车展观察丨押注启境，“境系列”首个品牌能否如愿俘获年轻人？

Core Viewpoint - GAC Group and Huawei's QianKun have launched a new automotive brand, Qijing, aimed at filling a market gap for stylish, safe, intelligent, and controllable vehicles targeting young consumers [1][2][4]. Market Context - The Chinese automotive market is becoming increasingly competitive, with the introduction of Qijing raising questions about the necessity of another brand amidst existing offerings [2][14]. - Qijing aims to differentiate itself in the crowded electric vehicle market, which includes strong competitors like Tesla and NIO, by focusing on intelligent features and product quality [17]. Brand Strategy - Qijing is positioned as a high-end intelligent electric vehicle brand, with a focus on appealing to younger consumers, a demographic previously overlooked by Huawei's other automotive collaborations [12][14]. - The brand's name, Qijing, was chosen to reflect a youthful and technological image, as suggested by Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei [4][12]. Product Development - Qijing plans to launch two new models by 2026, with the first model, a shooting brake, set to be delivered in June 2024 [5][11]. - The brand has adopted Huawei's Integrated Product Development (IPD) and Integrated Product Marketing System (IPMS) to enhance product development and marketing processes [9]. Sales and Distribution - Unlike Huawei's previous sales strategies, Qijing will operate through independent sales channels and will not be sold in Huawei stores, with plans to recruit dealers across 30 new cities [6][8]. - The sales strategy includes a "1 (user center) + N (experience center)" model for network layout [6]. Collaboration Dynamics - The collaboration between GAC and Huawei has been described as intense, with discussions sometimes leading to heated debates, reflecting the different corporate cultures of the two companies [10]. - The partnership has accelerated the development timeline for new models, with significant milestones achieved in a short period [11]. Financial Context - GAC Group is currently undergoing significant reforms due to declining performance, with a 10.49% drop in revenue and a net loss of 4.312 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025 [15]. - The company is betting on the success of Qijing as a breakthrough strategy to improve its market position and achieve its goal of having 60% of total sales from its own brands by 2027 [16][17].