The World's Eastward Policy Promotes the Rolling of China's Automobile Industry

Although the “policy market” should not be a label for a car-consuming country, for China, which is moving from a car-powered country to a car-powerful country, policy guidance is not only on the sustainable development of auto companies, but also on the gradual maturation of the auto market. Consumer consumption behavior plays a crucial role in the rational transformation.

Just two years ago, the global automobile industry shrouded in the shadow of the financial crisis, Europe and the United States traditional car powerhouse stagnated, the famous car companies can not help but bankruptcy, China's auto industry against the market by relying on the sharp weapon, it is precisely the policy of strong support. Therefore, if you want to realize the dream of a powerful automobile country, a strong and clear-cut policy orientation is an essential driving force.

Judging from the several landmark policies that will be introduced, new energy planning, recall regulations, and the “Three Guarantees” policy will undoubtedly have an important impact on the future development of the Chinese auto market.

At present, the evolution path, controversy, and policy game of new energy vehicle planning have attracted much attention; domestic automobile recall will be increased from the industry regulations into laws and regulations; the “Three Guarantees” of automobiles will also be settled. Does that mean that automobile consumption is about to enter a new era? What about the times?

The “Three Guarantees” policy still holds a partially coverd report. The reporter recently learned that the draft “Responsibility Regulations for the Repair, Replacement, and Return of Household Automobile Products” has passed various aspects of negotiation and demonstration, and has entered the legislative process. China’s auto products “Three Guarantees” "The system is expected to be announced and implemented within this year.

The “three guarantees” system for automotive products refers to the provisions for the repair, replacement, and return of household automotive products, and the principle of who sells and who is responsible for the Three Guarantees. The validity of the three guarantees specified in the draft discussed this time is that the car will be used within two years or within 40,000 kilometers. During this period, automotive products have quality problems and consumers can repair, replace or return them on the basis of three-guarantee certificates.

With the growth and popularity of automotive products, consumer conflicts are also increasing. According to the statistics of the Consumers Association of China, the largest increase in the number of complaints in 2010 was for automobiles. The number of complaints reached more than 14,000, up 51.1% year-on-year, of which quality and safety accounted for nearly 70%. Therefore, the inclusion of automotive products and general consumer products in the "Three Guarantees" is also expected.

Wu Gaohan, former deputy secretary-general of the China Consumers Association and senior consumer protection rights expert, said that the forthcoming “three guarantees” regulation of the automobile is undoubtedly a good thing for the healthy development of the Chinese auto industry. It just hopes that this policy will not be tilted to a certain interested party. Should achieve a win-win situation for consumers and car manufacturers. In an interview with a reporter from the China Economic Times, related persons of the automobile production enterprises generally welcomed the introduction of the “Three Guarantees” policy, and stated that they will make targeted adjustments to the product after-sales service system in accordance with the policy. Analysts believe that in the current increasingly fierce competition in the domestic auto market, through the relevant legal provisions to regulate market competition will significantly ease the contradiction between the buyers and sellers.

Although the imminent introduction of the “Three Guarantees” regulations is the final result of a long-term game between consumers and manufacturers, the regulations still need to be further improved. Industry analysts believe that China's "Three Guarantees" has fully solicited the opinions of production companies. Compared with relevant regulations in Europe and the United States, the requirements for enterprises are still relatively loose. For example, the draft does not stipulate that failures that cannot be identified must first be free of charge. "Repair is good," and there is no provision that "the cost of quality inspection or appraisal should be paid by the manufacturer first" and the return and transfer standards are also relatively loose.

“Actually, the quality management of domestic automakers is also considered here, and it is not possible to implement the Three Guarantees in a uniform manner with reference to the international quality certification system standards.” According to a reporter’s review of the auto recall website, in the case of domestic auto recalls last year, Only a very small number of independent brands were recalled. "The quality control of self-owned brands is certainly weaker than that of joint venture brands, but it is rarely recalled. Apart from the dilution of manufacturers, there is still insufficient consumer awareness of rights protection." Industry experts believe that "three guarantees" The lethality of the self-owned brand is relatively large, so the formulation and introduction of the regulations are quite cautious.

