Audi prepares new standard for auto three packs after sale, or increase 1.5 billion

The Chinese automobile “Three Guarantees” legislation has gone through 8 years and finally revealed its light. Industry experts predict that the regulations will be introduced this year. In fact, automakers have long begun to account for costs and actively respond to the "boots" that are about to land.

The FAW-Volkswagen Audi Business Department officials told reporters euphemistically that once the "Three Guarantees" policy is implemented, the after-sales cost will increase by at least 50%.

He said that with regard to the auto three pack policy, Audi, as a manufacturer, is most concerned about not only the increase in after-sales costs but also the preemption of its competitors in terms of after-sales warranty services. A claimant at an Audi 4S store told reporters that even if the maintenance cost per vehicle increases by 5,000 yuan, multiplied by the annual sales of Audi's 313,000 vehicles in China, it will only increase 1.565 billion yuan in terms of after-sales maintenance.

The reporters found that Mercedes-Benz, which belongs to the luxury car group with Audi, had launched a car purchase within one year from November 21, 2011 on the grounds of celebrating the 125th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz as early as last November. The warranty. "We suspect that Mercedes-Benz is taking the opportunity to unify the warranty period to three years, to meet the policy introduced to seize the advantages of after-sales." Audi said the above person.

In fact, in order to grab the warranty before the introduction of the policy and Mercedes-Benz after the sale, Audi also launched a "preferential claims service" years ago, to provide regular maintenance to the Audi 4S shop customers to provide maintenance benefits.

6 links to increase after-sales costs Audi Division staff told reporters that as early as a few years ago, Audi began to measure the automobile "three guarantees" policy on the company's after-sales costs.

In 2004, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) appealed to the “Three Guarantees” legislation of the automobile, and the first draft of the draft of “Responsibility for the Repair, Replacement, and Return of Household Automobile Products” was released in September 2011. The second solicitation comment was released at the end of last year. The draft was closed on February 10 this year for comment. The terms such as the validity period of the vehicle "Three Guarantees" and the time for returning the entire vehicle package have been greatly adjusted, and new contents such as the "Third Party Authentication Institution" have also been added.

Luo Lei, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Dealers Association, told reporters that the automobile three-package policy has been delayed for a long time, and its resistance is due in large part to the opposition of auto makers to increased costs.

Taking Audi as an example, the reporter learned from insiders that there are six major areas that have led to a surge in costs. The analysis is expected to increase the cost by at least 50%.

The biggest change in the second draft of the “Three Guarantees” car is to propose a warranty period of not less than 3 years or a mileage of 60,000 kilometers. During the warranty period, the quality of the problem, consumers can also get free repairs, including working hours and materials costs.

A claimant at an Audi 4S store told the reporter: “In addition to wearing parts, the (Audi) vehicle warranty period is 2 years.” He explained to reporters that all non-human factors cause breakdowns and maintenance according to the manufacturer's specifications, is a quality In case of problems, consumers can claim from manufacturers and require free replacement. Replacement spare parts have a one-year warranty period. If they are not caused by humans within one year, they can be replaced at no cost. This is Audi's current after-sales claim policy.

Audi Division staff told reporters that since the auto three packs of the concept of the proposed "refurbishment period" concept and the warranty period is set for three years, does not rule out the Three Guarantees Law will eventually be added to the Three Guarantees period of 3 years. Audi manufacturers evaluate the cost pressure brought by the Three Guarantees policy and calculate them according to the maximum risk value. He said that the annual maintenance cost of automobiles is increasing year by year with the number of years of car purchase. According to the usual reasoning, the warranty period has been increased from 2 years to 3 years. In any case, the cost increase is also above 50%.

The vehicle replacement is also a new move in the second draft of the "Three Guarantees" vehicle.

According to industry insiders, the return of the car has a great impact on car prices. Because according to the current national laws, vehicles returned due to quality problems cannot be re-branded. The return period of the car was also extended from 30 days to 60 days, and the "or mileage within 3,000 kilometers" was also added, whichever comes first. There are serious safety performance failures such as cracking of the body, failure of the braking system, failure of the steering system, and leakage of fuel due to product quality problems. Consumers may choose to return, replace, or repair, and the seller shall be responsible for free returns.

A claimant from the Audi 4S store in North China told the reporter: “Whether it is for Audi manufacturers or distributors, spare parts reserve costs will increase substantially.”

He told reporters, "This will occupy the company's cash flow." Taking into account the maintenance time limit, Audi's strategy is to expand the spare parts reserve, even if the less commonly used spare parts also have to reserve one or two copies.

In addition, there is a brand-new rule that makes car companies and dealers have to be forced to "efficient." Every repair time (including the waiting time for repair of spare parts) exceeds 5 days, consumers should be provided with spare cars, or reasonable transportation costs should be compensated. "There is not much money to be paid directly to consumers, but how to pay or how much is to be paid, it is necessary to reformulate standards, establish procedures, and start research again."

Mercedes-Benz took the lead in warranty for three years. Audi's intimidation of Chinese car ownership has broken 100 million. The China Consumers Association announced the acceptance of complaints in 2011. The number of auto product complaints exceeded 16.8 million, and the annual growth rate exceeded 19% and reached a new high.

The most acute response to policy changes is the business. What manufacturers are most worried about is the increase in after-sales costs.

Especially luxury car brands, where the maintenance cost of luxury brands is often several times or even several times that of ordinary cars. Two Rolls-Royce crashes occurred a month ago, with maintenance costs as high as 350,000 yuan and 800,000 yuan respectively.

"The policy will surely come out. We did a cost calculation a few years ago," Audi's internal staff revealed to reporters. At the end of 2011, two brands of luxury cars, Audi and Mercedes, have competed with each other.

At the Guangzhou International Auto Show in November 2011, Mercedes-Benz launched its 125th Anniversary Honored Service Plan. Customers who purchase cars from November 21, 2011 to November 20, 2012 can enjoy a three-year warranty excluding kilometers. Previous BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi three luxury car brands, the vehicle warranty is two years, unlimited kilometers.

In fact, in order to grab the warranty before the introduction of the policy and Mercedes-Benz after the sale, Audi also launched a "preferential claims service" years ago to provide maintenance benefits to customers who regularly visit the Audi 4S store.

In November 2011, Shanxi Jincheng Audi 4S Store opened the "Preferential Claims Season" campaign. Customers who regularly maintain the professional 4S stations within the warranty period can enjoy the benefits of maintenance claims. The reporter learned from multiple verifications that this is not a case.

Audi's 4S stores all said that "loyal customers" can enjoy preferential claims.

The specific content is: If the customer has been in the professional 4S shop normal maintenance, even after a 2 year warranty period, customers will still make concessional claims. For example, if the engine needs to be replaced, the 4S shop will negotiate with the manufacturer. The maximum compensation may be totally lost by the manufacturer. Generally, the manufacturer can also bear 70% of the burden, so as to maintain the loyalty of the customer.

For Audi, the introduction of automobile "Three Guarantees" legislation is not entirely bad.

At present, the warranty period provided by Germany's Audi in various countries is inconsistent, with five years of warranty in the United States and two years in China. The Audi employees mentioned to reporters that if the national law can clearly specify the three-guarantee period for at least three years, the upstream supplier shall bear corresponding responsibilities. The Audi Division may request that the German Audi will extend its warranty period in China to three years.

In this regard, the automotive industry media bluntly told reporters that the three-leaf period itself is the deadline for the product to achieve no problem, the Three Guarantees Act itself is not to claim compensation, in order to avoid problems with the car. If the company can guarantee quality in the production process, there will be no increase in cost.