People often say that "no one is perfect", and by the same token "no car is perfect", any excellent car has its own shortcomings. As a professional automobile media, we have the responsibility to tell you these shortcomings, and we have the obligation to expose those unreasonable and unkind automobile markets in China.
Therefore, the column "Auto Review" was born. We hope that through this column, we can help you buy a car to a certain extent and urge manufacturers to improve their deficiencies, that's all.
Shanghai Volkswagen's long-awaited LaVida finally went on the market, and the price was reasonable:1.28-149800 yuan, but if Elantra Elantra and Buick Excelle are competitors, there is no advantage in price (Elantra Elantra Elantra: 9.98-12988).
Related news: the listing price of Shanghai Volkswagen LaVida is11.28-149800 yuan.
What we criticize today is not the price of LaVida, but the model, marketing, positioning and so on. As a strategic model of Shanghai Volkswagen, how much is LaVida? Below, car exploration will do a detailed analysis for you:
Vehicle technology: LaVida is a typical "old wine in new bottles"
Since LaVida is a strategic model of Shanghai Volkswagen, it should naturally have some advantages. However, to our disappointment, we can't seem to find anything else to say except that the automatic transmission model is equipped with a 6-speed automatic manual transmission.
LaVida was born on the backward PQ34 platform.
First of all, LaVida comes from PQ34 platform of previous A-class cars of Volkswagen (also from Bora and Golf of FAW-Volkswagen), and even more advanced PQ35 platforms such as sagitar and Ming Rui have been listed in China for several years. Some friends may not understand the concept of platform. Simply put, the updated platform will have a qualitative improvement in technology. So LaVida from PQ34, a backward platform, can hardly show us the sincerity of Shanghai Volkswagen.
Bora and Golf on PQ34 Platform
Apart from the backward platform, what about the engine carried by LaVida? At present, LaVida * * has 1.6L and 2.0L engines to choose from. 1.6L engine is the same as Polo engine, and 2.0L engine is the same as Skoda Ming Rui engine, only slightly different in details. These two engines really can't connect us with the word advanced.
1.6 and 2.0 engines have also been used for many years.
Body parameters lavida 1.6 lavida 2.0
Engine description 1.6 inline 4-cylinder engine 2.0 inline 4-cylinder engine
Displacement (ml) 1598 1984
Maximum power [kw (PS)/rpm] 77 (105)/500088 (120)/5000.
Maximum torque (n.m/rpm)155/3800180/3750.
Friends who know Volkswagen must know that Volkswagen's current gasoline engines are all direct injection, and there are 1.4FSI and 1.6FSI in Europe. And China, still using this antique engine, is a thing of the past. From the data point of view, LaVida's 2.0L engine is not even as good as some 1.8L engines.
LaVida's 2.0L engine is compared with other models' 1.8L engines;
Engine parameters lavida 2.0 elantra elantra 1.8 excelle 1.8 focus 1.8 corolla 1.8.
Engine description 2.0 inline four-cylinder engine 1.8 liter inline four-cylinder DOHC engine 1.8 liter Twin-Tec inline four-cylinder engine 1.8 liter inline four-cylinder Duratec-HE engine 1.8 liter inline four-cylinder dual VVT-i engine.
Displacement (ml)19841795179917981798
Maximum power [kw (PS)/rpm] 88 (120)/500096 (130)/600088 (120)/600091(1).
Maximum torque (n.m/rpm)180/3750162/4600158/44001614000175.
The essence of LaVida is nothing new.
Two of the three cores that make up a car are old technologies. How can we talk about new models? The only highlight of LaVida may be the shape design, which can really attract the attention of some users. However, as consumers in China become more rational, they will definitely care more about advanced technology.
Production purpose: No compact car can be produced. Shanghai Volkswagen can only replace the old with the new.
As can be seen from the above analysis, LaVida is not a real new car. So why should Shanghai Volkswagen bother to design such an advanced model?
Among the many models that Volkswagen put into production in China, from the early Jetta and the discontinued fourth-generation golf to Bora and Sagitar, almost all compact cars are in the hands of FAW-Volkswagen. Shanghai Volkswagen has the best-selling Polo, classic Santana and Passat, but it always lacks a compact car that can support the scene. Although Ming Rui under Skoda brand comes from Shanghai Volkswagen, it still can't fill the defects of Volkswagen brand. Therefore, Shanghai Volkswagen urgently needs a compact car.
Shanghai Volkswagen only has a compact car of Skoda brand Ming Rui.
But looking at Volkswagen's models, Shanghai Volkswagen has no compact cars to produce, so the birth of LaVida is really helpless. Although Shanghai Volkswagen participated in the design process of LaVida, it only made a breakthrough in appearance and basically did not improve the core part. Most of the accessories in the car are ready-made, which can also control the cost of LaVida well.
LaVida's components are all on the existing models.
Publicity and marketing: The "international launch" is nominal, and booking 30,000 vehicles is too outrageous.
Since its debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April, Shanghai Volkswagen has been promoting LaVida in high profile. If you have been to Beijing Auto Show, you may remember the huge LaVida advertisement outside the exhibition hall. The slogan at that time was "world premiere".
LaVida made its debut at Beijing Auto Show.
At the time of appearance, the advertisement impressively wrote "world premiere"
Literally, it is understandable that LaVida is called the "world premiere". After all, there is no such car in other markets around the world. According to this theory, China's national brands such as Jie Jun FRV, BYD F6 and JAC Yue Bin can also be called "world premiere", but people don't say so.
A truly world-first model must meet one condition: it is a global model and can only be sold in many countries around the world. Like this year's Beijing Auto Show, Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK, etc. are all the best in the world.
The shape of LaVida is specially designed for China people.
In fact, LaVida is a model developed by Shanghai Volkswagen for the China market, and it is unlikely to be sold in other countries, so it is called "world premiere", which means "stealing the mirror".
At the listing site on 25th, Mr. Hu Maoyuan, Chairman of SAIC, said: LaVida has obtained 30,000 valid orders. It is estimated that when the reporter at the scene heard this sentence, he must be thinking: "How can I be so incredible?" We don't deny that the Volkswagen brand has a certain appeal in China, but in just two months, 30,000 consumers didn't look at the car and booked the car without knowing the price configuration? I'm afraid consumers are not that stupid.
To be sure, this is another marketing technique used by manufacturers, using the hearts of China people to attract consumers to buy.
Again, don't treat consumers like fools!
Market positioning: Santana's after-sales market model
In fact, Shanghai Volkswagen knows very well that LaVida was born not only to fill the vacancy of Shanghai Volkswagen compact car, but also for a deeper purpose. Although Santana sells well, it will eventually be eliminated by the market. In case that day comes, LaVida's price reduction can just replace Santana's position, so LaVida really doesn't need to use any advanced technology. After all, it is much more advanced than Santana. Why don't you say this? ...
Editor's note:
After doing so much analysis, consumers must have fully understood the "good intentions" of LaVida and Shanghai Volkswagen. As for how to choose, that's your business. But we also have to say: In today's China automobile market, almost all manufacturers have come up with their latest and best technologies, hoping to seize the market. Shanghai Volkswagen, on the other hand, is it true that consumers in China can only enjoy the technology of others 10 years ago? Of course not. You can choose other brands that are solid enough.
Source: car exploration