Breaking the Japanese MPV Monopoly, Starlight 730 Conquers Thai High-Net-Worth Users

The road for Chinese new energy vehicles going global is not as smooth as imagined. Competition in overseas markets is also not as easy as imagined.

For overseas consumers, local products and Japanese products still have irreplaceable appeal.

Except Starlight 730.

While achieving 10 consecutive months of sales champion in the 150,000 RMB MPV category domestically, Starlight 730 also beat Japanese MPVs in the Thailand market, securing the sales champion title for all MPV categories in Thailand in August.

Why can an MPV originating from China break the monopoly of local Japanese MPVs and win the favor of high-net-worth users in Thailand?

In the Japanese MPV Home Ground, Overturning, What Is the Reason?

The Southeast Asian market has always been a major destination for Chinese automobiles going global, with Thailand being the most critical. However, in this vast market with high acceptance of new energy vehicles, Japanese brands have always dominated the MPV category.

Complete production supply chains, long-established car purchasing concepts, and various combined factors make local families and enterprises tend to prioritize Japanese MPVs when purchasing.

However, precisely under this market background, Starlight 730 from SAIC-GM-Wuling "surpasses from behind", taking the first sales place for all categories of MPVs in Thailand in August.

Starlight 730 reaching the top was not only about making the product well, but also a comprehensive breakthrough from production supply to consumption habits. The gold content of this achievement goes without saying.

More noteworthy is that Starlight 730 did not just rely on outstanding product strength to achieve hot sales among family user groups. Government and enterprise procurement, high-end hotel cooperation orders, also occupy a very key proportion in Starlight 730's sales composition.

Unlike family users who value product configuration and price more, government and enterprise as well as high-end hotels often rank product reputation and recognition as the first priority when purchasing. Because in commercial occasions, the product's tag attribute is the primary attribute.

And Starlight 730 receiving dual recognition from private and commercial markets, being accepted by different circles of users in Thailand, means Starlight 730 is not only relying on high quality-price ratio, but also achieving a surpass of Japanese MPVs represented by Toyota Alphard in brand power and social attributes.

This is not one voice or a corner, direct data can corroborate.

According to the survey of owners targeting the Thailand local market, Starlight 730's purchasing group is mainly the backbone of society. Specifically manifested, users aged 30-50 account for 76%, this age group has passed the stage of valuing vehicle freshness, paying more attention to a car's social value and long-term experience.

Additionally, in Starlight 730 users' career distribution, business personnel, company employees, and civil servants合计 account for 87%, among them business personnel account for 38%. 63% of owners convert monthly income above 10,000 Yuan, 25% of owners monthly income exceeds 20,000 Yuan, belonging to the high-net-worth circle of Thailand locals.

More noteworthy is that among Starlight 730's Thailand users, 47% of owners directly chose full payment. The reason behind this is not that Thailand users have sufficient budget and no money problem, but rather they have given full confidence to Starlight 730 and SAIC-GM-Wuling brand.

Why did Starlight 730 gain recognition from the Thailand high-net-worth group? Why can Starlight 730 receive consistent appreciation from commercial and home consumer groups at the same time?

We still answer with direct and objective numbers.

Taking home use as an example, in Starlight 730's family user group, 91% of owners' family population is 3 people or more, the proportion of large family user groups with more than 5 people is nearly 40%.

Multi-person families focus most on riding comfort and overall vehicle safety. Starlight 730 with electric sliding doors, 7-seat layout, and long range and large space, has perfectly aligned with family users' travel needs.

To gain recognition from Thailand local consumers, to achieve surpass in a market with 80% market share of Japanese MPVs, the most essential reason is Starlight 730 precisely met consumer needs, and achieved higher satisfaction than Japanese MPVs on this basis.

When merchants, doctors, civil servants and other high-net-worth groups choose Starlight 730, they have already jumped out of the fixed concept of "Only Japanese Brand Theory" because of Starlight 730's solid product strength and stable product reputation brought strength.

What they pay for is not a brand's logo and nationality, nor brand premium, but the value of the product itself behind the brand.

Starlight 730, has such high value.

The Right Product, The Right Model, Can Only Have Successful Going Global

In the process of going global, a point easily misunderstood is that product demand in different markets is vastly different. Another point easily overlooked is that the underlying demand of global families for vehicles is actually highly consistent.

For example MPV, whether China or Thailand consumers, the most underlying demand is spacious space, comfortable experience, and anxiety-free car use. Even commercial groups, increase high demand for social attributes on this basis.

Therefore when building an MPV, Starlight 730 did not isolate user groups by nationality, but to observe, understand and present the universal demand of global consumers for an excellent MPV.

For example dual side sliding doors standard on the whole series, on the basis of providing 9 control methods, also equipped with intelligent anti-pinch function, handle set at B-pillar. For family users, a series of details humanized design can facilitate elderly and children getting on and off. For commercial users, this series can make passengers get on and off more calmly and decently, letting users feel respected in details.

Taking power form as an example, Starlight 730 is based on the same-level leading "Tian-Ling-Shen" Wuling Native New Energy Technology Base, native adaptive plug-in hybrid PHEV, pure electric EV, fuel three power forms, bringing same-level unique "One Car Three Powers", giving choice power to users.

Including 2+2+3 true seven-seat layout, pure electric version 500km range (under CLTC conditions), these configuration performances show spacious, worry-free experience that MPV users of different professions, different purposes, different nationalities need and want.

In the past, before Starlight 730 appeared, for Thailand MPV users it was not not getting satisfied. It was only Japanese MPVs could give a passable satisfaction, and was under the premise of high prices, needing price add-ons, and money add-ons for options. Consumers did not turn to Japanese MPVs completely voluntarily, but helplessly had to choose Japanese MPVs with higher cost.

Until Starlight 730's appearance, their underlying demand was seen by brand's preliminary market research.

Worthy of other brands wanting successful going global to learn from is, Starlight 730 since development start, relied on SAIC-GM-Wuling smart island manufacturing system, completed vehicle manufacturing with international standards. The result brought by this way is, whether domestic or overseas markets, users get good products that are not compromised and treated differently.

Also this is why, Starlight 730 can grab the title "Double Champion".

When a brand is building a global product, with the world's highest standards self-requirement, then such product regardless placed in any regional market, will not be obscured.

Not making distinction, but achieving highest standard, "Uniform standard for all cars". In this way, Starlight 730's reputation will be accurate everywhere.

This also reminds other brands, in the new stage of Chinese automobile going global, solely relying on low prices has become hard to enter mature markets. Universal and hardcore product power, deep localized operation, stable and reliable quality, is the correct key to open global markets.

Final Words

Domestic market consecutive 10 months take 150,000 within MPV sales first, Thailand August all categories MPV sales first. Bright "Double Champion" title, behind is new energy largest market, most frontier position strength recognition, and overseas mature market's test and appreciation of this global car product power.

When global consumers are becoming more rational, not blindly worshipping brand premium halo, when global consumers are requiring higher and higher, not stopping at "Have to" and "Good Enough", when global new energy vehicle industry goes to maturity, after waves washing sand, what remains is products with both face and substance.

Starlight 730 is such product, but not the last such product of SAIC-GM-Wuling.