The global automobile pattern is undergoing amazing changes!
In the past, China sold its market, land and capital in exchange for foreign car companies to set up joint ventures in China, commonly known as "market for technology". This strategy is undoubtedly a failure. The market did not get technology, but the joint venture brand monopolized the automobile market in China. It was not until the outbreak of new energy technology that domestic automobile enterprises crossed the patent wall built by traditional fuel vehicles and reshaped the global automobile industry pattern. Ironically, among the state-owned factories, Chery Automobile, which is the least dependent on the joint venture brand, broke through the traditional fuel car track through self-research of technology.
Nowadays, China Auto is no longer the big fool who "trades market for technology", but a brand-new showstopper which "trades technology for market".
Stratis Group, the fifth largest car company in the world, spent 1.5 billion euros to buy 20% equity of Zero Run Car, equivalent to 11.5 billion yuan, and became the largest shareholder of Zero Run Car. Zero-run car has also changed from a pure French car company to a Sino-French joint venture car company. Many people saw this news, and their heads were hot: "Is this Stratis stupid?" Spending so much money to buy a 20% stake in Zero Run! Is there any core technology for zero running worth buying at such a high price? "
In the domestic new energy automobile market, the zero-run automobile is not particularly prominent, and it has been in the same camp as Nezha automobile for a long time, which can not beat the traditional big car enterprises, nor can it compete with Wei Xiaoli in the new forces. The monthly sales of zero-running cars are around 16,000. It is difficult to break through 20,000, but it will basically not fall below 10,000. It belongs to its own niche.
Compared with Nezha Auto, Zero Run Auto has realized the listing of Hong Kong stocks, and the funds are relatively abundant. From the perspective of China people, the zero-run car is just a well-behaved electric vehicle enterprise, which is worse than the previous one. It won’t go bankrupt like Weimar, but it won’t kill the quartet like BYD. It is in the tide of new energy entrepreneurship in China, watching countless peers fall down one by one, and still live to this day. Only this, Zero Run has already won over 90% of the new force automobile companies in China.
I can’t help it, the domestic new energy is too big, and it is already quite excellent to live to the present. Technically, zero running is not bad, and it can also be called "quite satisfactory". From the beginning, it insisted on global self-research, with 1,231 patent applications, 827 authorized patents and about half invention patents. In the aspect of three electric systems, all the zero-running cars are self-developed, such as electric drive assembly, battery pack and intelligent driver assistance system. The gold content of the zero-run technology does not look high, because the technology of China Tou new energy automobile manufacturers is too strong.
But even the zero run in the second camp can be played very well internationally. The advantage of Stratis lies in internationalization, and it has a strong channel network for the international market. Stratis is the fifth largest car company in the world, formed by the merger of PSA and Fiat Chrysler, and owns ultra-luxury brands: Maserati and Alfa Romeo.
In 2022, Stratis sold 6.34 million vehicles worldwide, only 50,000 vehicles less than Renault-Nissan Alliance, with a total revenue of 179.6 billion euros and a net profit of 16.8 billion euros. Its logo, Citroen, Fiat, Chrysler, DS, Lancia and other brands are not very good in China, but they sell well all over the world. There is a certain disconnect between the China market and the global market, and it is at a critical time node where the old and the new alternate.
China’s new energy automobile industry has been ahead of the world, but the international automobile market is still in the era of fuel vehicles. However, electrification and intelligence are the general trend. Just like the MG brand that went bankrupt 20 years ago and was sold off, it was in the hands of SAIC. With the help of the east wind of electrification, it swept Europe and surpassed Tesali to become the first electric brand in Europe. The domestic starting price of an MG4 is 115,800, but in the EU it costs 28,400 euros, equivalent to 220,000 RMB. Although SAIC’s electric cars don’t sell well in China, they have made a fortune in the EU.
This living case of making a lot of money is in front of us. Can Stratis not be moved? As long as the zero-run car is won, the two sides will form a zero-run international company and put the zero-run electric car on an EU brand. Are you still afraid that it will not sell? Even if you don’t stick to the EU brand and transfer the whole set of zero-running technology to the EU, don’t you have to make money? Electric cars produced at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars are shipped to Europe and sold for more than 200 thousand. How can there be such a good business in the field of fuel vehicles?
Everyone says that zero-run technology is not first-class. Is the technology of MG electric vehicles first-class? Don’t you still kill the European market? What Stratis wants is not only the new energy technology of zero-run cars, but also the complete supply chain of China electric vehicles behind zero-run cars. This supply chain can produce MG4, C11, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and other new electric vehicles.
For Atlantis, this is a very cost-effective deal. Zero Run can go to the world with the help of Atlantis, and Atlantis can also exploit the overseas electric vehicle market with the help of China supply chain and China technology. Relying on old Europe is simply unreliable. BMW electric vehicles have handed over 10 billion battery orders to Honeycomb Energy, a subsidiary of Great Wall. Why? Isn’t it because Europe doesn’t have a complete supply chain for electric vehicles?
A 20% stake in Zero Run may not be worth 1.5 billion euros, but the China supply chain behind Zero Run is definitely worth it! This is a win-win cooperation. Dahua group’s equity is reduced, and it is a brand-new big money owner’s father. It can not only live in the domestic market, but also open up overseas markets. Isn’t it fun?
It’s just the European car suppliers.
There are only two electric vehicle manufacturing centers in the world: one is the United States, and the other is China! European car companies want to seize a better position, either tying China or tying the United States. Besides, there is no other choice.