This article is from WeChat official account:autocarweekly (ID: autocarweekly), author: plums, title figure from the Tiexi District: vision China
As we all know, the price of a car is like Schrödinger’s cat.
Many users who have finished picking up their cars from 4S stores have thoughts like this: If I was a little firm with the sales consultant at that time/if I was not so impulsive at the time/if the 4S store had to beat the performance that month/if the sales of this car were not so Okay, then the price of the car I mention may be even more expensive.
In contrast, Tesla’s impact on a series of new car companies’ transparent prices is of course untainted. The five-yuan shops on the roadside understand this truth, so they always use loudspeakers to shout: “You don’t need to ask the price, you don’t have to bargain, and you are not afraid of being slaughtered~”
Compared to the ups and downs in price, Tesla was dumped several blocks by the traditional giants.
Picture from “Getty Images”
Tesla is still cutting prices anyway. For traditional giants, they are increasing prices. Although it is said that the 4S stores are really doing things, think about it carefully. Those 4S stores in each city can always keep the golden thread of “at least add X million to pick up the car”. Whoever says thisIf the manufacturer doesn’t know, then I absolutely don’t believe it.
In fact, when I was working in a public relations company, I heard the manufacturer’s training and said to the person in charge of the 4S shop: “We support price increases. If you don’t increase it, you won’t be able to make any money. Don’t ask us then. .”
Not to mention that some manufacturers are jealous of the 4S price increase and earn a lot of money, and they personally end the market to increase the price of new cars, void the order, and request to re-order at the increased price.
Compared with those behaviors, I can’t even bear to criticize Tesla’s price cuts.
But the criticism should be criticized. And in order to better criticize, I want to compare the price reduction of Tesla with the price reduction of other products, and I will choose Nokia, Apple, H&M, and Uniqlo.
We all know that the price of mobile phones is constantly falling, and there is no bottom line. Let’s talk about Nokia first. The most classic case is the N73. When it first went on the market, it was also at the level of a generation of machine kings. The price was in the early years of 4000, and the price began to be reduced a year later. Moreover, this phone was still enduring and sold for many years. You can buy one, and the price drops by about 70%.
Apple’s situation is similar to Nokia’s. Now go to the e-commerce website to search for iPhone 12-generation products, especially the X, 8, and 7 generations. The price has dropped from when it was newly launched. I don’t know how much.
H&M, Uniqlo and other clothing brands are even more obvious. It is not uncommon to get discounts of less than half price for out-of-season products.
So, why are the price cuts of Nokia, Apple, H&M and Uniqlo rarely criticized, while Tesla’s price cuts are always so unbearable?
Because the price reduction of the former is regular. Nokia mobile phones will generally start to cut prices after a year. Similarly, iPhones will start to cut prices after new products are released. The same is true for clothing brands, which will start to cut prices after the season.
As for Tesla’s price cuts, there is always no precaution and no worries, and the price cuts are in units of 10,000 yuan at every turn, and I will give you such a price if you take the cold. Who can stand this?
The reason why Tesla’s sales model is better than that of traditional automakers is because Tesla’s price system is transparent, one-stop prices, users can buy with confidence, and market efficiency is also high. However, because they always cut prices irresponsibly, users always have to worry about the “price cut when you pick up the car” situation, so the system becomes less transparent.
As for the price cuts of mobile phones and clothing, manufacturers and users have long formed a tacit agreement. As soon as the new models are released, the old models will be reduced in price, and users can even be accurate within 10 days of when the new models are released.
So when users make purchase decisions, they are already aware of many situations: For example, if you buy at this time, how long will the price be reduced; for example, if you just can’t wait to buy now, you will probably spend more How much…
Users can guess about all these conditions, so even if the user cuts the price just after the purchase, he is already mentally prepared. The situation is similar to that when the toilet paper is used up at home, there is no way to wait for Double Eleven and you must buy it now. It is much more transparent than Tesla, which cuts prices irregularly.
If it’s not an epidemic, everyone knows that iPhone 12 was originally 9Available at the end of the month
The most critical core problem that caused this situation is that Tesla has not established a stable product upgrade schedule.
Apple releases new iPhones every year, and clothing brands release new models every season, and the release of new models is a signal of price cuts for older models. But Tesla, they can’t produce a new car every year, and their production capacity, manpower, and capital are not enough.
Moreover, Tesla is too straightforward. Look at the traditional manufacturers. Don’t look at the replacement of nearly ten years and mid-term changes for three to five years. However, people push new-year models every year. The configuration adds a small function, the shape changes a small detail is a new model, if it goes well, the 4S shop can sell it at the official guide price. Even add a small nameplate, make a small logo, make a small joint name, a “limited edition” is out again, and it can sell for tens of thousands more.
Fiat 500 Gucci Edition | Picture from the Internet
By the way, because Tesla is still too straightforward and not smart enough, and because Tesla’s price system is more transparent than traditional car manufacturers, can this wash away Tesla’s price reduction behavior? Can’t.
Many people-including Musk himself-have said: Tesla occasionally increases prices. Why didn’t users say that they took advantage at that time, but instead said that they were at a loss when the price fell? (Many people also comment on those buyers who ask to make up the price difference when the house price drops)
This is a good explanation. Tesla is not stocks, futures, antiques, or artworks. Tesla has no investment properties, it is a consumer product. The fact is that if people buy a painting by Monet, even if the painting depreciates in an instant, they will not protest, and they have never heard of anyone who buys a stock and asks someone to pull a banner. (SaveIn the shady situation is not counted)
When Tesla increases prices, it is often due to factors such as raw material cost increases, exchange rate changes, etc., which are all uncontrollable, and Tesla itself cannot be sure. But Tesla’s price cuts are all certain. The output is getting higher and higher, the localization rate is higher and higher, and the amortized cost is lower and lower. Tesla knows exactly when the price will be cut , That is what they planned long ago.
However, they still choose to let the store clerk urge consumers to pay and pick up the car before the price is reduced, so that some users are almost beaten by the price reduction quota when they are unclear. This is Tess The real bad thing about lowering prices.
In fact, when the price was cut this time, I thought Tesla would learn a lesson, at least not to make things big as before. Unexpectedly, the result was the scene of “the one who is favored has no fear”. Similar cases still appeared. There have been related articles reporting that some users in Nanjing, Beijing and other places were urged to pay and pick up the car before the price cut.
How can I make the same mistake over and over again. Although Heraclitus said that “one cannot step into the same river twice,” Tesla’s problem is not philosophical. To be more serious, it can even be said to be a problem of corporate responsibility.
This article is from WeChat official account:autocarweekly (ID: autocarweekly), Author: plum West District