The reform of refined oil prices and taxes: will the car market make waves as soon as it comes out?

December 5, 2008, Xinhuanet


 


  On the evening of the 5th, the much-watched "Exposure Draft" was finally released. Fuel tax, a focus topic that has never cooled down in China’s auto market for more than a decade, has finally been substantially solved. Fuel tax reform, which has been around for a long time, will be settled as soon as January 1 next year. Will it make the Chinese auto market turbulent this year?   


  Fuel tax reform, wait for more than a decade


  After 11 years of waiting, the fuel tax reform plan has finally emerged. Since the National People’s Congress passed the Highway Law of the People’s Republic of China in 1997, it was first proposed to replace the "maintenance fee" with "fuel surcharge". After 11 years, the "fuel tax" has been ups and downs but failed to be levied, and it has almost become a long-term "heart disease" of the Chinese auto market.


  However, with the collapse of international oil prices in recent months, there is also a "golden opportunity" for domestic fuel tax reform.


  On the evening of the 5th, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport and the State Administration of Taxation jointly issued an announcement to solicit public opinions on the "exposure draft" of the refined oil price tax reform plan. According to the plan, this reform will abolish road maintenance fees, waterway maintenance fees, road transportation management fees, road passenger and freight surcharges, waterway transportation management fees, and waterway passenger and freight surcharges, and gradually and orderly cancel the government’s loan repayment of secondary road tolls.


  The reform plan will increase the unit tax of gasoline consumption tax from 0.2 yuan per liter to 1 yuan, diesel from 0.1 yuan per liter to 0.8 yuan, and the unit tax of other refined oil products will be increased accordingly without raising the current price of refined oil. The "Reformation Plan for Refined Oil Prices and Taxes" will be implemented from January 1, 2009.


  According to industry analysts, there are many reasons why the fuel tax reform plan has not been implemented for 11 years, including the failure to coordinate the interests of various departments and the distribution of central and local issues. However, in recent years, it has been mainly constrained by the high international oil prices. As a result, the fuel tax reform that has been mentioned many times has ended with "only the sound of the stairs".


  "The plunge in international oil prices is the best opportunity for China to implement fuel tax reform. If this opportunity is lost, it may take a few more years." Rao Da, secretary general of the National Passenger Car Market Information Association, analyzed that using this "time window" to launch fuel tax reform will straighten out the pricing mechanism of refined oil products in our country and create a good environment for the future development of China’s auto market.


  Rao Da believes that the tax amount proposed by the current plan is lower than originally expected by the industry, and it explicitly eliminates road maintenance fees, reducing the burden on car owners.


  "This plan is indeed more reasonable, and the rate is lower than the original guess of 30% or 50%, or the plan of increasing 1 yuan, so the implementation will be relatively smooth," said Zhao Chenxi, an auto industry analyst at Haitong Securities. "Especially the fuel tax is finally levied in the form of increasing the fuel consumption tax, which avoids the problem that the introduction of a new tax will face complicated procedures. Now the introduction will be natural."   


  The overall situation of the car market is unhindered, and internal structural adjustment is accelerated


  Before the introduction of the fuel tax reform, China’s auto market had already encountered a "freezing point". At the beginning of this year, the booming Chinese auto industry put forward the ambitious goal of producing and selling 10 million units and exporting 1 million units. However, with the new surge in oil prices since March and the sudden tightening of the economic situation, the domestic auto market has taken a sharp turn for the worse. Even before September, the national passenger car consumer market experienced five consecutive monthly negative growth, which is unprecedented in the history of China’s auto industry.


   China’s auto market, which is preparing to "warm up for the winter", will be "hit" by the fuel tax reform most directly related to the auto industry at the beginning of next year. So this "sudden" variable will be a "snowflake" that adds a touch of chill to the auto market, or a "match" that warms up the auto market?


  "My opinion is that the car market is basically stable, and the fuel tax reform plan currently introduced has little impact on the car market," said Rao Da, secretary general of the All-China Ride Federation.


