As the first plug-in hybrid model of Changan Ford, the Mondeo PHEV has already received a high degree of attention once it is unveiled. By virtue of the opportunity of Mondeo's PHEV test drive event, we also had the honor of cooperating with Changan Ford CEO Nigel Harris. In a dialogue with him, we can also feel that he is optimistic about the prospects for Changan Ford's new energy vehicles in the Chinese market. He also believes that Changan Ford's timing of introducing electrification into China is just right. .
Nigel Harris, currently President of Changan Ford Motor Co., Ltd. He Junjie has been with Ford since 1985. He has held various leadership positions in sales and marketing in Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific. In 1999, He Junjie was promoted. Ford New Zealand Executive Director, responsible for the development of its market and dealer network. From 2002 to 2006, He Junjie served as vice president of marketing and sales for Ford South Africa. In 2007, He Junjie was officially appointed as the general manager of Changan Ford Mazda Sales Co., Ltd. Changan Ford Mazda achieved breakthrough development in terms of brand building and product sales with the help of He Junjie. In 2012, He Junjie was also transferred to the Ford Asia Pacific Ford market due to outstanding performance. By 2016, He Junjie Formal return to Changan Ford, and served as president of Changan Ford Motor Co., Ltd.
The origin of Mondeo plug-in hybrid version
The new Mondeo plug-in hybrid version is the first plug-in hybrid version introduced by Changan Ford. In the future, we will also introduce more plug-in hybrid models.
Our introduction of this model is mainly due to the fact that there is no similar joint venture company to launch PHEV models. The choice of Mondeo to introduce plug-in hybrid version is mainly because Mondeo is a very good car for us to sell. Actually Mondeo this Regardless of whether it is its shape, driving dynamics or customer satisfaction are very high.
Talking about its sales volume, if you look at Mondeo's sales, you will find that its sales have been very stable, and more importantly, its terminal transaction price has also been stable. In fact, we chose Mondeo PHEV another reason is the introduction of PHEV in North America Version, so we have accumulated a lot of relevant experience.
In 2018, Changan Ford focused on Mondeo PHEV or Fox?
He Junjie: Changan Ford in 2018 will bring a lot of surprises, because everyone likes surprises, so I'll keep them first. Also for commercial reasons, we don't want to prematurely show our competitors to competitors. In fact, both It is very important, as we all know, that electrification is the trend of the future automotive industry, and the government attaches great importance to the development of new energy vehicles, and it also emphasizes that there must be pure electric vehicles in the future.
If we only consider from the perspective of compliance, it is not enough. Our product plan must not only be compliant, but also more forward-looking. The government's policy is to encourage car companies to introduce more pure electric vehicles.
It is possible that the new Mondeo plug-in hybrid vehicle will not have a very high market share, but it still has very important significance for us: First of all, it is very important to have such a product in the market segment. Second, we have such a The product can show customers that Ford has a mature new energy product reserve and technology, while allowing consumers to understand what we can offer to customers through such plug-in hybrid models, and in the future may launch pure electric vehicles to The time is equivalent to giving everyone a different choice.
The introduction of Mondeo plug-in hybrids is also a learning process for us. Because we can understand how consumers react to such a product, what problems they will encounter, some customers Worried about plug-in hybrid models still use a lot of fuel, they do not understand this system. So the introduction of this product allows consumers to better understand how plug-in hybrid technology is like.
New Mondeo plug-in hybrid models are also a learning process for us, learning how to sell it. Because they have different requirements in different cities, there are different incentives, such as Shanghai, this model can be free of charge Licences, Local governments in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou also have different policies, so we must work hard to comply with local government policies.
For us, Focus is also very important for us. For Fox, you can say it is an old car, but in a sense it is also a new car. It is important for Changan Ford. The initial foundation of the Changan Ford brand company is Fox has made a lot of contribution to us.
This year is not far from the launch of the new Fox. Everyone knows this is not a secret. The product launch in the past year and a half is relatively quiet, and it may take another few months. After a few months, our new product launch cycle will be To begin, we are also very much looking forward to.
Why did the Ford brand introduce electric cars into China so late?
He Junjie: In fact, there are also many people who ask me, how do you come out so late? In fact, sometimes there is nothing to be good. The timing is very important. Sometimes it takes a good time to launch a product and wait for the market to mature. Previously, when we first introduced the Fox 5 door in 2006, everyone said that you could not sell it. The Chinese would not buy a hatchback. But when we actually launched it, it was also the first model introduced in the C-class market. The door model, which sold half the sales of the Fox, was particularly dynamic, and thanked God that many people liked the car. About the same time in the same year, we launched the 7-seat MAV, S-MAX. Actually, this is MAV. The time for the launch of the product is not right. If the launch time is put into place now, it may meet the needs of many second-child families for 7 products.
It is based on the consideration of electrification strategy. Based on the vigorous support of the Chinese government for new energy products, we have launched such products. We are also very concerned about the government's policies on new energy vehicles and the future direction of development. Earlier the government announced the New subsidy policies for new energy vehicles, that is to say, we also need to start adjusting plans and related plans. After a better understanding of the government's policies and market needs, we still believe that the introduction of new Mondeo plug-in hybrid models is better The time has come for us to launch such a product. After competitors launch similar products, consumers will understand more about what the PHEV model can bring to them. Of course, we hope that we will not be too late. We hope that we are in the right place. A very suitable time to launch a product of this kind. Because it is too early and not good, too late is not good, in fact, just the best.
In the next 10-20 years, will Ford give up the development of fuel vehicles?
