Author: Rezz

There was once a car that was considered a thorn in the side of Chinese domestic brands and even luxury brands’ MPVs because its sales accounted for almost 43% of the domestic luxury MPV market, and it had been unbeatable for a long time. This car is Buick GL8. Buick’s sales in China account for nearly 80% of its global sales, among which GL8 has been the sales champion of domestic MPVs for two consecutive years, and its sedans have also sold well.

Over the past 20 years, Buick GL8 has proved that its success may have eaten up the dividend of China’s rapid socio-economic development. The growth in GL8 sales has almost accompanied the growth in demand for business MPVs in China. As the saying goes, GL8 is no longer just a car, but a productivity.

Therefore, when the domestic MPV market needs higher-end products and all brands are launching high-end MPVs with “million-level product strength”, Buick also needs a new high-end flagship that jumps out of the comfort zone. The risk and opportunity of brand breakthrough coexist. If one wants to pursue higher premiums, one needs to take risks, but more importantly, one needs to rebuild the temple after changing the logo for Buick and reshape the golden body. Century, the New Buick Century, is taking on this task.

There is an interesting point that, even today when the entire MPV industry is benchmarking the Alphard, few MPV products are seen benchmarking Buick, the industry leader. Even during the entire launch event of the New Buick Century, the name of the Alphard was not mentioned once. Because, unlike the new MPV players who build their brands from scratch, the Century standing on the shoulders of the giant GL8 may only have to benchmark itself.

Everyone wants to become Alphard, but it is difficult to become the “Century”, why is that?

The Domestic MPV Market is Stuck in a Scramble

2022 can be said to be a year of explosive growth for domestic MPV models. New energy MPVs are appearing one after another, and even large six-seater models like the Ideal L9 are entering the market to compete for household users’ demand.

These models are making the automotive market in 2022 extremely competitive. Even a quick glance at the configuration list for one of these MPVs shows features that even million-dollar luxury cars did not have: advanced intelligent driving and smart cabins, even air suspension/active shock absorption to enhance the product’s competitiveness. Even large refrigerators, large televisions, large sofas, traditional Chinese tea tables, integrated online resources for online classes and video conference offices all appear in the cabins of domestically produced MPVs.

What is the next development? This reminds me of the jesting comments the three old car enthusiasts from The Grand Tour made about what wealthy Chinese might expect in their cars: a sauna or foot bath? A dining room or kitchen oven? Or, a rowing machine for exercising?

While it may appear that domestically produced MPVs are “packing” their cars to the hilt, a single, swift move like Buick’s GL8, which sold over 85,000 cars in the first three quarters of this year, still reigns supreme and is difficult for competitors to displace.

However, the emergence of 300,000+ and even 500,000+ high-end MPVs has also allowed Buick to see domestic consumers’ demand for high-end MPVs. If domestic players have leveraged materials to increase the cost performance of high-end MPVs, then CENTURY is precisely grasping demand through precise positioning, paving the way for competitors to have no place to turn.

The Buick Century released three versions this time: the four-seat private version, the four-seat Elysium version and the six-seat Worldly version, with prices ranging from 529,900 to 689,900 yuan.

On the one hand, the Buick Century has raised the ceiling of luxury MPVs with its four-seat version, and on the other hand, it has met the needs of large-space vehicles with its six-seat version to fill the gap in its own 500,000+ MPV product line.

Even in the area of intelligentization, a traditional weakness of automotive companies, the Century is equipped with two Qualcomm 8155 chips, a new generation of VCS smart cockpit, eCruisePro advanced intelligent driving assistance, LED lighting interaction, HUD, rear entertainment screens, and other smart features that the brand is proud of.

Unlike the practicality of family SUVs, high-end MPVs themselves are a field that requires extensive market sedimentation, as well as product strength and brand value. Buick’s advantage in MPVs, with its extensive customer base, brand effect, and market share, is a natural advantage of the Century.

When your opponent has more brand influence than you do, and understands how to solve problems and see into people’s hearts better than you, it’s only natural that they can’t be defeated.## Solving Problems Is Better than Telling Stories

Whether it is the rise of the large six-seater or the new energy MPV market, it is driven by changing demands. Buick, which has always valued the Chinese market the most, has been well prepared and not caught unprepared. Take the Buick Century 6-seater Yensei version priced at ¥529,900 as an example, which happened to be in the same price range as the recently released Zeekr 009.

