In the county town, who are the buyers of new energy vehicles costing over 200,000 yuan?

“When our store first opened three years ago, many people in Qian'an didn't even know there was a BYD dealership here. At that time, we could only sell a dozen or so cars per month across the whole store.” Liu Baosen is the top salesperson at the BYD Dynasty Network (Tangshan Xinlangdi 4S Store) located in Binhe Community, Qian'an City, Tangshan, Hebei Province. Recently, he told China News Service that during peak seasons, the store can now sell up to nearly 300 cars per month, and many rural consumers come to the store to look at cars on their own initiative.

At 8 a.m., before the business hours, two consumers walked into the store where Liu Baosen works to look at cars.

“This is a common occurrence in our store. There aren't even that many people today,” said Liu Mingying, a staff member, while arranging things at the door on July 27th to China News Service.

These two early - arriving consumers both come from the rural areas under Qian'an City, and the farthest consumer's residence is 30 kilometers away from the store. “In the past year, rural customers have accounted for nearly 50% of our store's customers,” said Li Peng, the store manager.

Recently, five departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued a notice, officially launching the 2025 New Energy Vehicle Campaign in Rural Areas. This year marks the sixth year of the new energy vehicle campaign in rural areas. In county - level and more rural markets, who are the ones buying new energy vehicles? What's it like to sell new energy vehicles in a county? Recently, China News Service experienced a day as a “new energy vehicle salesperson” in a county.

The following is the author's account:

“She placed an order after chatting with me from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.”

The 4S store I visited is located in an automobile park a 10 - minute drive from the urban area of Qian'an, adjacent to a FAW - Volkswagen 4S store. The surroundings of this store are very down - to - earth. There are even corn and sweet potato fields planted by locals beside the road outside the park, but this doesn't affect the store's customer flow. A system page shown by Li Peng indicates that the store's sales volume in July is almost on par with that of the top stores in the urban area of Tangshan.

After arriving at the store, I was immediately pulled into a morning meeting with nearly 80 employees. The meeting only lasted a few minutes. After Li Peng mentioned some service points and the sales staff reported on their work and appointment progress, everyone got busy with their own tasks. My “mentor” is Liu Baosen, who joined the sales team when the store opened in October 2022. In 2024, he sold 240 cars personally.

Liu Baosen told me that the most important thing when selling cars in a county is to help customers figure out the costs, including “the money for buying the car and the money for using it.” “We must calculate the vehicle - using cost for customers. How much did they spend on a fuel - powered car per month before, and how much will they spend on a new energy vehicle per month? But you can't just make random calculations. County - level cities are relatively small and full of human touch. You should sell cars with the mindset of making friends. Building long - term trust with them is more important than a one - time deal. Recommendations from old customers will be an important source of your future orders.”

A customer is chatting with a salesperson in the 4S store. Photo by China News Service

Liu Baosen said that he often encounters old customers bringing their relatives and friends to buy cars. There was even a case where someone hadn't placed an order yet but just established contact with him, and this person brought three new customers to him.

During my learning process with my “mentor,” I found that when selling new energy vehicles in a county, each salesperson needs to be good at mental arithmetic.

When calculating the costs for potential car buyers, Liu Baosen's mind works extremely fast. Without making any drafts, after asking about the customer's current car and the desired model, he directly starts making comparisons. From the purchase cost to the usage cost and then to the maintenance cost, he can fluently dictate the data and then copy it onto an A4 paper for the customer.

“Once the costs are calculated, customers will have a clear idea,” he gave an example: “There was a customer in the pharmaceutical business who needed to drive long distances every day. At first, he thought electric cars were expensive and charging was troublesome. But after we calculated the costs clearly, he still bought an electric car. Now he can save nearly 2,000 yuan on charging fees every month compared to the previous fuel costs.”

Liu Baosen said that when communicating with consumers, the most important thing is to solve their doubts. “If you can clearly answer every question in a way they can understand, the deal - closing rate is usually very high. Yesterday, a lady wanted to buy a car. She chatted with me from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., asking all kinds of questions. After the chat, she placed an order without even taking a test drive. She came to pick up the car today.”

Regarding the products, Liu Baosen told me that rural customers are more concerned about the vehicle's quality. “Many customers don't understand new energy vehicles and will ask a lot of questions, such as how long the battery can last and whether they need to pay for battery replacement later. You need to dispel their doubts and tell them that the three - electric systems have a lifetime warranty, the battery has the same lifespan as the vehicle, and even if there is a problem, it can be replaced for free.”

Ms. Qin, who came to the store that day, was planning to buy a new energy vehicle with her husband for daily commuting. Her husband works nearly 100 kilometers away in Caofeidian, Tangshan, and they have been driving a fuel - powered car for 12 years.

During the test drive, Ms. Qin told me that their old car is worth 5,000 yuan if sold as a used car, but if they buy a new energy vehicle through trade - in, they can get a subsidy of 18,000 yuan (provincial subsidy + factory subsidy). “If I still buy a fuel - powered car and want a larger - sized and more fuel - efficient one, it will cost over 150,000 yuan. Obviously, a new energy vehicle is more cost - effective,” said Ms. Qin.

How to Sell New Energy Vehicles Priced over 200,000 Yuan

Of course, the above car - selling skills are applicable to mainstream - priced models (ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 yuan). For consumers who want to buy cars priced over 200,000 yuan, Liu Baosen said a new way of communication is needed.

