change their thinking and start building electric cars, will not hold back.

Zeekr, the new opponent, is not afraid to take action.

Since Zeekr 001 was listed on April 15th, and An Conghui, now wearing a POLO shirt, announced somewhat sadly while being called “Cong Cong”, “we won’t accept intention fees after June 15th, and the 2021 production capacity has been sold out.”

Only 60 days have passed.

It can be said that Zeekr’s 001, without any hesitation, broke into the war between S and 7. Although there is a significant difference in price range, the 001, which is also an electric sedan and known as the “Zeekr version of the Panamera,” has an impressive impact.

“I have ordered a Tesla Model 3, and it will be delivered soon, but I’m hesitating after seeing the Zeekr.” “In terms of appearance, it depends on personal preference, but I’m voting for the 001.” The betrayal of some potential car owners of Tesla and NIO has made these new forces, who have been operating for several years, unable to sleep soundly.

Recently, Voyah also changed its strategy and accelerated its listing process. The official announcement stated, “Voyah FREE will be officially launched on June 19th, and both extended-range and pure electric versions are available for pre-order.”

One of the threats to Voyah’s sudden change is from the orders of Zeekr’s 001, which not only exceeded An Conghui’s expectations but also impacted these “newcomers” that have not yet been put into production and listed.

“Be faster.” Zeekr’s courage to sell cash instead of futures has made many opponents feel uneasy.

Another important reason that prompts Voyah to accelerate its strategy is that a survey shows that when consumers choose electric cars, they no longer have as many options as before, but instead focus on one or two brands.

Once the advantage of being the first and having a high brand position is lost, breaking through the defense will become even more difficult. In just 60 days, Zeekr’s 001 easily broke into the battle among “Double 7 Confronts S.”

It seems that after Zeekr’s 001, the high position is once again reduced…

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.