Wei Jianjun Criticizes Intense Competition in New Car Launch Events

[Market Watch] Great Wall Motor's Wei Jianjun openly criticized the severe homogenization and excessive costs of new car launch events, calling them a waste of resources and energy.

Key Trend: Average of 3.6 New Cars Launched Daily Fuels 'Launch Inflation'

On July 23, Great Wall Motor founder Wei Jianjun posted a critique of the current industry situation: in the first half of this year, there were on average 2–3 launch events per day, with a total of 542 new car models introduced from January to May—far exceeding the 43 new smartphone models launched during the same period. Automakers are clustering their launches; on July 16 alone, 8 automakers held events, 6 of which were for new model debuts.

Industry Impact: Consumer Patience Wearing Thin, Hype Rarely Lasts Beyond Three Months

Multiple executives have voiced concerns: Li Xiang noted declining information density, while He Zhiqi revealed that R&D investment for a single model exceeds RMB 1 billion, with development cycles lasting up to two years—yet market buzz typically fades within three months. Industry analysts add that 80% of these new cars are merely minor updates or color variants, with genuine innovation scarce, exacerbating resource waste and consumer fatigue.