In recent years, the progress of our independent brands is indeed obvious to all.
It was previously ridiculed as a "copycat" and "cheap", but now it can compete directly with joint venture brands in the fields of new energy and intelligence. Such speed of overtaking in corners can be said to be the fastest in the history of the global automobile industry.
But to be honest, joint venture brands still account for the majority of cars on the road.
But there is an interesting phenomenon. The presence of Korean cars in recent years is obviously not as good as before.
A few days ago, I was talking about this topic with my friends. Someone said that when I visited South Korea, I found that it was full of Hyundai cars and Kia cars, and almost no Japanese cars existed.
After I came back, I checked the relevant data. In South Korea's domestic market, the share of domestically produced cars is as high as 97%. Such a figure is really surprising.
But having said that, is this almost exclusive market protection a good thing or a bad thing?
Who is better now, our domestic cars or Korean cars?
Let’s talk about this today.
Why are almost all Korean cars made of Hyundai and Kia?
Friends who know South Korea know that the country’s key economic lifeline is basically controlled by a few large conglomerates, including Hyundai and Kia in the automotive field.
Dating back to the beginning of the last century, the South Korean government has provided strong protection policies for the local automobile industry. The tariffs levied on imported vehicles have been unusually high, making it impossible for ordinary families to purchase them.
Moreover, Koreans themselves have a very strong feeling of "the body and the soil are inseparable". They believe that it is natural to choose domestically produced goods.
What exactly is the situation? When you are on the streets of Seoul, you see with your own eyes those vehicles that look like taxis, as well as vehicles that function as public transportation, and privately owned cars. The majority of them are from the Hyundai brand, or the Kia brand, or even Genesis, a high-end brand owned by the Kia Group!
Occasionally, you can see a few Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Tesla cars, mostly from families with mining interests.
This highly concentrated market structure is completely different from the state of a hundred flowers blooming in our country.
South Korea rejects Japanese cars, but China is very friendly to Japanese cars
A very interesting comparison is that Koreans are almost resistant to Japanese cars.
Even if toyota , Honda , Nissan No matter how good the reputation is around the world, it cannot be sold in South Korea.
There are historical reasons and national sentiment factors.
Compared with other situations in our country, the sales volume of Japanese vehicles has been in a relatively stable state. The characteristics of fuel economy, durability, and high value retention have led many families to still give priority to two fields and one industry when choosing vehicles.
To be honest, from the perspective of market openness, we are indeed much more tolerant than South Korea.
But tolerance is tolerance, and over-reliance on joint venture brands also has drawbacks.
In the early years, many domestic car companies accumulated experience by manufacturing for joint venture brands. Without sufficient competition, it would be difficult for independent brands to grow.
Korean cars sell well in the United States, but it’s really not because of their good quality.
Some people may say that the sales volume of Korean cars in the US market is quite considerable. Doesn't this situation just show that they have strong product capabilities?
Let’s analyze it objectively.
Hyundai has always taken a cost-effective route in the United States. It has the same configuration and the same space. The price is much cheaper than Japanese cars, and it also provides a long warranty. Kia has always followed a cost-effective route in the United States. It has the same configuration and the same space. The price is much cheaper than Japanese cars, and it also provides a long warranty.
This does appeal to young Americans on a budget.
But when it comes to real word-of-mouth, in terms of engine durability, transmission smoothness, and long-term reliability, there is a gap between Korean cars and Toyota, and there is also a gap between Korean cars and Honda.
In the reliability rankings of the US "Consumer Reports", Japanese brands have occupied the top rankings for a long time, while Korean cars are only at a mid-range level.
To put it bluntly, cheapness is the last word, but cheapness does not mean technological leadership.
In terms of the value retention rate of a car that has been driven for three years, this can be seen from the US market. Compared with Korean cars, Japanese cars can be sold for a lot more money.
Have domestic cars really surpassed Korean cars in all aspects?
In the past two years, there are always people on the Internet saying that domestically produced cars have surpassed Korean cars.
To be more objective, on the track of new energy and intelligence, our BYD, Weilai, and Xiaopeng are indeed at the forefront. The three-electric system and vehicle-machine interaction are much stronger than Korean cars.
For example, in the category of traditional fuel vehicles, especially for specific market segments such as medium and large rear-wheel drive sedans, high-performance coupes, and high-end luxury cars, Korean drivers have unique products or significant advantages with certain capabilities.
Like the medium and large coupe "Stinger" launched by Kia a few days ago, it adopts a front-wheel drive layout and is equipped with a 3.3T V6 twin-turbocharged engine. Its acceleration time from 100 kilometers to 100 kilometers is less than 5 seconds.
Frankly speaking, At present, domestic independent brands really can’t offer a fuel-powered coupe of the same level. .
Furthermore, the high-end brand Genesis they own has a good reputation in North America, and its sales are also not bad. The texture of the interior decoration, chassis-related adjustments, and quietness have all reached the level expected of a luxury-level vehicle.
Therefore, we cannot be blindly confident, and we still have to admit the gaps where we should.
Many so-called "American cars" are actually Korean cars
Speaking of this, I think of an interesting trivia.
Many friends will see a lot of Chevrolets and Buicks when traveling in South Korea, and then feel that the sales of American cars in South Korea are quite impressive.
In fact, many of those cars are OEM products from South Korea's Daewoo .
Going back a few years, the Buick Excelle and Chevrolet Sail, which have very impressive sales in our country, are essentially built on the model platform of South Korea's Daewoo, and have nothing to do with real American cars.
Therefore, it is sometimes quite confusing to talk about the brand. Different car logos have different values.
This can also illustrate the following situation. The vehicle manufacturing skills of Korean cars are actually undervalued. However, within the domestic scope, they have always been labeled as "low-end", and high-end models are simply not dared to be introduced and sold.
To sum up, there is no need for us to follow the extreme protectionism that South Korea does, which seems to expect everyone to buy domestically produced cars.
Only an open and competitive market can force companies to truly grow.
But then again, the current domestically produced cars, in the mainstream price range of RMB 100,000 to RMB 200,000, have indeed surpassed joint venture brand cars in the same price range in terms of manufacturing techniques, materials used, equipment configurations, or the experience brought by intelligence.
I hope that when choosing a vehicle in the future, everyone can give more opportunities to independent brands to experience it for themselves, instead of still being stuck in the old impression that "domestic cars are equal to low-end".
After all, I drive the car myself, who knows who uses it.
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