2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 797 How can I remain calm in this situation?
Lai Yiu-fai's untimely major event was indeed a major event.

From a strategic perspective, this is an event that concerns at least 10 years, or even more, of the future, and could almost determine the fate of the company.

What is the biggest source of success for the automotive industry?
Technology, funding, and marketing are all factors, but none of these are the key. The most crucial element is support. The reason why Wei Lai was able to be resurrected in the previous timeline was inseparable from the strong support from the Luzhou Municipal Government.

Companies like BYD, Chery, and Geely are all products of policy support. How big a company can grow depends on both the ability of its owner and the level of support it receives.

This level of support is most evident in the automotive industry chain. The success of companies like Tesla is actually a product of policy support. Without the low-interest loan from the US, Tesla might have gone bankrupt.

The success of Shanchi and Weilai is inseparable from the strong support of Beicang District. Especially at the beginning of Shanchi's establishment, without that land approval and the investment from Beicang City Investment, there might not have been anything like what followed.

Tan Jincheng possesses a vast amount of memories and bug-like support, which should ensure that he and his family are well-fed and clothed for life. However, this information is not particularly helpful in his career.

Taking my hometown as an example, if it weren't for Tao Qinian's special care, the Flash Park might not have been able to proceed smoothly. Even though both leaders were very supportive, the efficiency of the Wangjiang Industrial Park is currently the lowest in the entire Flash Technology.

With strong support from local governments, any enterprise can achieve a certain scale, ranging from nationally renowned to locally well-known.

The big event that Lai Yiu Fai mentioned is that Weilai Auto will be inspected on a scale the largest since its establishment. The newly appointed second boss will inspect the Weilai Luzhou New Energy Vehicle Industrial Base on January 27 this year!

His urgent return was actually to prepare for this matter, and currently only a small group of people know about it. As Tan Jincheng's most important close associates, Li Yaohui and Zeng Jixiang have to cooperate in the arrangements.

It's normal that they knew the news. Lai Yiu-fai had served in the military, and his political awareness was much higher than Tsang Kei-cheung's. His statement proved how excited he was.

As for Tan Jincheng, he knew the trends of the next ten years and understood all too well the significance of this high-level inspection.

Although he had never been interested in politics, and unlike some middle-aged men in his previous life, he didn't enjoy sitting together and talking about such things, he was still a businessman and had some sensitivity to politics.

Just like electing a class monitor in a class, each generation of entrepreneurs will also elect a class monitor. When a new leader visits your company, it doesn't mean you are the class monitor, but it at least means you have entered the ranks of class officers.

This caused considerable excitement among those in the know within the company, including Tan Jincheng.

As for why it was Wei Lai? Perhaps it's related to Tan Jincheng's active embrace of new energy, or perhaps it's related to the super deal he signed with Tesla this year, or perhaps it's because Tan Jincheng has a clean background and every step of his rise to wealth is traceable.

Tan Jincheng was too lazy to guess the specific reasons. In short, it was a good thing for both him and Weilai Auto to gain the approval of the higher-ups, which would at least make things go more smoothly in the future.

On his way back from the airport, Tan Jincheng's thoughts had already flown to Luzhou.

“We won’t go back for the New Year this year. Let’s bring your parents over. I’ll try my best to come back on New Year’s Eve. If I can’t come back, it’ll still be more festive for you.”

Upon returning home, Tan Jincheng immediately informed Gu Qingqing of the news. January 27th was the 1th day of the twelfth lunar month, just a few days before the Lunar New Year. The itinerary was actually only for one day, but Tan Jincheng had no idea what would happen next.

He couldn't guarantee whether he would be able to spend the Lunar New Year with his family this year, and at this point, he had no choice but to cooperate.

Originally, Gu Qingqing had planned to spend the Spring Festival in Yiwu this year. Although she usually had the opportunity to go home, she hadn't spent the Spring Festival at home for many years. Her grandson was almost four years old, but they hadn't properly visited his grandparents' house during the Spring Festival.

