On June 6th, smart unveiled its latest series, Smart Elf #1, with a subsidized price range of 181,600 to 226,600 yuan. In addition to the existing Pro+ and Premium configurations, Smart added an entry-level version named PURE+. Compared to their pre-sale price, both the Pro+ and Premium configurations are now 3,400 yuan cheaper.
Following the event, we spoke with the Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and After-sale Services, Ms. Zhang Mingxia, and summarized and streamlined our discussions about power charging, marketing strategies, delivery commitments, relevant rights, and other relevant issues concerning the Smart Elf #1.
About Smart Elf #1
Q: Is there a specific sales target set for Smart Elf #1?
Mr. Zhang: Our team’s most significant task this year is to land and renew the Smart brand, which is more critical than pursuing traditional sales, market share, etc. Moreover, since the launch of small-scale bookings on April 25th, we have received over 30,000 orders, indicating that the market has given us a significant degree of trust, and we have also gained a lot of confidence at this point ourselves.
Q: How many units is Smart Elf #1 expected to deliver in the first batch in the fourth quarter?
Mr. Zhang: The first batch delivery target for the fourth quarter is our commitment to our customers. Even with complications such as the pandemic and supply chain issues, Smart has received the support of its shareholders from R&D to sales and after-sale services. The delivery process is proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Q: Who do you see as your Smart Elf #1’s primary competitors?
Mr. Zhang: From the outset, Smart Elf #1 has not been positioned based on a segmented market in the traditional sense. Instead, we aim to offer the unique productivity and user value that our technology provides in the pure electric and urban mobility fields, presenting a different Smart brand.
Q: New brands’ efforts at expanding to European markets have not been very effective. How does Smart plan to breakthrough?
Mr. Zhang: Unlike these new brands, Smart has 25 years of history, and the European market is considered our stronghold. We will begin with the introduction of the Elf #1 in 14 countries in Europe, maintaining the brand’s personality while meeting user needs. From there, we will further contemplate and explore other possibilities and opportunities in the European market.### About Service
Q: What innovations will smart have in terms of services?
Zhang Mingxia: We have been talking about the triple innovation, which is the innovation of the business model. From the traditional 4S dealership to the current agent mechanism, we focus more on the current customers. Service needs to extend to the delivery, and smart will do the delivery work itself, hoping to form a co-creation with the users at the delivery end.
Q: How will smart layout its charging network? Will there be a self-built charging system in the future?
Zhang Mingxia: There are three modes for smart charging now: at home, at the store, and on the way. At home, the car purchase rights will include a 7.2 kW home charging pile. At the store, it is possible to replenish energy. For the on-the-way charging, smart will do more construction in the future. At present, the brand’s sharing stations have covered 24 cities, including the use of ultra-fast charging and light charging. Self-owned brand charging piles are also currently being planned.
Q: How is the sales and service network of smart dealerships?
Zhang Mingxia: Smart Elf #1 will be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year, so by the end of the third quarter, we hope to have more than 100 service outlets offline, covering more than 40 cities when it enters the fourth quarter.
Q: When will the maintenance regulations for smart Elf #1 be available?
Zhang Mingxia: The maintenance manual will be normally progressed according to the delivery schedule. In this year’s business seminar, there will be a detailed deployment of after-sales service, customer service and agents.
About Marketing
Q: Does smart have any activities and marketing aimed at female users?
As of June 5th, there were more than 30,000 orders for Xiao Ding, in which the ratio of men and women is relatively balanced. Smart did not deliberately distinguish the design of male or female. Including the selection of pop pink, which exceeded 8%, is around 10%. In fact, not only women but also many men like this pink.
Q: If the user does not choose the 7.2 kW home charging pile, are there any other additional rights?
Zhang Mingxia: Currently, smart has seven big surprise benefits, which have a time limit, so we hope that every car owner can enjoy this service.
Finally
Smart Elf #1 will be delivered successively in the fourth quarter of this year, and yesterday’s press conference also announced the launch of a high-performance Brabus version. At present, although smart did not set a sales KPI for itself, in terms of product power, this car has entered the market in a state of overall strength.
Meanwhile, it also puts considerable pressure on products like Volkswagen’s ID.3 and Euler’s Cat series. The final hurdle is Smart’s service system, which will be the icing on the cake for Smart EQ ForTwo.
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.