What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 494 Gathering of Wise Men
Within two weeks, Silicon Carbon Group received requests to attend press conferences that seemed to have been pre-arranged.

It's not just new energy vehicles; domestic gasoline car manufacturers are also present, as well as other upstream suppliers. Companies that were originally just deputy representatives have raised their profiles after hearing rumors in the industry, intending to see firsthand the success or failure of the silicon carbon group's car manufacturing.

If they succeed, a group of people will be happy; if they fail...

If we don't hesitate to speculate with malice, it might be hard to say for sure which side actually has more people.

China has become the world's largest automobile consumer market, but in this year's sedan market, the best-selling domestic brand is Geely's Emgrand. Although the top-of-the-line model costs over 10 yuan, the vast majority of sales are for mid-to-low-end models priced below 10 yuan. The next best are Changan Eado and BYD F3, which also cost less than 10 yuan.

Models priced over 100,000 yuan are still dominated by joint ventures and foreign brands. The top three joint venture models in terms of sales are SAIC Volkswagen's Lavida, Dongfeng Nissan's Sylphy, and FAW-Volkswagen's Sagitar, occupying the 100,000-200,000 yuan price range.

As for prices above 20, those belong to the stable market share of BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) and second-tier luxury brands.

The SUV market is similar to that of sedans, but Great Wall's Haval H6 and Changan's CS75 have already entered the price range of 10 to 15 yuan, which fills the market gap between joint venture low-end models and domestic brand high-end models.

Given this market situation, it's hard to believe that new energy vehicle players are aiming for the mid-to-high-end market segment of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan right from the start.

And if new energy vehicles can truly establish themselves in the mid-to-high-end market, will gasoline car manufacturers still be able to continue breaking through price ranges step by step along their original planned direction?
China has given significant policy support to new energy vehicles, but whether they can actually succeed is a matter of differing opinions that affect the strategic direction and future interests of many automakers.

According to Hu Zhengnan's casual conversation: "President Yu, it's fine if we don't do well, but if we do, what will others do? Will they abandon their accumulated oil vehicle business or switch to the direction of new energy? This is a real dilemma. Should we hope that our peers will do well?"

He then abruptly threw the question to Cui Zhiyu, who had transferred from Great Wall, asking him what he thought of the industry's mentality.

"Haha, if I hadn't come to Silicon Carbon, I would definitely... be hoping Silicon Carbon would do well." Cui Zhiyu chuckled. "But now that I've come to Lingang, I'm definitely hoping Silicon Carbon will do even better."

Hu Zhengnan dropped his sarcastic tone and adopted a more tactful approach: "Carbon silicon can be good, but it's best not to be too good."

Seeing that President Yu remained silent, he then asked for the boss's opinion.

"What am I supposed to say with all this chattering?" Yu Xing said simply. "The market doesn't change based on your discussions, nor does it change based on the mindset of your peers. In short..."

Hu Zhengnan and Cui Zhiyu stared intently at their boss.

Yu Xing said, "Overtime."

The two exchanged a glance and then each put their hands on their heads and continued working overtime.

Yu Xing took a moment to glance at the increasingly large guest list. Looking at the names of Li Shufu, Wang Chuanfu, Zhu Huarong, Chen Anning, Wang Fengying, Li Bin, He Xiaopeng, Zeng Yuqun, and others, he felt that he might really need to do a lot of rehearsals to live up to everyone's concern.

……

When Douyin was launched, Silicon Carbon Group, as a sister company, registered a special account to show its support, but did not post any content for a week.

While eating in the cafeteria, Zhong Zhiling ran into Cui Zhiyu and joked, "President Cui, I followed the Silicon Carbon Group's Douyin account, just to see how you guys create content. Turns out you just register an account and then ignore it. That's not much support."

Cui Zhiyu laughed: "President Zhong, at least four meetings here have been rescheduled in the past two weeks. We've sent President Yu over, isn't that enough?"