Fortunately, his parents understood this. It wasn't just Tan Jincheng who was busy; Gu Qingqing was also very busy. Usually, his parents would come to Ningbo.

"This is a good thing. I'll talk to my parents about it later, and they'll understand."

Gu Qingqing smiled. Actually, she didn't really care whether she went home for the New Year or not. She didn't have a deep feeling for her relatives. It was just to give her parents face. It seemed that most women thought the same way.

Gu Yanning is the same; she has now basically settled down in Ningbo.

"Okay, but don't reveal the news yet. Just say that I have a very important trip during the Chinese New Year and I might not be able to get away."

"I know, then I'll tell my parents the same thing, so they don't have to prepare in advance."

“I already told them before I came up here.”

As a couple in a long-distance marriage, Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing faced the same dilemma as ordinary people: where to spend the Chinese New Year. He even addressed this issue in an interview, saying there was no good solution.

After returning to Ningbo, Tan Jincheng convened a high-level meeting. After the meeting, Zhang Yong and Yu Liguo were temporarily sent to Luzhou to pave the way for their boss. It was necessary to make the necessary preparations.

This inspection mainly focused on the production lines of Aion S and Weilai ES6, and also included a visit to the power battery production line. The day's itinerary was quite tight, as Weilai had no experience hosting such a high-level inspection before.

No problem, Anhui Province, Luzhou, and higher authorities will send people to assist.

On January 9th, Ningbo had entered its coldest season, with frequent drizzle. Just today, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released its 2013 car sales rankings. After two years of slight growth, the car market has fully recovered this year.

Sales reached 2198.41 million units for the year, a year-on-year increase of 13.87%. The most outstanding performance in the passenger vehicle market was naturally SUVs, which saw a year-on-year increase of 62.34%, reaching an explosive growth rate with total sales of 302.57 million units.

"Ordinary people still prefer joint venture brands for their first car; it's still very difficult for domestic brands."

After the official data was released, Tan Jincheng couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. Joint venture brands have fully recovered, and Volkswagen is still very strong, with a market share of 14.7%, making it the only car company in the market with a market share of over 10%.

The relationship between domestic brands and joint venture brands improved significantly in 13, and Japanese brands also recovered along with joint venture brands, regaining a considerable market share. While the overall sales of domestic brands increased, their market share declined slightly.

As for domestic brands, the most outstanding performer was not the consistently stable Haval, but Great Wall Motors, which experienced a full-blown surge this year. The Haval H6 lived up to its reputation as a legendary car. Even though it highly overlapped with the Yuechi A1, it still achieved sales of 20 units after last year's promotion, narrowly surpassing the Tiguan to rank second in SUV sales.

This is only the second year since it went public, it's absolutely amazing.

Great Wall Motors ranked first among domestic brands in annual sales with 62.74 vehicles, of which the Haval brand sold more than 24 vehicles throughout the year. This performance certainly justifies its stock price increase.

With the overall car market recovering, the expectations set by Weilai last year can naturally be easily achieved. The Haval H6 is selling well, and the second-generation Yuechi A1 is also doing well. In addition to the A1, Weilai also has the A3, which has an advantage over the Haval series.

"As long as we meet our expectations for this year, that's fine. The overall market growth is there. If some people exceed expectations, then others will definitely underperform."

"Haha, that's true."

For every person who laughs, there is someone who cries. This year, the one who cried was Chery, last year's leader. It was the only manufacturer among the top 20 car companies to experience a decline in sales, down 17% year-on-year, with only 42 vehicles sold throughout the year.

If Wei Lai had achieved a sales figure of 42 vehicles, he would be beaming with joy, but for Chery, it would be considered substandard.

"It's a bit of a pity that we don't have enough models, otherwise we could have really pushed for sales of 40 vehicles this year."

