2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 1010 A Competitive Approach Involving Constant Underhanded Tactics
To this day, no car company dares to disregard Wei Lai's actions.

As the first DHT model, Yuechi still has some concerns about the maturity of its DHT technology. Its brand premium in the new energy vehicle market is weaker than its own Weilai brand and BYD, and it has not yet captured consumers' minds.

In addition, there were some doubts about the initial production capacity ramp-up. As can be seen from the progress of the press conference, Yuechi Auto has not given up on gasoline vehicles and will not give up on gasoline vehicles. Therefore, the production capacity of PHEV models will inevitably be affected.

"It will indeed be affected to some extent, but the production line transformation of the Beicang factory has already been completed. We will arrange an online live broadcast at the Beicang factory soon so that users can intuitively experience the production process of the Galaxy P1."

"It's normal for people to have concerns about the maturity of our DHT technology. But just like with the Yuechi A1 back then, we will improve little by little. We will not let this brand do anything that would let consumers down."

Since joining the company and taking charge of Yuechi Auto, Wang Fengying, who has always kept a low profile, has appeared in front of the camera and accepted media interviews.

In recent years, besides maintaining sales in the gasoline vehicle market and optimizing its production lines, Yuechi Auto has actually focused on developing hybrid vehicles. This has given Wang Fengying a relatively quiet space to concentrate more on the business itself.

From building the Haval series from scratch to taking over the national-level SUV brand Yuechi, Wang Fengying's biggest task after taking office, besides integrating Yuechi's existing resources and improving the supply chain, is to lead the transformation of the Yuechi group.

Unlike in the Great Wall Group, Wang Fengying, though nominally the second-in-command in her later years, had very limited actual authority. Based on the youthful Great Wall Group, she relied more on a younger management team to prepare for the princess's succession.

Just look at the appearance and names of some of the brand models recently launched by Great Wall Motors, and you'll know that according to Great Wall Motors' thinking, it's not really a strategic mistake. The new energy vehicle market is a market for young people, and capturing the minds of young people is what all major car companies are doing.

When Wang Fengying arrived in Weilai, her biggest impression was Tan Jincheng's trust in her. Unlike when she almost handed over power at Great Wall, after taking office, Tan Jincheng put her in charge of the most important supply chain and also entrusted her with the management of the car brand that represented a period of Weilai.

This trust was something she didn't feel at Great Wall later on. Compared to this, the treatment Tan Jincheng gave her was nothing in Wang Fengying's eyes. The business strategy for the Yuechi PHEV model was also set by her.

Unlike other companies that are focusing on developing new users, Galaxy P1 still wants to leverage its existing users. The marketing articles after the launch event started comparing it with the three major telecom operators.

It is well known that long-term users of the three major telecom operators have always been treated worse than dogs. Yuechi's behavior of respecting long-term users, through deliberate comparison and denigration, has immediately improved its image in the minds of long-term users.

Yuechi's marketing strategy was indeed unexpected by its competitors, and it can be described as ingenious.

"First month sales? We don't know yet. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to confirm. Also, there are quite a few new cars on the market in September, so consumers have a lot of models to choose from. The Galaxy P1 is just one of them."

After the press conference, the Galaxy P1 officially opened for blind pre-orders. When asked about the sales figures for the first month, Wang Fengying appeared very low-key.

Even though the integrity of the supply chain has been affected to some extent and many car companies are still in a state of chip shortage, the peak sales season of September and October is still a time when competitors will seize the market despite the many difficulties.

New cars launched in September include BYD's Dolphin, Haval's Mythical Beast, Wey's Macchiato, Geely's Boyue X, Changan's CS55 PLUS, Chery's QQ Ice Cream, and more. Among joint venture brands, there are also new models from Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, and others.

The emerging electric vehicle (EV) sector is also making a lot of moves. Xiaomi's P5, Nezha, and Leapmotor's new cars will all be launched in September. Luxury brands are also launching new models, including both gasoline and new energy vehicles, making the competition quite fierce.

However, the Galaxy P1's user base consists of existing customers. By quickly driving traffic through the existing gasoline car base, the proportion of existing customers replacing their vehicles is at least around 40%, so there is no need to worry about sales in the first month.

