As the saying goes, “Don’t be afraid if you have nothing to do, be afraid if you have nothing to do but still try to do something!”
On the second day of work after the Spring Festival (February 19th), BYD launched the Qin PLUS and the Destroyer 05 Honor Edition, with a price reduction of 20,000 yuan while keeping the same specifications.
Even considering the year-end terminal discounts, the Honor Edition model has indeed experienced a solid price reduction of 10,000 yuan.
Domestic brands such as Changan Qiyuan A05, Wuling Xingguang, and Geely Dihao HiP have also followed suit by lowering their prices.
However, some joint venture brands’ attempts at price matching are rather laughable: their price reductions are so insignificant that they don’t even match the terminal discounts.
It’s like when someone plays a pair of sevens on the poker table, and although you clearly can’t beat it, you insist on playing a pair of sixes as if they were nines.
01 – Changan Mazda3 Axela
Manufacturer’s suggested price: 89,900-189,900 yuan
Official price reduction: 0.00 yuan
Wheelbase: 2726mm
Powertrain 1: 1.5L (117Ps 148N·m) + 6MT
Powertrain 2: 1.5L (117Ps 148N·m) + 6AT
Powertrain 3: 2.0L (158Ps 202N·m) + 6AT
Powertrain 4: 2.0L (180Ps 230N·m) + 6AT
Two days later, Mazda released a poster for the Mazda3 Axela, with a huge “8.99” and a red background, giving the impression that the car’s price had also been reduced. (Even some car reviewers believed that the car’s price had actually been reduced.)
In reality, the starting price for this car has always been 89,900 yuan, and even the 8.99 million version is equipped with a 1.5L engine and a 5-speed manual transmission.
Furthermore, the official suggested price reduction for the Mazda3 Axela is to compete with the BYD Qin PLUS DM-i Champion Edition, which dropped to 99,800 yuan last year.
02 – Beijing Hyundai Elantra
Manufacturer’s suggested price: 99,800-149,800 yuan
Official price reduction: 24,000 yuan
Wheelbase: 2720mm
Powertrain 1: 1.5L (115Ps 143.9N·m) + CVT
Powertrain 2: 1.4T (140Ps 211N·m) + Dry dual-clutch transmission
The slogan for the BYD Qin PLUS Honor Edition poster is “Lower Fuel Consumption than Gasoline.” In response, Beijing Hyundai directly countered with the slogan “Gasoline is ‘Stronger’ than Electricity,” even putting quotation marks around the word “stronger.”
Similarly, those familiar with this car know that the discounts for the entry-level configuration of the Elantra 1.4T version (Elite) have always been around 30,000 to 35,000 yuan.
The entry-level 1.5L configuration (Leading) previously had no available stock and received little discount, with a negligible price difference compared to the Elite version. Although it is now priced at 75,800 yuan, there is still no available stock, making the price reduction insignificant.
Even at 75,800 yuan, the Elantra is still not cheaper than the entry-level configuration of the Qin PLUS DM-i, considering that the latter is not subject to vehicle purchase tax. Not to mention that the two cars have completely different levels of features, power, and fuel consumption.
03 – Nissan Sylphy Classic
Manufacturer’s suggested price: 108,600-122,600 yuan
Official price reduction: 32,800 yuan
Wheelbase: 2700mm
Powertrain: 1.6L (122Ps 155N·m) + CVT
Although the 2023 Qin PLUS DM-i Champion Edition did not defeat the Nissan Sylphy in terms of sales, the sales volume has decreased from its peak of 538,600 units to 376,100 units.
However, in the face of the second wave of attacks from the Qin PLUS DM-i Honor Edition, the Nissan Sylphy has no means to resist. The slogan “gas is stronger than electricity” and the price of 75,800 yuan seem so weak and insincere.
The reason for saying “insincere” is that the terminal bare car price of the Sylphy Classic last year was already as low as 69,800 yuan. Now, with a poster price of 75,800 yuan, it has increased by 6,000 yuan. Are they taking consumers for fools?
04 – FAW-Volkswagen Bora
Manufacturer’s suggested price: 112,900-143,900 yuan
Official discount: 44,900 yuan
Wheelbase: 2,688mm
Powertrain 1: 1.2T (116Ps 200N·m) + 5MT / 7-speed dry dual-clutch
Powertrain 2: 1.4T (150Ps 250N·m) + 7-speed dry dual-clutch
Powertrain 3: 1.5L (113Ps 145N·m) + 6AT
Powertrain 4: 1.5T (160Ps 250N·m) + 7-speed dry dual-clutch
The FAW-Volkswagen Bora is even more outrageous than the previous two cars. It took almost half a month after the BYD Qin PLUS Champion Edition was launched for dealers to produce a discounted poster with the slogan “gas is stronger than electricity.” They couldn’t even catch up with the trend.
However, in terms of the discount amount, the Bora does show some sincerity. The previous terminal discount for this car has always been around 38,000 yuan.
Of course, the premise is that you don’t know that this car’s spare tire actually needs to be purchased separately!