From learning about 3C to exploring 3C, a former Glory executive joins Deepal to target a monthly sales volume of 40,000 units.

Recently, Changan Automobile, which has witnessed frequent personnel changes in the past two weeks, has reported a new personnel change: Jiang Hairong, the former CMO of Honor in China, will join Changan Automobile soon and take up the position of CEO of Deepal. Meanwhile, the Weibo certification information of Deng Chenghao, the former CEO of Deepal, has been changed to "Chairman of Deepal".

So far, neither Jiang Hairong, Deng Chenghao, nor Deepal has responded to this news.

Learning from the Masters: Frequent Personnel Changes at Changan Automobile in Two Weeks

Such changes are nothing new to the entire automotive circle, and people just think "as expected" tacitly. Instead of regarding this as a regular personnel change, it's better to see it as the most direct implementation of the current trend of automobile manufacturers "learning marketing from 3C brands". In this cruel new - energy game, Changan Automobile has played a key card first - an "ace" from the 3C field.

After Changan was upgraded to a new central - state - owned enterprise, a swift and top - down organizational storm is advancing rapidly. According to media statistics, within just two weeks, there have been intensive changes among as many as seven senior executives at Changan, involving multiple brands and business lines such as Changan Gravity, Changan Qiyuan, Avatr, Changan Ford, and Deepal. Many people, including Ye Pei and Mi Mengdong, have been assigned new tasks, openly showing the determination of this old - established state - owned enterprise for bold reforms.

Putting Deepal, the "elite squad" with high expectations, into the hands of a marketing expert, especially one from the 3C industry, is obviously the most targeted move in this storm. Behind this, there is not only the anxiety of the Deepal brand to break the current situation but also the profound reflection of the entire automotive industry's "cross - border learning" from the consumer electronics field.

Implanting the Huawei Ecosystem: A Deep Bond from Technology to Soul

Jiang Hairong's resume perfectly interprets all of Changan's current expectations for Deepal. As a marketing general who has grown up in the Huawei and Honor ecosystems, he has not only witnessed the fierce competition in the transition from feature phones to smart phones but also single - handedly planned the classic marketing campaign of Honor from scratch and back to the peak after its independence. What he brings is not just experience but also a set of battle strategies and worldviews from the 3C field that have been repeatedly verified by the market.

This is not a coincidence. In fact, the "affinity" between Deepal and Huawei has long been an open secret. Technically, Deepal is almost the non - HarmonyOS Smart Mobility brand with the highest "Huawei content". Whether it's the Deepal G318 equipped with Huawei's advanced intelligent driving system or the upcoming Deepal S05 and S07 integrated with Huawei's full - set intelligent solutions, it shows that Deepal has deeply bound its "technological soul" to the giant ship of Huawei.

At the organizational level, Changan's intention is even more obvious. Having a marketing expert who is well - versed in the Huawei system's strategies to lead Deepal, Changan is almost explicitly stating that it wants to conduct a complete "soul transplant" of Huawei's genes from technology, marketing to organizational management.

What this reflects is the fundamental change in the competition logic of the entire automotive industry. As cars are becoming more and more like "super mobile phones on wheels", the traditional B2B thinking and dealer management models of automobile manufacturers can no longer keep up with the ever - changing needs of C - end users. How to create hit products, how to communicate directly with users, how to build brand awareness, how to iterate quickly... These topics that the 3C industry is already familiar with are becoming "compulsory courses" in the automotive circle. What Changan has chosen is not only to introduce Huawei's IPD and IPMS into the enterprise but also to invite the best "teacher" to give on - site guidance.

Deepal's Challenge: Early Start but Late Arrival

To some extent, Changan Automobile's drastic measures, even "breaking the rules" to appoint an "outsider" as CEO, are due to Deepal's urgent need to achieve results. How to produce quick results is their most pressing task at present.

As a key brand in Changan's new - energy transformation, Deepal got an early start within Changan. It has access to the group's best resources and has a relatively complete product layout. Several of its products also had good publicity at the beginning of their launch. However, in terms of actual sales, as a brand tasked with driving up the new - energy vehicle sales volume of the group, Deepal's current sales still fall short of the group's expectations.

Whether it's the early SL03, the later S7, or the current S09, although consumers generally think that Deepal's products have decent quality, the brand still lacks a real "blockbuster" product. Compared with its competitors, Deepal still has a long way to go in terms of brand awareness, user mind - share, and sales volume.

In the just - passed August, Deepal's global delivery volume reached 28,235 units, a year - on - year increase of 40% and a month - on - month increase of 4%. Among them, the Deepal S05 performed outstandingly, with a single - month delivery of 12,184 units, and its sales volume has exceeded 11,000 units for three consecutive months. So far, Deepal's cumulative sales from January to August this year have reached 198,640 units.

Overall, Deepal's sales have recovered in August, but there is still a gap from the brand's target. Deepal previously stated that in the fourth quarter of this year, it will strive to reach the monthly sales target of 40,000 units with the launch of new products and globalization efforts. As the third quarter of this year is coming to an end, the brand is under great pressure.

On reflection, although Deepal actively embraces changes in technology, it still can't completely get rid of the strong imprint of traditional automobile manufacturers in brand marketing and user operation. A vague brand image, chaotic marketing rhythm, and lack of user communication... These issues together have led to Deepal's failure to play a "winning hand" in the market. Only through bold reforms can there be hope to break out of the current situation.

Summary

Jiang Hairong's arrival is both a strong remedy and a high - stakes bet for Deepal.

Changan is betting that an "air - dropped soldier" from the 3C industry can inject long - awaited vitality into Deepal with new concepts and strategies and lead it out of the encirclement. Behind this is Changan's unwavering determination for reform under the background of a new central - state - owned enterprise.

This major personnel upheaval also provides a thought - provoking example for the entire industry. As traditional automobile manufacturers are turning to technology companies for cooperation, the depth of cooperation has evolved from simple technology procurement to "soul transplantation" at the organizational and talent levels. This may become the most exciting highlight in the automotive industry competition in the next few years. Can Jiang Hairong and his new Deepal stage a "comeback"? We'll wait and see.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Cheyun" (ID: cheyunwang). The author is Lu Zhiyao. It is published by 36Kr with permission.