Time flies like water, and in a blink of an eye, more than a year has passed since the second decade of the 21st century.
Even though time spares no one, memories can still retain the reflection of the past.
Over a decade ago, when the internet was just emerging and life was not as hectic as it is today, we would exchange phone numbers or maybe even the Tencent QQ number through text messages when we first met.
Readers with a certain life experience may also remember a small car priced at only a few tens of thousands of yuan that emerged in the era when the Chinese automobile industry was just starting and private cars were still a novelty. It became a topic of discussion as the “national car” – the Chery QQ.
What else do people remember about the Chery QQ? It may be the advertisement claiming “Own your first car for just a few tens of thousands of yuan,” or it may be the controversy surrounding the fact that its 0.8L engine cannot be driven on highways… Of course, the most unforgettable thing about it is its sales myth: its cumulative sales exceeded one million units, and it was sold on five continents and in nearly a hundred countries and regions, becoming a truly “popular car”.
More than ten years have passed, people’s communication methods have changed from PC desktop IM tools to WeChat that is always online. The automobile market has also experienced the rise and fall of trends such as “SUV craze”, “luxury car craze”, and currently the “new energy craze”.
However, some regular things seem to have remained the same. The revival of the retro and nostalgia trend that periodically emerges in various fields of real life reminds people how nostalgic human beings are.
On December 28th, the Chery QQ took advantage of the trend towards electrification and announced its “resurrection” in its hometown of Wuhu, Anhui under a more fashionable name – QQ Ice Cream.
How’s the car?Let’s talk about the QQ Ice Cream car as usual. But after half a year of preheating, the information on the appearance, power, and endurance of this A00 level small car is no longer a secret. The most important “dry goods” at the launch event are still the prices:
There are three versions of QQ Ice Cream, the “Pudding version” priced at 29,900 RMB, the “Cone version” priced at 37,900 RMB, and the “Divine version” priced at 43,900 RMB.
All three versions are equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 20 kW and a peak torque of 85 Nm.
The battery uses lithium iron phosphate, and the battery capacity of the first two versions is 9.6 kWh, with a NEDC range of 120 km, while the top version has a battery capacity of 13.9 kWh and a NEDC range of 170 km.
As for other aspects, it can only be said that QQ Ice Cream is similar to another A00 class small car that has created sales myth in the market.
Also with a 2-door 4-seat layout, the QQ Ice Cream has a body size of 2980 × 1496 × 1637mm, a wheelbase of 1960mm, and is positioned as an A00 class pure electric car.
With this body size, there is no need to expect too much rear space, but it is suitable for city shuttles. In addition, the rear seats can be folded down proportionally, bringing good internal space utilization.
Although at first glance, QQ Ice Cream and the Wuling Hongguang MINI EV look alike, after comparing it with its old predecessor Chery QQ in fuel version, we cannot say that it simply imitates its competitors, but rather inherits some kind of design.
The car body has become a square box shape, and the front face has also become a common closed grille for electric cars. QQ Ice Cream still maintains the most recognizable design of the fuel version Chery QQ, the “round” headlight group.
The headlight group of this car has changed from a simple ellipse to a “square with a circle inside” design – the headlight shell is consistent with the overall style of the car body, presenting a square and three-dimensional shape. However, when illuminated, a U-shaped LED strip + a central headlight outline a lovely “big-eyed” look.
In light of the recent controversial topic of “squinting eyes” on the internet, QQ ice cream still has a high appearance value.
Corresponding to the front end, the rear end of the QQ ice cream is also square, and the most eye-catching are still the two headlights on both sides – consistent with the front headlight design, and matching the overall shape of the rear, giving people a cute and naive feeling.
Limited by price and cost, the interior of QQ ice cream can be described as extremely simple in a tactful way.
Even the touch screen usually found in new energy vehicle consoles is not equipped, instead, the regular console screen position is designed as a phone holder.
It is worth mentioning that the entry-level QQ ice cream, which is priced at 29,900 yuan, does not have “basic” functions found in mainstream car products, such as air conditioning, driver-side safety airbags, and reversing radar imaging.
This strategy seems to be similar to that of Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV: attracting traffic with an entry-level low price, but ultimately relying on mid-to-high-end models for volume.
In response to the younger and more personalized demands of consumers, QQ ice cream offers seven colors: taro purple, sea salt blue, mint green, coconut white, lemon yellow, cherry blossom pink, and light lotus root color, as well as various two-color body combinations.
Who to sell to and how to sell?## Long-standing Controversy over A00 Small Cars Represented by Wuling Hongguang MINI EV: Is It a Replacement for Elderly Mobility Scooters?
In this regard, Chery New Energy is very frank, stating that QQ ice cream is “the most widely covered new energy small car among many products”, and the main target consumer groups include: family users, female users, young people in small towns, and the elderly.
For family users, when there is a need for additional purchases of vehicles after already owning a fuel car, they can buy a QQ ice cream for commuting to and from work, and picking up children. After all, the inherent advantages of small electric cars are their compactness, flexibility, easy parking, and low operating costs.
For female users, purchasing a QQ ice cream can be used for daily commuting within the city, and the eye-catching and adorable appearance and interior are also a bonus.
It sounds like a great idea, but it’s hard to say how many female consumers will actually pay for it. Of course, there is an interesting topic behind this: nowadays, whether it’s luxurious or popular brands, SUVs or sedans, everyone is promoting the “women-only car” concept.
However, Chery New Energy still has some confidence in pleasing female consumers. At the QQ ice cream launch event, the company specifically presented the following PPT to prove its point.
For young people in small towns, the highlight of QQ ice cream is its cost-effectiveness. Or, Chery New Energy still wants to expand its channels to broader fourth- and fifth-tier cities, following the “surrounding cities with rural areas” route, just like Hongguang MINI EV.
Finally, Chery New Energy also targets the “elderly” with QQ ice cream.
At the launch event, the company only vaguely stated that this car is also suitable as a “filial piety gift” for the elderly, with reasons such as being able to qualify for green license plates, high cost-effectiveness, sufficient endurance mileage, and easy maintenance – as for which product these advantages are targeted for, it’s up to everyone to experience for themselves.
As for how to win the favor of the above consumer groups, QQ Ice Cream’s price and product advantages compared with its biggest competitor, Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, are not outstanding but similar. To achieve the same success as the latter, the critical factor may lie in the sales channels.
Therefore, in June of this year, Chery reached a strategic cooperation with Alibaba Cloud, Haier, and other enterprises to launch a new automotive ecosystem brand, iCar Ecosystem, based on digital technology.
The name is a little vague, but in fact, it has made the traditional dealer agency system more agile, efficient, and standardized based on digital technology.
So far, iCar Ecosystem has had 1000 agent stores signed through online and offline channels. In this new marketing model, all dealers are first-level agents and connect directly with Chery NEV. At the same time, based on the online system, it achieves direct connection between users and enterprises.
Overall, this model has a lighter investment and less stock pressure compared to the traditional dealer model. Compared with the direct sales model popular among new forces today, it expands faster.
“Chery stores will definitely appear in county-level markets” is a goal set by Chery iCar Ecosystem. It also means that in the future, many stores selling QQ Ice Cream models will emerge in large shopping malls in fourth- and fifth-tier cities.
For the market expectations that follow, Chery NEV is also optimistic: By 2022, the sales volume of QQ Ice Cream + Chery Little Ant will exceed 300,000.
By comparison, Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, a model launched in July 2020, had a total sales volume of 127,600 in that year. From January to November this year, its cumulative sales volume reached 344,800.
So, can Chery NEV replicate similar glories? This question will be answered next year by Chery QQ Ice Cream.