2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 690 A Show? We're Serious!

"Xiao Tan has an extraordinary amount of business acumen."

Zhang Xupeng and Nie Ruoxi didn't go downstairs; they stayed upstairs with Gu Qingqing. They had just been talking about how the two of them might not be able to run a shop together.

But with these fancy promotional methods, wouldn't opening a store be no problem at all?
"President Tan's marketing model has always been sought after by the market. He truly deserves to be the person who can make marketing events into university textbooks. I'm really benefiting from this today."

Nie Ruoxi helped Gu Qingqing up, smiling happily.

Zhang Xupeng nodded in agreement. This move did indeed benefit their 4S store a lot. The manufacturer's boss personally delivering the cars was such a prestigious thing.

Taking a picture and sending it to my friends is something I can really brag about.

For Tan Jincheng, there was no cost involved; the 4S store prepared all the contracts and paperwork, and he only needed to participate in the car delivery ceremony.

Gu Qingqing stared at the delivery area below: "Actually, he had done this kind of thing years ago. I don't know if you remember that year at the Shanghai Auto Show, Xiao Tan had Liu Yifei sell electric cars at the booth for an entire afternoon?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xupeng remembered: "Haha, that's really the kid's style. He really doesn't care about saving face when it comes to making money."

He had heard about how he had tricked Liu Yifei into becoming his salesperson. On the day of the event, the exhibition area was packed with people, and a lot of electric vehicles were sold.

"What's going on?"

Nie Ruoxi asked Zhang Xupeng with some curiosity, as she was unaware of this matter.

In terms of marketing, Tan Jincheng is most known for refunding the first batch of electric vehicle users. In addition, the spokesperson hired by Flash Technology is much more reliable compared to other electric vehicle manufacturers.

"Oh, this story goes back a few years. Back then, Xiao Tan took Liu Yifei to the booth of Shanchi Technology's new station. The original plan was just to stand on the platform, take photos, and so on, but somehow Xiao Tan tricked her into selling electric bikes all afternoon."

None of them knew the specific details of the matter. Tan Jincheng didn't mention it much, and Liu Yifei was also embarrassed to talk about it. After all, as a celebrity, it was indeed a bit embarrassing to be tricked into working as a salesperson for an afternoon.

Gu Qingqing learned about this by chance during a casual chat with Liu Yifei; before that, she had always thought it was part of a business contract.

"That's about it. This wasn't originally on the itinerary."

Wei Lai was able to obtain the latest sales data from other manufacturers through the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, and other manufacturers were also able to obtain Yuechi's sales data. The reactions to the sales data of Yuechi A1 varied among the manufacturers.

2009年度，悦驰A1实际销售的时间仅仅只有74天，平均每天能够卖出263.5辆，而这还是建立在尉来仅仅只有300家4S店的前提之下。

A completely new brand with no market foundation, the Yuechi A1 was able to sell an average of 0.87 vehicles per day across 300 4S stores. What's even more remarkable is that in December, when sales of leading brands were declining, the Yuechi A12 was still able to maintain this average rate.

It's hard to imagine what the Yuechi A1 will be like once brand awareness increases and the market matures.

"Another brand with annual sales of 100,000 units. No wonder Mr. Zhang from Weilai dared to announce that their sales next year will be 120,000 units. They're aiming to sell 10,000 units per month."

The urban SUV market was pioneered by the Honda CR-V, but it wasn't until the arrival of the Yuechi A1 that it truly entered the vision of major manufacturers.

In the past, joint venture brands dominated the market, while domestic brands were still in the stage of mechanical imitation or even plagiarism. No one thought that any company could threaten the position of joint venture brands, led by CRV.

In just 74 days, the Yuechi A1 rose to third place in monthly sales, and even achieved 11th place in annual sales. This was indeed a very strong start.

The sales figures for the Yuechi A1 in December have already spread throughout the automotive industry, and it's unclear how many other manufacturers are preparing to launch SUV models. The SUV market is definitely expanding.

"Actually, this sales volume can only be described as average. If it were a well-known domestic brand like BYD or Chery, the Yuechi A1 would have sold at least 10,000 more units."

As a mid-size SUV priced under 20 yuan, the Yuechi A1 boasts solid build quality and excellent performance in safety, comfort, and other aspects, making it extremely cost-effective for its price.

If we're talking about competitors, the Yuechi A1 currently has virtually no rivals in this market segment. The only downside is that the company's overall strength is still a bit lacking.

They lack a strong supply chain system and have fewer 4S stores. In addition, although Weilai has a strong publicity campaign, it is, after all, their first time facing the automotive industry, and their resources in many aspects are suppressed by some other car companies.

Aside from its advantage in online promotion, Weilai still lacks a certain depth in traditional media.

"Xiao Gu, do you know the specific production value of these 1.95 Yuechi A1 vehicles?"

