What are Porsche, Mercedes and Tesla doing to ignite China's passion for luxury cars
Porsche shows that bigger is better on WeChat, while Tesla flaunts technology and Mercedes-Benz flashes lifestyle exclusivity in China, where women are key decision makers
China specialises in big numbers and the car market is no different, from 6.7 million passenger vehicle sales in 2008 to 24.7 million in 2017. While many articles about business in China tend to wring their hands over the “whys”, this topic does not need much social pondering of why Chinese people like cars – people in all countries opt for car ownership when they are financially able, and you just may have read that the Chinese economy has grown somewhat in the past decade.
The more intriguing poser is how do car brands ignite passion for their marques in China’s competitive environment?
The experience of the drive – and the brand
In something of a pole position in China, Porsche has captured the spirit of Chinese drivers. Popularity rocketed with the launch of the Cayenne and the Panamera. In terms of cars, bigger is always better in China, and flashiness reigns supreme.
The recent world premiere of the new Porsche Macan was held in none other than Shanghai, as the marque’s CEO, Jens Puttfarken, explained that Porsche was committed to creating not only a vehicle but a lifestyle brand for Chinese customers. The customer in China is, in general, an entire generation younger than in other countries – and China is Porsche’s biggest single market for the third year in a row.
Porsche has one of the most interactive WeChat mini-programs of car brands. With a campaign of “follow your voice”, its mini-program allows the user to choose a car colour, seat their friends on selected seats and then record a voice message which is sent to their chosen friends in WeChat.
Porsche not only aims to create a vehicle brand, but a lifestyle brand. The Porsche Experience Center Shanghai is the sixth worldwide and first in Asia, newly completed besides the International F1 Circuit in Jiading district. Potential customers can book test drives via WeChat, and on site there are interactive elements such as racing simulators, kids’ zones, a cafe and restaurant, as well as versatile test tracks and even an off-road course for pushing the Cayenne to its limits. As well as “experiential”, it is all ultra-ripe WeChat-posting fruit for each visitor.
The keyword: ‘Me’