On June 6, the 212 off-road vehicle brand held a launch event in Huairou, Beijing, marking the upgrade of “212” from a model name to an independent brand, with its first model also unveiled. The long-dormant brand unexpectedly sparked a huge market response, joining the ranks of boxy SUVs as the oldest off-road vehicle brand in China. According to the general manager of 212, Lu Yunran, “212 is not a rebirth, 212 has never left.” It is the “IP with special significance in the Chinese off-road vehicle market – 212.” This is the first major appearance after the change in ownership of “Beijing Automobile Manufacturing Factory” company, and also the first time for Lu Yunran, the general manager of 212 off-road vehicle company, to face the media. Let’s listen to this young leader’s “Ten Questions and Answers” about the “212” brand.
陆云然: Hello everyone, I’m Lu Yunran, currently the general manager of 212 Off-Road Vehicles Limited, responsible for defining and promoting the 212 brand worldwide. My team helps me with this work. Regarding the development of 212, what specific measures do you plan to take, and how do you tell the story of Chinese car brands? Lu Yunran: Firstly, the foundation of the automotive industry is the product. Products are a key focus for 212. With the development of the Chinese supply chain and new energy technologies, domestic companies have the opportunity to define cars technologically. This forms the basis for us to tell the 212 brand story to the world. Additionally, off-road vehicles are not just about technological competition, culture is crucial. The 212 brand has a long history with many stories, forming the foundation of off-road culture. We have many areas to develop the 212 off-road vehicle brand. In the future, 212 cannot be separated from off-road, but it goes beyond that. Key words to describe it include responsibility, inheritance, exploration, and breakthrough. Firstly, responsibility. 212 has shouldered important responsibilities in the development of New China, a mission and an honor. Secondly, inheritance. 212 is a shared memory for several generations of Chinese. Its classic inheritance has extraordinary significance for Chinese cars. Its emotions, quality, reliability, and off-road spirit will continue to be important elements in telling the brand story. Thirdly, exploration. Exploration is a spirit and a creation, constantly moving forward and seeking the unknown. Bold innovation, breaking boundaries, and discovering more possibilities. Fourthly, breakthrough. Breakthrough is the goal of exploration, challenging critical points and boundaries. The breakthrough spirit of each era is different. 212 brand will continue to explore, innovate boldly, and dare to break through. As new stories are discovered and created, we will focus on the full expression of the four keywords of off-road culture and spirit. Current sales targets and market size expectations. Lu Yunran: 212 brand’s short-term focus is on user experience and product value, meeting user needs, especially in product quality control. Sales are a result of brand sincerity and satisfying products that impress consumers. Sales are based on user trust and product quality control. This requires rhythmic planning, which is our current short- to medium-term task and goal. Why did 212 choose to return at this time? Lu Yunran: 212 is not “reborn.” 212 has never left. There was no specific reason for choosing this time to return, it’s just that our product, technology, and team capabilities were ready at this point, so we chose this time to meet everyone in a grand way. For this new car, it has been officially prepared since 2020, and until the end of this year, the first product of this platform is still being polished. As I said at the press conference, we focus on three things: first, focusing on building product strength and delivering satisfactory products to users; next, focusing on increasing user value and brand assets. We believe that only in this way can the 212 brand be passed down healthily and permanently. After the brand became independent, what specific plans are there for brand building and product line development? Lu Yunran: Our brand’s visual design is very youthful and the storytelling of the brand story is more acceptable to modern users. This breakthrough is important because only with this new way of expression can new culture be born, followed by new products. Our team’s culture is also quite innovative, taking on our historical responsibility and making significant innovations on the basis of classic models. In terms of models, we don’t just pursue different sizes of models, but diversify products based on the real needs of different off-road scenarios. Our first product, the all-new 212, is developed based on the WY professional off-road platform. We will continue to develop three-door models, pickup models, and off-road vehicle platforms based on new energy technologies on this platform. Many brands are paying tribute to 212 now, what do you think of other brands paying tribute to us? Lu Yunran: This once again proves that classics have strong appeal, and everyone has strong feelings for 212. It naturally attracts attention, so many brands are keen to pay tribute to classics. This is understandable. We are also very happy to see this happen. Emotions are not empty. Through our today’s press conference and products, you can feel the historical heritage, which has real significance and will drive product development and storytelling of the brand. For 212, the best way to inherit classics is to do well, make good products, tell good stories, stay focused, persist in innovation, and continue this focus and innovation for a long time, which is what we call “long-termism.” We are willing to work together with more Chinese brands that share strong consensus with us, break through together, and take Chinese off-road to a higher stage.
What are the technical features and advantages of the 212? Liu Yunran: Regarding the technical aspects of the product, the WY platform is China’s first platform based on non-load-bearing body, front and rear multi-link integral axle technology to create a new energy and traditional fuel-powered compatible platform. This platform actually has many technical highlights to explore, and still needs to be tested in extreme scenarios. All our test environments far exceed national standards, for example, the standard for ordinary passenger cars is an environmental temperature of plus or minus 35 degrees Celsius, while we test at plus or minus 45 degrees Celsius, including overseas, such as the Middle East have been tested. These small accumulations are based on scenarios, slowly discovered during the driving process. In future press conferences, we will analyze the detailed technology one by one, and will definitely bring many surprises to everyone. Will the 212 sniper continue to be offered as the lowest configuration model for use in western and mountainous areas of China? Liu Yunran: Our current very clear strategy is to reshape our classic cars, and the sniper uses a military vehicle platform, combined with the appearance of the 212, it is indeed a high-value-for-money traditional fuel manual off-road vehicle. This car belongs to our classic car series, and we will continue to build classic cars. If we don’t persist, then the public will slowly stop paying attention. We hope that decades later, we can still see products from 60 years ago, 100 years ago, which is truly a miracle, like vintage cars abroad. So we will keep the classic series, but not necessarily in a sniper-like way as in our southwestern region. We will have new products to meet the market. In this market, with accumulated experience in the tool market, as long as the product is good enough, word of mouth is easy to establish, so it has more brand-building value. How does the 212 brand go international? Lan Yunran: In the past few years and in the future, 212 has accumulated the corresponding technological platform, products, and channels for cooperation. We will explore and understand the different situations in each region, meet the needs of users in each region through products, and make it a universal and understandable off-road vehicle story that can be shared worldwide. I also believe that off-road vehicles and users worldwide are eager for innovation and exploration. I think we have the opportunity to tell this story well. When will the new 212 be launched? Lan Yunran: There will definitely be a notice for our launch event later this year, and we will definitely communicate with everyone. What will be the price range for the new 212? Lan Yunran: First of all, the pricing of off-road vehicles worldwide is different from conventional vehicles. The pricing of off-road vehicles internationally varies greatly based on different technological scenarios. The 212 will probably be priced in this way, rather than traditionally based on configuration. Secondly, we will also use product strength, product reputation, and brand value as references for pricing.