  He pointed out that the purpose of the fuel tax reform is mainly to straighten out the fuel pricing mechanism in our country and promote energy conservation and emission reduction, rather than to save the car market, so it is not a driving force for the car market.


  Zhong Shi, an auto analyst, said: "The introduction of fuel tax reform has little impact on the domestic auto market as a whole. The experience of fuel tax implementation abroad also shows that it is difficult to directly change consumers’ willingness to buy cars because of fuel tax reform. However, the introduction of fuel tax reform will have a profound impact on the domestic auto market segment and the adjustment of the structure. Energy-saving and low-consumption small cars and small-displacement vehicles will play an increasingly important role."


  "Fuel tax reform will not have a big impact on the car market, but the proportion of models with large emissions and high fuel consumption will decrease, while the proportion of energy-saving cars will increase." Jia Xinguang, an auto industry expert, believes that as our country’s auto market matures, this structural adjustment has actually begun to appear since last year.


  However, auto analyst Zhao Chenxi also pointed out that the current plan has little impact on the passenger car market, but the impact on commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses with much greater mileage is very obvious.   


  "Energy consumption moderation" will become the concept of the "post-fuel tax" era


  "The new plan is undoubtedly the most fair and just policy and regulation, and it effectively reflects the principle of more vehicles and more taxes." Xing Wenjun, an auto industry expert, said the fuel tax reform plan will give government agencies and enterprises, consumers and automakers a strong signal that the powerful lever of taxation will promote the production and sales of energy-saving and environmentally friendly small-displacement vehicles.


   Zhong Shi, an auto analyst, said that "energy consumption control" will be the most important signal to the Chinese auto market and the whole society after the introduction of fuel tax reform, because as a developing country and a net importer of oil, China’s two major pressures on energy and emissions will become increasingly heavy. Through taxation, energy conservation and emission reduction will be moved from concept to conscious implementation.


  Gong Xiaorong, who works at a bank in Shanghai and has owned a private car for more than four years, told reporters: "I think the fuel tax reform can reflect fairness and efficiency. The abolition of road maintenance fees already reflects a kind of fairness. It changes the size of the displacement, no matter how much you drive, no matter how much you drive, you will be charged the same road maintenance fee. Instead, you have independent choice, you can adjust and choose through your own actions, which reflects the principle of efficiency."


   She said that after the implementation of the fuel tax reform, based on the mileage she currently drives about 18,000 kilometers per year, if the road maintenance fee is removed, it will still be lower than the original fee. "With the string in my mind that you drive less and save more money, your car habits will change in the future."


   Automotive analyst Jia Xinguang said that although the current plan shows little change in fuel costs, excluding expenses such as road maintenance, as long as a simple calculation can be seen that different fuel consumption cars and mileage are different, and the cost gap is significantly widening. Over time, this structural change will guide consumers to change their habits in car selection, car purchase, and car use, thus changing the structure of the domestic car market and highlighting the theme of energy conservation and consumption reduction.


  Moreover, industry experts also believe that the fuel tax reform will also promote our country to create more conditions and opportunities in the research and development of automobile fuel-saving technologies and new energy vehicles. December 5

It is expected that the Great Wall artillery pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  On August 30th, the passenger version of Great Wall Gun, a pickup truck model owned by Great Wall Motor, was officially launched at Yongchuan Factory in Chongqing. The Great Wall Gun is a brand-new product of Great Wall pickup truck, adopting a brand-new design language, and its overall shape is very tough. According to previous news, the car is expected to be listed in September this year. With the official launch of this model in Chongqing Yongchuan factory, it also marks the official completion and production of Great Wall Motor Chongqing factory. In addition, the official announcement of its pre-sale price range is 126,800-159,800 yuan.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  "Great Wall Gun Passenger Edition"

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  ● New car features

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  "Great Wall Gun Passenger Edition"

