At the semi-annual meeting of the dealers, SAIC Chase made such a judgment for the light passenger market in the first half of this year: The market performance in the first quarter and the second quarter was sluggish.

In fact, from the January-May light vehicle production (including non-completed vehicles) production and sales data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, we can know roughly: the total sales of 180,961 vehicles, an increase of 5.47%. However, as far as the reporter observes, the slight increase in the overall sales of light passengers is closely related to the high growth of individual companies, so the market conditions of the entire industry are indeed sluggish.

"Depression" is the tone of the market in the first half of the year

The share of light passengers in the entire bus industry is about 80%. In other words, how the performance of light buses directly affects the overall situation of the passenger car market. However, because light passengers have a greater difference in their use than large and medium-sized passenger cars, people are accustomed to distinguishing light passengers from large and medium-sized passenger cars.

In the first half of this year, due to the impact of the country’s macroeconomic situation, the light passenger car market was under the premise of sluggish growth, and it may be able to grow slightly, but the market competition is also fierce. With the continuous addition of spoilers in previous years, the current market structure has basically taken shape. Many light-off companies expressed this to reporters.

Although the market demand for light buses is not sufficient, there are still bright spots in the potential of certain market segments under the “new normal” economy. For example, the market prospects of pure electric light passengers are very optimistic about the industry, especially the pure electric light logistics vehicles. During this year's Shanghai Auto Show, the models exhibited by various companies can be seen.

Light passenger conversion ability strong market opportunities

Although the market is facing a “new normal”, we can still observe the current growth of the light bus market through the performance of several light buses in the market. For example, during the half-year meeting of dealers held by SAIC in advance, SAIC said that light passengers are still in need; Foton Motors held a series of activities around the German VAN Tunno, hoping to create a high-end commercial vehicle in the city; The government's initiative to eliminate yellow-label vehicles seeks market opportunities.

The light passenger vehicles have strong conversion capabilities. They can not only carry people and carry goods, but also can be converted into special vehicles. The wide use of light buses is an important reason for their large overall market capacity.

From the perspective of sales in the first half of this year, according to incomplete statistics, the top five companies in the sales of light buses (including non-integrated vehicles) are Jinbei Automobile, Jiangling Holdings, Nanjing Iveco, Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Beiqi Foton. The combined sales of these five companies accounted for approximately 60% of the total sales of light buses (including non-integrated vehicles). This shows from the side that the current industry concentration of light buses is limited, and the market for light buses is very large.

Pure electric is a breakthrough path

According to the market performance of light passengers in the first half of this year, industry insiders pointed out that the demand for high-end commercial vehicles, such as first and second tier cities, is relatively saturated, with the impact of factors such as the integration of urban and rural areas and the sinking of the logistics industry in third and fourth tier cities. Bus market demand is gradually sinking. In addition, pure electric light passengers used for business reception and city logistics are also a market signal given by the light passenger market in the first half of this year. Pure electric light passengers are expected to continue to grow in the future. It is reported that in the first half of this year, Nanjing Iveco and a battery company in Nanjing signed a pure electric light cooperation agreement for city buses. SAIC Datong pure electric light passenger EV80 also signed an order with a new energy bus company for commuting. , tourism, business reception, community services, etc.

Many people in the industry stated that despite the overall sluggish light bus market in the first half of this year, the situation in the second half of the year will have improved, because the market still has a rigid demand for light passengers.