In March, the BYD Song PLUS achieved sales of 8000 units in its first month, with orders backlogged for three months, which is enough to prove the market for hybrid vehicles. With its low price, standard L2 configuration, and existing customers switching to the Galaxy P1, blind pre-order data was released on the second day.

20,000 vehicles were sold in 24 hours, of which more than 8000 came from existing customers, meeting the expectations for Galaxy P1.

"The first month's deliveries were around 1.5 vehicles. The Yuechi brand has a pretty good appeal, and we've opened up the market. Now we'll see how it performs in the market, and we must keep up with the follow-up services."

With the announcement of the 24-hour blind pre-orders, the Galaxy P1 has made a name for itself in the market, allowing Yuechi Auto to re-enter the traffic pool of the automotive market and generating heated discussions.

The Galaxy P1's main marketing strategy is to offer a low price, standard L2 features, and trade-in benefits for existing customers. By locking in benefits with a small deposit of 1999 yuan, this deal is quite worthwhile for users who intend to buy or replace their cars.

With 20,000 initial orders, BYD Dolphin ranks among the top three in 24-hour pre-orders this year. The 23,000 initial orders in 24 hours is the best performance this year.

With a starting price of 93,800 yuan and a range of 301 kilometers, the Dolphin directly enters the currently hot A0-class market. It is 10,000 yuan cheaper than its competitor, the ORA Good Cat, and its advantage in BYD batteries directly cuts off the ORA Good Cat's path to success.

Competition in the new energy vehicle market is becoming increasingly fierce. In addition, in terms of marketing, BYD's collaboration with Douyin to launch a skin-changing transformation plan similar to Zhidou Rainbow is one of the most attractive leverage points for young users in the A0-class car market.

The Galaxy P1 achieved very good initial pre-order results, but in the end, it can only be considered mediocre. It should be noted that the Jike 001, with a starting price of 28.1 yuan, also has a starting price of 2.1 units, while new forces like the Xiaopeng P5 have achieved initial pre-order results of over 1.5 units.

While other models had only average initial order figures, they quickly gained attention after their launch. Even gasoline-powered vehicles received a great deal of attention. This year, cities like Guangzhou began to relax restrictions on gasoline-powered vehicles, which indirectly boosted their sales.

"Yes, the initial order results are not unexpected, but we really can't be careless about the subsequent competition. The market for orders between 10 and 20 yuan is really chaotic."

For the first time since joining the company in 2019, Wang Fengying felt the pressure. Ultimately, it was because they were too slow. If the Galaxy P1 could have been launched in the first half of the year, the competition might not have been so fierce.

The vehicles are categorized into three types: gasoline, hybrid, and pure electric. They include both domestic and joint venture brands, such as the Nissan Sylphy, Toyota Corolla, and Volkswagen Lavida from joint ventures. Traditional domestic brands like BYD Qin, Aion series, Changan, Geely, Great Wall, and other competitors also mostly focus on this segment.

Besides these, there's also the Exeed S01, a new blockbuster model released this year. In the new energy vehicle sector, there are four companies gathered in this field: XPeng's P5 has achieved remarkable results, Nezha has two models, and there are also companies like Leapmotor and WM Motor.

Although positioned differently, the Galaxy P1 has dozens of competing models, even competing with its own gasoline-powered vehicles. In order to promote the Galaxy P1, in addition to offering discounts to users, dealers have also made huge concessions.

The profit from selling a Galaxy P1 is double that of selling an A1, in order to motivate dealers to promote the product.

"Haha, Mr. Wang, are you feeling the pressure? This is just the beginning, so we must keep up with the after-sales service."

With the automotive industry now at this stage, there are countless brands on the market. While joint ventures are still selling gasoline cars and living off their past achievements, domestic brands are not only focused on developing new energy vehicles, but also on companies like Geely, Chery, Great Wall, and others.

Geely, in particular, has shown signs of increasing sales volume through its multi-brand strategy. Although the launch of the Galaxy P1 had a significant impact on Geely's stock price, it does not mean that it can damage the foundation of these companies.

