Countdown to listing, the survival rule of Dongfeng Peugeot 508
Recently, it was announced that Dongfeng, the brand’s first flagship mid-range and high-end car, will be officially launched on July 10. When I first saw this news, I began to predict that from this July, there will be another weight competitor in the mid-range and high-end car market, and it is also a difficult guy to deal with.
As we all know, natural selection is survival of the fittest. This survival rule is not only applicable to the biological competition mechanism, but the automobile market is also facing cruel survival rules.
Looking back at the domestic auto market this year, especially in the field of mid-to-high-end car market, Korean, American, European and Japanese models are all seeking to stabilize or increase their market share: the new power Dongfeng Yueda and Beijing first grandly listed, and then jointly played a good brand that extends the warranty period of the whole car to 5 years/100,000 kilometers; Japanese cars, and although there are no updated models, but small changes or large-scale promotions make them in the sales of mid-to-high-end cars.
Among the European troika, the new Passat has been launched in April, and the new Maiteng and Dongfeng Peugeot 508 will be launched in July. Judging from the current media exposure, the same brothers, the new Passat and the new Maiteng, seem to be much more exposed, and there are many topics discussed about the brothers. However, with the release of the news that the Dongfeng Peugeot 508 will be listed on July 10, the author predicts that the 508 will become the next hot topic in automobiles.
Since it will become the next hot topic model, the author also dares to analyze the future market survival rules of Dongfeng Peugeot’s first flagship model, the 508, which is also known as one of the "European Troika".
Determining the design style of a car is particularly important in the market competition. Unlike the business style of the new Maiteng and the new Passat, the Dongfeng Peugeot 508 also incorporates a unique and novel design approach on top of the business style. The new lion logo and the fashionable front face that echo the letters of the "PEUGEOT" brand at the air inlet grille perfectly show the fashionable side; the smooth lines of the bump extend from the front to the parking space; the creative and dynamic tail light design is even more amazing. On April 20 this year, in the 2011 Aesthetic Car Design Award sponsored by the international famous car magazine "Famous Car", the Peugeot 508 won the honor of the most beautiful car award – medium and high-end car. In addition, it cannot be ignored that with 2815mm, the Dongfeng Peugeot 508 that surpasses the same will win the favor of more domestic consumers. Therefore, as one of the survival rules of Dongfeng Peugeot 508, whether the relatively conservative and moderate New Maiteng and New Passat will be affected, the market will reveal the answer.
In addition to the outstanding exterior design, the high-tech configuration in the car that rivals the C-class luxury car is even more refreshing. Like the Info-drive button of the I-Drive, the unique four-zone automatic air conditioning and color head-up display in the same class of models are worth looking forward to. And this also confirms the three themes of elegance, technology and future that the Peugeot 508 played at the Shanghai Auto Show this year.
Although there is no detailed configuration of the power yet, the author learned from the manufacturer’s news that the 508’s displacement level will use the mainstream displacement in the same level, and from the grapevine news that the car will also use a 6-speed manual integration. It seems that this step-by-step approach also fully reflects the determination of Dongfeng Peugeot 508 to establish itself in the mainstream position of mid-to-high-end cars.
In addition, in terms of brand marketing, the long-term accumulated experience of the Dongfeng Peugeot brand can also be ignored. From the introduction of the 307 to the successful determination of the mainstream brand status of Dongfeng Peugeot, there was the 408, the main model of the A + level, until the launch of the 508 this year. It can be seen that Dongfeng Peugeot has climbed to the high end step by step with the attitude of a successful person, and the continuous upgrading of products is also an essential part. The 508 is carrying such a strategic mission. It is reported that the 508 has accumulated more than 40,000 orders in Europe in the first quarter of this year, and has achieved remarkable results. "The 508 is the best interpretation of the unique selling point of Dongfeng Peugeot’s rigor and passion, and it is a product carrier that bears the brand value." In view of the words of Lei Xin, general manager of Dongfeng Peugeot,
2011 is destined to be the most intense year for the mid-to-high-end car market. Although domestic car sales were mostly in decline in the first quarter of this year due to the impact of the Japanese earthquake and various favorable national policies, as a segment with a relatively large profit share, the attractive cake in the mid-to-high-end car market has always been the focus of competition among major manufacturers. As a flashing "newcomer", will the 508’s survival rules make Dongfeng Peugeot continue to stand out like the 307? Let’s wait and see.