Certainly, every newly launched MPV is fully equipped with materials, configurations, and smart technology. However, meeting the needs of users is obviously more important than just stacking configurations. Adding commercial functions to the home-use MPV or accessing online course resources in a commercial MPV will not please its potential users.

When it comes to meeting user needs, perhaps no one understands the needs of domestic MPV users better than Buick.

Therefore, Buick Century CENTURY did not choose to follow the path of domestic MPV “excessive configuration”, but chose to truly stand on the customer’s position and help them solve real scenario problems with years of deep experience. All problems that can be solved with money are small problems.

The first problem is privacy and security.

As a high-end four-seater MPV, it is aimed at those who have dedicated drivers, for whom privacy and security are obviously more important.

Many MPV owners will modify the large screen in the back row, such as the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, which has spawned many modified and customized manufacturers, so that they can display information during business chauffeuring or show itineraries during travel receptions, or bosses can relax in the back seat.# Buick Century FOUR Seater Exclusive Edition: Innovative and Intelligent Rear Cabin Configuration

The Buick Century FOUR Seater Exclusive Edition boasts a 32-inch smart screen that can rise and lower to present an electronic curtain wall, providing full privacy between the driver and the rear seat passengers. Additionally, it features a rear cabin large screen and a premium chip, the 8155, specially designed for the central armrest touch screen of the rear seat, which can control all functions, including seat position, air conditioning, massage, heating, doors, windows, Bose audio, starry sky top, and smart curtain wall. Buick Century’s focus on the rear passengers is evident from its “over-qualified” configuration.

Moreover, for busy executives who require ample rest while traveling, the Buick Century FOUR Seater Exclusive Edition provides a quiet and comfortable cabin for relaxation on business trips. Successful people know the value of flexible time arrangements and can get a restful nap in the CEOs’ office, first class cabins, or MPV’s aviation seats.Many times, seats may not be the most important aspect of many sedans and SUVs, but for MPV buyers, it’s an area that they have to pay attention to. Previously, many netizens used GL8 seats to turn them into gaming chairs, claiming to surpass all memes under 1,000 yuan, while Buick Century seats are even better.

The 160-degree cloud-like seat of the Buick Century four-seater is the perfect angle where each joint of your body is at its least pressure, making this angle more comfortable than completely lying flat.

In addition to the seats, the Century comes standard with strict environmental protection interior craftsmanship and the BioCare intelligent bio-purification cabin system, achieving PM 0.1-level ultra-clean filtering, which can effectively prevent tiny particles and harmful gases and odors, providing a guarantee for resting in the back row.

The final question is how to maintain work efficiency and focus in the car.

The Buick Century CENTURY is equipped with QuietTuning (TM) Buick’s quiet noise reduction technology, Bose ANC active noise reduction technology, and an aerodynamic body design with even lower air resistance coefficient. The large increase in vehicle rigidity and modal frequency, as well as the all-new generation of noise-reducing Conti PPC silent tires from Michelin with better acoustic performance, are all used to provide a quiet cabin environment.

Of course, as a high-end business MPV, the Century CENTURY can also screen projection for meetings – more labor is the first productivity in the car.

Finally

Going back to the question of the title, why does everyone want to be like the Toyota Alphard, but it’s difficult to become a “Century” brand?

For those brands that hope to become like the Alphard, they not only hope to build a high-end MPV, but also hope to have the same brand premium and even pricing power as the Alphard.

In comparison, Century stands on the shoulders of GL8 and fought fiercely to become a leader in the domestic MPV market for over 20 years to meet the needs of their users.

Brand positioning can be built from scratch, but the refinement of the product cannot be rushed.

The MPV market requires a lot of accumulation and sedimentation. Though new products come out continuously, Buick, which has been standing in the market for 20 years, has become a benchmark. With its profound accumulation in high-end commercial vehicles, Buick has laid the foundation for Century, and precisely aimed at and solved the problems of the market users with expertise.

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.