“For such customers, you can't simply introduce the vehicle's configuration information. You need to simulate scenarios for them. For example, give examples of which bosses have bought this model. If the customer is also a boss, buying this car will allow him to have something in common when communicating with other bosses. Or simulate travel scenarios for them, like going on a family outing on weekends. The external power - discharge function is convenient for camping, and the large screen inside the car is popular among kids... After simulating the usage scenarios for them, the customers' fondness for the vehicle will increase,” said Liu Baosen.

In Qian'an City, I found that it's very easy to find fast - charging or super - charging stations in the urban area. Several new energy vehicle owners from rural areas told me that there are relatively few public charging piles in the town, but it doesn't affect vehicle charging because the car companies have installed home - charging piles for them for free.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the vehicle's intelligent functions, most consumers also have a relatively high level of acceptance, especially those who buy mid - to - high - end priced models.

A customer is taking a test drive of an MPV with a starting price of nearly 250,000 yuan with his family. Photo by China News Service

Liu Baosen said that almost all of his customers who buy cars priced over 200,000 yuan live in the urban area of Qian'an. They usually have multiple cars at home and have stable jobs or are self - employed. “Some people buy cars with the mindset of 'if others have it, I must have it too,' or they want to be the first to use new functions.”

There are also some rural customers who buy cars priced over 200,000 yuan. “I have a customer who runs a supermarket in the countryside. He took a fancy to a car last year but never made up his mind to buy it. When the new model was launched this year, I called him. He was actually very interested in the vehicle's assisted - driving function and thought it could solve many problems. So he directly bought the four - wheel - drive version at the original price,” said Liu Baosen.

Li Peng said that for consumers who buy mid - to - high - end priced vehicles, they don't consider cost - effectiveness but rather multiple travel scenarios. For example, the vehicle should not only meet commuting needs but also be suitable for long - distance travel and can even play a business role when necessary. “In the urban area of Qian'an, in the past, when people bought cars priced over 200,000 yuan, they preferred joint - venture products. But now, this concept has changed. Many people in the 200,000 - yuan price range prefer domestic new energy vehicles.”

Offering Laundry Detergent, Tissue Boxes, Rice...

At 8:30 a.m., the store I visited officially started its daily business. At this time, the area with the largest number of people was not the car exhibition area but the after - sales service center at the back of the store. I pushed open the glass door of the after - sales waiting area and saw that it was full of people. Some customers who came a few minutes late had to sit in the negotiation area of the exhibition hall.

I asked around and found that about 60% of the customers drove from rural areas to the store for maintenance. Some even drove nearly 60 kilometers from neighboring counties. Why are there so many rural customers in this store?

Li Peng told me that their store focuses on expanding the rural market. In marketing activities, they use small caravans with LED screens for road shows. They hold 1 - 2 new energy vehicle campaigns in rural areas every month, offering some special purchase discounts to rural consumers. In addition, they also use traditional wall - printed advertisements to increase brand awareness.

“We usually hold activities at 7 or 8 p.m. on weekends in places where rural people gather. We use performances to attract the audience. For example, today we invited a clown to perform. During the performance, the host will use various interactions to make people remember our brand and the name of our store,” said Zhang Huan, the staff member in charge of the caravan activities.

Zhang Huan told me that the caravan activities have been held since 2023, starting from the end of March and lasting until the end of October every year. In these activities, they usually prepare daily necessities such as laundry detergent, tissue boxes, and rice to give away through interactive games.

Li Peng said that the main purpose of the caravan activities is publicity and customer acquisition. “We often hold activities in rural areas, and they will gradually have a deeper impression of us. When they want to buy a car, they will definitely think of us. That's the main goal.”

Besides pre - sales activities, Li Peng told me that their store attaches great importance to after - sales service, so much so that the return rate for the first - maintenance service can reach over 90%. “There are more than 30 after - sales service staff in our store. If a customer doesn't come to the store, we will provide free on - site inspection services. After the customer drives into the after - sales service lane, if there is no queue, we will contact the customer within one minute. Even if there is a queue, we will contact the customer within three minutes.”

In the evening of the 27th, the store held a caravan activity in Malanzhuang Town, 20 kilometers away. In a square in the town, there were many elderly people enjoying the cool and parents riding bikes with their kids. After the activity started at 7 p.m., dozens of people were attracted to the caravan by the clown performance and the host's opening speech. Because there were gifts to be given away, the on - site audience was very active in the Q&A session arranged by the host.

The caravan activity on the 27th. Photo by China News Service

After more than a dozen road - show activities each year, the effect of the caravan activities is starting to show. The proportion of rural customers has increased by about 30 percentage points compared to two years ago. Based on the store's sales volume in 2024, this store sold nearly 900 cars in the rural areas of Qian'an.

The explosive growth of this store is a microcosm of the rural consumption vitality stimulated by the new energy vehicle campaign in rural areas in China in recent years. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that from 2020 to 2024, the annual sales volume of new energy vehicles in rural areas increased from 397,000 to 7.598 million, with a cumulative sales volume of nearly 15 million in five years.

This article is from the WeChat public account “China News Service” (ID: jwview), author: Gong Chenyuan, published by 36Kr with authorization.