After long-term accumulation and development, the technology, quality, brand ability and service level of my country's automobiles have been continuously improved, and the international influence has also continued to expand. Among them, new energy vehicles have become the "main force" going overseas. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, from January to October 2022, 499,000 new energy vehicles will be exported, a year-on-year increase of 96.7%, which is the core growth point of automobile exports.

  Nowadays, the export of new energy vehicles overseas has become a highlight of my country's auto industry. With the increasing export of new energy vehicles in China, a large number of Chinese brands have also begun to emerge on the world stage, including not only SAIC, BYD, etc. There are also established car companies, such as NIO and Xiaopeng, who are new car manufacturers, and even Huawei and other cross-border players are eager to try. However, due to the different timing of going to sea, each player also has his own emphasis on the choice of going to sea strategy.

Veteran car companies "bravely enter"

  In the process of transformation and upgrading of the domestic auto industry, in addition to focusing on the domestic market, it has also focused on the global market. For example, the old car company Great Wall went abroad as early as 1998; SAIC also entered overseas as early as 2019. It even broke into the strongholds of automobile powerhouses such as Europe and the United States. As the pioneers of domestic independent auto brands going overseas, these established auto companies have opened up a successful way for latecomers to go overseas.

  1. Seek Cooperation

  Traditional car companies have accelerated their expansion in overseas markets through joint ventures with overseas companies or independent establishment of overseas factories. Going overseas is easier said than done. If domestically-produced cars want to go overseas, their capabilities in R&D, marketing, logistics, parts, manufacturing, and finance will all face a huge test. In addition to building factories, setting up R&D centers, and improving the localization of domestic models, most of them will also adopt joint ventures with overseas companies to meet the needs of overseas markets.

  2. Shop Channel

  Traditional car companies have laid a certain foundation for their new energy vehicles to go overseas through the sales channels laid out overseas for fuel vehicles earlier. SAIC, BYD, Great Wall, Geely and other domestic established car companies have established overseas channels to sell fuel vehicles a long time ago, and after long-term brand output and channel maintenance, their products have also gained high recognition in overseas markets. The establishment of export channels for traditional fuel vehicles by these established car companies in the early days has also brought great convenience to the promotion of new energy vehicles of their own brands.

  3. Strong Infrastructure

  Traditional car companies have continued to enhance their technical strength and brand influence through further extension of the industrial chain. Established car companies such as SAIC Motor have been continuously upgrading their industrial chains in the process of actively deploying overseas markets. Different from the primary industrial chain going overseas, by continuously improving the technical level and the efficiency of the industrial chain, SAIC Motor has realized the in-depth and all-round overseas export of the entire industrial chain, allowing its own technology, brand culture, industrial chain, etc. to be fully exported to the outside world for its New energy vehicles provide a guarantee for going overseas.Relying on the first-mover advantage of overseas deployment and the continuous improvement of product lines, the brand influence of established car companies has been continuously enhanced. For example, SAIC Motor, which created the MG "global car", is now at a new stage of going overseas with a higher dimension. It is understood that SAIC Motor has established more than 1,800 overseas marketing and service outlets, and its products and services are distributed in more than 90 countries and regions. It has formed six major markets including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas, and its cumulative overseas sales have exceeded 3 million vehicles.

"Ingenious Creation", a new car-making force

  With established car companies taking the lead and following the existing and mature overseas models and routes, the pace of new car manufacturers entering overseas markets has accelerated a lot. And as the new car-making forces have made some innovations on the basis of the original, new energy vehicles have entered a new stage. There has been a "qualitative" leap.

  1. Model Innovation

  Changed from the direct retail model to the subscription model of "rental and sale". In the case of a relatively large proportion of potential customers and skeptics in the European market, the "rental sales" model, which is convenient for overseas users to experience, has become a new starting point for Chinese brands to "reverse sales and expand scale" in the European market.

  2. Technological Innovation

  From the original product and technology to the sea, it has been upgraded to the industrial chain. With the continuous change of technologies such as electrification and intelligence, as well as the continuous innovation of transportation methods and channels, the current scope of automobile overseas has expanded from product and technology overseas to industrial chain overseas. The huge and complete automobile industry chain provides a good soil for the development and growth of domestic independent brand automobiles. It is reported that NIO will build a complete operating system consisting of cars, services, digitalization and lifestyles in the four national markets of Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, and create a user lifestyle community starting from cars.

  3. Brand Innovation

  From the earlier focus on cost performance, it has begun to highlight the high-end brand. In the past, the "going global" strategy of Chinese car companies was more based on cost-effectiveness and focused on price wars; now, in the new round of new energy vehicles going overseas, NIO and other new car-making companies have begun to With a breakthrough in high-end branding, mid-to-high-end models will naturally become the "protagonist" of new energy vehicles going overseas.

  4. Regional Innovation

  Expanded from the underdeveloped Southeast Asian market to the more mature European and American markets. Around 2004-2008, my country's auto exports were mainly to developing countries and emerging markets such as "Asia, Africa and Latin America". In 2021, there will be a new round of automobile export boom, and new energy vehicles will become the biggest bright spot. Countries and regions with higher penetration rates and more friendly policies such as Europe, Australia, and the Middle East will become the new main force of export destinations. In September 2020, Xiaopeng took the lead in entering Europe; in May 2021, NIO also released its Norwegian strategy. New energy vehicle brands such as Xiaopeng and NIO chose Europe as their first stop when going overseas.