The Shanghai Auto Show 2013 in April was attended by more than 800,000 people, after which marketing consultancy Globeone teamed up with research agency CBC to measure the show's impact. The most important issue, according to the 316 visitors surveyed, was technology for better safety. Chinese car manufacturers have also been working hard to step up their game, and that effort is paying off in a market with more than 200 million prospective first-time car buyers for Chery and Great Wall Motors.
Premium quality and innovation remain the most important topics across the board for both consumers and brands alike. The Shanghai Auto Show survey examined nine premium car brands and their performance on key indicators. On average, these brands are perceived as more premium (up by 1.6%) and more innovative (up 2.6%) than before, even while offering better value for money (up by 2%). Being close to consumers is another key indicator, one that premium brands often struggle with. That indicator showed the strongest increase of all, up by an average of 4.8% across the board.
Globeone’s proprietary BRIC study suggests that country of origin (COO) plays an important role in branding. The Auto Show hosted brands from a number of countries, and survey results reveal a clear advantage for German carmakers in the Chinese market. Domestic carmakers are still struggling to upgrade their brands and overcome unfavorable perceptions of their levels of quality and innovation.
German carmakers proved especially attractive: 50% of visitors said that VW, Mercedes, BMW, and other German brands had the strongest presence at the show, over domestic manufacturers such as BYD.
Chinese brands are slowly growing in influence, and Qoros is a good example of that. Qoros, a new brand of a joint venture between the Israel Corporation and Chery Automobile, first attracted attention by showcasing its flagship vehicles in Geneva before revealing them at home during the Shanghai Auto Show. The Chinese newcomer proved especially convincing in the areas of innovation, premium quality, and responsibility.
For many consumers, social and digital media have become their preferred way of engaging with their favorite brands. Platforms such as Sina Weibo and Weixin offer fresh approaches to engaging directly with consumers, and are the media visitors prefer to use when sharing their experiences. Almost half (49%) of all visitors shared photos and opinions online, with Weixin (62%) and Sina Weibo (58%) taking the leading roles.
91% of visitors said safety is the most important criterion in their decision to buy, followed by fuel consumption, mentioned by 54%. Digital connectivity also plays a key role for car buyers in China. Features such as smartphone compatibility and intelligent assistant systems influence buying decisions.
In China, a relatively young car market, safety remains the single most important purchase consideration. So it is only logical that it was also the type of technology presented most often at the show.
But safety features alone may not pack enough firepower to win over China’s future car buyers. New trends such as digital connectivity are important as well, and not only for the young: they spark interest across nearly every age group.
