Lei Jun Launches Vote on Xiaomi YU7 Standard Edition Renaming, and Idealogical Path Converges with Ideal's Move to Unify i8 Models
On August 11th, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun posted a statement on social media platforms saying that the YU7 standard edition configuration is extremely powerful, with a battery life of up to 835 kilometers, surpassing competitors' "Pro" or "Max" versions, and not at all a "downgraded" version. He then sought opinions from netizens: should Xiaomi rename its YU7 standard edition to "Pro" or "Max"?
Image source: Weibo screenshot
Peng Rui, a brand expert and co-founder of Shēng Broadcasting, told reporters from the Every Day Economic News on August 12th that Lei Jun's solo post seeking opinions on renaming the YU7 standard edition was in essence to make explicit the cognition conflict between "standard" and "downgraded".
The move is reminiscent of Ideal Automobile's decision to unify its i8 models, announced on August 5th, with all configurations standardized as top-grade versions, priced at 33.98 million yuan.
Peng Rui told reporters that compared to the traditional B2B mindset of "using configuration gradients to reap profits", both Xiaomi and Ideal Automobile have shown a respect for users' brand thinking – one using "participation" to eliminate the concept of "downgraded", and the other using "deduction" to eliminate difficulties in choosing, ultimately allowing brands to become users' default options.
Borrowing User Voting Power to Convey Pricing Logic
The origin of this event lies with a car enthusiast "Uncle Talk" on Weibo, who posted: "Xiaomi YU7 standard edition has been released! The whole internet is rare for a non-Max 'downgraded' version."
Lei Jun re-posted this message and responded with the above statement, simultaneously launching an online vote to seek opinions from netizens. As of August 12th at 5 pm, over 24,000 people had participated in the vote, with 17,000 supporting renaming the standard edition as "Pro" or "Max", and nearly 7,000 opposing.
It is known that compared to the sports car SU7 positioned by Xiaomi, YU7 is a high-performance luxury SUV, divided into three levels: standard, Pro, and Max, priced at 25.35 million yuan, 27.99 million yuan, and 32.99 million yuan respectively.
Lei Jun launched the vote on renaming Xiaomi YU7's standard edition, which behind-the-scenes involves what kind of brand logic?
Peng Rui believes that Lei Jun's solo post seeking opinions is in essence to make explicit the cognition conflict between "standard" and "downgraded", using user voting power to convey pricing logic – in an era where most auto brands tend to follow suit with naming conventions, Xiaomi still sticks to its standard naming system.
"Seeking opinions is just a gentle, friendly phrase; the core intention is to reposition the 'price-value' anchor and let the market reassess Xiaomi's pricing sincerity." He said.
Respecting Users, Making Brands Default Options
Surrounding the new car models from different manufacturers is not just a one-off incident with Xiaomi.
On August 5th, Ideal Automobile announced that it would unify its i8 model configurations, canceling multiple versions and standardizing all to i8 Max, priced at 33.98 million yuan, while user feedback and suggestions were fully implemented.
"Ideal i8 will only have one version, no longer Pro, Max, or Ultra – aligning with Ideal's 'ONE' value definition, listen to everyone!" said Li Xiang, chairman of Ideal Automobile on Weibo.
Prior to this, Ideal i8 was divided into three versions: Pro, Max, and Ultra, priced at 32.18 million yuan, 34.98 million yuan, and 36.98 million yuan respectively.
Peng Rui believes that Ideal Automobile's move embodies a "user value-oriented" brand logic – removing complex decision-making costs from users, replacing uncertainty with trust, and finally allowing brands to become users' default options.
The Anchoring Point of Naming Will Shift Approximately Every Ten Years
Reporters observed that in recent years, new energy vehicles have been borrowing naming conventions from electronic products, fondly using Pro, Max, and Ultra suffixes.
Professor Jing Fengjie of the School of Management at East China University of Science and Technology, CEO of the Chinese Higher Education Institutions Market Research Association, said in a previous interview with the Every Day Economic News that some new energy vehicle brands' naming strategies lack consumer attention to driving control and passenger experience elements, such as traditional car companies' "RS" (Renn sport, meaning "racing") and "GT" (Grand Tourer, meaning "luxury touring car", now generic for high-performance sports cars).
Peng Rui believes that this phenomenon reflects two points of present reality: one is that Chinese brands' imagination has not yet jumped out of the frameworks set by Western tech giants; and another is that Apple's (US AAPL) high premium pricing has made its naming conventions the default industry standard. China's new energy vehicle and smartphone industries have directly adopted this system, only extending it on Pro and Max basis to avoid re-cultivating users' costs.
At the same time, Peng Rui told reporters that this naming convention will continue for a while: "The overall trend is that Chinese brands are increasingly emphasizing branding from China's cultural, local cultural direction – but in the short term, it is difficult to shake off existing naming conventions. Brand naming systems are rooted in unique culture and values; once the foundation weakens, companies will abandon old habits and adopt new ones. Naming follows trends, won't stop, only shifting anchoring points approximately every ten years."
Every Day Economic News