Gasgoo Munich- On May 29, at the Future Mobility Pioneer Conference, Xu Jun, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co., Ltd., argued that the current obsession with stacking specs has led to market homogeneity and a weak consumer experience. For instance, boosting driving range is rarely a necessity in real-world scenarios.
In his view, specs are merely table stakes. The real battle is won by meeting user needs and creating value — a metric that requires rethinking the definition of success.
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User needs currently fall into three categories: undiscovered, defined but unmet, and oversupplied. Automakers should guide consumers toward the undiscovered, satisfy the defined, and avoid over-delivering on the rest.
Meanwhile, the auto market suffers from oversaturation. Just as smartphone users ignore at least 50% of features, drivers face a similar glut. What consumers actually want is a mobility solution that is fast, high-quality, and cost-effective. The optimal path for today’s automakers lies in meeting needs precisely — no more, no less.
Xu Jun noted that while consumers won’t buy without a price war, companies must keep innovating to cut costs. Balancing consumer demand with production economics is essential to turning a profit.