Industry insiders are cautiously optimistic about whether the “Three Guarantees” policy for automobiles can be successfully introduced. Automobiles are extremely complicated products, with as many as tens of thousands of parts and components, and it is difficult to determine whether it is an intrinsic quality problem or the habits of consumers. The quality problems caused by improper methods, and often come from many different supporting suppliers, so the implementation of "Three Guarantees" will impose high demands on automobile manufacturers. Although this regulation will effectively protect the interests of consumers, it still needs one. process.

According to the general rules of evidence stipulated by China's "Civil Procedure Law" - "Who advocates, who gives evidence" makes it difficult for most vehicle owners to provide conclusive evidence. In contrast, there is a clear relationship between power and responsibility in the recall, the responsibility lies with the manufacturer, the company law for non-recall can be played, the industry can exert pressure, and society can condemn. However, the responsibilities of the Three Guarantees are dispersed among consumers, manufacturers, and distributors. Any disagreement cannot be continued. In addition, the various procedures involved in the car purchase process: state tax, land tax, vehicle testing field, insurance, etc., and how to refund the various taxes and fees that have been paid in return are also difficult problems.

The "car three bags" policy is the same as the recall system and is actually a measure to protect consumers' rights and interests. Chen Jianguo, deputy director of the Industrial Policy Coordination Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, believes that the automobile "three guarantees" policy is to help consumers in the event of harm to their interests. You can directly find the rights of manufacturers to effectively protect the interests of consumers. Some industry experts believe that the "three guarantees" policy for cars is also a good thing for companies. "Before consumers had problems, they would like to be returned directly and put pressure on them through various channels. This has added a lot of trouble to enterprises. If there are clear legal provisions, they will allow companies to respond to consumer complaints in a targeted manner and eliminate conflicts as soon as possible. “The person also said that the more companies first respect the regulations, the better they will be for the company. Now the fierce competition in the auto market needs legal regulations.

New energy policies finally surfaced. What will be the future of new energy vehicles? People can use their imaginations and unpretentious designs of various types of vehicles, but all this is merely an appearance.

Since entering the 21st century, the new energy concept car has begun to enter the field of vision. Hybrid power technology, pure electric technology, and hydrogen fuel cell technology have all come together, and the world's major car companies also follow their own future trends in new energy. The judgments have chosen different R&D directions: Toyota focuses on hybrid technology, GM and BMW seek hydrogen fuel technology development, Renault Nissan prefers pure electric technology, and Volkswagen still hopes to achieve breakthroughs in traditional power technology, but With the gradual evolution and development of various technologies, pure electric technology has been recognized and supported by more and more car companies and the governments of their countries. Not only BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have started to add electric vehicle R&D. Some little-known small companies have also invested in the development and manufacturing of electric vehicles. Although there are some chaotic feelings, it is foreseeable that pure electric vehicles are quietly immersed in the global automotive manufacturing industry.



BYD, a vanguard of pure electric vehicles, launched the pure electric car e6 a few years ago. BYD even announced in public that it will be the first domestic electric car in 2015 and the world’s No. 1 slogan in 2025. This is nothing more than a buoyant concept based on electric vehicles. In China, some experts who are extremely optimistic about the prospects of electric vehicles believe that this is the best opportunity for Chinese cars to achieve “turning overtaking”. They even believe that China’s starting point for electric vehicle technology is synchronized with or higher than that of foreign countries. However, this view was considered overly optimistic by domestic mainstream car companies, but each company is quietly storing its electric vehicle technology. “We do not take the initiative, but we cannot lag behind too much. If the market demand is obvious, we can power it at any time. Car Project, "This is a dialogue between business executives and reporters who specialize in upgrading diesel technology.

