It’s not news that Azera is launching a new sub-brand, but what’s surprising is that Azera is not just preparing to launch a new brand! In recent news, it has been reported by relevant media that Azera is planning to launch a third car brand to cover the low to mid-range market below 200,000 RMB. The brand is understood to be independently operated, with a separate head and R&D system, and a core team is currently being recruited.
The source further revealed that the price range of the third brand is mainly in the range of 100,000-200,000 yuan, focusing on civilianization.
It is worth noting that, according to previous news, the second internal code name planned by Azure is Alps (ALPS), with former WeWork head Ai Tie Cheng joining in charge.
Early on the Alps was planned to be positioned at $150,000-$300,000, but during Azera’s earnings call in the first quarter of this year, Azera Chairman and CEO Li Bin finally announced that the Alps would be priced between $200,000 and $300,000, with mass production in 2024.
As of now, the Azera brand will have three main matrices, somewhat like the Toyota Group’s “Lexus, Toyota and Suzuki”, so the newly revealed third brand is the Azera “Suzuki”.
According to Azera’s sources, with the launch of the brand matrix, the company is also sorting out its R&D resources internally. Some technologies will be platform-based, such as electric power and ADAS, but different brands will also need their own R&D systems, as well as independent channels and service systems.
