Under the current market pattern, the direct selling model is gradually becoming an emerging force in the field of commercial vehicles, reshaping the industry sales ecology. On the occasion of the Spring Festival, the reporter visited Yutong (Tianjin) User Center to deeply understand its innovative measures under the direct sales model, and had an in-depth exchange with the person in charge of the center on the impact of the "two new" policy on the trend of the commercial vehicle market in the past year and the future development trend.

 

Direct sales model: Innovation-driven reshaping of ecology

 

Traditional commercial vehicle sales channels are often hierarchical, information is prone to deviation and delay in the process of transmission, and the cost is also high due to the superposition of multilevel links. Today, the direct selling model has broken this old pattern and brought new vitality and vitality to the industry.

 

When the reporter entered the user center of Yutong (Tianjin), the first thing he felt was its efficient operation and professional service ability shown after integration. Different from traditional dealer stores, Yutong directly operated stores not only have basic functional areas such as sales reception, customer rest, negotiation and communication, but also add multiple areas such as exclusive exhibition area for trucks and buses, new energy technology exhibition area, brand experience and spare parts supply, aiming to provide customers with a more direct, efficient and professional service experience.

 

According to Tang Jiwen, general manager of Yutong (Tianjin) direct store, Yutong direct store has complete functions, integrating the three core functions of direct selling, direct service and direct integration, building an efficient bridge between enterprises and customers. In the sales link, in the past, the sales team of heavy trucks, light trucks, special vehicles, urban buses and other models in the market are fighting on their own, and now under the coordination of direct stores, resources are shared, and sales personnel can accurately recommend suitable models according to the actual needs of customers, whether it is mass procurement of bus operators, or personalized customization of logistics enterprises for specific transportation scenarios. Get professional and efficient solutions. Here, customers can intuitively compare the configuration, performance and price advantages of different models to make a more informed car purchase decision.

 

In terms of after-sales service, Yutong bid farewell to the model of relying on social service stations in the past, and built its own service stations in Tianjin urban area and Binhai New Area to achieve comprehensive coverage of the service network. Unlike social service stations that take profit as their primary goal, Yutong puts customer satisfaction first. The professional maintenance team is equipped with advanced inspection equipment and sufficient original parts to quickly respond to vehicle fault maintenance needs, from daily maintenance to complex troubleshooting, strictly follow standardized processes to ensure that the vehicle always maintains the best operating condition. This customer-centric service concept effectively enhances customer loyalty to the Yutong brand and lays a solid foundation for subsequent sales.

 

Financial services are also an advantage of the direct sales model. Through direct docking with insurance companies such as Ping An and Pacific, the financial companies of Yutong Group tailor-made financing schemes with low interest rates and preferential insurance packages for users. While reducing the cost of customers' car purchase, it ensures the risk prevention and control in the process of vehicle operation, realizes the one-stop seamless connection of car purchase, financial and insurance services, and solves many problems of customers in the use cycle of commercial vehicles.

 

In addition, in terms of sales innovation, live broadcasting has become an important means to drive the sales of trucks and buses. "Today, we have a professional live streaming team in our stores, who show the performance, configuration and advantages of the vehicles through live streaming. Although there is still room for improvement in the proportion of sales conversion driven by live broadcasting, some models have achieved sales growth of more than 50% with the help of live broadcasting platforms." 'said Tom.

 

"Two new" policy: continuous empowerment to stimulate vitality

 

In 2024, the influence of the "two new" policy in the commercial vehicle industry continues to be highlighted, becoming an important force to promote the replacement of commercial vehicles. At the beginning of 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance once again jointly issued the "Notice on the implementation of large-scale equipment renewal and Consumer goods for new policies in 2025" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), which "sets the tone" for the automobile consumer market, and the "Notice" not only continues the "two new" subsidy policies, but also increases the scope and intensity of subsidies.

 

In the interview, Tang Jiwen believes that under the continuous help of favorable policies, the market demand for commercial vehicles will be significantly improved, and new energy commercial vehicles will also usher in unprecedented development opportunities.

 

"Since last year, the government's subsidies for new energy commercial vehicles have continued to increase, vigorously promoting the rapid increase in their market penetration." Especially after the implementation of the "two new" policy, the government provides subsidies of up to more than 100,000 yuan for enterprises that scrap and purchase new energy operation trucks in advance, which greatly stimulates the enthusiasm of logistics enterprises to update vehicles and accelerates the popularization and application of new energy trucks in the highway logistics market." Tang Jiwen told reporters that benefiting from the "two new" policy, new energy light trucks, especially new energy refrigerated trucks, have sprung up in the Tianjin city distribution market, which strongly supports the circulation of materials and economic development in Tianjin.

 

As an important part of urban public transportation, the replacement of new energy buses is also steadily advancing. "Although the Tianjin bus company has a stable source of funds, making its vehicle update rhythm relatively limited by the policy impact, but overall, the market share of new energy buses has been steadily increasing, and the overall development trend is good." Among them, Yutong bus is particularly outstanding in the Tianjin market, selling more than 1,000 models, accounting for more than 40% of the Tianjin market, becoming the main force of local bus renewal." Tang Jiwen further said that at present, more and more cities have incorporated the promotion and application of new energy buses into urban green development planning, and encouraged bus enterprises to purchase new energy vehicles through various ways such as policy guidance and financial support, so as to improve the environmental protection level and operational efficiency of urban public transport.

 

New Year outlook: The market is looking forward to a good future

 

Looking forward to 2025, Tang Jiwen is full of confidence and expectations. He said that with the continuous deepening of the "two new" policy, the development prospects of new energy commercial vehicles will be broader.

 

"Today, in the process of replacing old operational vehicles with new ones, the proportion of new energy models chosen to replace them is continuing to rise." Among them, new energy trucks are gradually becoming the mainstream models in the field of urban distribution logistics by virtue of their advantages of low emissions, low operating costs and high right of way. With the subsidy policy further tilted to new energy trucks, its economic advantages will become more prominent, which is expected to have a positive impact on the industry, and it is expected to usher in explosive growth in 2025. At the same time, the "two new" policy continues to increase support for new energy city buses and power batteries to replace old ones, which will effectively promote the growth of market demand for new energy buses. In this context, the new energy bus market is expected to show a more vigorous development momentum." Tang Jiwen said that for the Tianjin market, it is expected that the proportion of new energy bus market will grow steadily in 2025. In the road logistics market, the demand for new energy refrigerated vehicles is expected to continue to rise with the vigorous development of e-commerce and fresh industry, and the sanitation vehicle market will also usher in new development opportunities. Yutong (Tianjin) direct stores have also set higher sales targets, and strive to hit a new high in sales and sales, and accelerate the pace of expansion of the new energy truck market while consolidating the advantages of the bus market.
"In addition, from the overall trend of the industry, the market penetration of new energy commercial vehicles will continue to rise in the next few years, and the application of intelligent technology will also become a key focus of industry competition." In this regard, only by adhering to the development concept of innovation-driven and customer-oriented, deeply integrating resources, and strengthening cooperation with upstream and downstream enterprises, commercial vehicle enterprises can bravely stand in the wave of change in the commercial vehicle market and lead the new direction of industry development." 'said Tom at last.

 

Originally published by China Automotive News, February 11, 2025