China Electric Vehicles preferred joint venture

On October 26, BYD E6 pure electric car began to be sold to private individuals and was priced at 369,800 yuan. When consumers purchase the car, they can receive a government subsidy of 120,000 yuan. China Southern Power Grid Corporation also provides free installation of charging cabinets for customers and offers 40% discount on electricity prices. The E6 uses BYD's own power system and is equipped with a number of new technologies from the BYD-Damler joint venture.

In May this year, Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council mentioned that "the direction and ultimate goal of China's new energy vehicle development is not very clear." Observers pointed out that the Chinese electric vehicle industry is actively seeking new changes. In addition to BYD, in the process of developing electric vehicles in China, China has provided a power system, and foreign models or vehicle technology have become a new trend.

Liu Xiaoyang, chief researcher of the Samsung Group Economic Research Institute’s Strategy Group, pointed out that unlike other countries, adopting “marketization” to promote the development of new energy vehicles is different. In China, government policies have a more directional role. “In the field of new energy vehicles, emphasis on core technology autonomy has become a logical starting point for government policies.” Liu Yuyang stated that China has selected plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) as the development route for new energy vehicles. , provides a personalized support policy.

For example, the BYD E6 pure electric vehicle can obtain up to 120,000 yuan in government subsidies, while the world's best-selling hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, can only receive a 3,000 yuan subsidy in China. Completely different technical routes have led foreign companies to be more cautious in introducing new technologies. For example, Renault-Nissan Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the governments of Guangzhou and Wuhan in 2009 and 2010 respectively to introduce “Le Fengfeng” pure electric vehicles. It has not yet been implemented.

Liu Xiaoyang stated that the special nature of the Chinese market makes it difficult for foreign brands to adapt their advanced technologies. Therefore, “local R&D” is a reasonable choice for global auto giants in the field of developing new energy vehicles in China. At present, large-displacement, luxury cars are still the main choice of high-end customer groups, the global market information company J. D. Power predicts that the popularity of SUVs in China has only just begun and that it has yet to reach its peak. Low-end and especially first-time car buyers are the main buyers of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market.

In view of the policy's requirements for joint venture car companies to develop “individual brands” and “new energy vehicles” and the characteristics of the Chinese market, joint venture car companies have adopted their own low-end car lines to develop new energy vehicles, such as Shanghai GM and Beijing Hyundai respectively. The use of "Sail" and "Elantra" to develop pure electric vehicles.

New cooperation Liu Yuyang pointed out that the international auto giants adopted the "global market" and "Chinese market" as the two-line approach in the research and development strategy of new energy vehicles. They follow the market-oriented approach to research and development in the international market. When the time is ripe, Then introduce new energy models into China by way of imports. "On the basis of the global platform, the research and development of new energy vehicles for the Chinese market alone, and the completion of the procurement of core technologies and parts and components in China, is the main way for today's auto giants to target the Chinese market," said Liu Xiaoyang.

However, unlike other international auto giants, Toyota Motor chose to set up a wholly-owned R&D center in China and then put the results into joint ventures for production. Under the guidance of the government, local auto companies have begun to vigorously develop new technology vehicles with independent technologies. They have used their years of technology and experience in foreign joint ventures to make up for their own power system technologies that are based on “batteries, motors, and electronic controls”. And the lack of vehicle development.

“Although government policies have provided support for local R&D in many ways, they still have to abide by the non-discrimination principle of foreign companies in the global market, and policy protection for local companies cannot last long.” Liu Yuyang suggested that local companies actively develop and The cooperation of foreign-funded enterprises to achieve "market-oriented products" and "mastery of core technologies."