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  "Great Wall Gun Commercial Edition"

  The car debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2019. In terms of appearance, the new car adopted a tough design style, and it was also a brand-new design language for the Great Wall pickup truck. The large-size front grille was combined with sharp headlights, and a brand-new brand LOGO was hung at the front grille, with a unique style. The car is built on the special platform of P71 pickup truck of Great Wall, and there will be three product directions: commercial pickup truck, passenger pickup truck and off-road pickup truck.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  The car has a body size of 5410/1934/1886mm, a wheelbase of 3230mm, and an interior size of 1520/1520/538mm, which is one of the larger pickup truck models in China. In the rear part, the overall shape of the new car is full, and the rounded taillights are crystal clear, which echoes the shape of the headlights. In addition, in terms of external configuration, the new car comes standard with LED daytime running lights, front fog lights, adjustable headlight height, delayed headlight closing, LED exterior rearview mirror turn signal, electric adjustment of exterior rearview mirror, multi-stage boneless front automatic wiper, four-door window one-button lifting, shark fin antenna and so on. On this basis, the high-profile models have added electric sunroof, electric folding of exterior rearview mirror and welcome pedal.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  The interior of this car has a strong riding style in terms of materials and modeling. The symmetrical design looks very relaxed, and it provides three combinations of technical texture, brown imitation wood decorative board and brown and white leather material to meet the aesthetic needs of different consumers. In terms of details, the front and rear rows are equipped with multiple external power ports, and the back of the rear seat can be leveled at a ratio of 4:6, which has a good performance in humanization and details.

Auto channel [September 2] [Home Car Information List+Highlights List+Headline News Red Bar] It is expected that the Great Wall Cannon pickup truck will be officially launched in September this year.

  In terms of power, it is equipped with a 2.0T gasoline engine of GW4C20B, with a maximum power of 197 HP. The transmission system is matched with an 8-speed automatic manual transmission from ZF, and it has a four-wheel drive system. In addition to the passenger version of the car that will be pre-sold, the Great Wall Gun series will also provide off-road style models and commercial models for consumers to choose from in the future.

  ● About Great Wall Motor Chongqing Yongchuan Factory

  The factory established by Great Wall Motor in Yongchuan, Chongqing is its fifth full-process production base, and it is also a powerful supporting force for the formation of Great Wall Motor’s globalization strategy. The newly built and put into operation Chongqing factory has achieved a high degree of automation. There are 98 welding robots in the welding workshop, and the automation rate has reached 100%. The automatic online rate of SPS+AGV automatic conveying system in the assembly workshop has also reached 70%.

  In terms of intelligent manufacturing, Chongqing factory can combine the monthly sales demand, form the monthly production plan of the factory through APS (Advanced Planning and Scheduling) system, and decompose the plan into material demand plan, distribution plan and production plan, so as to realize the high coordination of multiple processes in advance. In terms of intelligent logistics, Chongqing factory can realize logistics management inside and outside the factory, logistics quality management, distribution management and order-driven warehousing management through WMS (Warehouse Management System) and LES (Logistics Execution System), so as to reach the leading level of intelligent logistics management in China.

  ● Edit comments

  According to previous data, in May 2019, the number of domestic pickup terminals was 30,400, up 1.76% year-on-year. From January to May, the number of insured terminals was 174,000, a year-on-year increase of 10.14%. In the context of the overall decline of the automobile market, pickup trucks with a double-digit growth trend are regarded as one of the potential market segments. As one of the earliest manufacturers of pickup trucks in China, Great Wall Motor naturally has to dig deep into this market segment. The brand-new pickup truck that Great Wall Motor put into production this time is such an example. With the improvement of people’s living standards, there is also more demand for pickup trucks. Therefore, on the basis of better appearance and more comfortable interior, the car has also derived three types of commercial pickup trucks, passenger pickup trucks and off-road pickup trucks to meet the needs of various consumers, which is quite worthy of recognition. We also expect this epoch-making China brand pickup truck to enter the market as soon as possible. (Author: Luo Aoyu)

The order volume of M5 in the world exceeded 10,000, and the sales volume of new energy vehicles of Xiaokang shares "returning oil to electricity" accounted for 52%.

