"I didn't expect it to be so difficult to pick up the car now!" During the May Day holiday, Meng Xuan (a pseudonym), who just needed to buy a car, went around the 4S stores of major automobile brands. When asked about the time of collecting the car, the reply was almost "wait". When he was at a loss, he saw some "quasi new cars" displayed on the e-commerce platform of second-hand cars and planned to start a Highlander. As a result, he found that the hand price was even higher than the official guidance price of new cars.
Taking the "hanlanda 2022 dual engine 2.5L 4WD noble 7-seat" model that Meng Xuan is going to buy as an example, it shows that the mileage is 11000 kilometers and the hand price is 359000 yuan, while the manufacturer's guidance price of this car is 329800 yuan, with a difference of 29200 yuan.
Photo source: screenshot of melon seed used car official website
This is not an example. The reporter of the daily economic news noted that on some used car e-commerce platforms, including tank 300, BMW 5 series and other models, the hand price is higher than the official guidance price, and some are even higher than the landing price. Have used cars become "financial products"?
The price of second-hand cars is nearly 20000 yuan higher than the land price
Under the background that it is difficult to find a car, second-hand car has become Meng Xuan's second choice.
"If you are in the same city, you can generally complete all formalities and pick up the car in about three days." Meng Xuan was excited when he heard the call from the exclusive service consultant on the other end of the phone. A few days ago, the salesperson of the 4S store replied to him, "order the car now and pick it up in about three months." However, the second-hand car price higher than the new car made Meng Xuan hesitate.
On some used car e-commerce platforms, it is common for used cars to be priced higher than the official guidance price. For example, there are "tank 300 2021 off-road version 2.0T Conqueror" models, which show a mileage of 100 kilometers, a hand price of 251800 yuan and a manufacturer's guide price of 213800 yuan, with a difference of 38000 yuan. Compared with the landing price of 232100 yuan, the hand price of this second-hand car is also nearly 20000 yuan higher.
According to the reporter, the price of the tank 300 used car is higher than that of the new car, mainly because the current car collection cycle is long, so it is more popular, which leads to the rise of the price. According to the data tracked by CITIC Securities on the official tank app, the cumulative undelivered orders of 300 tanks are as high as 140000. In addition, affected by the epidemic and other factors, the production of tank 300 was suspended in mid April. At present, the vehicle collection cycle of the terminal is about half a year.
Photo source: photographed by Duan siyao (information picture)
The reporter found that in addition to "quasi new cars" such as the above tank 300, there are long-term popular car models in the used car market such as BMW 5 series and Highlander. At present, the price of used cars is higher than that of new cars.
For example, the "BMW 5 Series 2020 525Li m sports suit" model hung on a used car e-commerce platform shows a mileage of 26000 kilometers and a hand price of 450000 yuan. The official guidance price of this car when it was launched three years ago was 426900 yuan, with a difference of 23100 yuan.
The "wool" of "quasi new car" is not easy to collect
It is difficult to pick up a new car. Second-hand quasi new cars have become a "sweet pastry" in the eyes of second-hand car dealers, second-hand car e-commerce platforms and car buyers.
"As long as it is within one year and within 10000 kilometers, such as BMW 5 series, Audi A6L and some Japanese models in short supply, we will buy back at a price about 10000 yuan higher than the new car price, because these models are in short supply in the market and are relatively easy to sell now." A second-hand car dealer in Beijing said frankly that the acquisition of second-hand quasi new cars is relatively fierce, and such cars are not easy to close now.
The reporter noted that many vehicles hanging out on the used car e-commerce platform have also been labeled as "quasi new car" and "0 transfer". "Within a year, vehicles below 20000 kilometers are 'quasi new vehicles'." On May 6, a customer service staff of melon seed used car told reporters.
People who just need to buy a car like Meng Xuan are also excited when they see the advantages of second-hand quasi new cars, such as "waiting for it" and saving the cost of paying purchase tax. However, the "wool" of second-hand quasi new cars is not easy to collect.
Taking a "Nissan Xuanyi 2022 1.6L XL CVT Yuexiang version" model on the melon seed used car platform as an example, the on hand price is 121700, which is almost the same as the manufacturer's guidance price of 129900 yuan, but the "on hand price" here is not the final price. According to the explanation of the official app of melon seed used car on expenses, "purchase price = on hand price (the price shown on the page) + logistics fee + delivery fee".
Even so, the "second-time new car" with a service life of less than 3 years is still the first choice for car buyers in the current used car market. According to the data released by China Automobile Circulation Association on May 6, in March, the proportion of models with service life within three years in the trading volume of second-hand cars was 31%, an increase of 2.6 percentage points month on month and 8.9 percentage points over the same period last year.
"The trend of the second-hand car market depends on the real market supply and demand. At present, some popular new cars have a long collection cycle and few terminal concessions, so second-hand quasi new cars in good condition are bound to be favored by some consumers." Said the Beijing used car dealer.
The trading volume of used car market is not optimistic
Although there is strong demand in the second-hand and quasi new car terminal market, the whole second-hand car market is still hovering in a continuous downward range.
According to the latest data of China Automobile Circulation Association, the trading volume of the national second-hand car market in March was 1318100, a year-on-year decrease of 15.99%; In the first quarter, the cumulative trading volume of the national second-hand car market was 3.8796 million, a year-on-year decrease of 1.93%.
"Affected by the epidemic, domestic second-hand car business enterprises temporarily suspended business in March, mainly focusing on key markets in Shanghai, Hebei, Shandong, Jilin, Jiangsu and other regions. Although other regions can operate normally, offline customer collection and trading volume are affected, resulting in a year-on-year downward trend in 24 of the country's 31 provinces." Li Xin, director of the Information Department of China Automobile Circulation Association, said.
In the continued downward used car market, new changes are emerging. In the first quarter, SUV models accounted for 30.6% of the trading volume of second-hand new energy vehicles, with a year-on-year increase of 18.01 percentage points; Class B vehicles accounted for 7.8%, with a year-on-year increase of 4.1 percentage points. In addition, the trading volume of class a vehicles, MPV models, class C and A0 used new energy vehicles also increased slightly compared with the same period last year.
A car dealer who has been engaged in the used car business for nearly 10 years said: "popular new energy models such as Tesla's model 3 and model y sell quickly. The most exaggerated one is sold at noon before it can be picked up in the morning. The speed is similar to the 'sharp goods' in fuel vehicles."
According to Li Xin, "dealers who operate used new energy vehicles sell all models that are profitable, and the overall gross profit margin is about 5 points higher than that of ordinary traditional fuel vehicles."
At present, the national second-hand car trading volume in April and may is still not optimistic. By monitoring the market trend in the first three weeks of April, China Automobile Circulation Association found that both the passenger flow and trading volume of the market had a significant correction compared with the same period last year. It is expected that the overall trading scale of second-hand cars in April will decline by more than 15% year-on-year, and the trading volume will be 1.26 million ~ 1.28 million vehicles.
For the judgment of the domestic used car market in May, Li Xin said: "at present, there is no obvious upward momentum, and further observation is needed."