CALB and Gotion High-Tech have entered the market, and Harmony Intelligent Mobility has introduced multiple battery suppliers, quietly kicking off a battle for bargaining power.

Recently, there were reports that Hongmeng Smart Mobility has started to comprehensively introduce multiple power battery suppliers. For the AITO brand, which has long been exclusively supplied by CATL, two second - tier battery suppliers, CALB and Guoxuan High - tech, will be introduced. In response to the above news, reporters from NBD (National Business Daily) verified the information with Hongmeng Smart Mobility, CALB, and Guoxuan High - tech respectively. Hongmeng Smart Mobility did not give a positive response. As of press time, neither CALB nor Guoxuan High - tech had responded.

Although the above battery companies have not responded, Guoxuan High - tech and CALB have actually become suppliers of Hongmeng Smart Mobility. On June 2nd, Guoxuan High - tech's official WeChat account posted that on May 29th, it made its debut as a core partner at the Hongmeng Smart Mobility exclusive exhibition hall at the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area Auto Show, jointly showcasing the in - depth collaborative R & D achievements of the Whale Battery Platform.

Picture source: Guoxuan High - tech's WeChat official account. The picture shows the Guoxuan High - tech exhibition area in the Hongmeng Smart Mobility exhibition hall at the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Auto Show.

The information on the list of new vehicle applications in the 408th batch released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on June 10th shows that the new pure - electric version of the AITO M6 is equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries produced by Yichun Guoxuan Battery Co., Ltd., which is a holding subsidiary of Guoxuan High - tech. It is understood that this is the first time that Guoxuan High - tech has implemented its cooperation on a specific vehicle model after becoming a core partner of Hongmeng Smart Mobility. The cooperation between the two parties has shifted from platform - level display to large - scale vehicle installation and delivery.

Like Guoxuan High - tech, CALB also made an appearance at the Hongmeng Smart Mobility exclusive exhibition hall at the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area Auto Show. CALB said that as a core co - builder of the Whale Battery Platform, it jointly built the Whale Battery Platform with Hongmeng Smart Mobility. It is understood that the Whale Battery is a standard system of Huawei and is Huawei's battery brand externally.

In fact, Hongmeng Smart Mobility does not directly purchase batteries. Instead, it has set a very high standard line. If battery companies want to participate in building the Whale Battery, they must conduct collaborative R & D to meet this baseline. In this regard, CALB said that it has participated in the battery standard certification of multiple Hongmeng Smart Mobility vehicle models.

Actually, it is not uncommon for car manufacturers to choose different battery suppliers. For example, leading car manufacturers such as Tesla, BMW, Geely Automobile, and SAIC Group all cooperate with multiple battery manufacturers simultaneously.

In the view of the industry, car manufacturers' choice of multiple suppliers can reduce their dependence on a single supplier and avoid supply chain disruptions caused by problems with the supplier. "Large - scale production is a systematic project, and quality and production capacity need to be comprehensively considered. Car manufacturers adopt the strategy of multiple battery suppliers to ensure the stability of the supply chain and bring more high - quality and cost - effective products," said Pei Feng, the president of Juwantech.

Picture source: NBD Media Asset Library

In addition, the multi - source supplier strategy can significantly enhance the bargaining power of enterprises. When an enterprise has multiple alternative suppliers, competition naturally forms among the suppliers. This competition mechanism can promote suppliers to optimize service quality and lower quotes, thereby creating greater value space for the enterprise - which is particularly important in the context of the continuous pressure on the profit margin of the current automotive industry.

In this regard, Zhu Jiangming, the chairman of Leapmotor, once said: "We have several suppliers for each type of battery cell. This multi - supplier model allows car manufacturers to have bargaining power and purchase high - quality and inexpensive battery cells. On the other hand, it can also balance the production capacity of each supplier, thus achieving controllable quality, cost, and risk."

Some analysts also said that the multi - source supplier strategy also helps enterprises obtain better resources. Different suppliers may have their own advantages in terms of technology, quality, cost, etc. Car manufacturers can screen out the most suitable suppliers within a larger scope, thereby improving product quality and performance.

However, it should be noted that there are also some hidden dangers when car manufacturers introduce multiple battery suppliers. In the subconscious of some consumers, independent battery brands have formed an invisible hierarchical division.

Regarding consumers' concerns about batteries from different suppliers, Pei Feng said: "Car manufacturers also have high standards and certification systems for the selection of battery suppliers. In terms of quality control, manufacturers have the same requirements and standards for products, so consumers don't need to worry about differences in product quality." Zhu Tao, an industry analyst at Kailian Capital, believes that car manufacturers should respect users more and give them full right to know and choose. For example, in the configuration of power batteries, the battery model can be clearly marked, and the right to choose can be returned to consumers. Although the parameter differences of batteries with different configurations may not be significant in the eyes of manufacturers, clear information disclosure can effectively avoid consumption disputes caused by cognitive errors.

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This article is from the WeChat official account "National Business Daily". Author: Sun Lei. Editors: Zhang Jinhe, Yu Tingting, Du Hengfeng. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.