At the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, the Mars pickup truck was officially pre-sold. After the grand launch ceremony, Dai Yong, President of the Pickup Truck Division of Foton Motor Group, and Zhang Weiwei, Vice President of Product Planning and Brand of the Pickup Truck Division of Foton Motor Group, accepted an exclusive interview with the media. The following is the content of the interview.
1. The current domestic pickup truck market mainly distinguishes pickup truck categories based on functionality, such as commercial pickup trucks, household pickup trucks and recreational pickup trucks. These are the three mainstream pickup truck categories in the country. Which functional category do you think the Mars pickup truck falls into? What changes will it bring to the pickup truck market? (Acting President)
Which functional category does Mars belong to:
1. From our afternoon press conference, you can actually find that we proposed the concept of just pickup for the first time.
2. In fact, in overseas markets, pickup trucks are not clearly defined in terms of commercial, household and recreational pickups. At present, most of the products of domestic pickup companies are distinguished by the functionality of pickup trucks. This kind of definition of people is based on cars. Lifestyle, in a sense, ignores the lifestyle choices of our customer groups. Pickup does not define life. He is just a partner or brother who accompanies customers on the premise that they choose different lifestyles.
3. As China's new generation of full-size hard-core luxury pickup trucks, the Mars pickup truck opens a new era of full-size pickup trucks in China. It will also lead the change in China's pickup truck culture, put people first, and promote a new pickup truck culture in which people define life.
4. After the Mars pickup truck is launched, we will also develop adaptive products for Mars according to the different usage scenarios of customers. Through the multi-adaptability of modifications, we can meet the needs of customers in different scenarios and different lives, thereby becoming a customer A solid companion for exploring the unknown and diverse lives.
Changes to the domestic market:
1. With the lifting of the ban on pickup trucks and the emergence of diversified customer needs, Mars Pickup Trucks also followed the trend. Internally, the Mars pickup truck will usher in a new era of full-size pickup trucks in China and continue to contribute a solid force to the passenger use and new energy use of Chinese pickup trucks;
2. For domestic consumers, the Mars pickup truck will enrich their choices in the car purchase process and promote the development of Chinese pickup trucks.The industry continues to progress in the competition, and through a series of promotions of the Mars brand, it continues to promote the advancement of China's pickup culture;
3. The launch of the Mars pickup truck is positioned in the global market. Hybrid and electric pickup trucks will also be launched in the future, thus opening another milestone for the Chinese pickup truck brand to go global, contributing to the global development of the Chinese pickup truck, and embodying the "national brand of China" "Strength"
2. As a new member of the Foton family, the Mars pickup truck has what characteristics does it have in terms of positioning? What is the difference between Mars 7 and Mars 9 (Mr. Zhang)
1. The Mars pickup brand positions itself as a new generation of full-size hardcore luxury pickup trucks
2. New generation: Developed based on China’s first full-size pickup truck development platform. The platform has been upgraded in terms of chassis architecture, power, electronic and electrical architecture, etc. It is equipped with the world’s first 48V diesel hybrid power, and the medium and low-speed torque is increased to 220 Nm, the peak torque can reach 450 Nm, but the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is as low as 6.8L.
3. Full size: industry-leading vehicle width of nearly 2.1 meters, more than 100mm more than mainstream pickup trucks;
4. Hard-core: From the beginning of the Grand General series, Foton Pickup has insisted on taking the hard-core pickup line, leading the development of hard-core pickup trucks in China. The Mars pickup is a strategic product of Foton’s pickup business and adheres to the hard-style style. The Mars 7 has a hard-core appearance. Mars 9 is the first co-created model with a styling that can be used as a hardcore pickup truck, and continues to lead the development of hardcore pickup trucks in China.
5. Luxury: Intelligent technology cockpit, three different styles of interiors, Tencent TAI4.0 ecology, wireless charging, digital key, remote control, panoramic sunroof, multi-link rear suspension and other driving features that match passenger car levels. Ride experience.
6. Mars Pickup’s: Brand Vision: To be China’s most full-size hard-core pickup truck with attitude; Brand Mission: Add fun and energy to colorful life; Brand Slogan: Break through yourself and explore without boundaries
7. Mars 7 and 9 are respectively positioned as "conquering the whole world and exploring the infinite" and "born without boundaries and breaking through circles". In terms of styling, Mars 7 and 9 are mecha hardcore and phantom fashion respectively. Different styles also represent different personalities of future customer groups. Compared with the hardcore practicality of the Mars 7, the entire Mars 9 series is more cross-class and stylish. The entire series comes standard with 8AT, multi-link rear suspension and electric power steering, and the overall driving experience is more SUV-like.
3. Why is the new pickup truck named after "Mars"? (Acting President)
1. First of all, as a new platform model launched by Foton Motor, the full-size pickup truck is clearly distinguished from the current model in terms of naming and operates as an independent brand.