He Junjie: Before Chang'an Ford discussed the future development direction of the industry and how to determine the proportion of future research and development. Everyone may have a page in the product presentation today PPT mentioned that in 2025, the Chinese market has annual sales of 7 million new energy vehicles, may This proportion is 20%. So there is still about 80% of the market for internal combustion engine models. Of course, we still have to continue to produce cars with internal combustion engines, because there are indeed such needs in the market. Well, in fact, this problem also depends on the future. The development of battery technology, the size of the battery, and its energy efficiency cost. There will soon be a fourth-generation battery. We believe its cost will be lower. With the further development of chemical technology, we hope that the cost of the battery will further decrease. The desire to purchase an electric car will increase. For me it is impossible to predict exactly when 100% of new energy vehicles will be produced. But it will certainly be achieved in everyone's lifetime. In fact, I am very much looking forward to it.
When will a production car equipped with L4 automatic driving technology appear?
He Junjie: In January 2016, Ford became the first automaker to test autonomous vehicles in a snow environment. When it comes to production, it is not only a technical issue, but also issues related to regulations and related technical facilities. Difficulties. L2-L3 corresponding technology, such as now and the line assist, lane keeping system, adaptive cruise, brake assistance, may be more and more integrated in these functions, to achieve partial autopilot. Then the natural transition to L4. Ford in the United States actually has a lot of self-driving tests, such as automatic drive car dining with Domino's Pizza, has previously announced cooperation with local Chinese companies, such as joining the Apollo program of Baidu. China actually has this one There is considerable concern, but there are many differences between China's road conditions and North America. There are also many differences in rules. There is a lot of development in the infrastructure. It is hoped that companies like Baidu will promote this development.
Actually, it is another problem with commercial applications because the cost in China is sometimes different from that in North America. For example, Ford now tests on large trucks, but the cost of hiring a driver for small or personally driven vehicles , In China and Europe and the United States are completely different! In another aspect, is the intensity of consumer demand. Also need to look at what the consumer needs for this product will reach a Chengdu. After all, it is well-known that automatic driving is also divided into many different levels , there may be some people who hope to reach the level of complete autopilot in the end, so everything depends on the needs of consumers. But anyway, the times are really exciting, and now artificial intelligence is so hot, so The next decade should be a very exciting decade.
What is Ford’s merger of domestic sales channels?
He Junjie: In fact, Ford intends to establish a unified distribution service. It may be a bit confusing for everyone. For example, they want to buy Ford's car. Is this Changan Ford's or Jiangling's, or imported? Then everyone knows that the same city, before the dealer The systems are all different. Different dealers cause everyone to have different standards in terms of delivery and service. In fact, to a certain extent, this is relatively inefficient. Then after we have integrated these different channels, Everyone will come to Ford's unified service distribution agency. By then, our sales service standards will all be unified. This is actually not complicated. Everyone also knows that from a passenger perspective we think there is such a demand, and through this Our efficiency will be improved, so we plan to do so. So in the future we will have a unified institutional service consumer in the market.
What are the advantages of Mondeo PHEV over other models?
He Junjie: This problem is indeed more difficult to say. Because it may be said that many other companies have PHEVs. From the perspective of indicators, there may be models with good electric mileage and ultra-low fuel consumption. However, there are some problems. The pure electric mileage is long. It is completely fuelless and emissions-free. However, returning to the hybrid model does not save fuel. We not only have zero fuel consumption in pure electric mileage, but also achieve very low fuel consumption in new energy sources. Last year we did a test on the Nanjing test track and put the new Mondeo plug-in hybrid version together with the pure electric model and the competing models. Our engineering team did what we did despite the fact that we used a totally different kind of power from before. Into a car that can be opened very well, has a very good quality, safety performance is guaranteed, and the cost performance is very high.
There may be some competing products that are purely electric-driven. The model car is very quiet, but it feels bad when you switch modes. There are some competing products that may be just the opposite of what you just said, such as in the hybrid mode. It was very quiet, but when using the pure electric drive mode, the result was a lot of noise, mainly due to the air conditioning system. So our new Mondeo plug-in hybrid version is the perfect balance of electrified power. Cheng and energy efficiency. There is, whether in the mode of switching under the impact of peace and quiet, or when braking, this car will be very smooth.
Finally, with regard to batteries, batteries are also a matter of concern to many people. As many new energy vehicles are in use, we will find that some of the battery's performance is attenuated, including capacity degradation and inconsistency, which leads to a weakening of the entire vehicle's performance. This needs to be passed. It took a long time of use and verification to discover that in addition to national standards, our models use batteries. In Ford, there are a series of tests ranging from the battery's monomer to the various subsystems, to the temperature of the entire vehicle to the road conditions and each A very fierce test under the driving mode, from the test we need to ensure that the battery's performance and boosted energy throughout the entire life cycle can meet the needs of the driver, so this will be reflected in the market.
Will Chang An Ford introduce new energy vehicles that have been listed in North America?
He Junjie: Changan Ford Motor Co., Ltd. does not intend to introduce the electrified models introduced in North America directly into China. In fact, we are more concerned with building for the Chinese market in this regard. We will share more information for you in the future. I don’t know if I’ve talked about it yet. We have a dedicated team called the Edison team. Everyone knows that Edison is a friend of Mr. Henry Ford. Our Edison team is mainly studying how to launch electrified products. Everyone generally knows that China will lead the world in electrification, and in the future I will I believe that people will see more and more evidence. In terms of electrification and mobility, Changan Ford will lead the rest of the world.