023 was a highly turbulent year for the Chinese auto market, which saw it engulfed in a vicious circle – a “rat race” with no end in sight and price wars as the weapons of choice.
In the following insight report, we want to explore this rat race in greater detail and provide an outlook for 2024, including the challenges that lie ahead as well as the focal points of foreign OEMs in the highly complex Chinese market.
“卷” or the involution of the Chinese auto market Overall performance
The term “卷” (spelled “Juǎn” in Chinese Pinyin) was undoubtedly the prevailing expression in the Chinese automotive market in 2023. It is understood to mean “involution” or “rat race,” depicting a scenario in which all market participants are entangled in an intense battle for market share with no foreseeable conclusion.
And that exactly describes the Chinese auto market with the emergence of a price war as the ultimate solution, while favorable governmental subsidies are on the way out – a vicious circle.
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Dr. Jan Burgard (1973) is CEO of Berylls Group, an international group of companies providing professional services to the automotive industry.
His responsibilities include accelerating the transformation of luxury and premium OEMs, with a particular focus on digitalization, big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence. Dr. Jan Burgard is also responsible for the implementation of digital products at Berylls and is a proven expert for the Chinese market.
Dr. Jan Burgard started his career at the investment bank MAN GROUP in New York. He developed a passion for the automotive industry during stopovers at an American consultancy and as manager at a German premium manufacturer. In October 2011, he became a founding partner of Berylls Strategy Advisors. The top management consultancy was the origin of today’s Group and continues to be the professional nucleus of the Group.
After studying business administration and economics, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on virtual product development in the automotive industry.
Willy Lu Wang (1981) joined Berylls Strategy Advisors in 2017. He started his career participating in the graduate program of Audi focusing on production planning. After stations at another strategy consultancy as well as being the strategy director for a German Tier-1 supplier, he is now responsible for the China business at Berylls.
He has a broad consulting focus working for all clients in China, whether they are JVs, WOFEs or pure local players. He is also responsible for the development of AI and Big Data products dedicated towards the Chinese market further strengthening the Berylls End-to-End strategy and product development capabilities.
Wang studied Electronics & Information Technology with focus on Systems and Software Engineering and Control Theory at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.