Hu Zhengnan said this. Weilai had no new car plans in 2013 and 2014. Tan Jincheng's task for Weilai Research Institute was to develop a concept car while advancing the core technology.

To become a mainstream automaker, one must play with concept cars. Now that Weilai is a domestic brand, it has the capability to play with concept cars. Tan Jincheng plans to create a pure electric concept sports car under the Weilai brand.

This thing doesn't need to be mass-produced, but it represents a car company's accumulated technology and can generate some buzz for a car company that hasn't had any new models launched in the past two years.

Mr. Tan nodded in agreement: "Having fewer models has its advantages, such as making it easier to control costs, but it is indeed as you said, which means that total sales cannot be increased."

"However, our best performance this year was actually that we achieved growth across all sectors."

The Yuechi series sold a total of 31.5 units this year, an increase of only 12% compared to last year. However, the Weilai ranked 14th in sales with a total of 37.78 units, an increase of 16.96% compared to last year.

Niche brands can be just as impressive when they step up their game. Take the Tank 300, which was launched this year, for example. With its avant-garde design, price of around 30 yuan, and off-road experience that is just as good, it has attracted widespread attention from off-road enthusiasts as soon as it was launched.

Zhang Xupeng has been driving the car ever since he got it, and he even drives it himself when he goes on business trips. He really loves it.

With annual sales of 8172 vehicles, it is a very impressive figure in the off-road vehicle segment. In addition, the new energy vehicles Aion S and Weilai ES6 have also performed well. Influenced by the popularity of Tesla throughout the year, the growth of new energy vehicles in China has been rapid and significant.

The biggest beneficiaries are naturally the two models from Weilai, which already have a significant advantage in electric vehicle technology. This year, they have sold a total of 7073 units, representing a 51.1% increase compared to last year!

Wei Lai thus became this year's top-selling new energy vehicle.

Currently, only four new energy vehicles on the market can be considered true new energy vehicles: the ES6, Aion S, Qin, and Tesla. These four are also the best-selling models. As for other models, they are just mediocre.

However, what surprised Tan Jincheng the most was Tesla's Model S. This pure electric vehicle, which entered the Chinese market this year and is priced as high as one million yuan, actually managed to sell nearly 2500 units in the domestic market, accounting for more than 10% of Tesla's total sales.

Even the factory manager himself said that he had not expected this sales volume; the popularity of Maodou S far exceeded his expectations.

Looking at the overall market, the total sales of new energy vehicles in China are only 20,000 units, which is a mere fraction compared to the sales of more than 20 million gasoline vehicles. However, it is precisely these 20,000 units that have given major manufacturers and leaders hope for new energy vehicles.

The inspection of Weilai Automobile was also based on these considerations. Tan Jincheng guessed correctly; everything he could think of was within the scope of the higher-ups' considerations. First, there was the fact that Weilai Automobile had a clean personal background, and its experiences over the years had demonstrated Tan Jincheng's determination. Setting an example would not leave any future troubles. Second, there was Weilai Automobile's terrifying dominance in the domestic new energy vehicle market.

For a long time, the image of Weilai Auto has been somewhat refreshing to consumers. Weilai Auto, which has only been established for six years, has few models and focuses on the "niche" market.

To date, they don't have a single gasoline-powered sedan, and they haven't even shown any intention of making sedans. They've managed to create something out of SUVs, pure off-road vehicles, and pickup trucks—areas that seem unappealing to major automakers.

For a relatively new console manufacturer that has been established for less than six years, a total sales volume of over 30 units is quite impressive, but it can only be considered a second-tier manufacturer nationwide.

However, it cannot be ignored that behind these sales figures of over 30 units is Weilai's market share of more than 35% in the field of new energy vehicles!

It's not surprising that Aion S, which mainly serves large clients, was able to sell 3856 units and take the top spot in new energy vehicle sales. This is partly due to Zhang Yong's network and sales capabilities among B-end large clients.

