Can you stop making ugly cars?

In August, the retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached 55% all at once.

One may wonder, what does this prove? My answer is that after a six - month stalemate in the "battle between gasoline and electric vehicles", the balance of victory is gradually tilting. As for the most fundamental reason behind this, compared with traditional fuel - powered vehicles, the explosive growth of new energy vehicles on the supply side undoubtedly accounts for a large proportion.

In other words, the wide range of choices has made more and more potential consumers switch sides. Coupled with the continuous improvement of product strength itself, as well as the "advantages" in key dimensions such as terminal pricing, usage cost, and intelligent experience, all these factors have jointly contributed to the current overall situation.

Anyway, it's still the same principle. Once the "Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign" is won, it's only a matter of time before "liberating the whole country". There is no doubt that new energy vehicles will become the mainstream.

A few days ago, in a conversation with a friend, we talked about an interesting topic: "What do you think is the primary factor that makes people willing to spend money nowadays? The safety of power batteries? The length of comprehensive range? Whether assisted driving can be used nationwide?"

After discussion, we reached a unified conclusion: "Appearance."

More straightforwardly, whether it's the so - called three - electric systems or intelligent performance, with the rapid iteration of technology and the gradual maturity of the supply chain, the levels of leading players are comparable. What really makes the difference is - styling and design.

01

Good looks are always the top competitiveness

Undoubtedly, judging whether a new car has good looks is a rather subjective matter. So in this article today, we'll try not to mention too many specific car models.

From my personal perspective, I've noticed a more prominent phenomenon this year: Every once in a while, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology releases a new vehicle access catalog. Looking at the new energy vehicle camp, there are almost always quite a few "ugly cars" each time.

Somewhat deformed proportions, unappealing styling, overly complicated details, and a familiar look...

These cars are judged as "eyesores" even before they leave the "official photos" stage. Combined with their dismal terminal performance, it directly proves that "in today's Chinese auto market, good looks are always the top competitiveness, which is closely linked to the final sales volume."

For automakers, design should always be put first.

At the end of last month, I attended the launch event of the new XPeng P7. Readers who are familiar with this B - class pure - electric sedan probably know that one of the key factors that contributed to the initial model's great success in the Chinese auto market, besides having a first - mover advantage and entering a niche market, was its "outstanding appearance".

In the new - generation P7, the overall design is undoubtedly more bold and eye - catching, giving people a feeling of "tech - retro". Although this styling language may not appeal to everyone, it can definitely capture a large number of young users who pursue a "showy" look.

"We invest 2 billion yuan in assisted driving every year, but why don't we make the same investment in design? In the future, XPeng should first establish its design and then pursue various technologies. Currently, I've given more weight and resources to the styling department. For example, we rented two buildings in Shanghai and provided them with everything they need and the best treatment. Only in this way can we possibly do this part well."

The above statement is from He Xiaopeng after the launch of the new - generation P7. What I read between the lines is still those six words, "Appearance is extremely important."

In the new energy vehicle era, a set of "appearance" that is universal and amazing is destined to be a decisive condition for a product to sell well. Especially against the background of the increasing homogenization of product experience, good design is the key to success.

Coincidentally, I recently saw a research report by Jielanlu on the portrait of the first - batch owners of the Xiaomi YU7.

One of the headings clearly states: "Appearance is still the primary factor promoting purchases..." The supporting data below shows that 68% of users care very much about this aspect, even more than dimensions such as brand, comfort, and intelligent cockpit functions.

Undoubtedly, Xiaomi made the right bet.

In order to get a styling that can attract people's attention instantly, the YU7 sacrificed some of the vehicle's ride comfort and rear - seat space to some extent, using extreme proportions to interpret what "good looks are justice" means.

Judging from the results, people are willing to pay real money for "beauty". When we try to review the strategy of this new player, "design" is also put first.

In contrast, if the above two brands are more like positive examples, then Li Auto, which is a bit "stubborn", is a negative example.

Since last year when it entered the pure - electric vehicle market with the MEGA, to the launch of the i8 in July this year, and the upcoming i6, the most discussed and questioned aspect is its unique family - style appearance.