2. As we all know, Mars is the farthest celestial body that human probes can currently land on, and it is also the planet most likely to be suitable for human survival. Mars is a new world full of imagination for humans, which urgently needs to be explored by humans. It represents the forefront and yearning of human science and technology.
3. From the corporate level, Mars also means that as China's leading commercial vehicle brand, Foton Motor continues to break through itself, be brave in innovation, and launch full-size pickup trucks on a new platform.
4. From the perspective of the pickup truck community and life: The pickup truck community is dominated by the younger generation and represents the explorers of the new era. They are unwilling to be ordinary and have the courage to explore new worlds and pursue new lives; just like humans exploring Mars, they Yearning to explore a new life.
5. Based on the features and characteristics of Foton's full-size pickup truck, it was finally selected through global naming and naming co-creation; from an industry perspective, it represents a new level of exploration and pursuit of Chinese pickup trucks; it has a positive impact on humans and the pickup truck community Generally speaking, Mars contains new ideas, new values, as well as freedom, strength, wisdom and courage. It also means that our customer group is a young and adventurous group. Mars Pickup will serve as a partner to accompany them in their continuous exploration. Unbounded, breakthrough and innovation.
4. What role does the Mars pickup brand play in the growth of Foton pickup business? What impact will it have on the future development of Foton Pickup? What is the sales plan (General Manager)
1. Foton’s pickup truck business adopts a dual-brand operation. At this stage, the General series and the Conqueror series belong to the Foton pickup brand. The Mars pickup brand is tied to the Foton pickup brand. Currently, there are two products, Mars 7 and Mars 9, and there will be more in the future. There will be products co-created by Mars Pickup and various ethnic groups.
2. For independent brands, continuous iterative and updated products are the driving force for the brand's continuous improvement. The launch of the new platform Mars pickup truck and co-created models will continue to create hot spots through popular products, increase brand traffic, and continue to promote the brand improvement of Foton pickup business;
3. Products are the basis for business development. The Mars pickup truck is the representative of China’s new generation of full-size pickup trucks and has its own core competitiveness. The launch of the Mars pickup truck is improving the brandWhile improving the brand image and sales volume, it will also continue to promote the continuous optimization and confidence enhancement of Foton pickup truck business distribution channels and other full value chain partners. Through the improvement of distribution, sales and service capabilities, as well as the improvement of supply chain capabilities and quality, we will provide users with better products, sales and after-sales services.
4. Looking at the development trend of the entire pickup truck industry, mid-to-high-end products priced at more than 100,000 yuan have accounted for about 50% of sales. The launch of the new Mars pickup truck will undoubtedly promote Foton Motor’s pickup business to more comply with this trend. At the same time, it will further enter the global market through stronger product competitiveness.
5. With the support of the Mars pickup brand, the price competitiveness of other Foton pickup models will be further improved, thus laying a solid foundation for Foton’s pickup business to enter the second echelon of Chinese pickup trucks in 2024 and the top three pickup brands in China in 2025. Base.
5. High-end pickup trucks are increasingly becoming a trend. From Foton Pickup’s perspective, what kind of pickup truck can be called a high-end pickup truck? (Acting President)
1. First of all, the high-endization of pickup trucks should be in line with the product development trend of the entire industry. In recent years, the development of pickup trucks in the directions of intelligence, full size, customization, diversification, and new energy is a major trend, and the 48V of Mars pickup trucks Diesel hybrid, full-size, passenger interior, technological intelligent configuration, etc. are all manifestations of products complying with industry trends;
2. Based on our previous market research, it has been shown that the main domestic pickup truck customers are the post-90s and even post-00s groups. They pay more attention to individual consumption and are more fashionable and trendy. After the epidemic, the majority of customers have concerns about the quality of life and self-psychology. Feelings are more concerned, so in order to meet the increasingly diversified and multi-life scene product needs, we will join forces with industry leaders and modification companies, and combine the personalized needs of different ethnic groups to carry out product co-creation, such as fishing, camping, off-roading, and explosive modifications Waiting for various ethnic groups to continue to meet personalized consumption is also a manifestation of high-end;
3. In addition to personalized and user-friendly product experiences, we also organize and carry out various Mars community activities through the offline Tianshengwan+ Club to explore and enrich the life of the Mars community; at the same time, in 2023 we will also create 4 A Pickup+life experience center promotes Chinese pickup culture and helps colorful life.