Secondly, this car is practically made for the emerging ride-hailing market. BYD Qin is somewhat reluctant to do ride-hailing, but Aion S doesn't care about that at all. While Kuaidi and Didi are developing their ride-hailing apps, Aion S's promotion is almost simultaneous with theirs.

To put it bluntly, the Aion S is aimed at the ride-hailing market. One can imagine how fast the Aion S would grow if ride-hailing apps were allowed to dominate the market with the support of capital.

The ES6, which focuses purely on the consumer market, also achieved impressive sales of 3217 units throughout the year. While the Maodou S is very popular in China, the ES6 is steadily gaining momentum and consistently outperforming the Maodou S.

Last year, more than 2000 vehicles were sold, and this year the number has increased by nearly 1000. Of course, this is largely due to its price and policy subsidies, but it is undeniable that the ES6 is widely welcomed by new energy vehicle enthusiasts.

Another app that major manufacturers cannot ignore is the Weilai APP, which did some promotion last year. This year, with almost no promotion, it has increased its registered users to more than 50,000 solely through word-of-mouth from car enthusiasts.

It's important to understand that this app is already extremely niche. Many business owners don't understand the point of developing an app for a single car model, and they also don't understand why 50,000 people registered.

What they didn't know was that the daily active users of the Weilai APP were quite good, and the community and peripheral stores had good daily traffic, especially during the period when they released co-branded phones, which was always very good.

With its dominant position in the new energy vehicle field, its power battery technology can compete with the world's top companies such as Panasonic, LG, and Samsung, and it has secured a $40 billion order from Tesla.

They have ambitions to develop their own automotive-grade chips, and are also world-class in the field of intelligent driving.

How could such a lieutenant not attract the attention of higher-ups?

Against the backdrop of new energy vehicles being a national policy, the selected Weilai Automobile Luzhou Industrial Park welcomed an extremely important figure for inspection on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, making everyone at Weilai somewhat nervous.

Tan Jincheng arrived in Luzhou a week in advance to receive relevant training and process verification. The snowflakes that occasionally drifted across the sky in Luzhou were just like Tan Jincheng's mood at the moment, carrying a hint of coldness yet also feeling novel.

Seeing snow in Ningbo is not so easy.

"The first stop is the Aion S assembly line. Although this model is not a high-end brand of Weilai, it is a very important model in Weilai's new energy vehicle promotion strategy."

The Aion S is a transitional product for new energy vehicles entering the private car market, and its promotion helps consumers better understand new energy vehicles.

The group then inspected the ES6 production line of Weilai New Energy Vehicle's high-end brand. Tan Jincheng introduced that the main components of the two models, as well as the core technologies such as batteries, motors, and electronic controls, are all independently developed and produced by Weilai and have independent intellectual property rights.

The second boss asked questions one by one, inquiring carefully about the materials of the power battery, its safety performance, and the vehicle chassis, to which Tan Jincheng answered in detail.

Of course, all of this was done in advance, otherwise Tan Jincheng might not have been able to remember so many technical terms.

"Weilai's battery technology is very mature and should be vigorously promoted nationwide so that more regions can benefit."

Goodness, these words made Tan Jincheng a little excited. He was right about the procedure, but that only applied to what he should say. He had no idea how the second boss would answer.

If an ordinary person said this, it wouldn't be a big deal, but when it comes from certain people, it's like a promise.

Then came the normal inspection process: visiting the parts production base, the battery factory, and then extending greetings to the employees. Tan Jincheng was familiar with this process, so it wasn't anything new to him.

After a day's activities, Tan Jincheng's tense nerves relaxed considerably. The second boss, who had seen all sorts of people, naturally noticed Tan Jincheng's nervousness, but didn't say anything more.

They are actually from the same hometown; he was even born in Luzhou.

