With the effective control of the domestic new crown pneumonia epidemic, residents' lives and consumption have gradually recovered, and the promotion of automobile consumption has become the hottest topic in the automotive field. At present, the state has repeatedly issued policies to stably promote automobile consumption, and most provinces and cities across the country have adopted measures such as the introduction of car purchase subsidies and the relaxation of purchase restrictions to promote the recovery of the automobile consumption market.

Industry professionals generally believe that with the continued downturn in the auto market, third- and fourth-tier cities will become the next growth point for auto consumption. However, for different types of consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities, if you want to truly release the consumption potential and achieve the purpose of stimulating consumption, it is necessary for automakers to use auto finance in a targeted manner.

"At present, the pure incremental stage of China's auto consumption has ended, and it is entering a stage of coexistence of increment and stock, and it is not far from the next stage of stock competition." Hu Maoyuan, deputy director of the China Automotive Industry Advisory Committee, said that the auto consumption market is in full swing. In a situation where supply exceeds demand, except for first- and second-tier cities with purchase restrictions, there are still car-free families in third- and fourth-tier cities. Although squeezed by high housing prices and reduced purchasing power, consumers in third- and fourth-tier cities still have a strong demand for owning a car of their own.

However, with the changes in the auto market, the epidemic has also brought a lot of impact to the auto consumer market. Lang Xuehong, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Dealers Association, said that under the influence of the epidemic, in the current domestic automobile consumer market structure, automobile sales in third- and fourth-tier cities have fallen the most, and low-end vehicle sales have fallen severely. It is worth noting that the decline in disposable income of residents in third- and fourth-tier cities is greater than that of residents in first- and second-tier cities.

A survey conducted by Wilson on the consumer side of third- and fourth-tier cities shows that the current car buyers in third- and fourth-tier cities are mainly young consumers. The reporter learned that the portraits of consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities are relatively extensive. For example, the spending power of some consumer groups is catching up with first- and second-tier cities. Xiao Xu (pseudonym), who lives in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, is 23 years old and used a bank mortgage loan to buy a Mazda car three years ago. Even if he just bought a house last year, he still wants to buy another car this year, the best brand is Mercedes, BMW or Audi. Wilson market analyst Huang Jiaying told reporters that the consumption level of consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities is higher than we thought.

However, Zhang Chi, vice president of the China Market Research Industry Association, also mentioned in an interview with a reporter from "China Automobile News" that according to market research, people who do not have a car in third- and fourth-tier cities and want to buy a car include those in their 30s who work in factories. , There are people who cannot make ends meet every month, and there are also young people in their 20s who have not gone to college.

It is reported that there are currently many products launched by financial platforms that have lowered the threshold for consumption, but this cannot solve the problem of credit investigation, and it has virtually reduced the market size. “Because the portraits of the car-buying consumer groups to be released in third- and fourth-tier cities are more complicated, it is particularly important for auto companies to make good use of auto finance to drive sales growth.” Huang Jiaying said, “The ability to repay is to drive cars. For the target population of consumption growth, the financial measures adopted should “select the best” for the consumer group. It is not recommended to include the consumer group without the ability to repay."

Auto finance methods are valued, automakers must do a good job in dissemination

A few days ago, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other eleven departments jointly issued the "Notice on Several Measures to Stabilize and Expand Auto Consumption", proposing to make good use of auto consumption finance. On April 14, the People's Government of Jiangsu Province issued the "Measures to Actively Respond to the Impact of the Epidemic to Promote Replenishment and Potential Release", which focused on guiding auto sales companies to provide consumers with financial support and other preferential car purchase methods; April 15 On Japan, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission and other ten departments jointly initiated the "Guangdong Province's Measures to Promote Rural Consumption", specifically mentioning the development of financial products for rural residents to purchase cars, and encouraging rural residents with good credit information to apply for unsecured car purchase loans, etc. .