The Geely 001 has a starting price of over 280,000 yuan, but it is still popular in the market, which proves that Geely has found a certain pattern in the high-end route. The pure electric platform developed with an investment of 18 billion yuan has also been put into production with the debut of the Geely 001.

The Geely Hybrid is of great strategic significance to Geely. In addition, the modular hybrid platform is almost perfect. In terms of industrial layout, Geely's cooperation with large enterprises such as Baidu and Foxconn is also a highlight.

When gasoline-powered cars suddenly stop selling, Geely will certainly not be the company most severely affected.

"Yes, but in addition to providing good after-sales service, we also need to accelerate our research and development in pure electric vehicles. According to your expectations, next year will be a watershed moment for the gasoline vehicle market. In addition to hybrid vehicles, we also need to have our own pure electric models."

"That's right, next year will be a watershed moment for gasoline-powered cars, and Geely's breakout should also happen next year."

Tan Jincheng is so confident not only because of his current understanding of the industry, but also because of his memories from his previous life, in which the new energy vehicle industry entered a phase of full-scale explosion in 2022.

The rapid rise of BYD and Geely is all due to their technological accumulation. Geely is relatively well-off, having maintained sales in the gasoline vehicle sector for nearly a decade. BYD, on the other hand, has seen its sales soar like a rocket since 2022.

With Wei Lai's involvement, the new energy vehicle boom of 2022 has already begun this year. Whether BYD will continue to see its sales rise like a rocket doesn't know, but as long as the Yuechi series can keep up, Wei Lai's sales will definitely surge.

With a sales target of 150 million vehicles this year, and most companies scaling back their operations under special circumstances, Tan Jincheng's seemingly aggressive strategy is a preparation for next year.

"I'm sorry, boatman, but I can only be the king of new energy in this life."

Wang Fengying smiled as she looked at the spirited "young boss." She never questioned her boss's predictions for future trends. From the initial ten-year agreement with users to the three-year agreement with her personally, and their interactions in daily business dealings, everything had left a deep impression on Wang Fengying. Many peers criticized the boss for not having a professional background, not understanding technology, and liking to use his advantages to pressure others. For example, the recent implementation of Level 2 assisted driving has also received a lot of criticism, with many negative articles appearing online.

Issues such as the safety risks of driver assistance systems, technical controversies, and privacy concerns have erupted in recent days. If we were to say that Tesla became the center of a media storm in the domestic new energy vehicle market in 2021 due to spontaneous combustion and its arrogant attitude, then Tesla's situation is a prime example.

Emerging brands are following closely behind Tesla, but with the popularity of Exeed and the pre-launch hype for the Galaxy P1, and with its brand appeal remaining so strong, it is facing increasing attacks.

This situation began at the end of May, mainly manifested in attacks in the field of intelligent driving. Tan Jincheng knew perfectly well who was behind it.

Since officially entering the automotive business in 2019, Seres has done virtually nothing in the past three years and has not made much of a splash in the market, as evidenced by the sales figures of its Seres Smart Choice models.

But everything changed on May 18th of this year, when Da Zui officially replaced the original person in charge and took full control of the car manufacturing business.

Da Zui's abilities are beyond doubt. In the mobile phone business, Huawei was the only company among ZTE, Huawei, Coolpad, and Lenovo that was not eliminated by the market and continued to thrive, which is basically due to Da Zui's efforts. Putting Da Zui in charge of the automotive business was also a turning point.

But this guy is really annoying. His marketing style and controversial remarks can be seen almost every day. In the field of intelligent driving, he has always claimed to be the industry leader and has said in public many times that if traditional car companies do not embrace China, they will go bankrupt like Nokia.

At the press conference in April, they even claimed that their ADS was a generation ahead of Tesla and Weilai. Currently, in the field of intelligent driving, Tesla's biggest competitors are these two companies, followed by Xiaomi.

This marketing approach of seizing the high ground in public opinion, through high-profile comparisons with major competitors, is the most common tactic in the mobile phone industry. It has to be said that it is indeed very effective. Through this high-profile comparison, Huawei quickly established its presence in the automotive technology field.

