GAC Trumpchi, with three 8s in its hands, shows off its hand against Mercedes-Benz

Looking back at the beginning of the business of domestic brands, they generally started with affordable sedans or SUVs, and then gradually enriched their product matrix, occupying the market step by step. The level of SUVs would not exceed the compact class at the beginning, and the level of sedans would not touch the red line of B-class sedans at the beginning.

Nowadays, some domestic brands have achieved good results in sales and have gained a firm foothold in the domestic automobile market. They have the confidence to seek breakthroughs in higher-level sedans or SUVs, and GAC Trumpchi is a successful case.

GAC Trumpchi's three "8s"

In the poker game of "Zhajinhua", three 8s are a leopard, and those who catch three 8s will have the urge to "show hand" no matter what they say. Since the launch of GAC Trumpchi GM8, GAC Trumpchi has also had three "8s" in its hand, but can these three 8s give Trumpchi the confidence to "show hand"?

1. Spade 8: GAC Trumpchi GA8

Spades represent death, and the Spade 8 of GAC Trumpchi GA8 is a sure thing. The arrival of Geely Borui has given domestic brands the confidence to break through the ceiling of B-class sedans, and also given GAC the confidence to enter the C-class sedan market. However, from the actual results, the sales volume from January to November 2017 was only 4,039 units, and the sales volume in November was only 292 units. Dongfeng A9 and GAC Trumpchi GA8 are in the same boat, and the situation is even worse than Trumpchi.

This can't help but make people wonder: When GAC Trumpchi was preparing to manufacture the GA8 C-class sedan, did it conduct detailed market research and gain an in-depth understanding of the needs of Chinese consumers?

Using the price of a luxury B-class car to buy a larger joint venture C-class car may sound like a good idea. However, in the face of the brand premium of luxury brands, people seem to pay more attention to the brand of their car. If you have the money to buy a luxury B-class car, why buy a joint venture brand? Isn't it more face-saving to drive a luxury brand?

In addition, the price drop of B-class luxury cars and the upward squeeze of B+ class cars like LaCrosse and Magotan have made life miserable for C-class joint venture brand cars. Taurus, Crown and Phideon have not achieved ideal results, and GAC Trumpchi, which has a lower brand premium, has found it even more difficult to make a difference in the C-class car market, which seems to be a loss-making business.

2. Block 8: GAC Trumpchi GS8

The cube represents wealth, and the GAC Trumpchi GS8 is undoubtedly the 8 of cubes. In 91che's view, the arrival of the GAC Trumpchi GS8 is the key for independent brands to break through the ceiling in the SUV field and move up to the mid-size SUV field. Prior to this, Great Wall Motors also launched the Haval H7, a mid-size SUV, but it could not replicate the legendary myth of the Haval H6. From January to November 2017, the sales volume was only 36,005, which was not as good as the sales volume of the Haval H6 in one month.

But GAC Trumpchi GS8 has created a miracle, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units for consecutive months. From January to November 2017, the cumulative sales reached 91,716 units, which is comparable to the benchmark of mid-size SUV Highlander. How many joint venture brands would envy this! You should know that in the past two years, when Volkswagen, Honda and Chevrolet launched mid-size SUV models, they all said they would beat Highlander, but they all failed.

After seeing the success of GAC Trumpchi GS8, Changan Automobile also launched the Changan CS95, a mid-size SUV, but it is not the next GS8. The achievement of GAC Trumpchi GS8 can be said to be unprecedented and unparalleled. It has important historical significance for independent brands and the Chinese automobile industry.

3. Plum Blossom 8: GAC Trumpchi GM8

Plum blossoms represent luck, so it is not a bad idea to use luck on the GAC Trumpchi GM8. According to the automobile sales statistics in the first half of 2017, a total of 1,640,672 MPV models were sold, a decrease of 18.13% from the same period in 2016, a serious decline.

It stands to reason that with the full liberalization of the two-child policy, the demand and market sales of MPV models should have increased. So the question is, with GAC Trumpchi GS4 and GS8 selling so well and China's SUV market so hot, why don't they focus on SUVs instead of entering the barren field of MPVs?

Indeed, compared with household MPVs, 7-seat SUVs are more attractive, but the use value of commercial MPVs cannot be replaced by SUVs. In the countdown poster for the launch of GAC Trumpchi GM8, it also expressed its attitude towards commercial MPVs to Mercedes-Benz V-class: real hospitality does not distinguish between the second and third rows, and every seat is a VIP, but SUVs cannot do this. Comparing the sales of household MPV Odyssey and commercial MPV Buick GL8, it is obvious that commercial MPVs have a better future.

In the commercial MPV field, there are no other models except Buick GL8, Mercedes-Benz V-class and Toyota Alphard. At this time, GAC Trumpchi GM8 is very lucky to be the first to seize the market with its affordable price of 176,800-259,800 yuan (lower than Buick GL8's 229,900-449,900 yuan) and its aura that is not inferior to Buick GL8 in business reception. As for whether GAC Trumpchi GS8 can create a myth in the future, let the market sales in 2018 speak for itself.

GAC Trumpchi’s fourth “Red 8”: NIO

The red heart represents love, and GAC Trumpchi has indeed had some happy events recently. On December 28, 2017, GAC and NIO held a strategic cooperation and new energy vehicle project signing ceremony. The two parties jointly invested to establish GAC NIO New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. (tentative name, subject to industrial and commercial registration).

After achieving success in the fields of sedans, SUVs, and MPVs, the next thing to improve is the layout of new energy products. For GAC, the mass production of NIO and GAC's new joint venture brand, in addition to bringing advanced Internet thinking, can also expand the production capacity of GAC's new energy vehicles, enrich GAC's new energy layout, and be at ease with more stringent fuel consumption standards and double-point policies in the future.

Maybe the performance of GA8 is a bit unsatisfactory, but the "Red Eight" of NIO can make up for this shortcoming very well. The three "8"s in GAC Trumpchi's hand are still very lethal. This time, GAC Trumpchi must "show hand" no matter what. Even if the opponent has three "A"s, GAC Trumpchi cannot lose in momentum.

But 91che has a question: Geely and Great Wall, the leaders of domestic brands, have developed their own luxury brands. Can GAC Trumpchi also consider following their example? If you have this plan, don't hesitate, after all, the first to enter the market is king.

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.