AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)07/07 Report--

On July 5, GAC GROUP released KuaiBao for production and marketing in June. Data show that GAC GROUP's production and sales in June were 232500 and 234400 respectively, an increase of 42.12% and 41.16% respectively over the same period last year. In addition, GAC GROUP's cumulative production and sales volume from January to June were 1.1517 million and 1.1499 million respectively, up 15.00% and 12.02% respectively over the same period last year. (the above figures are all wholesale sales, also known as manufacturer sales, which refers to the total amount of bulk shipments of automakers to dealers in a given period, because automakers generally do not sell cars directly.)

For GAC GROUP's report card, the most "outstanding" performance is not GAC Toyota, nor GAC Honda, but the American brand GAC Fick. According to the production and sales data released by GAC GROUP, the production and sales of GAC Fick were all "-" in June, and the cumulative production and sales volume from January to June were 822 and 1861 respectively, down 89.35% and 84.18% respectively from the same period last year. Production is stagnant. Earlier, a source close to Guangzhou Auto Fick told reporters, "Guangzhou Auto Fick's Changsha plant production line transformation work affected by the epidemic, the factory has not yet resumed work." However, officials have not publicly responded to the reasons for the factory shutdown.

According to the official website, the Jeep brand of Guangzhou Auto Fick includes three domestic models, namely, the Grand Commander, the Compass and the Free Light, as well as imported models such as the Horse Shepherd, the Grand Cherokee and the Gladiator, among which the Compass is the backbone of the Jeep brand, with 8991 units sold in 2021. The model is produced by the Guangzhou factory and 6791 by the Grand Commander, and the model is produced by the Changsha factory. It is understood that Guangzhou Auto Fick has established production bases in Changsha and Guangzhou, in which Changsha factory mainly produces free light and big commander, Guangzhou factory mainly produces free man and compass, with a total design capacity of 328000 vehicles. Guangzhou factory was closed on September 8, 2021.

Due to the stagnant production of the factory, dealers have no cars to sell at present. Shanghai Jeep brand 4S store sales staff told reporters, "now the domestic models are gone, inventory has long been sold out, do not accept bookings, manufacturers do not have a production plan, is currently in a state of suspension." At present, only imported models are sold in our store, and domestic models are estimated to have to wait another month or two, but we are not sure whether they will be able to produce them at that time, because there is no agreement between Chinese and foreign investors, and there are some issues that they need to study again. so it's not that fast. "

A dealer said, "the manufacturer has not supplied us for a long time. The instructor actually does not have a car on hand, and the specific production schedule of the factory has not yet been decided, while the free light and the main sales commander do have a small number of existing cars." but it also depends on the specific color and configuration. " In addition, the head of the dealer also said that they had discussed the issue of vehicle supply with the manufacturer before, but the manufacturer had not come up with a remedial plan to deal with it, and the coordination letter submitted had not received any feedback. If there is no guarantee of supply, they do not know what to do next.

"not all Gyibug is called Jeep" is still ringing in our ears, but the Jeep brand is losing ground in China. In 2007, the Jeep brand entered the Chinese market by way of import, and successively introduced the new Grand Cherokee and Commander two heavyweight models, which were quickly recognized by the market. In order to reduce costs, Fick Group (FCA Group) and GAC GROUP jointly established GAC Fick in March 2010, marking the official domestic production of the Jeep brand. In November 2015, the first domestic model of the Jeep brand was officially launched, and Free Light became the new domestic name of the new Cherokee (Cherokee), with a price ranging from 229800 yuan to 315800 yuan. Since then, the Jeep brand has made domestic Liberty Man, Compass, Big Commander and other models to expand the product camp. According to the data, GAC Fick sold 179900 vehicles in 2016 and 222300 in 2017, accounting for more than 10 per cent of GAC GROUP's sales, the highest since its inception.

In 2018, there was a "Waterloo" in China's auto market, including Changan Ford, Shenlong Automobile and other joint venture brands, and Guangzhou Auto Fick was no exception, with sales of 125200 vehicles, 73900 vehicles, 40500 vehicles and 20100 vehicles respectively from 2018 to 2021, four consecutive years of decline, and became GAC GROUP's largest decline in sales.

The decline of Jeep has something to do with the car market, but it also has many problems. In the impression of consumers, Jeep is a sentimental brand, but the quality is not good. In 2018, CCTV named Jeep frequently burned engine oil and received repeated complaints from users, but the problem has not been solved for a long time. Under the pressure of public opinion, GAC Fick recalled 143900 defective models, including free light and guides, more than total sales in 2018. Jeep is a "feelings" brand, but now, in addition to "feelings", what does Jeep leave to consumers?

In recent years, GAC Fick has put forward a series of adjustment measures, hoping to save the decline, including an increase of 4 billion yuan from both shareholders and two executive changes within two months. Despite constant rumors of "delisting", both GAC Fick shareholders have repeatedly said that they "will not withdraw from the Chinese market".

In January, Stellantis announced on its website that it planned to increase its stake in Guangzhou Auto Fick, a joint venture with GAC GROUP, from 50 per cent to 75 per cent. GAC GROUP and Stellantis have agreed to the formalities of the deal, but are still subject to regulatory approval. However, GAC GROUP subsequently issued a statement saying that the equity adjustment has not been approved by GAC, and in recent years, due to GAC Fick's greater operational difficulties, the shareholders of both sides of the joint venture have conducted in-depth communication and consultation on their joint venture and GAC Fick revitalization plan. At present, the two sides have not yet signed a formal agreement on GAC Fick's equity adjustment.

Zeng Qinghong, chairman of GAC GROUP, also said that Guangzhou Auto Fick needs to have a full sense of crisis, must speed up the pace of product renewal and improve product quality. however, a series of "self-rescue" methods such as increasing capital, changing coaches and proposing new strategies have not brought substantial growth to Guangzhou Auto Fick's sales. Judging from the current development of GAC Fick, GAC Fick does not have a very clear strategic plan, and the sales volume of its models for sale is not ideal. GAC Fick wants to reverse the dilemma or face greater challenges. As for the follow-up development of GAC Fick, there may be an answer in the near future.

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