There's also the idea of ​​forcing industry cooperation, using the PUA (Pick-Up Artist) theory to compel automakers to accept their proposals, while also testing the market's reaction to pave the way for independent brand operation in the future.

Chrysanthemum has stated publicly on multiple occasions that they do not manufacture cars, but only serve car companies. However, judging from Dazui's various actions, this may not be the case. Or perhaps Dazui himself, like Lei Jun, has a heart set on building cars.

Domestic new energy vehicles are currently a hot topic, and Tan Jincheng himself is very popular. He is often compared to these domestically produced vehicles, which annoys him a lot. The media has been targeting Tan Jincheng for responses on many occasions.

This argument has become increasingly prevalent, especially after Nezha Auto, which became a dark horse in the car market this year, partnered with Chrysanthemum.

If we're talking about the dark horse in this year's car market, it has to be Nezha. The changes at Nezha since Zhang Yong joined the company have been remarkable. From January to August, the cumulative delivery volume exceeded 3.3 vehicles, which is higher than the total sales volume of 1.5 vehicles for the whole of last year.

Nezha's monthly deliveries have increased from 2000 vehicles at the beginning of the year to 6000 vehicles. From a marginal new force, it has developed into a near-first-tier brand. This is the change that Zhang Yong, who joined with a halo, has brought to Nezha.

In terms of product lineup, the Nezha U Pro, launched in April, is priced between 9.98 yuan and 15.98 yuan, making it very suitable for the ride-hailing market and resulting in excellent sales. In addition, there is the Nezha V, whose price has dropped to 5.99 yuan, attracting a lot of attention.

Rising sales have allowed Nezha to establish itself in the mass market. In terms of technological cooperation, Nezha's best-selling U series has enhanced its intelligent connectivity experience by connecting to Huawei's HICar vehicle system. In addition, the intelligent cockpit AI perception system developed in collaboration with SenseTime is also a highlight.

The collaboration between Nezha and Chrysanthemum is not a big deal. There are many companies that cooperate with them, just as there are many companies that cooperate with Weilai in the field of intelligent driving. It doesn't make much difference if there is one more.

But the problem lies with Zhang Yong. As the former CEO of Weilai, after taking office, he did not form a close cooperative relationship with Weilai in terms of technical cooperation. Instead, he cooperated with competitors, which is very interesting.

In addition to collaborating with Chrysanthemum, Nezha also chose CATL instead of Jinshidai for its batteries. In the two rounds of financing in April and July, Nezha introduced 360, CATL and Huading Capital, with a total financing amount of 250 billion yuan.

With billions of yuan in cash in hand and sales on the rise, Nezha Auto has become one of the most noteworthy car companies this year. In terms of brand popularity, Nezha has already made it into the top ten this year.

On several occasions, Da Zui used the collaboration with Nezha in the field of intelligent driving to make sarcastic remarks. Groups on the Internet who disliked Wei Lai and fans of Ju Hua often used Zhang Yong's identity and this point to mock Tan Jincheng.

Tan Jincheng hadn't yet experienced the cutthroat world of the mobile phone industry with Lei Jun, but he had first encountered it with Da Zui. Although Tan Jincheng could ignore them and not want to pay attention to them, being constantly questioned by the media was still very annoying.

“Weilai has its own technology, and Yuechi is one of our brands. We have our own technological accumulation in the field of intelligent driving, and we do not have any plans to cooperate with other companies at the moment.”

On September 1st, at the first delivery ceremony of the Galaxy P1, Tan Jincheng participated in a live broadcast organized by Yuechi Auto at the invitation of Wang Fengying. In the live broadcast room, some of Juhua's fans flooded in and asked Wei Lai if there were any plans to cooperate with Juhua in the field of intelligent driving.

The reason is simple: the initial order results for the Galaxy P1 are out. Blind orders were placed in August, and deliveries officially started in September. This speed is the fastest among all car companies, even surpassing the Exeed S01.

Although the progress was a few months behind schedule, the accumulated production experience and sales of up to 700 million vehicles mean that the Galaxy P1, after completing the production line upgrade, still has top-notch product launch capabilities among domestic automakers.

