Volkswagen Cars VW to change face and change face next year

Blue LOGO on the evolution of the shape of the record, the biggest reason is a touch of green.

After announcing the replacement and overhaul of the architecture by the chief, Volkswagen, the giant beast intends to use his knife in his face.

This week, at a press conference in Berlin, Volkswagen's chief marketing officer, Jochen Sengpiehl, has thrown another surprising news: Volkswagen will launch a new logo in 2019 as an initiative to update the brand and adapt to new trends in the industry. one.

According to media inventory, this will be the tenth time the Volkswagen brand has changed its logo. According to Sengpiehl's explanation, the reason is to abandon the “over-Germanization” label, change the negative image of the “discharge door” and adapt to the needs of the electric car era.

Looking at the massive news of coaching and reorganization in recent weeks, the elephants are already on the verge, and this change will also run through the table. No matter whether it is an architecture or an image, it will move in the direction of a new era. Evolution.

However, will the center of the stage still belong to the public in the next round?

VW logo, changed face ten times

One of the most familiar brands of consumers, including China's mainstream automotive market, is the VW logo. Based on the basic elements of Volkswagen's "Volks" (people) and "Wagen" (cars), it has been the core of LOGO since 1937.

Figure note: Volkswagen logo evolution history

In 1939, 1945, and 1960, the three bid changes were not separated from the black tone. Since 1967, the contours and base colors of the Volkswagen logos have been established. Later in 1978, 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2012 The adjustments are only changes in color, the structure is only fine-tuned. The last time it was 2012, six years ago, the changes in the Volkswagen logo were just three-dimensional and the colors were softer than the previous version.

In the words of Jochen Sengpiehl, it was announced that the Volkswagen car brand would usher in the tenth evolution after seven years in a row. He explained the reasons for the change of vehicle markings: “The public brand status is not very good compared to previous years.” Meanwhile, Some VW logos have lost some of their emotional appeal due to the pursuit of “over-Germanization,” “not just because of the 'emission gate' scandal.”

The more important macro background is that the automobile industry is making great strides towards electrification and intelligence. The aesthetic concept and image appeal of the new era have also given birth to the idea of ​​“changing face” for the public.

In the eyes of the public, the vehicle sign will be used as a sign of the times in the future, and after being “modernized”, it will be able to be more effectively displayed on the front of the vehicle and on the screen of the mobile phone. According to Sengpiehl, the goal of the public is to make the brand more accessible, reduce the sensation of bluntness, match the increased price of the model, and comply with the wave of electric vehicle offensives.

In recent years, Volkswagen has announced a huge number of billions of dollars in electric vehicles, and will build dozens of electrified products in the future. Corresponding to this, the public needs to adjust marketing strategies from multiple perspectives, such as digital and social media marketing and brand image building, to persuade hesitant consumers to feel confident about electric cars. “The biggest challenge is: How do we bring people to the electrified world,” said Sengpiehl. “We hope everyone will feel that the public is interesting and we need to be more colorful.”

The automotive industry's marketing experts once jumped from the masses to modern times, but in September last year they returned to the mass camp. In the new offensive of the new head chef Dee, Sengpiehl will obviously be the rebranding of the public brand image.

Green path is imperative

Running wild on the road of electric cars, this is the direction of the public. Although CEO Muren has just been announced "class" news, but in September last year, he proposed "Roadmap E" (E roadmap) electric vehicle strategy is still at the core position, which is the automotive industry in the most clear timetable for electric, The most powerful electrification strategy.

Figure Note: "Roadmap E" strategy is at the heart of the public

In November 2017, the Volkswagen Group announced that it will invest more than 34 billion euros (equivalent to US$40 billion) in the next five years to vigorously promote electric vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobile travel services. In 2025, Volkswagen Group will launch 80 new electric vehicles in the market, covering nearly 50 pure electric vehicles and 30 plug-in hybrid vehicles. By then, one quarter of Volkswagen's global deployments will only provide electric versions. "This will be regulated according to the market. Now we are planning to sell 3 million electric vehicles every year."

