Zhu Xiaotong: To take the road of Tesla with Chinese characteristics

Absrtact: Tesla's new head of China, Zhu Xiaotong, gave Tesla a clear position for the first time, and offered to take the Chinese-style Tesla road. This is a major change in attitude and strategy since Tesla's entry into China. Earlier, because of China's poor sales,

Tesla's new head of China, Zhu Xiaotong, has made a clear position for Tesla for the first time, and has offered to take the Chinese-style Tesla road. This is a major change in attitude and strategy since Tesla's entry into China.

Previously, the Chinese head of Tesla's three-time change because of poor sales in China. Zheng Shunjing First resigned last March, then replaced his Wu Bixiang last December. This February, Jin Jun also resigned from Tesla. In a year's time, three executives from Tesla's Greater China had fled, and Musk, the chief executive, had a glimpse of Tesla's attitude to the Chinese market, and the frequent replacement of the boss also felt Musk's inability and anxiety to expand on the Chinese market.

Statistics show that despite 2014 's global sales growth of 40%, but the expectations of the Chinese market is extremely bleak sales. According to the 2014 annual report, Tesla exported more than 4,000 vehicles to China, with only 2000 vehicles on board, and in January this year, Tesla's sales in China were only poor 120.

Musk blamed the slump in China's performance on customers for "a misunderstanding of the charging issue" – Chinese car owners worried about not being able to recharge their vehicles at home. The relatively small concern over Tesla's charging network is hampering its development compared with the number of traditional gas stations and overseas charging stations. Tesla currently has 52 super charging stations in China, less than 120 in Europe and 150 in the United States.

In fact, there is widespread mileage anxiety in China's pure electric cars, because the public charging facilities are not yet perfect, the brand sales of pure electric vehicles in the private market is still difficult to scale, but this can not be a reason for Tesla's poor sales.

Since the creation of sales myths a year ago to the dismal sales today, Tesla has exposed a lot of problems in China over a year. For a long time, Tesla "only by the user Word-of-mouth dissemination, do not do any paid delivery" too idealistic marketing strategy in China there is a very high risk, once the vehicle, service any undesirable experience, will affect the Tesla's sales and brand image, and many such as charging position, energy supply and other issues, Tesla has a lot of uncontrollable factors.

As a result, Tesla's development in China is not a matter of changing the top, which requires the parent company to cede more autonomy to China and to achieve its goals in a way that is suitable for local sales. And this is the courage to stoop to build the marketing of Chinese characteristics, this may be the beginning of Tesla's grounding gas.