In this respect, even Weilai Auto cannot compare. Among all Weilai products, Yuechi is the strongest in terms of channel network, after-sales service points, and product launch capabilities.

Yuechi Group is trying to make up for its weakness of being a few months behind in the electrification trend by using this high-efficiency delivery capability, and avoid the public opinion crisis like the large backlog of orders for the BYD Song PLUS series.

Most of the manufacturers that Chrysanthemum collaborates with are traditional manufacturers, such as BAIC, Changan, and Seres, with whom it has in-depth cooperation. After taking office, Dazui fully intervened in the car manufacturing business of these car companies. In July, Chrysanthemum made another breakthrough, with GAC officially signing a cooperation agreement with them.

These companies mainly collaborate with Chrysanthemum on the HI model, which is a full-stack intelligent vehicle solution.

In reality, there are only three companies that have a true full-stack collaboration, but there are many other companies that act as suppliers and sign agreements. For example, in the supply of 5G communication modules, Huawei is also a supplier for BYD and Weilai.

In terms of marketing capabilities and marketing expenditures in the hundreds of billions, Wei Lai simply cannot compete. This leads to the belief among Chrysanthemum's fans that any company rumored to be collaborating with Chrysanthemum is being helped by Chrysanthemum to manufacture cars.

The 5G communication mode on the Galaxy P1 was supplied by Huawei. After the order volume increased, some rumors began to circulate in the market, and it wasn't just the Galaxy P1 that were rumored. After the Dolphin sold well, rumors also circulated that BYD was cooperating with Huawei.

In short, in the eyes of Chrysanthemum fans, cooperating with them is the right thing to do. Most internet celebrity car people like Tan Jincheng are constantly asked questions by fans, as if all car companies need to reach a comprehensive cooperation with Chrysanthemum.

Li Bing was asked this question last month, and this month it's Tan Jincheng's turn.

The barrage of questions in the live stream made Tan Jincheng realize that it was different from what he had seen in the comments section before, and he felt it necessary to make a formal clarification.

"Chrysanthemum is an excellent company and a benchmark for us in the field of technology. As a rising star, Weilai has always aimed to be an excellent company in terms of technology research and development. The HI model is an excellent innovation."

"I understand everyone's feelings, but please respect Weilai's strategic plan. We also have the decision to develop a full-stack system. We are also a first-tier player in the field of intelligent driving, so there is no possibility of cooperating with Huawei in this regard."

"Of course, this does not mean that we have not cooperated with Chrysanthemum. The 5G communication module of our Galaxy P1 is supplied by Chrysanthemum. We have great trust in Chrysanthemum's technology in the field of communication. Here, I would also like to thank Mr. Ren, Mr. Yu and the staff of Chrysanthemum."

The rumors of a full-scale cooperation are completely unfounded. Tan Jincheng knows exactly where they came from. If he doesn't respond directly, the rumors will only become more and more outrageous, and in the end, they will really affect the brand image.

It has to be said that this move is really something. I just wonder what will happen after Lei Jun's car is released.
From its official announcement in March to August, Xiaomi has assembled a car manufacturing team of over 300 people and reached agreements with several core suppliers, including Jinshidai, BYD, and Hesai Technology.

Xiaomi acquired an intelligent driving company and also made a strategic investment in Black Sesame Technologies. In terms of ecosystem collaboration, Xiaomi's mobile phones have also begun to be connected to the vehicle system. Unlike the PPT teams of the first generation of new energy vehicle companies, Xiaomi's progress is very fast.

These two individuals, who have shaken up the mobile phone and technology industries, have indeed brought a different marketing approach to the automotive industry.

Like Li Bing, Tan Jincheng's remarks in the live broadcast room quickly sparked heated discussions across the internet, with a large number of Chrysanthemum fans starting to discuss the matter. This was quite effective in boosting the popularity of Wei Lai and Xinghe P1.

"Heh, let him rub against me, won't I rub against him back?"

However, the increased attacks on Weilai over the past two or three months have made Tan Jincheng realize that relying on Tesla as a major scapegoat seems to be less effective, and Weilai needs to make some changes to its marketing methods.

(End of this chapter)