Zhang Xupeng also intently watched Tan Jincheng performing energetically downstairs through the transparent window.

Today, Tan Jincheng was dressed casually, and his short hair made him look particularly energetic. He drove for each driver with a smile on his face and posed for photos with them.

There were quite a few people with professional cameras on site; relatively few of them came spontaneously, so they were most likely staff arranged by this guy. You couldn't hear the sounds from upstairs, but you could feel the lively atmosphere.

Occasionally, you can see some customers who have entered the store going to the place where they made reservations to ask about something. These must be the target group who were observing beforehand, right?

"The exact figures are not clear, but it should be over 15 billion."

Zhang Xupeng asked Gu Qingqing, but Nie Ruoxi answered him. She knew that the lowest ex-factory price of a Yuechi A1 was 7.1 yuan. Even if all of them were produced at the lowest price, the total value would still be as high as 13.85 billion yuan.

"Pretty much. The exact figures won't be available for another month or two, but the sales revenue should be around 15 billion yuan."

Gu Qingqing will need to cooperate with Weilai Auto in making some industrial arrangements, such as establishing Weilai Intelligent Driving and setting up several new automobile trading companies. Therefore, she has a fairly clear understanding of some basic data about Weilai Auto.

Although it is not yet profitable, for a brand-new car company and a brand-new model, it is quite impressive that the Yuechi A1 can maintain a gross profit margin of over 15%.

As long as enough cars are sold, making a profit is not a problem for Weilai Auto.

"Hey, it looks like Xiao Tan's net worth is going to rise again next year, with another company worth 10 billion."

Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "Actually, Lei Chi is selling quite well. Those small pure electric cars are quite popular in small towns and overseas markets."

Overshadowed by the success of the Yuechi A1, the newly established Leichi New Energy remained relatively unknown, lacking significant advertising resources. However, thanks to the distribution channels of Shanchi Technology, Leichi New Energy was a huge success in markets below the county level as soon as it was launched.

According to dealers, the first batch of 5000 vehicles sold out in no time.

Furthermore, judging from after-sales feedback, Leichi's reputation for its elderly electric vehicles is quite good. Leichi's battery technology has always been leading, with stable performance and strong battery life, and the price is also very affordable.

The highest price is only a little over 10,000 yuan, which is completely affordable for Chinese people whose spending power has increased significantly in the past two years.

It's inexpensive, easy to use, convenient for parking, and doesn't require a driver's license. It's simply a lifesaver for picking up kids, grocery shopping, and commuting to and from get off work.

On the other hand, Zhao Xinyi also recommended this elderly-friendly vehicle to foreigners through the company's overseas channels, especially to customers in the United States, as her boss had told her.

It's similar to the popularity of pickup trucks in the US.

In most parts of Laomi, it's a large rural area. Going to the supermarket to buy groceries or other goods is like a rural person going to the town market. These kinds of leisure vehicles for the elderly naturally have a huge market in such areas.

In addition, the traffic rules in the US are different from ours. They don't have as many restrictions on electric vehicles for seniors, and the modification of electric vehicles is also one of the factors that makes them popular in the US.

They like to tinker with and modify their cars in their spare time, which is probably one of the biggest differences between foreigners and most domestic consumers.

The first small batch of Leichi electric vehicles for seniors, after being shipped to the United States through customs, received the same attention from consumers as they do in China.

With positive market feedback, Zhao Xinyi has reason to believe that, just as her boss said, this product might perform even better in overseas markets than in the domestic market.

Outsiders may not know Lei Chi's performance, but Gu Qingqing was often present when Zhao Xinyi sought advice from Tan Jincheng.

Lei Chi's performance surprised not only Zhao Xinyi, but also her.

What was originally seen as a casual, experimental project to accumulate experience for new energy vehicles has unexpectedly generated such vitality.

Perhaps only Tan Jincheng knew that although these old man's cars were incredibly low-end and produced oddly shaped vehicles, they were actually very profitable.

This is a project with a very good market prospect. If you get to the top, you can easily earn hundreds of millions in profit in a year without attracting much attention.

Take Levdeo New Energy Vehicles, which is now quite large, for example. In its previous life, the company accumulated a lot of wealth by selling electric vehicles for the elderly. If it had withdrawn from the real new energy vehicle business in time, it might have been able to thrive.

It has to be said that even when it's all showmanship, Tan Jincheng is very serious about it. Even if someone who doesn't own a car wants to take a photo with him, he will accept it without hesitation.

With their serious attitude, as the information spread, consumers from other nearby 4S stores continued to gather here, and the foot traffic at Weilai Beicang 4S store also increased.

In other cities, not many people might recognize Boss Tan walking down the street, but in Beicang, there are countless people who can recognize him.

The opportunity to take a photo with a billionaire is rare. As for whether this news is true or false, you'll know once you see the Maybach parked outside.

(End of this chapter)