By comparing with previous policies to promote consumption, it can be seen that, in addition to measures such as increasing license plates and encouraging trade-in, the central and local governments have already put the use of financial consumption methods to an important position in promoting automobile consumption.

According to Wilson's research, the penetration rate of auto finance in first- and second-tier cities has reached about 50%, but the penetration rate of auto finance in third- and fourth-tier cities is generally very low. Due to low housing prices and living indicators in third- and fourth-tier cities, consumers' living pressures are relatively low. These young consumer groups are not only willing to consume, but also able to accept new consumption patterns. Therefore, creating suitable financial products for consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities should become the focus of car companies.

Huang Chengwei, founder and CEO of Car Cafe, said that after the epidemic, pent-up demand for car purchases superimposed on demand for car purchases in advance, and it is bound to usher in a short-term sales peak. Although affected by the epidemic, the purchasing power of first-time buyers in third- and fourth-tier cities has declined, but it is just in line with the current target customer profile of financial leasing-third- and fourth-tier cities, low down payment, and flexible car purchase plans.

"For manufacturers, it is necessary to increase financial promotion in third- and fourth-tier cities." Huang Jiaying said that because the penetration rate of auto finance in third- and fourth-tier cities is not high, in terms of educating consumer groups, TV stations or current short-term Propagate through video channels to let consumers understand and accept auto finance products.

The previous auto-to-country policy has already digested part of the auto consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities. If this group of people had already used auto finance products at the time, it would be easy to accept and continue to use them. They must seize their replacement needs; Consumer groups who have used auto finance products will inevitably have a process of promotion and guidance.

In fact, for car companies, there are already “tailor-made” financial means for third- and fourth-tier cities. For example, because there are many self-employed business owners in third- and fourth-tier cities, considering that their capital returns are seasonal and monthly funds are unstable, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen has once launched financial products suitable for this group. The monthly payment limit for the first two months is relatively low, and the monthly payment limit for the next month is relatively high.

"This kind of flexible and flexible plan can well meet the needs of some groups." Huang Jiaying told reporters, "The current monthly equal repayment financial plan is not enough to cover all the people." In addition, third- and fourth-tier cities There is still a certain proportion of the rural population, even many people do not have a credit card, and it is necessary to introduce financial programs for these groups.

The reporter learned that as early as 3 years ago, FAW-Volkswagen had launched pastoral loans specifically for rural users. Even if it is an agricultural household registration, there is no bank statement and income certificate. With only an ID card, you can use the farm loan to buy FAW-Volkswagen products. Among the current auto finance products launched by automakers, FAW Toyota still has pastoral loan products, and has been widely promoted in third- and fourth-tier cities or lower-level markets, mainly for designated models such as Vios and Corolla.

However, in the process of promoting auto finance products, there are still some car buying platforms that promote similar "zero down payment" causing many problems. Even some consumers are deceived by sales without knowing these financial products. For example, some financial products refer to bank mortgages, but in the end they become financial leases. On the surface, the interest rate looks very low, but the actual interest rate has exceeded the 20% limit allowed by the state.

In response to this phenomenon, in December of last year, the state has issued relevant policies to provide for misleading consumer information in advertising slogans. The state intends to promote the development of auto consumption at the macro level, and the intention to improve the local auto finance consumption environment is clear. Therefore, Huang Jiaying suggests that consumers in third- and fourth-tier cities should choose auto finance products launched by automakers. This will not only help consumers lower the repayment rate, but also help automakers to screen consumers.

Due to risk control reasons, the ability of automakers to formulate different financial products for consumers in different regions and different age groups needs to be improved. “Personalized financial solutions for consumer groups in third- and fourth-tier cities are a development trend, but the current automakers do not have much motivation.” Huang Jiaying judged, “Now there are more diverse and more timely methods for obtaining consumer information. Therefore, OEMs can have a clearer picture of consumers. The development of technology can boost the development of auto finance products and provide decision-making support to OEMs. In the future market competition, the third and fourth tier markets will win the world, and this depends on Can auto companies provide personalized and customized auto finance products."