On December 18, 2010, C & C Trucks joined hands with Y & C Engine for the brand release and product launch ceremony. At the ceremony, C & C released the high-end flagship tractor U460 and delivered it to the owner. So far, through over three years of elaborate preparation, customized, intelligent and high-efficiency C & C trucks have sounded the bugle for the market. As a core strategic partner of C & C, Y & C released its world-class engine brand-6K12 engine simultaneously.

As a new force in the heavy truck industry, the launch of C & C trucks witnessed the rise of the independent innovation forces of heavy trucks. On the ceremony day, the assembly shop of the Y & C truck plant in Wuhu, Anhui was immersed in a joy and ceremonious atmosphere. On the scene, as C & C Chairman Yin Tongyue, C & C Vice Chairman Li Yinhui, as well as leaders of Anhui and Wuhu lightened the logos of C & C and Y & C, the atmosphere culminated.

Logos of C & C and Y & C

At 11 a.m., C & C flagship model U460 ran off the assembly line slowly, kicking off the models launch at a price of RMB 688,000. More than 1,000 attendees witnessed the brilliant moment, including leaders at all levels, distributors at all levels, truck service providers, refitting plants, automotive financial institutions, core parts suppliers, customer representatives, as well as media and staff representatives.

From product sale to integrated solutions

After withstanding a lot of hardships and tests, C & C eventually marched towards the market and approached users in a mature manner on December 18. According to the plan, C & C will introduce 21 model and over 600 pedigrees to the market in 2011, which will cover fields such as traction, freight, engineering and special purposes and be priced from RMB 180,000 to RMB 800,000, to fully meet the demands of different consumers.

Take products for example, U460, launched this time, involves the world-class cab, engine up to the mass production standards of Europe in 2012, AMT transmission and large-torque axle. The frame is in section design and made of high-strength board, uses single-layer crossbeams, and is up to world standards in overall strength and rigidity. Besides, intelligent, functional and high-safety European heavy truck equipment is integrated into U460, making it parallel with the mainstream heavy trucks of the world.

In C & Cs blueprint, a single high-caliber product is far from enough in order to occupy the commanding height of the Chinese heavy truck market in the future. Thus, offering customers new integrated solutions at an industry level became the foothold of C & C.

In design, C & C relied on the professional advantages of China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd., came up with the concept of integrated design, designed and developed truck chasses and compartments synchronously, accomplished the seamless linking of trucks and the optimal matching of overall performance, avoided chassis change and damage in truck refitting, ensured chassis specialization, boosted product reliability, optimized overall performance, and reduced refitting cost and cycle.

In service, C & D broke away from the traditional mode of marketing service, placed services before marketing, and drove marketing through services and manufacture through marketing. The virtuous cycle not only enable C & C to grow freely, but also conform to the future trend of the commercial vehicle industry.

Through integrated design, the gold industry chain and integrated services, C & C has worked out a solution integrating products, marketing with services to support the high-end independent brand.

From technical simulation to platform upgrading

The domestic heavy truck industry has traveled a long way of reverse development from entire imitation, technology introduction, digestion to assimilation. To date, the mainstream products in the domestic heavy truck market have remained based on Styer technical platform. In the face of the increasingly improved logistics and market environment, customer demands for high-end heavy trucks have become more and more robust.

As the famous Chinese saying goes, Times produce heroes. With the fast growth of the auto industry in the recent decade, a great number of vehicle and parts manufacturers mastering core technology have emerged, laying a solid foundation for the independent R & D and innovation of vehicles, making it possible to independently build world-class heavy trucks. Also, the prosperity of the heavy truck market in recent years has created a favorable condition for the rise of independent high-end heavy trucks.

C & C truck launch ceremony

In such a context, C & C opened up a new road. It upheld the concept of technology creates future, stuck to innovation, based manufacture on market demands and customer experience, introduced technologies for digestion, assimilation and self innovation, took into account the actuality of the Chinese market, and developed an intelligent and high-efficiency new UE platform by integrating the most competitive elements of power in the heavy truck industry, relying on the industry advantages and resources of all sides and blending in the most advanced heavy truck technology in Europe. Particularly, C & C built a complete heavy truck industry chain based on the platform: the cozy and intelligent cab, high-performance engine up to the mass production standards of Europe in 2012, quality gear transmission including AMT and large-torque drive axle. These assembly units built the independent and high-end competitiveness of C & C through advanced technology accumulation.

The performance of the UE platform can completely cover the existing heavy truck line in the market, and the more flexible equipping capacity gives it a unique competitive edge in the special vehicle area and heavy truck market. The strong performance of the platform not only gives the market a new choice, but also offers a spacious space of imagination to the future of C & C.

From price marketing to value marketing

This time, C & C broke the convention of winning the market through low pricing at a selling price of RMB 688,000, renovating the brand value of independent heavy trucks. It not only displayed C & Cs full confidence in its products, but also changed marketing ideas.

For Tu Xiaoyue, general manager of C & C Marketing Service Co., Ltd., the prices of C & C trucks include not only product value, but also after-sale services and the reflection of the brand value of C & C in the prices of future used cars. C & C truck marketing has been elevated from the price level to the value level.

According to the plan, C & C will develop 330 service providers nationwide in the future, of which 220 have contracted. With the inclusion of the franchised service outlets, its services have basically covered all areas apart from Taiwan. Remarkably, C & C plans to establish 100 directly integrated service stations nationwide, which will offer a series of repair services covering vehicle, compartment assembling, engine, transmission and axle, and provide timely and fast solutions to vehicle problems. This differs vastly from the current service mode of respective responsibility in the market, and boosts service efficiency and satisfaction.

Besides, the integrated services of C & C stressed the capacity for field services and were offered on the spot. The concept of voluntary services targets the weakness of the current heavy truck services. According to the source, C & C grants the domestic highest warranty period of 30 months plus 360,000 kilometers. Besides, it will introduce life cycle services and an optional service pack of 36 months plus 360,000 kilometers (Service 360).

Besides, C & C emphasized building the service supervision system to offer customers quality services and enhance customer satisfaction. Thinking whatever customers think and doing whatever can satisfy customers is what C & Cs decision makers talk about most as well as the core of C & Cs future service strategy. For this reason, C & C established its service brand-Super Service, and fulfilled service policies through the service commitment of C & C helps you all the way.

To lower purchase thresholds, C & C has also introduced a full set of perfect financial support plans. It lowered purchase thresholds and eased operating pressure by reducing down payments and monthly installments, and offered linking services through linked companies in some areas to establish a pioneering platform. Through the innovation in marketing mode, C & C hopes to change the mode of earning by heavy truck selling and after-sale services in conventional heavy truck sales, but combined customers and enterprises into a community of interest, thus helping customers start business and filling the market gap of RMB 450,000 to RMB 700,000 between homemade heavy trucks and import ones.

It is generally accepted in the industry that the launch of C & C trucks is no accident, but represents the rise of high-end heavy truck strength suiting Chinese national conditions, initiating the globalization of Chinese heavy trucks. Upon the strength of the innovative mode and strong platform competitiveness, the launch will pose a new challenge to the competitive layout of the heavy truck market in the future.

(Li Wen)