The prudence of car companies is justified. Although the development direction of pure electric vehicles is very clear, the market foundation is weak and the level of awareness is relatively low. In Europe, there have been articles written by financial media that when you are still immersed in the classic culture of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and PSA Peugeot Citroen, how can you change their habits? Obviously, the subversion of electric vehicles is not only the design of the car itself, but also the lives and habits of people. But is this a hindrance to the advancement of electric vehicles? When Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen have invested in the development of electric vehicles and use them as new strategies, people's habits must also change. France has begun to open up new uses for its nuclear power - that is, to provide necessary electric power for pure electric vehicles. The Obama administration’s U.S. government has also chosen pure electric technology among alternative new energy sources and increased R&D. The intensity of the convergence is gradually forming a flood - the pure electric vehicle technology direction stands out. In this regard, the choice of the Chinese government is indeed commendable, and the government continues to increase investment in the promotion of electric vehicle projects. At the end of 2009, central enterprises including the three major oil giants and the national grid of China entered the new energy automobile infrastructure one after another. The supporting field is undoubtedly affected by the central government's efforts in promoting new energy vehicles. Although in the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan” after the outline of the new energy vehicle development path once again clearly described the “new energy automotive industry focus on the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles, pure electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicle technology”, but the current focus is obvious Still on the electric car. It is also in view of the upcoming energy conservation and new energy vehicle planning, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Development and Reform Commission made it clear that it will not introduce the "12th Five-Year Plan" of the automotive industry.

At present, although the market cultivation work still needs to be strengthened, the development of the new energy automobile industry has reached a new stage. To this end, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took the lead in formulating the “Energy-saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Planning”) to meet and adapt to the new environment and the industrial development requirements under the current situation. Officials of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also stated recently that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has jointly submitted "planning" to the State Council jointly with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance and other departments, and "will not approve the publication in due course."

In this plan, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed that the sales volume of China's new energy vehicles in 2020 should reach the world's number one, and that new energy vehicles should use pure electric power as the main technical route. To this end, in the next 10 years, government finance will invest 100 billion yuan to build an industrial chain for new energy vehicles. "Planning" also proposes a two-step strategy: During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, the market for pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles reached more than 500,000 vehicles, and the number of medium- and heavy-duty hybrid passenger cars reached 100. 10,000 cars. At the same time, the production capacity of 1 million new energy vehicles will be realized in 2015, of which pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles will account for 50%.

According to the contents of the plan, industry experts pointed out that how to allocate and use huge amounts of 100 billion yuan is critical, which will affect the speed of the new energy automobile industry. In this plan, the specific fund allocation plan is: RMB 50 billion is a special fund for the development of energy-saving and new energy automobile industry, and it will focus on supporting the development and industrialization of key technologies; RMB 30 billion will be used to support the demonstration and promotion of new energy vehicles; RMB 20 billion It is used to promote energy-saving vehicles focusing on hybrid vehicles; RMB 10 billion is used to support the development of core auto parts industry; RMB 5 billion is used to demonstrate urban infrastructure construction. "The central government places more emphasis on the determination of technological R&D and industry direction, while the market level is mainly driven by local governments and car companies."

In addition, the most prominent one of the “plans” is that the share ratio of the key component joint venture company in China is not less than 51%. In order to ensure the industrialization of new energy sources, the "planning" indicates that the "Automotive Industry Development Policy" will be revised, which will improve the energy-saving and new energy vehicle vehicles and key parts manufacturing enterprises and product access conditions; new vehicle power battery, drive Key joint ventures such as motors, complete vehicle control systems, and basic materials for battery motors must have independent research and development capabilities and intellectual property rights, and the Chinese share ratio must not be less than 51%.

The “recall” system of the car is about to be introduced. Recently, Kumho Tires was forced to issue a recall order due to the use of recycled rubber. This recall case has risen to an unprecedented level. Industry insiders said that Kumho Tire had already had a bad faith in using recycled rubber, but it was always concealed by strong public relations. Although Kumho Tire was unfortunately lost, its top management apologized for throwing it out. The unspoken rules of speech.

In the eyes of auto experts, the recall case of Kumho Tire, although only involved in a very small aspect of the recall of automobiles, reflects the defects of the domestic automobile recall law. In recent years, whether it is Toyota’s large-scale recalls or the recalls of major international brands, it seems that they are deliberately avoiding the Chinese market. The reasons for this are nothing more than the massive investment in human resources, material resources, and funds involved in large-scale recalls. What is even more crucial is the weakness and weakness of the domestic automobile recall bill. To this end, in July last year, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued the "Management Regulations for the Supervision of the Recall of Automobile Products" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), which was implemented in 2004 as "Defective Automobile Recall Management Regulations." (Hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") based on the revision. According to officials of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine during the two sessions this year, the new "Regulations" will be formally introduced before the end of this year.

