-Zhu Meijun, President of Lincoln China
According to the data of Passenger Car Association, the retail volume of China narrow passenger car market in June this year was 6,543.8+0.293 million, down 37.9% year-on-year and 40.4% quarter-on-quarter. As a representative of American luxury brands, Lincoln's sales in China rose against the trend in June 5438+ 10, with a year-on-year increase of 20%, and the market share of fuel vehicles increased to 2.7%.
This is amazing data in the industry. On March 5th, at the media salon held by Lincoln in Sanya, Hainan Province, the author found the answer to his contrarian rise and Lincoln's confidence in the future through an in-depth interview with Zhu Meijun, president of Lincoln China District.
Let more people like Lincoln.
As we all know, since 2020, in order to meet the demand of more customers in China for luxury smart products, Lincoln insisted on promoting localization, started the acceleration mode, became a new force in the luxury car market, and created the "Lincoln phenomenon" praised by the industry.
In the past year, Lincoln's annual sales hit a new high, breaking through the 90 thousand mark. After getting such good data, Lincoln was not satisfied with the status quo. In 2023, Lincoln began to take the initiative to seek change and innovation and began to speed up for the second time.
As Zhu Meijun, President of Lincoln China, said, "The Lincoln brand has gone through an extraordinary road. There is no reference for the future road of Lincoln brand.
Zhu Meijun divided Lincoln's development in China into two stages. The period from 20 14 to 2022 is the initial stage of Lincoln's development in China, which makes more people know about Lincoln.
Since 2023, the team work led by Zhu Meijun has focused on making more people like Lincoln, which is the second stage of Lincoln's presence in China.
Therefore, Lincoln has set the goal of challenging the annual sales of 6,543,800 vehicles this year. While pursuing sales, we also focus on improving brand value.
In Zhu Meijun's view, the economy has recovered in the post-epidemic era, and Lincoln will have a mid-term redesigned model of adventurer and a new generation of navigator listed this year, which has the advantages of favorable weather, geographical location and human harmony.
Therefore, 2023 will be a year of Lincoln's "seeking change and revival" and a crucial turning point, and Lincoln will make every effort to create the image of "New Lincoln". To this end, the Lincoln Road has also come to a new era of 2.0.
If the nine-year Lincoln Road is the breakthrough for Lincoln to open the China market, then Lincoln Road 2.0 will be the cornerstone for Lincoln's second rise in the China market in the future.
Lincoln road 2.0
Compared with the previous Lincoln Road, the new Lincoln Road 2.0 will help Lincoln accelerate the China market for the second time around the core value of "creating value for customers".
For example, in all Lincoln dealerships, the space design is based on the customer experience, not the product transaction.
For example, the Lincoln dealership is designed in American luxury style as a whole, and there are many details of American luxury in it. Just like there is no bar in the middle of the distribution shop.
That's what Lincoln did, so there was no pressure on customers, and there was no need to worry that a salesperson would ask him about his demand budget as soon as he entered the store, but there was a strong cup of coffee waiting for him as soon as he entered the store.
For another example, in all the distribution stores, you can click on any screen to learn about the product and brand history. It covers almost all the activities of Lincoln China.
And the Lincoln Road APP is well connected with the offline, and you can make an appointment for children's space, women's space, massage chair, audio-visual room and Lincoln moment space. The combination of online and offline completely clarifies the experience and service with Lincoln label.
At the same time, Lincoln will also enhance the brand value through the "five major revivals and upgrades".
First of all, in terms of product innovation, in addition to fuel vehicles, Lincoln will continue to introduce a variety of power options.
In Zhu Meijun's words: "Lincoln will start the first year of hybrid this year, and the main models will launch hybrid models, changing the tepid brand design and breaking the head-level products and waist-level cognition."
In terms of technology refresh, Lincoln will start from the user's thinking and take the scene as the guide to build a new ecology of all-round intelligent vehicles.
In terms of refined customer service, we will continue to customize brand-new and innovative exclusive experiences for customers on the existing special projects such as "Lincoln moment", "one-day store manager" and picking up and delivering cars.
At the same time, we will continue to deepen the digital transformation of "Lincoln Way" 2.0, and fully open online and offline customer contacts, so that China car owners can truly enjoy the "always online" full journey customer experience.
In terms of brand experience innovation, we will continue to create brand volume, create phenomenal events, continuously consolidate Lincoln's American luxury label, and enhance the reputation and consideration of Lincoln brand.
On the basis of cooperation, we will continuously improve the operation level of dealer partners, provide them with professional guidance and training, and realize the digitalization of dealer team operation management.
Moreover, it is worth mentioning that since 20 14, Lincoln has gradually and steadily accumulated three advantages in China.
The new dawn of the second speed increase
Specifically, first, Lincoln products are more and more brave, and each model has leap-forward hard-core strength, which has become the value benchmark of its respective market segments and impressed consumers with real strength.
Second, the nine-year Lincoln Way has become more and more intimate, especially in the face of the epidemic and other challenges, Lincoln team and dealer partners really treat customers like family members, so that customers can feel the care of Lincoln Way at any time, further enhancing the differentiated advantages with other competing products.
Thirdly, Lincoln has established a strong dealer network, and has a number of cooperative partners from Qi Xin in the China market, which is an important cornerstone for Lincoln to forge ahead in the future.
This also made some late Lincoln occupy a place.
You know, at that time, the pattern of luxury car market in China was mostly finalized. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi firmly occupy the minds of consumers. Second-tier luxury brands such as Lexus, Cadillac and Jaguar Land Rover also have a large number of fans, and they have taken a share.
When Lincoln entered China, he faced such a fixed group of luxury brands. It is obviously unwise to rely solely on product strength or brand value to enter this market.
Fortunately, Lincoln chose the differentiation strategy. 20 14 proposes to adhere to the customer-centered principle and launch the unique "Lincoln Way" customer experience in the industry, which can successfully break the market in the highly competitive luxury goods market.
In 20 15, Lincoln's sales reached 1 1630 vehicles, and maintained a high-speed development in the following two years. In 20 17, the sales volume exceeded 50,000 vehicles, setting a new high since the brand entered China. "Lincoln Way" has also been praised by many car owners. Then from 2020, we will be familiar with the "Lincoln phenomenon".
Sharing a set of data with you, Lincoln's annual sales reached a new high in 2022, breaking through the 90,000 mark; Achieve the highest monthly sales record, exceeding 9000 units; The monthly sales record of adventurer bicycles reached a new high, exceeding 5,000; Adventurers became Lincoln's first explosive model that broke through 654.38+ million; Lincoln's market share increased significantly, reaching 3.0%.
It is true that behind these hard-core data is Lincoln's unique advantages accumulated on the road to China.
So what you can see is that Lincoln, who came to 2023, has already ushered in the dawn of the second speed increase in China under the leadership of Zhu Meijun.
In Zhu Meijun's words, 2023 is a brand-new Lincoln and a new starting point. Lincoln will open up a new situation in China at his own pace.
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