New Maiteng changes course, relying on the new Passat to re-enter the battle car market

　　For a long time, competing with the same family has been the most hyped topic in the industry. As long as there is any trouble with one party’s model, the other party’s same-class car will inevitably be involved. And the new generation, which has just been listed and won numerous awards, has once again become the target of major media chase, and various comparisons with B7L are rampant.

　　In fact, the B7L has not yet been listed, and various claims at this stage are still at the level of speculation and have not been confirmed by the official. After the listing, the price and configuration details have all been settled, and the market and consumers will naturally give the most fair judgment. But now it is hard not to think of the same dispute with Shanghai Passat before the listing of Maiteng in 2007. However, no matter how the industry predicts and analyzes before, it is ultimately up to the sales volume to speak.

　　The Volkswagen Maiteng went public in July 2007 with a high-profile listing, selling 3,490 units in September, while the Shanghai Volkswagen Passat led the sales of 11,046 units that month, which was three times the sales of Maiteng. This situation has not changed in the following years. Last year, the Passat sold more than 130,000 vehicles, while the Maiteng only sold more than 70,000 vehicles, a difference of nearly double. In contrast, since the launch of the Passat in November 2005, with excellent localization improvement and effective marketing promotion, it has always ranked among the top three in the mid- to high-end car market.

　　Judging from the real reaction of the market, FAW-Volkswagen Maiteng lost in the product and sales network. The Shanghai Volkswagen Passat led the way in response to the actual road conditions and oil conditions in China, and carried out strict debugging and appropriate improvement of important accessories such as chassis, powertrain system, front and rear bumpers, grille, and hood. Not only that, but Shanghai Volkswagen also took into account the special needs of Chinese consumers for interior configuration, BOSCH 68 audio, independent three-screen entertainment system, a full range of leather luxury electronic control seats, dual electronic fans, automatic anti-clip sunroof, Bluetooth mobile phone system, rain sensor, automatic anti-glare rearview mirror, satellite navigation, and PDC, declaring that humanized configuration is no longer just a synonym for Japanese cars.

　　In addition to products, Shanghai Volkswagen’s strong sales and after-sales services network has also become one of the boosters. Compared with FAW-Volkswagen, Maiteng did not have much sales experience before, and Maiteng’s failure reflects the shortcomings of FAW-Volkswagen’s sales network on the other hand. Perhaps after the B7L is listed, FAW-Volkswagen will not be as passive as it was a few years ago, but in terms of experience, it will be difficult to match the Shanghai Volkswagen sales network that has more than 20 years of experience in a few years. The battle between Maiteng and Passat to lead the same door in 2007 has become a thing of the past. After the B7L is listed, the strength and weakness of the new generation of Passat will eventually need to be determined through the market.