Although the "Regulations" have not yet been formally introduced, they can clearly feel that the "Regulations" have greatly strengthened the punishment of corporate responsibility. In the “Regulations” of the 2004 edition, the “penalties” were further dispelled by the legal profession and consumers. The “penalties” stated that “in one of the following cases, the competent authority may order the manufacturer to recall again. The circular was criticized and a fine of more than 10,000 yuan but less than 30,000 yuan was imposed by the quality supervision inspection and quarantine department."

Including: The manufacturer intentionally concealed the seriousness of the defect; Trying to use the defective auto product of this regulation to voluntarily recall the program to evade the supervision of the competent authority; As the manufacturer's fault causes the recall defective product to fail to achieve the intended purpose, causing the recurrence of the damage. of. According to industry experts, for companies with annual sales of 10 billion or even 100 billion yuan, penalties of under 30,000 yuan are simply a joke. Enterprises will choose a large amount of funds to invest in recalls before the penalties. Do you avoid faults or avoid alternatives through free repair? For most companies, there is little cost to choose the latter. The improvement of the new "Regulations" is that companies are not only punished by the increase of fines, but also to a certain extent, the criminal liability of corporate responsibility.

Industry experts said that the introduction of the new “Regulations” is imminent due to the increasing frequency of car recalls, as well as the sharp rise in consumer contradictions and disputes between manufacturers and consumers. When the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued the new "Regulations" in July last year, a variety of opinions say that the "Regulations" will be formally introduced before the end of 2010, but it is still not clear how long the specific regulations will be issued. General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine The officials responded that they are currently negotiating with the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council with a view to implementing it as soon as possible. A legal person pointed out that the issuance of the new "Regulations" is undoubtedly a progress of the auto recall system and a responsible attitude towards domestic consumers.

A legal person who declined to be named stated that the new “Regulations” have been greatly improved over the “Regulations”. Three characteristics are more prominent: First, the draft of the draft clarification specifies the scope and terms of reference of the recall regulations. The recall, supervision and management of automotive products produced, imported and sold in China. Second, the original “Regulations” contained a “buffering period” for recalls that was cancelled. The new “Regulations” changed it to “save immediately upon confirmation”. This clause was once considered to be a neglect of the special attributes of automobile products. rejected. The third is the strengthening of supervision and the stricter recall regulations.

"The "Regulations" also has problems with inadequate system design. For example, the public as a whole lacks the right to know and participate, and it does not specifically identify and investigate the responsibility of the relevant administrative departments in the recall of automobiles." People in the industry stated that the new "Regulations" stipulates that in the process of launching a vehicle defect investigation procedure, it is necessary to jointly participate in the three aspects, the producer, the competent department, and the industry expert, but it lacks the presence of the consumer who has the most say.

The reporter also noticed that in the opinion draft, there was a provision that the competent authorities, relevant departments of the State Council, local management agencies, testing agencies, and other relevant staff should be in accordance with the law in the process of defect investigation, risk assessment, defect identification, and inspection. Conservative information on trade secrets and related defects investigations; no entity or individual may divulge related information without the consent of the competent authority. This means that consumers will not be able to obtain any valuable information in the process of investigation and identification of defective vehicles, and can only wait for the relevant departments to give final conclusions. In response, consumers have expressed that they are hiding their right to know and are unfair to themselves. Industry experts suggest that the investigation process needs to be transparent so as to ensure that the interests of consumers are not lost.

In addition, the "Regulations" do not specify that consumers should be the beneficiaries of car recalls. "The new "Regulations" do not reflect all people-oriented principles. Although the penalty standards have been substantially increased, they cannot find content related to consumers. We can learn from foreign recall mechanisms and submit them based on consumer groups and victims. The loss report and compensation requirements to formulate the economic penalty standards for the main body of recall incidents should be clearly reflected in the regulations.”