Changjiang business news ● Changjiang Business Daily reporter Jin Du

The model AITO Wenjie M5, jointly developed by Huawei and Cellis, a subsidiary of Xiaokang, has recently attracted attention from all walks of life.

Recently, a reporter from Changjiang Business Daily visited Huawei’s flagship store in Wuhan and found that the logo "Sailis" was very conspicuous on the rear of the M5 on the first floor. A salesperson told reporters that the newly produced M5 will remove the "Sailis" tail label and will not be labeled with the "Huawei" tail label.

With the blessing of M5, the sales volume of Xiaokang shares (601127.SH) keeps rising. The reporter of Changjiang Business Daily found that in May, the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles of Xiaokang shares surpassed traditional fuel vehicles for the first time, accounting for 52.28%.

According to the sales data released by M5, the delivery volume reached 5,006 vehicles in May, exceeding 5,000 vehicles for the first time. By the end of May, the cumulative delivery volume of the M5 has exceeded 11,000 vehicles, which has set a new record for the fastest delivery of a single model of a new brand.

A salesperson of Huawei’s flagship store in Wuhan said that at present, the number of orders for M5 in the world exceeds 10,000 per month, and it continues to increase.

A person familiar with the matter told Changjiang Business Daily that the M7 will be listed at the end of June or early July.

Ask M5 or remove the "Sailis" tail mark.

On May 1st, Huawei’s first flagship store in Central China settled in Wuhan Vientiane City.

Recently, a reporter from Changjiang Business Daily visited Huawei’s flagship store in Wuhan and found that there were four cars in the car exhibition area on the first floor, and the "Sailis" logo at the rear of the car was very conspicuous.

A salesperson told Changjiang Business Daily that the newly-produced M5 will be Weimar Automobile and will not be labeled as "Huawei", but will be presented as an independent brand.

In this regard, Changjiang Business Daily reporter sent an interview letter to Xiaokang, but no reply was received as of press time.

Wenjie M5 was jointly built by Cyrus and Huawei. According to official website, the current price of the standard version of rear-drive is 259,800 yuan, the performance version of four-wheel drive is 294,800 yuan, the version of four-wheel drive is 288,800 yuan and the flagship version of four-wheel drive is 331,800 yuan.

As a vehicle jointly developed by Huawei and Cyrus, AITO Wenjie M5 is also the first vehicle equipped with Huawei’s HarmonyOS cockpit. The core power comes from Huawei’s Drive ONE pure electric drive range extension platform, and Huawei is deeply involved in R&D and manufacturing.

Recently, the customer of the M5 has caused a heated discussion in the market because the user removed the "Sailis" tail label and affixed the "Huawei" logo. Many car owners bluntly said: "After changing the label, it has simply injected soul."

In this regard, Zhang Zhengping, chairman of Xiaokang Co., said frankly at the shareholders’ meeting that if the product is good or not, the market has the final say. If the product is not good, no matter who posted it, no one will buy it.

Zhang Zhengping also said that the high degree of attention paid by M5 in the world is an inspiration and affirmation for the cooperation between Xiaokang and Huawei. The spur of users is the biggest driving force for us to move forward, and bringing good experience to users is the cornerstone for us to forge good products.

Interestingly, in the 2021 annual report, Xiaokang shares made no mention of Huawei.

However, Xiaokang Co., Ltd. emphasized in its annual report that the M5 of Wenjie is equipped with a 3.0 range extender independently developed by the company, which can achieve a vehicle mileage of more than 1,000 kilometers, and can continue driving even without charging conditions.

