Future self-built joint research and development of auto companies will become a major trend

What are the reasons for the lack of independent brands under the trend of car manufacturers?

The frequent cooperation among international car companies, Toyota BMW, General Motors PSA, Mazda Fiat, etc., is a general trend. The benefits of the alliance are obvious in the context of global economic integration, complement each other, use each other, save costs, increase efficiency, and the brand value has not been adversely affected.

For example: Why does BYD's new energy technology not consider sharing with Chery and Geely first, but it is the general public and Mercedes-Benz? The torrent of cooperation is vigorous, why are the lack of independent brands? Is it a narrow-minded peer repulsion, or (technical) shy? Or is the policy and industry environment not supported? Is it possible for independent brands to cooperate?

The joint research and development of the automobile industry in the future is a major trend. In the past two years, the international car companies have cooperated to make you happy. However, in China, it is entirely another scene. In addition to the occasional cooperation in the procurement field, autonomous car companies are basically “old dead do not move”. This is because the strength of independent auto companies is very strong? Obviously not. In fact, a lot of R&D expenses are very large. The cost of apportioning a single R&D company is also high, and it does not have economic benefits.

Chairman of an independent car company has privately disclosed that if a full set of engines, transmissions and chassis are developed on their own, the pressure is very great; he hopes that the country can build a common R & D platform and jointly invest in basic research and development. But unfortunately this is only a dream. Later, the national top ten mainstream car companies combined with BogWarner's DCT gearbox R & D, the contradictions between them, almost completely eliminated the self-confidence of the auto companies.

It must be mentioned that the weak environmental protection of intellectual property rights in China and the phenomenon of rampant mountains have caused many autonomous auto makers to be highly alert. The BYD's dual-mode hybrid F3D M started with real-name sales only to prevent competitors from stealing technology; however, some cars still flow into competitors’ R&D rooms.

The joint research and development of the automobile industry in the future is a major trend. In the long run, independent car companies are very good at each other. However, there is still a long way to go before this dream is realized. This is not an overnight event.

The cruelty of ethnic minorities?

Recently, one of the ten characteristics of Chinese people released by a “China Pass” foreigner is one that “comments the people around you.” “Foreign monks are good for chanting the scriptures.” This is a disadvantageous ethnic group. In terms of cooperation, it is also a local company, and it is difficult to admit that the competitors’ technological leadership. Three years ago, I attended a forum for new energy vehicles in Shanghai. At that time, a Chinese-American designer introduced that in the United States, despite the fierce competition in the traditional automotive field, many companies have turned rivals into friends in the field of new energy vehicles. The close cooperation has been carried out, with each team focusing on a single piece of technology to share technology and accelerate the development of new energy vehicles. After further investigation, we learned why the cooperation between American companies can proceed smoothly, thanks to its national industrial alliance for new energy vehicles. The stones from other hills have also given us a solution: Local auto companies use the industry alliance platform to promote the construction of new energy vehicle public technology platforms in the new energy automotive business, and actively adopt strong and strong alliance strategies. The complementary advantages of realizing related R&D resources will be promoted by the strategy of “integrating vertical and horizontal links”.

The lack of cooperation between the independent brands of power brands summed up between car brands, nothing more than two aspects, "open source" and "thrift." And from these two aspects, we also find out why we do not see the “internal digestion” of independent brands. First of all, in terms of open source, where the future automobile industry is heading, it seems that it is standing at a full intersection. Many brands have put forward the direction that best meets their own interests, such as Toyota's hybrid and so on. However, this will inevitably lead to strategic decision-making risks. Once mistakes are made, the price paid is unimaginable. Therefore, it is a good choice for all brands to embrace each other and share risk through technology sharing. However, for self-owned brands, despite the considerable progress made in recent years, they still play the role of chasing players in the global auto industry structure. Therefore, the alliance demand due to sharing of strategic risks is not strong. Even BYD, which is unique in its own technology, is considering its new energy technology as its core competitiveness, and it is less likely to share it with other independent brands that are not as good as themselves. On the other hand, the alliance between car brands, through the sharing of production capacity, etc., to achieve effective cost reduction, it is "throttle." However, this point is of little significance to independent brands whose current product system is not yet straightened.