Continue to "involve"? Can car companies publish "weekly sales charts"?
2024-08-13
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The "involution" of the auto industry is not only reflected in the endless price wars, but also in the weekly sales rankings. Recently, a weekly sales ranking released by a certain automaker has caused collective dissatisfaction among multiple brands.
Conventionally, the sales data of the automobile industry and enterprises are released on a monthly basis by relevant entities. However, as market competition intensifies, sales data has been used as a marketing tool by some automakers, and the minimum statistical range has been reduced to a week. Their motivation is nothing more than to make their own rankings look better, to strengthen their market leadership, and thus influence consumers' purchasing choices. The problem is that the weekly sales rankings "rolled up" in this way have no credibility.
Exported cars photographed at Yantai Port in Shandong Province. Photo by Tang Ke (Xinhua News Agency)
First, the data lacks a source. The weekly sales chart only marked the data source on the early charts, which was "China Automotive Data Terminal Retail Data." But most of the new data sources are not marked. Without a real source, the accuracy of the data is greatly reduced.
Secondly, the classification is not scientific enough. Classification is an important method of scientific research. Classification must first determine a standard, or a unified caliber. If the standard or caliber is different, the conclusion drawn will be unconvincing. At present, Huawei's Wenjie and Ideal are selling well in the extended-range field, while Tesla and Weilai are selling well in the pure electric field. Putting products of different prices and categories on the same list cannot accurately reflect the real situation of the market.
Finally, the publishing entity is not compliant. Without the consent of the competent authorities, industry organizations, data ownership institutions, and other listed companies, and without the permission or authorization of other listed companies, the company independently defines, classifies, and publicly releases information involving the interests of other companies, which does not comply with the current relevant data release regulations in my country.
The release of the automobile sales ranking is no small matter. This is because the ranking reflects both the market competitiveness of the company's products and the company's position in the industry. Timely and accurate release will not only help companies better understand market changes, but also help research institutions to dynamically monitor the industry, and help government departments to guide and manage the industry. If car companies design their own rankings to maximize their own interests according to their own business intentions, it will cause confusion in data release and distortion of rankings, mislead the public's perception of car companies and car purchasing decisions, and even cause fluctuations in the stock prices of listed car companies, affecting investors' judgment.
In fact, every month, automakers will announce the audited delivery volume, and the monthly data can basically reflect the operating conditions of the automakers at that time. Of course, this does not mean that companies and industry-related departments do not need to collect weekly sales data. However, weekly sales data statistics should be mainly used for limited purposes such as corporate research and operation, internal industry communication, and institutional dynamic analysis, and should not be made public. In a highly competitive and dynamically changing market, releasing sales volume on a weekly basis is not enough to separate the real sales trend from short-term fluctuations. Instead, it will interfere with the normal operation of other companies and cause the entire business chain to deform.
The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on July 30 proposed to strengthen industry self-discipline and prevent "involution" vicious competition. Especially in the current context of relatively insufficient market demand, intensified price wars, and more and more enterprises, it is even more necessary to standardize the release of automobile production and sales data and rankings. Administrative departments, industry organizations, third-party institutions, etc. that have data resources can regularly and continuously publish market sales according to certain rules and industry-recognized product classification standards; production enterprises or business entities with competing relationships can publish their own relevant data, rankings, financial and other information to the outside world. Without permission or authorization, data of other companies must not be disclosed. At the same time, the release of sales data rankings must also mark the source of the data to avoid irregular, non-compliant or even counterfeit data that damages the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties. In short, the release of sales data rankings must be in accordance with laws and regulations, and cannot be arbitrary, let alone driven by interests, turning it into a means of commercial competition and worsening the market competition ecology.