4. High-end is inseparable from digitalization. In terms of digital experience ecology: equipped with a 14.6-inch high-definition floating large screen, based on Tencent TIA4.0 ecology, integrating national karaoke, WeChat ecology, voice interaction, OTA upgrade, intelligent navigation, etc. function to build an intelligent technology cockpit for users;
5. At the same time, create a professional communication and interaction platform, Pickup Life APP, to realize functions such as interaction with experts and car owners of all ethnic groups, membership services, remote control, and car experience sharing, so as to enjoy a one-stop pickup life experience; Pickup Space Station is for Customers of all categories of pickup trucks are provided with a comprehensive service experience of two-way upgrade of hardware + software; e+ service can realize digital precision inspection and OTA cloud calibration., predictive services, remote rescue services. The digital experience ecosystem builds convenient digital services for Mars residents throughout the life cycle, including driving, experience, remote control and services.
Generally speaking, the high-endization of pickup trucks is not only reflected in the continuous improvement of products, but also in the sales, services, interactions and value-added services brought by purchasing pickup trucks. We will promote Mars through all-round product creation. The premiumization of pickup trucks.
6. The pickup truck market is gradually turning to new energy sources. How will Mars Pickup Truck respond to such industry changes? (Mr. Zhang)
1. New energy has been a development trend that the automobile industry has paid great attention to in the past two years, and the pickup industry is no exception. In 2022, Foton Pickup will take the lead in the electric pickup industry with its existing 88kWh electric pickup model with a cruising range of more than 500 kilometers. The market share has reached nearly 25%, and we will also launch 65KWH products to meet the needs of customers in more industries.
2. In addition to the existing industry-first 48V diesel hybrid for the full-size pickup truck platform, we will also launch hybrid products for gasoline products to meet the needs of more passenger customers.
3. At the level of electric pickup trucks, we will base ourselves on the global market and launch pure electric products of the Mars pickup truck with a power capacity of 100kWh, with a driving range of more than 600km; in addition, we also have pure electric extended range products with a total driving range of More than 900km.
New energy sources in the pickup truck market are the general trend. If you don’t keep up with the situation, you will definitely fall behind. As the representative of a national pickup truck brand, we will accelerate the above plans, overtake in corners, and quickly increase overall sales.
7. Have the sales channels for Mars pickup trucks been opened? How will the subsequent sales rhythm be controlled? (Mr. Zhang)
First of all, from the perspective of overall distribution strategy, we have created a 1+3+e multi-channel distribution model for Mars pickup sales channels to complete the transformation and upgrading of passenger use, digitalization and standardization, open up all sales channels, and enhance customer Full life cycle experience. 1 means: Earn together, universal marketing incubates all-scenario partnership-style universal marketing, carries out cross-industry partner marketing through KOLs and KOCs in various circles, and achieves breaking through the circle through universal partner marketing; 3 means: three-dimensional implementation in an all-round way to cultivate high-quality three-dimensional A three-dimensional distribution system is built by consolidating distribution, launching direct sales, and jointly modifying enterprises to build a three-dimensional distribution system; E means: digital full network linkage to create a digital full-touch distribution model: that is, through dealers, internet celebrities, and vertical media online aggregation Carry out digital marketing across all processes, all touch points, and mini-programs.
Secondly, targeting existing distribution channelsAt present, we have more than 170 first-level dealers across the country. In the early stage of new product launches, we will cultivate the core channels, eliminate inferior channels, and flatten the distribution channels to consolidate the first-level dealer network across the country. Increased to more than 200;
In addition to flattening the existing prefecture-level city channels, we will continue to delve into the county-level market and promote the continuous sinking of distribution channels, thereby increasing the car purchase touch points for end customers and improving the convenience of car purchase.
8. What are the nine generous gifts during the pre-sale period of the Mars pickup truck? Can you introduce it in more detail? (Mr. Zhang)
For this pre-sale of Mars pickup trucks, in addition to priority car pickup rights, interest-free finance, and second-hand car replacement, our core focus is: lifetime warranty on core parts, lifetime basic maintenance-free for the first owner, and 160,000 RMB for 5 years. Customer service rights such as ultra-long warranty have been carefully set up to provide more complete sales and service guarantees for customers in the pre-sale stage. The details are as follows:
Advance Discovery Gift: Priority in picking up the car. Customers who book a car during the pre-sale period will enjoy priority in picking up the car
Lightyear Escort Gift: 5-year 160,000 super long warranty
Nebula Link Gift: Enjoy 1,000 points every day from the pre-sale booking date
Energy detonation gift: During the pre-sale period, a deposit of 88 yuan is worth 1888 yuan
Starship Fortress Gift: Free basic maintenance for the first car owner for life (engine oil + engine filter + working hours)
Fuel boosting gift: Finance: 36 periods with 0 interest (fixed loan of 65,000 yuan); 12 periods with 0 monthly payment (5050)
Lightyear promotion gift: 3,000 yuan replacement subsidy
Space connection gift: Customers register the APP and participate in a test drive, and receive 10,000 points
Explore the worry-free gift: Lifetime warranty on core components
9. Just now, the acting president introduced a lot about Foton, including how the Mars series will be converted into passenger vehicles. Foton may actually be biased towards commercial brands. I would like to ask about the next steps in the process of becoming passenger vehicles. What key points need to be addressed? (Acting President)
To achieve the goals just mentioned: First, the product must be developed. In fact, we are developing new products to solve the pain points of previous products.Part of the solution has been done, and there will be product iterations later. Solving the previous pain points is the planning of future products. Second, if you want to open the market, you need products plus marketing. The core of our marketing is channel + brand + service, coupled with the aftermarket. Through this new marketing system, we can also solve the problem of customers’ current interaction with manufacturers and sales. Feeling pain points. Third, we are solving some of the needs of customers. For example, the customer wants to buy a large pickup truck or a Raptor, but I can’t buy it for 400,000 yuan. This is also a demand and pain point. All our development is to meet the needs of customers. We Give him something he doesn't have. Everyone hopes for a very good pickup truck that is good-looking, easy to drive, easy to use, and has diverse functions. The most important thing is that the price is reasonable and cost-effective. We build domestically produced cost-effective pickup trucks for our customers, so our pricing is very reason. In fact, we have done a lot of customer research, and the price we found is more than 30,000 yuan higher than our current price.