Zhong Zhiling was immediately speechless; his senior brother's presence was quite effective in maintaining order.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw his senior brother walking into the cafeteria chatting and laughing with two unfamiliar faces. He immediately changed the subject: "Who are those people coming over there?" Cui Zhiyu looked up and replied, "Two senior executives from Volkswagen, here for an interview."

He added, "They are also victims of the mountain peak. I talked to Su Weiming of Volkswagen China before, but we didn't reach an agreement. These two are deputies, and it is said that they are related to factions in Volkswagen's German headquarters."

Zhong Zhiling asked curiously, "I know that Guoshanfeng shorted the public, but how could this affect them?"

"Martin, the head of Volkswagen, has been arrested. With a new broom sweeping clean and the situation in crisis, it's no wonder he's making such a big fuss," Cui Zhiyu pondered. "When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. Rather than inviting trouble, it's better to go out and look for new opportunities."

Zhong Zhiling's attention was mainly on the internet. Although he knew about Guo Shanfeng's actions that had stirred up the global automotive industry, he now had a more real feeling about it. He shook his head and said, "They were just unlucky. Guo Shanfeng has caused a lot of harm."

Crossing mountain peaks can be extremely dangerous.

Yu Xing echoed this sentiment with Jia Qidong and Cai Junhui, two talented individuals from the public.

Volkswagen's emissions scandal is one thing, but diesel cars aren't sold much in China, and the business these two were in charge of had absolutely nothing to do with diesel cars. They were just doing their jobs properly when they were suddenly dragged into the industry turmoil. Where can they go to seek justice?
Therefore, after some hesitation and contact, they came to Lingang.

Yu Xing believes they absolutely chose the right place.

You've come here to reason things out.

We must fully articulate the principles we have learned from the public in Lingang.

"However, Guoshanfeng did play a positive role," Yu Xing joked to the two talented individuals in front of him. "Without Guoshanfeng, I wouldn't have met you, and the Silicon Carbon Group would have had to put in much more effort to build its sales system."

Jia Qidong shook his head and remained silent.

Cai Junhui laughed and said, "In that case, I also have to thank Shanfeng. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to find a platform like the Silicon Carbon Group that allows me to showcase my talents."

"No need for thanks," Yu Xing said with a smile. "Short sellers are all in it for their own benefit. It's just a matter of chance that we've come together for development. I'm really looking forward to the addition of President Jia and President Cai. The new energy industry in China is definitely opening up a whole new world."

Jia Qidong and Cai Junhui nodded in unison, both expressing their optimism about the future of new energy.

Yu Xing chatted with them over lunch, and briefly mentioned the approximate salary and benefits at the end of the meal: "In Lingang, we usually compare ourselves with our peers, but depending on the market situation next year, we may strive to go public. It depends on which side you prefer."

Jia Qidong's annual salary at Volkswagen was close to one million yuan, with a base salary of around 30 yuan and performance bonuses of 1.5 to 2 times that amount. He preferred to secure his earnings in Lingang, regardless of the prospects of the new energy industry; as long as the money was in his own hands, that was what mattered.

Cai Junhui's salary was even higher; he had originally hoped to get more stock options. Now, hearing the news of the pie in the sky from President Yu, he couldn't help but ask, "President Yu, is the listing of Silicon Carbon Group going so quickly?"

Yu Xing confirmed, "We'll see how the market responds next year. If we achieve initial success, going public will help us obtain more funding and accelerate our development."

Cai Junhui then asked, "Mr. Yu, can my entire salary be paid in stock options?"

Yu Xing glanced at the man in front of him and smiled, "President Cai, that depends on whether your work performance is as good as your idea. The company still has to pay your social insurance and housing fund contributions."

Cai Junhui sensed the bargaining power of emerging companies like Silicon Carbon Group, and a stubborn idea popped into his head: take a gamble, and turn a bicycle into... a Rolls-Royce.

(End of this chapter)