Domestic brands launch a quality counterattack

Authors | Wang Lianqi, Chai Xuchen

Automobile safety has always been a top priority for consumers when purchasing vehicles. In the past, when it came to car safety, people often thought of international brands like Volvo. However, with the continuous improvement in quality and design of domestic brands, the "new wave" has also begun to occupy this high ground.

Since June of this year, Dongche Di has selected 30 popular new cars currently on the market and spent 6 months conducting a total of 90 tests at the National Automotive Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, including three projects: a 40% overlap frontal collision at 64 km/h, a 70% overlap rear-end collision at 80 km/h, and a 30% overlap truck intrusion collision at 56 km/h.

The test results show that compared to joint venture and overseas brands, Chinese brands have made significant progress in safety.

In frontal and rear-end collisions, several brands such as Aito, Xiaomi, Nio, and ZEEKR achieved excellent results, especially ranking high in terms of body structure, occupant protection, and emergency rescue, with no fire incidents occurring in the power batteries during the tests.

It is worth mentioning that some domestic models even outperformed luxury brands like BBA in the tests.

Among them, in the 70% overlap rear-end collision test at 80 km/h, models such as Aito M7 five-seater, Xiaomi SU7, GAC M8, and ZEEKR 001 all received G/A ratings, a performance that is difficult to achieve in some BBA models.

Additionally, looking back at the test results by price, more than 50% of models priced between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan received G and A ratings, compared to luxury models priced above 500,000 yuan.

This means that compared to imported brands, domestic cars generally offer higher cost performance, making them more attractive to price-sensitive consumers. As the brand image continues to improve, domestic cars are gradually shedding their past low-end image and gaining more recognition from consumers.

From the consumer's perspective, models that prioritize product safety can provide car owners with greater peace of mind, influencing their purchasing decisions. Whether domestic or joint venture cars, they must have a sufficient respect for life and make safety their core pursuit to gain sustained recognition from consumers. Collision tests, as a "mirror," can examine the true nature of car manufacturers, prompting companies to continuously improve safety standards from the user's perspective.

The excellent results achieved by domestic cars in this collision test reflect the continuous progress of domestic brands in technology and quality, demonstrating their capability to compete with foreign luxury cars. With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, domestic cars have also made breakthroughs in battery safety and intelligent driving, further enhancing their market competitiveness.

It can be said that this test reveals the hidden strengths of independent brands to the market. As their penetration rate gradually increases, they are expected to lead the next phase of development in the domestic automotive market, which will be a key opportunity for reshaping the landscape