2020 is the year of "beating workers" in the automotive industry

Spotlights, microphones, and shots of different lengths. For professional managers in the automobile industry, this automobile industry event in Yangcheng, which has lasted for 18 years, is their highlight moment at the end of the year, and it is also their highlight year after year. A year's end.

At this year's Guangzhou Auto Show, they were still "baptized" by interviews and flashlights, and their words were full of passion for "carrying on the past and forging ahead into the future." In the past seventeen years, this kind of scene has been playing out constantly, repeating itself in a cycle, as if it has been familiar before.

However, the continuous cold winter and the "black swan" of the epidemic, coupled with the new round of revolution catalyzed by the impact of the "waves" of the new four modernizations, and many uncertainties, will ultimately make this "The flowers are similar every year", showing more "differences".

“Jump out” and “Be chosen”

When it comes to professional managers, the first thing people often think of is that they are a group of people who “hold the lifeblood of the survival of automobile companies.”

Especially in the golden decade of the rapid development of China's automobile industry, a group of Chinese automobile professional managers were born and made great achievements in that era of "horse racing" in China. The glorious resumes also make them popular and give them the right to "try new things".

And such rights were clearly reflected at the moment when the "spring breeze" of electrification and intelligence blew into the automotive industry.

As we all know, this "spring breeze" not only ushered in a new revolution, but also awakened the passion of a group of "cross-border" car manufacturers.

Whether to stay in the current position or to enter a new battlefield became a multiple-choice question for some professional managers at that time. Therefore, the “departure” of traditional car company executives to new car-making forces became a question in the automotive industry during that period. A "trend" in the world. They may seek new positions or choose to start a business.

However, with the cold winter of financing and the attack of the epidemic, the new forces finally fell into disgrace after the "carnival". Dai Lei's resignation has made people in this cruel "game" feel... It was quite a shock.

Having promoted BMW’s sales in China to increase by 12 times, taking Infiniti from silence to fame, and bringing it a sales growth of 150% in three years, it is undeniable that Dai Lei is a professional manager with a glorious resume. , however, when he jumped out of the traditional automobile industry and moved to a new force in car manufacturing, his employees commented that he was not suitable for making major decisions, did not have the ability, and did not know how to build cars.

Is this evaluation fair? In a period when Byton is already plagued by negative news, there is no denying the personal emotions involved. However, for Dai Lei and others who have been prospering in traditional car companies, they are already prepared to face difficulties even when they move to a new battlefield. But the "This road is blocked" sign forced them to admit that it is sometimes difficult to "jump out".

As a result, the tide has turned. Since this year, talents in the field of new energy vehicles have begun to "reflow" to traditional car companies.

In November this year, Cai Jianjun, the former executive vice president of AIWAYS, officially joined Geely. Six months had passed since his resignation from AIWAYS. However, when we move forward in time, it was revealed that he had never left the company. After leaving Baoneng Motors and then joining AIWAYS, the "window period" was only half a month.

It is also a return to tradition from a new car-making force. It took only one month for Xiang Dongping to leave Tianji Automobile and join Beijing Hyundai, while it also took 6 months for Li Hongpeng to leave Ford China and join Hyundai China. time.

In fact, the comparison of time cannot tell which field these professional managers are more popular in traditional car companies and new forces, but it is certain that the length of their window period depends largely on The actual people in charge of this car company consider and choose, and outstanding people like them are always the ones "chosen".

I suddenly remembered that Shen Hui, the founder of WM Motor, once said: "The age of over 40 is a good time to start a business. We are a group of people who have accumulated experience in traditional cars, but we are relatively young and have Willing to move forward.”

This is the sentiment of many professional managers who choose to start a business. However, the reality shows that escaping from being “chosen” is not easy.

"Remodeling" and "Being Arranged"

The complexity of the current automobile industry environment seems to no longer need to be emphasized. On the one hand, the Chinese automobile market has entered a stage of rapid development after many years of rapid development. We have entered a new era of stock competition. On the other hand, the current wave of "new four modernizations" has brought a certain impact on products under existing models, business models, and ways of thinking. , and also created a new force in car manufacturing, a product of the era.

