After various crises, tests, policies and adjustments, China’s overall domestic automobile production and sales in 2012 became more and more sensible, the domesitc auto market has entered an era of “micro growth”. In such an industrial environment, Zhengzhou Nissan, which has long been devoted to the double brand route and started to construct the new marketing pattern of “staple + public” in 2009, achieved an increase in CDV market segment occupancy from 28% in 2010 to 46% in 2012 with the introduction of CDV Succe, NV200.

Adhere to double brand route, strive to develop national self-owned brand

It is known that Zhengzhou Nissan is the first auto enterprise bringing forward and actualizing the double brand strategy among joint ventures in China. As early as Zhengzhou Nissans joining in Dongfeng system in 2004, it put forward the strategy that Nissan and Dongfeng advanced side by side, and introduced Rich, a completely self-developed and self-owned car of Dongfeng in 2005. The two brands have since developed harmonically with Zhengzhou Nissan and have complemented each other very well. For Zhengzhou Nissan, how to realize the double brand strategy? What are its features and advantages?  

The author gained insight that Zhengzhou Nissan positively absorbs advanced technology, production experience and management system from Nissan and introduces them into Dongfeng self-owned brand, expands the advantages of local resources, strives to develop Succe, Rich and other “cars for people’s livelihood” that can actually help consumers in their production and life, and promotes the ability of sustainable development of the enterprise. Since its founding nearly 20 years ago, Zhengzhou Nissan has been insisting on learning, absorbing and digesting advanced technology and management concepts during the joint venture process, gradually making continuous changes in R&D, production, sales, after-service and other stages to form updated value chain systems. The quality and reputation of Dongfeng brand of Zhengzhou Nissan have been continually improved driven by this double brand strategy. By adhereing to double brand advanced quality for several years and with its unique marketing pattern and experience, Zhengzhou Nissan has been positioned as “Global LCV production base of Nissan” by Nissan, and NV200 has won “The best control prize for global factory management level” for Zhengzhou Nissan. At the same time, in the medium-term business plan of large self-owned brands of Dongfeng Group, Zhengzhou Nissan has become the core strategy unit of Dongfeng Group alongside Fengshen and Fengxing. It was reported the sales of Dongfeng brands accounted for 63% of the total sales of Zhengzhou Nissan in 2012. Besides domestic market, the double brand effect has been gradually reflected in markets abroad, the overseas sales of Zhengzhou Nissan in 2012 reached the anticipated sales object of 8000 in advance with an increase nearly 30% in sales year-on-year, highlighting the importance of Zhengzhou Nissan in export trade of global light commercial vehicles of Nissan, Dongfeng. We have every reason to believe that Zhengzhou Nissan will, along with the confirmation of the global LCV base of Nissan and the large self-owned strategy position of Dongfeng, become the well-derserved leader in Chinas LCV industry.

With inner improvement and outer refinement, trust is always there

Alongside adhering to the double brand strategy, Zhengzhou Nissan has never forgotten to accelerate inner reform, reinforce marketing network construction both at home and abroad, and is getting ready for new challenges.

With respect to factory reform and capacity construction, Zhongmou Factory has won the fastest progress award in comprehensive production efficiency of overseas factories of Nissan. Morever, the new paint shop of Zhengzhou Nissan designed and built in accordance with Nissan standards was brought into production this year, indicating that Zhongmou Factory is stepping into a new stage with the promotion of 180,000 in production capacity.

The dealer network of Zhengzhou Nissan has been running for more than ten years, and always has been seeking for common development without abandonment. In 2012, with successively putting into operation of new quality 4S stores such as Shenzhen Huacang and other dealers of Zhengzhou Nissan, the dealer network of Zhengzhou Nissan is being completed, fully showing its enterprise brand image through excellent end service networks. By upgrading the store in the very period of depressed auto market and worrying income of nation-wide dealers, the dealers have fully showed a consistent trust in Zhengzhou Nissan, an in-depth identity in the enterprise’s concept of “Trust, accompany and achieve” and a strong confidence in the future development of the enterprise.

In 2012, Zhengzhou Nissan took the improvement of “the profit ability of dealers” as an important task, summed up and popularized the “four modernizations” featuring of Zhengzhou Nissan, helped the dealers absorb the public clients, and further perfected the unique “staple + public”LCV new marketing pattern fitting for the development of Zhengzhou Nissan.

Partners of consumers, undertakers of social responsibility

Zhengzhou Nissan is always contributing to provide more value-added services for consumers, and offering considerate services for users through the car-owners’ club, including four-season maintenance, car-owners’  meeting, merchant union and other activities for car-owners, which help the car-owners solve vehicle problems, actual living problems and business development problems, highlighting the “partner”image to the consumers.

The sense of ability is the growth source of development of an enterprise. In 2012, Zhengzhou Nissan devoted itself to public service, continually assisted college students with financial difficulties, orphans, disabled children and other disadvantaged groups by giving priority to the classic activity of “hand-in-hand project”, helping them grow up healthily. Up to 2011, Zhengzhou Nissan had invested capital of 7,280,000 in the hand-in-hand project, assisted nearly 3000 college students with financial difficulties. It also summoned its employees, car-owners and public activists from all sectors of the community to donate books and clothes to help poor students by the blog platform of “public service partners of Zhengzhou Nissan”, creating good public service atmosphere.

In addition, as an auto enterprise shouldering social responsibility, Zhengzhou Nissan put forward the concept of going out based on difference and contributed to introduce the barrier-free vehicle refitted by CDV vehicles to market, not aiming to making profit, but to gain much attention to the growing disabled groups from the society and the public, and to provide provide barrier-free going-out solutions. By feeding the society and sending love via various means and different channels, Zhengzhou Nissan has been striving to be a social partner that positively make suggestions for social development and delivers warm to disadvantaged groups, and a car-owners’ partner paying attention to the actual interests of car-owners.

In 2012, the auto industry was full of undercurrents and continual seeking for breakthroughs, Zhengzhou Nissan made great efforts to strengthen the construction of Dongfeng self-owned brands by successive digestion and understanding based on the double brand. In 2013, it is the 20^th anniversary of Zhengzhou Nissan, and the 10^th year since the launch of classic SUV paladine, Zhengzhou Nissan shall, from cost to commidity, from factory to market, from enterprise culture to customer concept, persevere in full value, be practical, focus on intensive work and continually seek for providing the clients with greater value.