At the beginning of the news of Toyota Vios accessories prices, the reporter thought it was a sensitive topic. In today's Chinese auto market, price cuts have become commonplace, but no one has dared to flagrantly increase prices, and the open price of auto parts for auto after-sales service is also very rare.
Any product price increase is not a good thing for consumers. However, for parts and components companies that are overwhelmed by the price reduction policy of the entire automobile company, even if only a small part of the price of parts and components prices falls into the pockets of parts and components companies, it can make them very small. It is good to see a small increase in the amount of small or even missing profits. Because, according to official Toyota’s official reply, the reason for the price increase was that the price was set low.
In order to clarify the reasons for this, the reporter found Toyota Motor China Office.
Ms. Yang, who receives media from Toyota Motors China Office, does not seem to have come out of the shadow of the reporters’ repeated bombings inquiring into the reasons for the increase in the price of Vios accessories, and has a fear for answering reporters’ questions. Under the reporter's repeated "requests," Miss Yang agreed to accept a written interview.
On November 4, the reporter passed the questions raised to Toyota. The questions are: Is the Vios accessories price adjustment a whole vehicle factory behavior or a supplier behavior? What is Vios' distribution channel in China? It is said that at the beginning of the Vios time-to-market, some parts were priced lower than similar vehicles. What are the Vios's similar cars? How much lower is the accessory price than these cars? Was the original price determined by the manufacturer or by the supplier? For what considerations? How many Vios accessories are purchased in China (percentage)? How much is purchased in Japan or other countries? What does Vios accessories have to be competitive after rising prices? Vios accessories purchase prices have improved? Is it related to the price of this accessory?
Ms. Yang, who represents Toyota, interviewed reporters and adopted a method that is common in certain circumstances and that everyone is reluctant to accept. Ms. Yang said: "Can not answer specifically." The reporter hopes she can recommend other people to answer these questions, Miss Yang said: "Toyota will not tell you."
It should be said that in the face of all questions, Toyota has not yet chosen itself. Ms. Yang stated for a moment that the price increase of Vios accessories was due to the fact that the amount of budget in advance was far less than the actual amount used. In order to meet the market demand, a large number of parts had to be imported from overseas. Air freight accounted for a large part of the cost; At the beginning of Vios' listing, some parts were priced lower than similar vehicles. The adjusted price was reasonable, and the prices of Vios accessories after the price increase were not afraid of being compared with similar vehicle parts.
If the purchase price of Toyota's parts and components increases, then the increase in the price of accessories will be inevitable. The rise in price of upstream manufacturers will inevitably affect the downstream. In this case, Toyota will have nothing to say, and everyone will not have to ask anything.
For this reason, the reporter opened up the phone for some manufacturers who supply Vios. Some manufacturers said that OEMs do not have to keep prices down, and they never heard that their own supply prices have risen. However, some suppliers in Tianjin are quite sensitive, and they are exactly the same with Toyota on this issue—they don’t answer. However, Vios's most important supplier is still implicit: "The supply price has not changed."
The reporter learned from the public information that Vios's localization rate was more than 60%, but the information obtained from the Toyota Auto Service Center was that many parts were imported. Is Vios's foreign suppliers raising prices? If this is the case, it means that Toyota Vios has treated the domestic and foreign suppliers differently. Big companies like GM and Ford are all making global purchases, and trying to find low-cost suppliers, and Toyota's suppliers have dared to increase prices, and it's surprising that global OEMs are pushing down the price of parts and components. Although it cannot be confirmed that Toyota Vios's foreign suppliers are increasing their prices, reporters learned from Toyota’s several major local suppliers that Japanese suppliers are making every effort to reduce costs due to high parts prices to keep the market from rising. Nobody dared to do anything about the price.
There is of course doubt as to the price of accessories. If the supplier is supplying the special service shop, the price increase may be the supplier's behavior. However, the reporter learned that Vios from purchase to sales, are determined by Toyota, that is, all suppliers of goods are only to the host plant. The reporter learned from the Toyota Automobile Repair Service Center that the Vios accessories rose across the board, with an increase range of more than 90%, and the average increase ranged from 30% to 40%.
Now, people generally believe that the Guangzhou Honda Fit went on the market, forming a squeeze on Toyota Vios, Vios was forced to cut prices by 5,000 yuan, and this part of the profits lost in price cuts, we must get back from the aftermarket parts. On this point, Miss Yang, who is in charge of media relations at Toyota, clarified that Toyota's Vios vehicle price reduction is a promotional price for the anniversary celebration of the listing. It has nothing to do with the increase in the price of accessories. It is just a coincidence in time.
In fact, we are more concerned about is that Vios accessories price increase across the board is not a strategy for Toyota's after-sales service? Everyone knows that it is difficult to buy a car and it is difficult to keep a car. According to the international practice, from the time when a car is delivered to its end of life, 60% of its profits are generated from the aftermarket. In China's vast auto sales market, there will be more and more consumers buying economical cars, and the entire vehicle price will inevitably show a declining trend. However, if the price of an economical car’s parts and repair prices are too high, then the users buy it. The enthusiasm of the car will be frustrated. Now, the new joint venture vehicles have announced that their prices are in one step, which means that in the actual selling price, the previous development costs have been reduced to a minimum. Will it be "inside the dike outside the dike?" This is the focus of everyone’s attention.
It should be said that under the market economy conditions, it is not normal for any product market to have sales prices that fall or rise. Since the beginning of this year, due to the large price increase of metal materials and chemical materials, the cost of products for auto parts companies has increased significantly. If Toyota Vios was able to take some of the profits it earned from the increase in parts prices, some companies that returned to guarantee that they would achieve 60% of the localization rate would still be quite beneficial to these companies. Increasing profit margins and capital accumulation are critical to the company's product development and technological progress. However, if Toyota Vios adopts a policy of “putting pressure on parts suppliers†and adds the “burden†of increasing their profits to suppliers and consumers, it will be Toyota itself who will ultimately be hurt. You don't think for the sake of others, who dares to support and consume your products for you?
Now, the reporter just wants to ask Toyota: Vito accessories have already risen in price. Can Toyota change this "bad thing" for consumers to "good thing" for parts suppliers?