Heroic Voyah

“Life is a vast ocean, ebb and flow. What you see as trivial, mockery, and wrongdoing in your eyes, is my heroism.”

In “Life is Like a Vast Ocean”, Ma Jian said that a person’s life of struggle and navigation in an era will always have some things that make them courageously move forward; it is the luck born in despair, the moral excellence in adversity. They know how to shine in the limelight, and how to conduct themselves in humble circumstances.

Ma Jian makes us open our hearts and see ourselves. And we open the door of the booming new energy automotive industry and see Voyah.

The Heroism of Voyah

Let’s turn back time to 2020 when the Dongfeng H Business Unit, which was circulating around, gradually revealed its mysterious veil. At that time, Dongfeng was going to do its own new energy vehicle, and it didn’t have to be Voyah. Even if it had to be Voyah, it didn’t have to start at 300,000+. This level of high-end positioning was destined to be a long and arduous road, and probably not make it out alive.

But Dongfeng founded Voyah, like a lighthouse calling out for its mission, Voyah is the heroism of Dongfeng.

Some worried, some criticized, some watched from the sidelines. Dongfeng’s long-existing weakness in joint ventures and strong self-owned brands, and with the outbreak of the pandemic and the weak car market in 2020, the emergence of high-end brands was ill-timed, let alone the new forces of car-making were fighting with blood ahead, could not afford newcomers to walk in easily.

In “Life is Like a Vast Ocean”, there’s this sentence: “Life has battered him, but it has also made him cross the fear of life and death and the chill of the world, become enlightened, and smile at the world.”

This is true bravery, it gives birth to heroism, it is also responsible to the end, and transforms into decisive and swift action.

In July 2020, the Voyah brand was launched, the first concept car was released at the Beijing Auto Show in September, the first mass-produced car, Voyah FREE, was officially announced in December, and the national real-car test began immediately afterward. In March 2021, Voyah FREE online reservations opened, officially launched in June and downed the production line, direct flagship stores were opened simultaneously, and deliveries to users began in July.

Voyah took only a year from the birth of the brand to the delivery of the actual car. From the first to the 10,000th Voyah FREE, it took only 205 days. In just one year, the Voyah FREE long-range version, pure electric version, and pure electric city version, and Voyah Dreamfamily were orderly born. In just one year, Voyah’s direct stores covered 22 cities across the country, with over 50 stores, and Voyah showrooms were spread across 30 cities with over 100 stores.

Voyah interprets heroism and flashes out with decisive and swift action. Pragmatism and hard work are concise and clear, worthy of respect and recognition by everyone.

Higher-level ProductsWhat kind of product does HEROISM Voyah offer to users?

Positioned as a “zero-worry high-end intelligent electric brand”, with a starting price of over 300,000 yuan, Voyah is destined to target the most difficult group to please in order to gain recognition.

They are different from the high-end brand consumers in the fuel car market, and you cannot simply classify them as the same group. Compared with the mature brand territory and distinctive brand tonality in the fuel car market, the high-end electric car brands are still in the fierce competition for market position.

No one knows how to classify the high-end electric car consumer groups, and everyone can only feel their way forward and strive to create their own advantages to attract users. Tesla focuses on leading intelligence, NIO focuses on user operations, Ideal targets new dads, Gaohe is targeting the wealthy, and what about Voyah?

Voyah wants to provide users with higher-level products in the same price range of over 300,000 yuan. Making users feel more valuable is the basic quality of HEROISM Voyah to be honest with their customers.

Voyah is the first to use air suspension in the 300,000-yuan level of electric cars. This move is not only to achieve zero-worry for users through the launch of extended-range products but also to provide higher-level products for users.

Air suspension is mostly used in car models priced above 500,000 yuan, or even up to a million yuan, and its obvious comfort advantages have become favorable conditions for supporting luxury. Voyah uses air suspension in 300,000-yuan level car models, allowing the Voyah FREE equipped with air suspension to achieve adaptive height regulation of the chassis of up to 100mm, matching economical, comfortable, high energy, outing, and custom five driving modes, with a ground clearance of 163mm in economy/comfort mode, 133mm in high-energy mode, 213mm in outing mode, and 116mm in greeting mode. Different driving modes and different chassis heights allow the vehicle to obtain the best chassis tuning and the most comfortable driving experience under different road conditions.

How far is Voyah from success?

We yearn for success because it is difficult. The enthusiasm of everyone at the start can only lead to the satisfaction of a few.

How far is Voyah from success in the fiercely competitive new energy vehicle market? Perhaps the answer is as difficult as it is far away.## 2021 年 7 月正式交付开始，岚图的销量一直处于逐月稳步上升之中，2021 年 12 月达到 3330 辆，荣登当月高端电动 SUV 销量排行第四。

However, the sales of the Voyah electric SUV had faced a tough challenge in the more volatile market of 2022, after the official delivery began in July 2021 with a steady increase month by month, with a record of 3,330 units sold in December 2021 and ranked fourth of the high-end EV SUV sales for that month.

但进入市场更加波云诡谲的 2022 年，岚图销量开始迎来残酷考验。2022 年 1 月，岚图销量回落到 1553 辆，2 月再度调整。

However, in the much more volatile market of 2022, Voyah faced a tough challenge. The sales dropped to 1,553 units in January 2022 and made further adjustments in February.

事实上，今年初以来的销量回落，是整个市场的整体调整。包括蔚来、小鹏、理想、哪吒、零跑这种 2021 年声浪和销量都不错的造车新势力，2022 年 1、2 月份的销量都出现了不同程度的下降。

In fact, the sales decline since the beginning of this year was due to the market-wide adjustment, where new car makers like NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, Zeekr, and Leap Motors, who had good sales and market reputation in 2021, experienced varying degrees of sales decline in January and February 2022.

但与理想、蔚来这些同为 30 万 + 起售价的品牌相比，岚图的销量降幅，还是要明显高于前两者。这就是岚图的隐忧，或者说岚图更弱势的地方，品牌号召力不强。

But compared with brands like Li Auto and NIO with a starting price of over RMB 300,000 in China, Voyah suffered a more significant decline in sales. This is Voyah’s hidden concern or more precisely its weakness, a weak brand appeal.

岚图有不俗的产品力，有迅速铺开的销售渠道，也有背靠东风的强大资源优势，强大的行动力。唯独诞生不足两年的品牌力显得稚嫩和孱弱，这在一定程度上影响了岚图的销量爬坡，也令其在对抗市场震荡时显得势单力薄。

Voyah has impressive product capability, fast deployment of sales channels, strong resource advantages supported by Dongfeng Motor. The one thing that hinders its sales growth is its immature brand appeal that has been in existence for less than two years. This weakness has somewhat affected its sales volume progress, making it more vulnerable in face of market fluctuations.

在 30 万+ 的高端电动车细分市场，蔚来经历过 「住进 ICU」的生死考验，理想也踉跄着趟过一系列危机公关。也许这已经告诉了岚图，在触及成功之前，那些关于品牌成长的考验和历练，谁都无可避免。

In the high-end electric vehicle market in China, where the starting price exceeds RMB 300,000, NIO has experienced the “life or death challenge” when almost broke down, Li Auto has also stumbled through a series of crises and public relations issues. It may have already told Voyah that no one could avoid those trials and experiences in brand growth before success.

倘若真是如此，岚图倒可吃下定心丸。既然前方注定有猛虎，而自己注定要做英雄，那就披荆斩棘，勇敢向前。

If it is indeed the case, Voyah can take a heart pill. Since there are bound to be strong opponents ahead, Voyah is destined to play the role of a hero by overcoming difficulties and moving forward bravely.

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.