It should be noted that Zhang Zhengping also revealed at the shareholders’ meeting that Xiaokang shares are increasing the layout of new energy industries by increasing investment in technology research and development of new energy vehicles and construction of sales channels.

On the evening of May 23rd, Xiaokang announced that the issuance review committee of China Securities Regulatory Commission had reviewed the company’s application for non-public offering of shares in 2022. According to the results of the meeting, the company’s application for non-public offering of shares was approved.

According to the revised plan for the non-public offering of A shares in 2022 released by Xiaokang in March, the total amount of funds raised by the company is expected to be no more than 7.13 billion yuan (inclusive).

Among them, the total investment of electric vehicle development and product platform technology upgrading projects reached 4.748 billion yuan, and it is planned to use the raised funds of 4.31 billion yuan; The total investment of the intelligent upgrading of the factory and the construction of electric drive production line is 633 million yuan, and it is planned to use the raised funds of 610 million yuan; The total investment of the user center construction project is 223 million yuan, and it is planned to use the raised funds of 210 million yuan; To supplement the working capital, it is planned to use the raised funds of 2 billion yuan.

Xiaokang shares’ sales of new energy vehicles increased by 2.1 times in May.

With the blessing of M5, the sales of new energy vehicles in Xiaokang shares have been rising, realizing "oil returning to electricity".

On June 2nd, Xiaokang Co., Ltd. released a production and sales bulletin, showing that the output of new energy vehicles reached 36,200 in the first five months, up by 258.97% year-on-year. The sales volume reached 33,200 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 212.33%. The output of other models (fuel vehicles) of the company reached 66,400, down 39.91% year-on-year; Sales reached 66,800 vehicles, down 33.78% year-on-year.

In May, the output of new energy vehicles in Xiaokang reached 11,100, a year-on-year increase of 273.97%. Sales reached 10,500 vehicles, up 244.04% year-on-year. The output of other models of the company reached 10,400 units, down 63.98% year-on-year; Sales reached 9542 vehicles, down 61.71% year-on-year.

The reporter of Changjiang Business Daily found that in May, the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles of Xiaokang shares surpassed traditional fuel vehicles for the first time, accounting for 52.28%.

"Returning oil to electricity" is also an intentional move of Xiaokang Co., Ltd. In the 2021 annual report, the company claimed to be a technology-based manufacturing enterprise with new energy vehicles as its core business, with a perfect R&D, supply, manufacturing and sales system.

It should be noted that in the sales of new energy vehicles in the first five months of Xiaokang Automobile, the output of Sailis reached 9,933, an increase of 1,520.39% year-on-year; Sales reached 8483 vehicles, up 1211.13% year-on-year.

Among them, in May, the output of Sailis reached 3,125 vehicles, up 1,115.95% year-on-year; Sales reached 3,439 vehicles, up 1,248.63% year-on-year.

On April 19th, 2021, Sailis SF5, a subsidiary of Xiaokang, was officially listed at the 19th Shanghai International Auto Show.

On December 23, 2021, the medium-sized luxury SUV, the high-end smart electric vehicle, made its debut at the press conference, and it was delivered nationwide on March 5, 2022.

In less than three months from listing to delivery, the brand-new M5 achieved the delivery of over 3,000 vehicles in the first month, and entered the top five sales of high-end new energy SUVs with a price of over 200,000 yuan in the first month.

On June 1st, the sales data released by M5 showed that the delivery volume reached 5,006 vehicles in May, exceeding 5,000 vehicles for the first time. By the end of May, the cumulative delivery volume of the M5 has exceeded 11,000 vehicles, which has set a new record for the fastest delivery of a single model of a new brand.

A salesperson of Huawei’s flagship store in Wuhan said that at present, the number of orders for M5 in the world exceeds 10,000 per month, and it continues to increase.

In addition, it is reported that the M7 of Celeste luxury smart large-scale electric SUV will be released soon.

A person familiar with the matter told Changjiang Business Daily that the M7 will be listed at the end of June or early July.

Editor: ZB