Although the many problems existing in the new car-making forces themselves have always placed them on the issue of "life and death", with Tesla's crushing "one-horse race" , these "veterans" of traditional car companies who have been working in the automotive industry for many years will finally have to face up to this new generation of the car industry.

This year, Great Wall Chairman Wei Jianjun even made bold promises of change: "We will create 30-40 'start-up companies' like Weilai and Xiaopeng, and they will directly face users and the market in the future." Just recently, Changan Automobile has also shown a different momentum of change from the past, with UNI as the core and high-end reform of its business philosophy, organizational structure and product services.

The changes in the structure of automobile companies brought about by the great changes of the times have undoubtedly sent a clear signal to professional managers in the automobile industry. They know that just relying on past experience and routines may not be enough. It will become increasingly difficult to cope with the increasingly fierce competition and rapid changes.

If we say that this year’s epidemic has led to the strong rise of short video software such as Douyin and Kuaishou, the craze of live streaming has spread rapidly in all walks of life, so much so that it has swept the automotive industry. It became a common phenomenon at that time for people to transform themselves into "Internet celebrities" and sit in the live broadcast room.

Live broadcast of car sales and vlog interactions. Yan Hongbin, who was the deputy general manager of Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company at the time, even took off his suit and put on an apron to cook a bowl of hot food for netizens from all over the country. Dry noodles. He issued a sincere invitation to netizens: When the epidemic is over, go to Wuhan to enjoy cherry blossoms and taste delicious food, and Dongfeng Fengshen will pay for it.

Later, when talking about this live broadcast with nearly 100,000 likes and interactions, Yan Hongbin said frankly: "In the future, we will continue to explore and try online sales models such as live broadcasts."

It’s just that Yan Hongbin was unable to continue to lead Dongfeng Fengshen to explore new areas, nor was he able to personally lead Dongfeng Fengshen to fulfill the invitation. In August this year, he bid farewell to Dongfeng Fengshen and transferred to Dongfeng Group for development. As for his new position, the outside world is still waiting for news.

“Being arranged” is often the fate that professional managers cannot escape. For example, Feng Qingfeng, the head of marketing for Geely and Geometry brands, was transferred out of the marketing system and returned to the Lotus Group. Serve as global CEO.

From being a technical engineer to taking charge of Geely's marketing system, Feng Qingfeng has also shown his unique ideas and creativity from the kitchen to the front.

He once used his lively image and playful movements on the promotional pictures of "Geometry+", the first technological travel creative sharing station, to instantly overturn the upright and serious image of previous leaders; The interview sitcom promoting Geely Haoyue and Feng Qingfeng's true appearance made netizens call him an "advertising genius".

Undoubtedly, he follows the fashion trends of young people. Or maybe, in terms of marketing, Feng Qingfeng, who has a lot of ideas, still has many ideas waiting for the opportunity to be realized one by one.

It’s just that now, he has taken on the mission of reviving the Lotus brand, and there is no doubt that he has been entrusted with an important task. However, facing a marketing system that has only been in charge for half a year, he will not be so ambitious. Are you willing to give up and regret?

There is no need to pursue the answer, because in the final analysis, for these professional Chinese automobile managers, working for Chinese brands has always been their mission.

A swinging "balance"?

In this year's personnel changes in the automotive industry, the "unification" of rights has become a noteworthy phenomenon.

In mid-November, Jaguar Land Rover announced that all of Jaguar Land Rover's business in China will be made unified by Pan Qing, President and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover China, including marketing, human resources, some procurement and other businesses. At this point, Jaguar Land Rover's China market business has ended the situation where Jaguar Land Rover China, the joint venture Chery Jaguar Land Rover and the United Marketing and Service Organization (IMSS) are in charge of the business in China, ushering in "great unification".

