Hidden concerns under high sales volume: How can Roewe break the high complaint rate?

In the current sluggish market in 2019, many automakers have made various maneuvers to maintain their sales and launched new cars in various segments in order to maintain sales and gain a larger market share. With the arrival of the National VI emission standards, the impact on the market is self-evident. High inventory and discounts have become the norm in the auto market.

Against this backdrop, SAIC Roewe officially announced its sales in the first half of the year. From the data, from January to June, SAIC Roewe's total sales exceeded 210,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 6%. In terms of sales of specific models in June, Roewe RX5, Roewe i5 and Roewe Ei5 accounted for 64% of Roewe's total sales that month, and the overall performance was better than the market average.

However, judging from recent complaints, the number of complaints about these star models of the Roewe brand remains high, and the Roewe i5 is the most popular model. Obviously, Roewe, which has maintained high sales in the cold winter of the auto market, has begun to expose concerns about product quality.

It is reported that as an entry-level compact car, the price range of Roewe i5 is 68,900-115,900 yuan. The overall design continues the shape of Ei5 (parameters | pictures), with a body size of 4601×1818×1489mm and a wheelbase of 2680mm. Whether in terms of body size or appearance design, the overall performance of Roewe i5 is quite satisfactory. In terms of power, it is equipped with two engines, 1.5L naturally aspirated and 1.5T turbocharged. The transmission system is matched with 5MT, CVT and 7-speed TST dual-clutch transmission. The power is at the mainstream level in this field.

The arrival of new models later lowered the starting price of Roewe i5 to 68,900 yuan, which made its competitive advantage more obvious compared with products of the same level. Therefore, Roewe i5 also ushered in a stage of explosive sales.

High sales also led to high complaints. According to the complaint data released by Chezhi.com, Roewe i5 topped the list of brands, and the main complaints were about abnormal gearbox and engine noise, as well as minor problems with body accessories and electrical appliances. Most of the models with abnormal gearbox noise were manual transmission models, and this 5MT gearbox was independently developed and produced by SAIC.

It is worth noting that the abnormal noise of the 5MT gearbox is not just an isolated case. In addition, there are also many minor problems such as abnormal noise in the brake system and problems with small components. It is these minor problems that are eroding the brand reputation of Roewe i5. As the current sales force of the Roewe brand, the backlog of major quality problems of i5 is very likely to cause a large-scale collapse of reputation. At that time, the negative impact brought by quality problems will spread to many products under Roewe.

In terms of complaints, the Roewe RX5 has not escaped either, with complaints mainly focusing on post-maintenance and gearboxes. It is worth mentioning that the gearbox complaints are mainly for the 2016 model, and the dry dual-clutch transmission has a clear sign of increasing complaints, mainly due to problems such as setbacks and abnormal noises.

The main transmission principle of dry dual clutch and wet dual clutch is basically the same, but the connection medium of the clutch active plate and driven plate is different. Dry dual clutch relies on air, while wet dual clutch relies on oil. However, due to the serious traffic jam in China, dry dual clutch is often in low speed state, which is easy to cause setbacks, shaking and other problems. From the perspective of structure, wet dual clutch is slightly better than dry dual clutch in terms of durability due to the use of more oil lubrication.

Judging from the high complaint rate of the 2016 Roewe RX5 dual-clutch transmission, it is normal for it to have problems. The 2016 Roewe RX5 has a considerable market sales, but the complaint trend is increasing. In addition, the complaint rate about 4S store service problems is also high, mainly focusing on service attitude, unfulfilled promises, and maintenance. For Roewe, this should be given enough attention.

In conclusion: As the backbone of Roewe's current sales, Roewe RX5 and Roewe i5 are both facing the dilemma of high complaints. Obviously, behind the impressive sales, there are also hidden worries. How to solve the current complaint problem requires Roewe's efforts in many aspects.

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.