Zhu Zhiyan, editor-in-chief of PCAUTO (hereinafter referred to as PCAUTO): Personalization is a very important label for the brand Equation Leopard, and many people will have different understandings. What do you think?
Xiong Tianbo, General Manager of Equation Leopard Automobile Sales (hereinafter referred to as Xiong):Regarding the question of personalization, in fact, when defining "professional personalized brand" at that time, quite a few people asked this question. Does it mean that you don’t need to consider any sales targets or any customization needs, but just cater to some narrow and special needs? In fact, how we define this "personalization" is still relatively strict.
First of all, the so-called personalization, in our view, is a unique product, and the product consistency is relatively strong. From the category definition, the single product of Equation Leopard is not suitable for everyone. So from this point of view, it is the first aspect of personalization. This is a unique product that only aims at specific needs. This is the first one.
Secondly, because within our own group, our product line is relatively comprehensive, and we have looked up to the brand on this basis, so we need to have a more distinctive brand. The style and experience of this new brand will be more unique, which is the second aspect.
Finally, it is also based on the uniqueness of the choice of product categories. In the process of our future operation, we expect to give every customer a different product experience and give the product to the customer to define as much as possible. Therefore, in terms of the construction of the whole system, we will have more optional and modified configurations in the future for customers to define and choose, and for customers to create their own unique products and define their own cars.
PCauto: Everyone has their own cognition. We have personalized positioning of brands, different personalized products and meet different personalized needs.
Bear:Yes, it is mainly about unique products, and then in a unique way, let customers have their own exclusive and more unique products.
PCauto: What is the expectation of Equation Leopard’s sales target this year, or the long-term target of 3-5 years?
Bear:Sales target, to be precise, Equation Leopard is doing a creative thing. The products we are launching now have two product lines, namely, new energy off-road and. In fact, these two product lines are to meet the needs of creation. We believe that the demand that can be created should be great in terms of BYD’s current technical reserves and the experience of our products.
In terms of long-term goals, how many city cars are needed in the market, how many poems and distant needs there are, then we should have great market opportunities in theory. So in the long run, a brand always needs to survive, so in terms of the whole brand positioning, Equation Leopard will eventually realize its own profit, support itself and realize the survival and development of the brand. So it’s hard to say the specific sales volume now, but we are still confident that we should have a better future when we continue to do this creative thing.
PCauto: So he is aiming at the new demand created?
Bear:Right.
PCauto: Some people may have questions. BYD has recently released a lot of new products, which are very fast. What resources and advantages are behind the brand release and product listing, and how did it advance rapidly?
Bear:Because BYD has a lot of technical reserves, in fact, as you can see, we now have four different brands, each with its own unique technical differentiation. For example, our Equation Leopard doesn’t mean that we want to launch it today, but it can be launched tomorrow. In fact, like our product reserve, the whole process may have been nearly four years, from technical preparation to research and development to appearance preparation, and there are a lot of our engineers working hard behind it.
We now have nearly 90,000 R&D personnel, which is our core foundation. Only with R&D reserves can brands develop and more brands appear, so BYD can launch brands continuously because its technical reserves are already very sufficient, which is our core essence. Second, you have the technology, and you have to turn it into a certain product. During BYD’s decades of development, you already have a set of perfect system guarantees, including manufacturing and quality assurance, including our marketing system and service system, and you have a mature basic reserve that can guarantee a brand from formal landing to benign operation. Therefore, on the whole, the continuous launch of new products is still due to the foundation laid by BYD parent brand and years of technology accumulation.
PCauto: After the release of the new product Equation Leopard, after everyone saw the overall style design of this car, there was a voice that Equation Leopard was a bit like a "cheap version of looking up". What do you think of this statement?
Bear:First of all, from our own point of view, the technical route of Equation Leopard is completely different from looking up. Because Equation Leopard has its own DMO platform (the world’s first professional hybrid platform for off-road), its appearance does not mean that Equation Leopard only exists after looking up to the brand, but only in the order of brand release time.
On the whole, the two brands do have some things, but in essence, the main technical routes and frameworks of the two brands are not the same, and each has its own unique characteristics and unique positioning; From the target group we have designated, the audience of the two brands will not have a particularly high degree of repetition. Equation Leopard mainly does what it should do. Whether it is the company’s expectation for us or our own planning, it is necessary to tell the story of Equation Leopard, follow its own path and make its own products.
PCauto: We heard about the DMO platform on Equation Leopard. Do you have any features and highlights to share?
Bear:DMO is the first professional hybrid platform for off-road, equipped with vertical EHS electric hybrid system, special rear drive assembly for off-road, special double-layer battery pack for CTC off-road, and industry-leading 1.5T vertical Xiaoyungou.
Secondly, the main feature of DMO core is to solve the pain point of high fuel consumption of off-road vehicles and the incompatibility between off-road performance and urban comfort. DMO can do ‘ High-level off-road ’ With ‘ Advanced comfort ’ 、‘ Tough performance ’ With ‘ Extreme energy consumption ’ Perfect compatibility. At present, we haven’t started the dynamic experience of Equation Leopard’s new car, so in fact, we welcome you to experience it in the future. Our platform will definitely subvert everyone’s perception of traditional off-road. I believe that after you experience it, the off-road vehicle based on this platform is no different from the feeling of driving in the city, but it will have a more wonderful experience.
PCauto: I found that the new term you put forward is "new energy off-road vehicle". Compared with traditional fuel off-road vehicle, what do you think are the two places that make users feel the difference most?
Bear:I think it is two aspects: driving comfort and fuel economy. Although our new car is a big beam car, the ride comfort, safety and driving experience of the whole car are basically at the same level as those of mainstream urban SUV products, which is the first aspect; The second aspect is the economy of use. Many people buy the traditional beam off-road vehicle only to meet the occasional demand of "poetry and distance", but our equation leopard off-road vehicle can make your daily commute and "poetry and distance" both at the same time.
PCauto: You mentioned that Equation Leopard brand has two product lines. Is there any specific news that can be disclosed to you in advance for the next product planning this year and next year?
Bear:The first press conference of our brand has made a one-time appearance of our 583 hardcore family, which is our SUV line; The second is our sports car product, and of course we will make a special release later. Based on this sports car product, we also have a special sports car technology platform, and the whole process from preparation to product launch is still relatively sufficient, so we should be able to have two new cars available next year, so that everyone can feel more deeply what kind of feelings Equation Leopard, a professional and personalized brand, can bring to everyone and bring more fun in life.
PCauto: Have you determined the specific release time node of the sports car product?
Bear:This is a little suspense, so you can pay attention to our "Mingbao" products first.
PCauto: Last question, in the product sequence of Equation Leopard, will there be pure electric products in the future?
Bear:There will be, because the types of Equation Leopard products are mainly hybrid and EV, which will correspond to different products. The Leopard 5 currently unveiled is a hybrid model and will not be equipped with EV products.
PCauto: OK, that’s all our questions. Thank you again for accepting our exclusive interview.
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