The decentralization and unification of rights, the checks and balances and integration of the structure, and the background of joint ventures, stories of professional managers similar to IMSS are taking turns to be played out in the Chinese automobile market. The ups and downs of car company helmsmen remind the public that the long-termism required for corporate development and the stranded tenure of professional managers at the helm are still difficult to balance.

How can we insist on doing the right thing? This is extremely challenging for professional managers at the top of the hierarchy. In the second half of this year, after Feng Qingfeng was transferred out of Geely's marketing system, the marketing work of Geely and Geometry brands once again returned to the hands of Lin Jie, vice president of Geely Automobile Group. After Lin Jie returns, how will he view the past and how will he consider the future?

Of course, stability does not mean that the "scale" is absolutely balanced. An Conghui joined Geely at the age of 27. As someone who was personally brought into Geely by Li Shufu and focused on "training", he has now become a veteran of the group. He and Geely have witnessed the brightest moments together, and have weathered the wind and rain together, and finally finally Standing in front of the stage as the "number two person", he has a rising reputation and increasingly stable power.

From strategy release to product launch, An Conghui is everywhere. However, when the spotlight goes out, the anxiety from the turbulent times, the anxiety from the unprecedented brutal fighting and change, follows him like a shadow.

Two years ago, An Conghui asked about Geely's future at Geely's mid-year communication meeting "Longjing Question". He said, "It is really difficult for Geely Automobile to survive." At that time, Geely, Sales volume increased by 39% in the first quarter, which was at its peak, but An Conghui said that he was walking on thin ice every day. Two years later, at the launch conference of Geometry C, An Conghui repeated twice, "Geely Automobile wants revolution!"

Obviously, the sentence shouted by former Changan Automobile Chairman Zhang Baolin " "It has nothing to do with you that the times will eliminate you." This is always the tightest nerve in the body of professional managers. This year, the era of Changan Automobile belonging to Zhu Huarong has officially begun. How Changan wants to become "Chang'an" has finally become a burden for him.

As a leader with a strong sense of urgency, Zhu Huarong said a few years ago that "only a few car companies will survive in the future." He still thinks so today. At the Beijing Auto Show in September this year, he even bluntly said: "If Changan Automobile fails to transform, it will face life and death."

In November this year, after a lapse of five years, Changan Automobile finally The total market value of 104.656 billion yuan has once again entered the 100 billion market value mark.

However, behind this rise is probably the result of its cooperation with CATL and Huawei. The cooperation between the three is firstly a belated high-end brand, and secondly, smart electric vehicles that are making slow progress. platform. At a time when WEY and Lynk & Co have occupied the high-end market, and the field of new energy vehicles has actually reached a cruel watershed, the increase in market value has made it impossible for Changan and Zhu Huarong to share even one ten millionth of this huge anxiety.

Obviously, the so-called long-termism means insisting on doing the right things. The so-called insisting on doing the right things means ensuring that past experience can cope with current challenges and that we can see the future direction clearly.

For the vast majority of professional managers, maintaining the balance of the "scale" is more like "doing your best and obeying fate", but work and life are choices that were once made proactively. Previously, in an interview with the media, a senior executive of a car company mentioned the death of a relative at home. He lamented the uncertainty of fate and frankly said that he felt sorry for his family.

Lack of time to spend with family is a problem that almost every professional manager faces when working hard for their career. How to achieve a balance between work and life? For most professional managers, this is actually a multiple-choice question.

Professional managers, "dancers" in the spotlight, are given power and mission by the founders of their respective companies. At this Guangzhou Auto Show, professional managers from the automotive industry also appeared on stage. , they show their best face and introduce products, strategies or corporate culture. There is no doubt that they are the shining protagonists.

But when the applause and the crowd disperse one after another, and when we look behind the power and mission, we are still greeted by anxiety and challenges.

After all, no one can escape the waves and storms of the times. Whether the times create heroes or heroes create times, coercion and being coerced are all reflections of "beating workers".

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.