In “second hometown” China, Volkswagen will invest 10 billion euros in 2025 to develop and manufacture pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles in China. This money is not included in the above 34 billion euros investment. From 2020 to 2025, Volkswagen will produce more than 20 new energy vehicles in China; in the next 7 to 8 years, it will launch a total of nearly 40 new energy vehicles that are locally produced.

The ID brand electric car family built on the MEB platform of the Volkswagen brand will play a major role. In 2019, the first ID electric car will be introduced into the Zwickau factory in Germany and will be available for sale in 2020. In the future, there will be BUZZ bus and CROZZ cross-border version.

Legend: Volkswagen will launch a large number of electric vehicle products

In order to solve the anxiety and price issue of life, Volkswagen stated that the electric vehicle built on the MEB modular platform has a cruising range of 400 kilometers (240 miles) to 600 kilometers (360 miles) and has a fast charging function; the first new platform is electric The price of the car is roughly equivalent to the diesel version of golf.

As the Chinese market pushes forward with double-credit policies, major markets such as the United States and Europe are also tightening fuel consumption regulations, and major automakers around the world are vigorously promoting electrification. However, in most cases, car companies are concerned about the electrification of "lizi", emphasizing how to build technology and product lineup, but rarely demonstrated the importance of "face", that is, the publicity and brand image with the electrification and intelligent matching.

The public's rebranding move is undoubtedly a sign of "convergence between the two sides" of the company. At the same time, the promotion of marketing needs also means that electric vehicles are not far away from large-scale applications.

Turning elephants is not easy

The image of the vehicle logo is compatible with the electrification strategy of the new era and can only be regarded as the tip of the iceberg of mass reform. Just as Nokia was the absolute overlord of the mobile phone industry in the old days, and the era of smart machines has been eliminated, the giants of various industries are now considering whether they have the risk of repeating the same mistakes.

Just as the R&D expenditure of US$ 12 billion per year surpasses that of Google’s Apple, it ranks first among all companies. The public’s determination to reform is almost among the most astonishing among major companies.

Caption: Volkswagen's new chief, Diss

When Deese took office as chief executive officer, the overall structure of the public also changed. The entire group is divided into six major functional blocks and a dedicated China regional business, namely the “6+C” model. The functional block and the corresponding person in charge are:

Herbert Dees, Head of Group Development and Research;

Group Sales, head of Audi's Management Committee Chairman/CEO Rupert Stadler;

Group Production, head Oliver Blume, Chairman/CEO of the Porsche Management Committee;

Vehicle IT (ie Vehicle IT), the vehicle-mounted smart interconnect, headed by Herbert Dees;

Company IT (Company IT), head Frank Witter;

Purchasing and parts business are merged into a unified unit for management.

The new structure will reorganize the group's management model, increase the synergies of individual operating units from the system level, and accelerate the speed of decision-making. Essentially, the functional departments will be more focused and vertical, and to a certain extent will be a rebalancing of centralization and decentralization – no longer as arbitrary as the era of Ferdinand Piëch, but each functional sector The person in charge also has great authority, which can theoretically improve the efficiency of the decision.

Figure note: The public not only has to change the mark but also change the structure

At the brand level, Volkswagen divides its brands into four “Brand Groups”: Volkswagen Passenger Vehicle, Skoda, and Seat are Volumes; Audi is Premium; Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, etc. are Super Premium vehicles; Volkswagen commercial vehicles, Mann, and Scania brands are commercial vehicles. The original "Major stock company system" of Murren hoped to establish four independent stock companies. What can be confirmed at present is that on May 2nd, the general meeting of shareholders will discuss the separate listing of commercial vehicles.

Although the history of the reorganization of the public is unprecedented, it does not mean that the new management represented by Dease has no resistance when implementing the policy. Based on the analysis of the reasons for Murren's resignation, it is one of the triggers to sell some of Ducati's minor assets and offend members of the Porsche family. Intriguingly, Diss reiterated the consideration of selling off some assets after the personnel changes.

Mullen had also been as spirited as today's Diss, would tomorrow's Diss be as stunned as today's Mullen in front of the behind-the-scenes giant of the Porsche family? The manipulation of the family business has a geometric influence on the public's future.

Only the public can answer this question.