Don’t rush to buy at the bottom! Car prices seem to have collapsed by the end of the year. In fact, if you don’t have an urgent need, you might as well wait a little longer.

There are always endless "price wars" in the Chinese automobile market, especially at the end of the year. There is no need to find any reasons for "price cuts". The phrase "year-end sprint" is enough.

The "final battle" in 2024 seems to have come earlier than in previous years. According to incomplete statistics, in November alone, 10 brands launched limited-time discount activities.

On November 25, Tesla announced a limited-time discount on Model Y. Owners who deliver their cars before December 31 will receive an immediate 10,000 yuan discount on the final payment for the Model Y rear-wheel drive and long-range all-wheel drive models, with prices starting at 239,900 yuan. They can also choose a 5-year 0% interest financing plan.

Even though it is not uncommon for Tesla to cut prices, the impact of this "lowest price ever" on consumers can be imagined. Of course, Tesla's price cuts have always been purposeful, and this wave of price cuts is most likely to pave the way for the new Model Y, and by the way, to boost the sales of the old model.

Regardless of whether the two discounted cars are the "favorite" choices of consumers, the temptation of the "lowest price" cannot be underestimated. Tesla can always "gain both fame and fortune" from it.

At the same time, domestic auto brands are not to be outdone. On November 29, Ideal Auto announced a limited-time 0% interest policy at the end of the year, that is, from November 29 to December 31, 2024, users who purchase the Ideal L series and Ideal MEGA can enjoy a 3-year 0% interest financial plan with the minimum down payment amount.

This means that the down payment for many models of Ideal will be within reach, and the pressure on users to buy cars will be further reduced. The down payment for Ideal MEGA is 159,800 yuan, the down payment for Ideal L9 is 129,800 yuan, the down payment for Ideal L8 and Ideal L7 is 99,800 yuan, and the down payment for Ideal L6 is 69,800 yuan... This is indeed attractive to consumers who are waiting and watching.

In November, NIO also launched a car purchase promotion with a maximum value of 65,000 yuan, including a maximum of 20,000 yuan in optional equipment funds, three years of free use of NOP+ and other benefits for car owners.

Wenjie Automobile has launched a limited-time car purchase benefit of up to 50,000 yuan. The three models of Wenjie M5, M7 and M9 are all involved, so the coverage can be said to be very wide.

As December approaches, all car companies are working hard to push forward. BYD has directly launched factory promotions, and the price reduction is unmatched by other car companies.

The price of Qin PLUS, which was priced at 57,300 yuan, Yuan UP, which was priced at 67,800 yuan, and Han DM-i, which was priced at 135,800 yuan, has dropped to 135,800 yuan... It has to be said that this level of performance is enough to "win without effort".

In addition, joint venture car companies are also not idle. For example, Dongfeng Honda officially announced that from now until December 31, buyers of CR-V, Civic, Insignia and Lingxi L models can enjoy limited-time preferential policies, and can also enjoy the national trade-in subsidy of up to 20,000 yuan. Among them, Insignia offers a maximum discount of 57,000 yuan, which means that a joint venture mid-size car can be purchased for 125,800 yuan.

Buick also announced that it will continue to increase its car purchase discounts in December. The popular model Buick GL8 Lu Zun PHEV has also added a "50% down payment and 24 installments with 0 interest" financial plan. At the same time, it continues to provide preferential policies such as replacement subsidies of up to 45,000 yuan, constantly stimulating user attention.

In addition to car companies, local "trade-in" replacement subsidy policies are also "adding weight" to car companies' end-of-year sprint. In July this year, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance issued a notice on "Several Measures to Strengthen Support for Large-Scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in", which clearly proposed to significantly increase the amount of subsidies for scrapping and updating cars, increase the subsidy standard for new energy passenger cars from 10,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan, and increase the subsidy for purchasing fuel passenger cars with a displacement of 2.0 liters or less from 7,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan.

On November 29, according to the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Commerce, the 2024 Hefei New Car Purchase Consumer Coupons will be issued from November 29 to December 8, with a total amount of 44 million yuan. New energy vehicles can receive a maximum subsidy of 6,000 yuan. A total of 336 car companies have been recruited to participate in the event.

Individual consumers who purchase non-commercial vehicles (including fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles, excluding used vehicles) from participating automobile retailers can receive and use the consumption coupons.

Now, this round of scrapping and renewal and "old for new" policies will end at the end of December. Local governments continue to promote consumption in the auto market. At this time, coupled with the favorable preferential policies of auto companies, it will undoubtedly further stimulate consumers' car purchase decisions. Many consumers will consider whether the end of the year is the best time to "buy at the bottom".

From the perspective of price, most car companies are making a year-end sprint during this period, so the prices are bound to be relatively friendly. Moreover, the year-end sprint involves many brands and models, and everyone can basically choose the model they like. Therefore, if you have an urgent need for a car, this is indeed a good time to buy a car.

What needs to be noted is that there are many brands joining the year-end sprint, so when buying a car, you still need to consider the comprehensive product strength of the vehicle and choose a more influential mainstream brand.

Especially for consumers of new energy vehicles, they should not only focus on "low prices". It is better to give priority to new energy products launched by traditional large manufacturers or new energy brands with leading sales.

After all, there are many new forces such as Jiyue that have experienced "flash crashes". The attractive prices and preferential policies are always no match for the damage caused to consumers by the sudden "collapse".

Of course, if buying a car is not a necessity for you and you are interested in new technologies, you don’t have to buy at the bottom at this time. You know, the end-of-year sprint is a period for car companies to clear their inventory and pave the way for new cars next year.

Therefore, most car companies will use their older models for promotions at this time. These older models may have a decent price-performance ratio, but they often do not carry the car company's latest technology. Therefore, the technological experience and other aspects will naturally not be satisfactory.

Car prices are "collapsing" at the end of the year, and car companies have their own considerations. For consumers, whether to "buy at the bottom" or "wait and see" depends on individual needs. If you have a rigid demand, it would be more cost-effective to choose a reliable brand to "pick up a bargain" at the end of the year. If you pursue new technologies, it is not too late to wait and see the new achievements of various car companies next year before making a decision. Now that vehicle technology is changing rapidly, "price wars" occur every year, and there is a high probability that there will be no shortage of "cheap and good" new models on the market.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.