The trip lasted from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Lunch was at the Weilai Industrial Park, where the second boss praised the food and jokingly asked if Tan Jincheng had prepared it especially for him.

"The leader is joking. You can ask our employees about this. The food at Weilai has always been very good, and it's well-known throughout the country. I remember when it snowed heavily, SF Express employees often ate at our canteen in Beicang."

It was a joke, of course it was prepared on purpose, but I certainly can't admit to it; of course, everyone knows the truth.

"Haha, I've heard about that before. It's a good thing. Good food is a big boost to employee morale. Back in the day, we had more energy to work after we were well-fed. You've done a great job in this regard."

Tan Jincheng nodded repeatedly.

Alright, I'll have to keep an eye on the canteens in all the factories from now on. Although the canteens in all his companies have never been bad, he wasn't lying.

Although Tan Jincheng wasn't particularly concerned about the food, he knew that if a company's meals were too bad, the employees would be upset. After a long day, the work meals were like pig swill, and you wouldn't even get a chance to eat.

You'll need to tighten the screws a few less times.

In his past life, he was the same way. He had sold boxed lunches at construction sites and run restaurants. Even after they started their own businesses separately, he and Zhang Xupeng both paid close attention to the meals for their employees.

In reality, most people spend their entire lives just to make three meals a day. If the quality of the meals is not bad, they are happy to continue working even if the salary is low.

Three o'clock later, the second boss left on time. His schedule was far more extravagant than Tan Jincheng's. Even during the Chinese New Year, he had to inspect various places. It was quite rare for him to be able to take a day to stay in the Weilai Industrial Park.

CCTV acted much faster than Tan Jincheng had anticipated. The next day, CCTV's joint news program reported footage of the second boss inspecting the Weilai Automobile Luzhou Industrial Park. It was only then that Gu Hongshun, Tan Lihua, and others realized what Tan Jincheng had been busy with lately!
Gu Hongshun stared in disbelief at the television screen and looked at his daughter, saying, "This is the important inspection that Jincheng mentioned."

Tan Lihua and the others didn't look much better. This matter had been kept secret from them before. It wasn't that they didn't trust them, but that the others had let it slip in their excitement. They had two little ones at home, after all.

"Yes, that's it, so I can't go back this year. I didn't tell you before because it wasn't convenient."

Gu Qingqing smiled. Tan Jincheng hadn't returned yet, but he would be back by tomorrow morning, the 29th of the twelfth lunar month.

Fortunately, I was able to make it back in time for Lunar New Year's Eve.

The four elders remained silent for a long time before finally reacting. Good heavens, this was truly indescribable. Compared to this, the talk of celebrating the New Year was utterly meaningless.

"We can't say. There have been a lot of people coming and going at home lately. If the two little ones let it slip, it would be a huge problem."

Tan Lihua was a long-time employee of the petrochemical company, so he naturally understood what this inspection meant.

"Yes, that's what we were thinking too. Jin Yue can be told not to say anything, but Xiao Chuan is out of control."

"You two are really amazing, you can hold back even in the face of something this big."

Zhang Suzhi couldn't help but sigh, "My son and daughter-in-law are really something else these days."

"Hehe, actually we weren't that calm either. We were quite excited at first, but because we were notified early, we gradually calmed down."

Accompanying her on inspection tours was nothing new for either her husband or her; they had met provincial leaders before. However, being a low-key couple, they still preferred to keep their distance in order to keep their lives more peaceful.

However, this calm will definitely be broken when today's news broadcast comes on.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Tan Jincheng got up very early.

They called on Lai Yiu-fai, and the group drove back to Ningbo quietly.

"The last timeline to be inspected was probably BYD, right? I just don't know if Brother Boatman has received any notification about the inspection."

Just like when Tan Jincheng first received the call, Boatman was also unable to remain calm when he received the call. The inspection of BYD was scheduled for February 14th after the Lunar New Year.

The location was not the headquarters, but Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)