The automotive industry's worrying parts and components "brake" the development of the vehicle

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers recently held a symposium on the development of China's auto parts and components in Beijing. Major leaders of more than a dozen domestic large-scale automobile manufacturers, including SAIC, NAC, Dongfeng, and China FAW, participated in the conference. The main topic discussed at the meeting was that the development of China's spare parts industry has become a key issue that restricts the development of the auto industry. On this issue of "smallness and largeness", Lu Zhenxin, deputy general manager of Nanjing Automobile Group, felt particularly deeply. A reporter from the "Market News" made a special interview with him recently.

Reporter: As far as we know, China's automobile manufacturing industry has developed to the present day, its scale has leapt to the third place in the world, second only to the United States and Japan, surpassing Germany. With such a good development trend, why should we say that our vehicle production has been dragged by spare parts?

Lu Zhenxin: The so-called full vehicle scale is actually the competition of foreign multinational companies in the Chinese market. Of the 7.5 million cars sold in the past year, joint venture brands accounted for about 85%, while self-owned brands accounted for only about 15%. In these products, the perfection of the parts and components system accounts for a great advantage. In countries with advanced automotive technologies, the development of parts and technology innovations are pushing the vehicle forward, and we are walking along with the parts of the vehicle. Our spare parts do not have independent development capabilities. Compared with the systematic and modular components of developed countries, we have a gap of 10 to 20 years. Otherwise, the China Automobile Industry Association will not hold such a special meeting to discuss the development of parts and components.

Reporter: Can you briefly introduce the important role of parts and components in the development of the vehicle? What is the relationship between parts and vehicles?

Lu Zhenxin: What we call auto parts is a general term, and it should be accurately described as parts and components. Light bulbs, tungsten filaments, and lamp holders are parts. The combination of light bulbs is a component, and the lampshade and lamp holder are the assembly components. At present, the relationship between parts and vehicles in China is basically a grandfather or grandson relationship, and the developed countries are already brothers. Because in many cases, the innovation of parts and components will make the quality of the vehicle leap to a new level.

Reporter: Is this relationship innate or acquired? We have so many joint ventures. In these companies, is the relationship between parts and vehicles a brother relationship?

Lu Zhenxin: In a sense, after the joint venture, we are further and further away from the advanced automotive technologies abroad. Because we relied on the "advanced" automotive advanced technology, we lost our ability to develop; we focused on the immediate interests of the automotive market, but inhibited their own growth and development. Therefore, the production of our auto parts and components is always at a low level. At present, most of the parts we export are all rough-processed at the primary stage. To put it bluntly, iron ore is exported.

Reporter: It is always controversial for the auto industry to have its own brand. Some people say that now the world is a village. Why should this brand be yours or mine? Besides, to create a brand of its own, not only to spend a lot of financial and material resources, but also to add the time cost we can not wait, when will China's auto market prosperity?

Lu Zhenxin: This is a practical problem. If you want to spend 100 yuan on a technology purchase, your current research and development may cost 300 yuan, not counting the cost of time. However, technology purchases can only be one-off, and you can only buy them once and for all, never ending, and you will always be someone else's car factory. It seems that we have run a lot of cars on our roads, but this is only a short-sighted false prosperity. Without your own brand, you will not have your own competitiveness. You will always be at the bottom of the price chain, and will always live a hard life.

Reporter: Can you use this analogy? Others produce shirts, we can only produce buttons.

Lu Zhenxin: This metaphor is very appropriate. The problem is that if we are satisfied with the status quo, we can't even produce buttons because there are too many people who can produce buttons. Countries like Vietnam have already robbed us of the market for low-end products, and their labor is cheaper. Therefore, there is no way out of independent brands.

Reporter: Do you think we can change the status quo? How can we catch up with the gap between 10 and 20 years?

Lu Zhenxin: The development of everything has its own laws. We can't jump past. We can only go down one step at a time. What others have done in five years, we strive to complete it in three years, two years, or even less. To overcome the impetuous mood, we must do several things seriously, grasp funds, grasp talents, and focus on development and innovation.

Reporter: With regard to the issue of talent, you seem to have your own opinion on the current education?

Lu Zhenxin: It is not an opinion that is anxious. If we train foreign students to cultivate their hands, this is the difference or difference in education. We used to have young designers designing equipment that did not take into account the space of the wrench. If the screws could not go up, we couldn't use it. If our education only cultivates unsavory people, our cause will have no future.

Reporter: What is your opinion on this issue? It is understood that our investment in technology development is generally inadequate. At present, most of them account for 1% to 1.5% of sales revenue, and even 3% to 5% of national standards cannot be achieved, not to mention overseas 2.5% to 3%. Now.

`Lu Zhenxin: Ideas determine the way out. As long as it is clear what path we should take, we will unswervingly move forward. From small to large, from point to surface, starting from me, starting from this one, even if it is a temporary climb, we must insist. I advocate the use of "crawlers", self-accumulation, self-involvement, and self-increasing ways to dig their feet and walk out of a solid Sunshine Avenue that belongs to us.