Our platform is newly developed. We will give customers what they need, and develop our own operational capabilities and system capabilities to the extreme. It’s not about developing a product, selling it if it can be sold, and not selling it out. This is not a concept or philosophy, but it is about solving the needs of customers. For example, if a customer needs to play and be entertained, and no one can serve you, we will serve the customer and solve his needs. We set up teams in various provinces. You come to register for free and come to play for free. We will provide you with services, and there are no restrictions on brands. It does not mean that you have to drive a Foton pickup truck before I will receive you. If you drive another brand The pickup truck won’t accept you, that’s not the case at all. We will build all our customers into a group, into a pickup group, and we are part of the service, there is no exclusivity.
There is a sentence in my PPT today that our APP and car enthusiasts will call "full-category pickup trucks" and "full-product pickup trucks."
Our services are provided to pickup trucks of all brands. Now Foton's service stations accept all brands, and he can also enjoy the service and maintenance discounts provided by Foton service stations. We want to create a fully ecological pickup truck category. We are no longer limited to our own brand and do not want to play with you. We are creating a new concept. This can be said to be a pain point for customers, or it can be said to be a customer demand.
You see, every time an event is organized, Brand A organizes one, Brand B organizes one, and Brand C organizes one. Maybe the customer and friend drive pickup trucks of different brands, and it would be quite difficult for them to join us in activities. Our family is not like this, why are we called the "Mars Brand"? This is the future pattern of our pickup trucks, no longer limited to ourselves. In the future, all customers' modifications will be co-created. Some customers want to make modifications, but they don't know how to make modifications, how high the modification cost is, and whether the quality is guaranteed. What we want to do is low-cost and cost-effective. It is not a matter of making one modification and adding more. 100,000 plus 50,000. We don’t make money from this price difference. All our goals now are to build pickup trucks into a brand new platform and a new group of people. At this stage, we will not start from pickup trucks.How much profit we pursue is our goal. What I’m talking about is not entirely based on pain points, but this logic.
10. Mr. Acting, I would like to ask a detailed question. Just now you actually mentioned that we will build a platform where users can choose which configurations they want or what kind of look they want according to their scenario-based needs. This Is it a customized solution as we commonly understand it? That is, I can choose when I order a car. (Acting President)
Yes, we call it flexible production.
There may be a problem with this. Everyone is worried about customization. The manufacturer's cost may be relatively high, because if you make a lot of customized solutions, your production costs will definitely be high. (Acting President)
Let me interrupt, the customization you make does not mean that you are the only one who made it. For manufacturers, we produce it on an assembly line. For example, if you choose a brown seat, it does not mean that you are the only one who chooses it. We have thousands of customers who also choose brown. The challenge comes from whether you can produce it, not from how high the development cost of brown seats is. . It is impossible for him to choose a color that everyone has never seen before. There are very few such customers, and customization is also limited.
In terms of development and layout, we have made arrangements in advance, so we don’t have much to worry about in terms of new energy product layout or product quality assurance. At the same time, our current new energy products, with 88 kilowatt-hours of electricity, rank second in the industry, so in terms of new energy, in terms of product iteration, quality assurance, and even services, all services are door-to-door services. This is how we do it. At the same time, the quality testing, supplier selection, and quality assurance of new energy are all implemented and promoted in accordance with strict standards.
At today's venue, new energy products will be released a little later, so as I said just now, we are continuously iterating product releases. Today is just the debut of a Mars pickup truck. We are on the client side, product side, and co-creation side. We will continue to invest and hope that everyone will have time to participate.
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