From the perspective of production regulations, we can understand the intention of this new - energy vehicle startup.

The teardrop - shaped design can indeed result in a lower drag coefficient, longer range, and larger interior space. However, the price is obvious. It takes a lot of effort to convince users to gradually accept it, incurring a high cost of user education.

Looking at the long - term, Li Auto may eventually justify its design choices.

But for now, what we see more is its caution in the marketing aspect. It always seems unable to go all out and has lost the aggressiveness it had when launching new models in the L series.

02

The aesthetic level of car company bosses determines the upper limit

"Why are there so many ugly cars in the new energy vehicle era?"

After elaborating on the importance of appearance for a product, I believe many readers have the question at the beginning of this paragraph. I think there are mainly two surface reasons behind this.

Firstly, the design logic of new energy vehicles has changed dramatically compared with traditional fuel - powered vehicles. With the reshaping of the rules, some automakers will inevitably have problems adapting, over - compensating, or even going too far in the wrong direction.

For example, some traditional giants with a long history are always eager to completely "cut off" from their past selves, but unfortunately, they lose the essence and charm of their styling that consumers recognize. Their new products end up being rather mediocre.

Secondly, the design intensity of new energy vehicles has increased several levels compared with traditional fuel - powered vehicles. In the past, most mainstream models basically followed the principle of "a minor facelift every three years and a full - model change every six years", and the styling would be slightly adjusted and iterated accordingly.

But now, due to the fierce market competition, most automakers have to follow the rhythm of "a model change every year", and the pressure on the design department has increased accordingly.

Take the new NIO ES8, which will be launched this weekend, as an example. Three generations have been released in just ten years. Compared with the old model, although some details are inherited, the overall styling has been completely redesigned. In the end, it has still delivered a satisfactory result.

But looking at all the players in the market, not everyone can be so successful. Frequent model updates directly lead to a significantly increased probability of "appearance failures".

This is not an exaggeration. In today's Chinese auto market, many brands have fallen into the strange cycle of "the more they are updated, the uglier they become". In fact, everyone understands the principle that "good looks are always the top competitiveness", but unfortunately, they lack the skills to gain consumers' recognition.

So, what is the deeper reason for the "flood of ugly cars in the new energy vehicle era"?

The subtitle of this paragraph is my answer. Coincidentally, I recently read an article titled "How did Li Bin, the so - called 'cowboy' and CEO of NIO, develop his aesthetic sense?" The author directly pointed out at the beginning that in the aesthetic level of an automobile company, designers are actually responsible for ensuring a certain lower limit, trying to make sure it's not too bad.

In contrast, the upper limit is often determined by the CEO, which tests their clear and consistent aesthetic sense and their judgment of the target customers' preferences.

Although Li Bin is called a "cowboy" by some, you can always trust NIO's design.

When a company always produces ugly cars, the design team often takes the blame, but the real culprit may be those at the top.

Whether they understand what good looks are, what is sophisticated, and what the current customers really want is the key to success. As I said before, "the boss's aesthetic sense is extremely important."

This also explains why there are so many cases of Chinese automakers failing to break into the high - end market. "What you think is good design, others may not appreciate at all."

As the decision - makers, if they can't judge whether a product looks good or not, they should expand the decision - making sample appropriately and let more subordinates with mainstream aesthetic sense participate.

Give as much power as possible to the in - house styling teams and let professionals do their jobs. Don't have a "one - man show", get stuck in a dead - end and not turn back, or even keep indulging in self - satisfaction.

After all, to stay in the game, a large part of the chips is about appearance. Let me emphasize again that "in today's Chinese auto market, good looks are always the top competitiveness, which is closely linked to the final sales volume."

Of course, I'd like to appeal to all automakers: Can you stop producing ugly cars? While competing fiercely in the three - electric systems and intelligent driving, you should also look back and see if your design meets the standard.

It is said that there will be no more than ten real winners in the entire market in the future. I don't know who they are, but I'm sure they will all have excellent aesthetic sense...

This article is from the WeChat official account "Automobile Community" (ID: iAUTO2010), written by Cui Liwen and edited by He Zengrong. It is published by 36Kr with permission.