What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 561 Taking the Lead (4k)

From February to April, Silicon Carbon Group delivered more than 10,000 vehicles, and its after-sales service centers in various regions handled many scratches and dents. Some customers even went to the after-sales service center to get their cars repainted the same afternoon they picked them up in the morning.

But a serious traffic accident like the one that occurred on April 22nd is unprecedented.

High-speed surveillance cameras, in-vehicle dashcams, dashcams from the truck involved in the accident, and dashcams from surrounding vehicles quickly reconstructed the full picture of the accident from different perspectives.

Traffic was heavy on the highway at the time of the incident. The Kyushu was traveling slowly behind the truck behind it when the truck behind it was unable to brake in time, resulting in a violent rear-end collision. The Kyushu crashed into the undercarriage of the truck in the adjacent lane, with both the front and rear of the vehicle collapsing, but the passenger compartment remained largely intact.

The carbon silicon team quickly retrieved the information about the accident. The airbags deployed normally, the doors unlocked automatically, the high-voltage power to the vehicle was automatically cut off at the moment of impact, and the driver and two passengers exited the vehicle on their own.

It is understood that this Kyushu Pro was just picked up at the end of last month on the 29th, and the owner, Feng Deyu, took his family and friends on a road trip today.

The emergency response team in Lingang has contacted the car owner. Due to the distance, they were unable to arrive at the scene immediately, but they received a thank you from the still shaken car owner over the phone.

The car, less than a month old, was definitely totaled. However, compared to personal safety, it was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Yu Xing hurriedly ended his half-day auto show trip and closely followed the relevant situation and the company's handling of it. The current assessment is that the main cause of the problem was the integrated die-cast rear end and the high-strength steel A-pillar, which almost replicated the serious situation during the silicon carbide internal test.

The one-piece die casting is indeed very hard, but the powerful impact of the high-speed rear-end collision with the fully loaded truck caused it to deform and collapse. Fortunately, it survived until the end.

Yu Xing saw the video of the accident immediately. Although Kyushu performed well, he still couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

The driver was driving normally and made no mistakes. Even the two rear passengers were wearing seat belts, but the accident still occurred unexpectedly.

"Car accidents are more dangerous than tigers, and safety is as precious as gold." Yu Xing said sincerely after finishing the accident video, "Safety first, this damn unexpected disaster really shows that safety comes first!"

Cui Zhiyu maintained the video call connection and, seeing his boss's reaction, asked, "President Yu, we don't push this aspect, but the car owner accepted a telephone interview with the media."

“We don’t push it. We just do what we’re supposed to do. High-strength steel has better performance, and integrated die casting has better performance. Maintenance costs are another matter. We’re talking about strength, which is data. It’s the performance after multiple rounds of testing. It’s objective data, not subjective feelings,” Yu Xing said. “As for how the media evaluates it or what others think, that’s their business.”

Silicon carbon is not being neglected in terms of promotion or publicity; rather, a normal strategy is being maintained.

"Understood, Mr. Yu. Reporters have been calling me all over the place." Cui Zhiyu laughed. "This performance has lived up to the R&D investment we made, but what about your performance at the auto show?"

Yu Xing replied, "Simple, I'm not going today. I'm going shopping for snacks."

Cui Zhiyu thought Mr. Yu was joking, but he soon learned from his colleagues that the boss had taken people out for a small team-building activity that afternoon.

However, as a highly anticipated new energy brand, Jiuzhou's performance on the weekly and monthly rankings has naturally attracted media attention to its actual accident performance, with the sentiments of car owners spreading rapidly.

While smoking to relieve his tension, the car owner remarked to the reporter conducting the video interview, "This car is great, it didn't waste my gas. I'll pick up another one after the accident is resolved."

Even after sales figures were released, the range extension route using silicon carbon remained controversial.

On the one hand, it's touted as a new energy source, but on the other hand, you still need to refuel at a gas station. It feels like it doesn't fit either of those needs.

The car owner's heartfelt sentiment was embellished during the dissemination of the story with the added line, "Jiuzhou didn't drink your oil or add your electricity for nothing."

The topic trended on Weibo, and the Baixiaosheng Forum also dug up previous discussion posts about integrated die casting. On Douyin, car owners shared dashcam footage and videos of their vehicles' condition.

Perhaps influenced by this, the number of large orders received by Silicon Carbon Group on the 22nd suddenly increased by more than 1100.

Yu Xing talked about integrated die casting and maintenance costs at the press conference, but words are not enough. Only the actual performance after practical testing can make a deep impression.

On the second day of the auto show, Yu Xing attended as usual, but he still couldn't avoid being questioned about the first car crash that occurred the day before.

"Vehicle safety is very important. The more high-strength steel like Baosteel is used in China, the higher the safety attributes of the vehicles themselves will be. This is reflected in tests both at home and abroad."

"But regardless of the condition of the vehicle, this driver is lucky. We hope everyone will pay more attention to driving safety."

"There's not much else to say; actions speak louder than words."

Yu Xing only gave this response to the high-profile accident and did not answer any further questions from reporters. However, a question and discussion on Zhihu regarding the strength performance of integrated die casting has brought this technology back into the public eye.

That evening, Yu Xing invited Wang Chuanfu and others to dinner, and was also asked about the accident.

Yu Xing gave a general overview of the situation, and also mentioned the number of newly added large orders.

"The information dissemination of mobile internet is truly amazing. No wonder you have so many stores, yet you've accumulated so many orders." Wang Chuanfu was surprised by this performance, which was different from the traditional situation. "It's practically like opening an online store."

Yu Xing nodded: "That's why the mobile internet is another information revolution. Everyone carries a mobile phone every day, unlike before when you couldn't carry a computer. The amount of information is many times greater."

As the two chatted, more executives from Silicon Carbon arrived one after another.

Yu Xing introduced them one by one, including those in charge of the vehicle's infotainment system, those in charge of marketing and sales, and Guo Chuan, who came from Lingang today as well.

After listening to the introduction and looking at the scene, Wang Chuanfu laughed and said, "President Yu, what kind of setup did you set up? If you had told me earlier, I would have brought everyone over so they could learn from you."

"You're welcome to come to Lingang for exchanges after the auto show, it's so close." Yu Xing gestured for the food and drinks to be served, and said, "We do have something important to discuss today. Mr. Guo Chuan is the first person in China to make air suspension for passenger cars, and his products have been validated quite well. We plan to use his air suspension next year. If BYD has any demand, we can do it by selling at a low profit margin."

Wang Chuanfu nodded: "You said that yesterday."

"It's not that I didn't hear a definite answer, so I wanted to hear your plans for vehicle development." Yu Xing smiled slightly and joked, "Let's exchange information; maybe I can have some experience."

Wang Chuanfu was not joking: "President Yu's experience is worth learning. As for the air suspension, Denza's positioning can consider air suspension, but the design is led by Mercedes-Benz. We haven't considered making it above 30 yuan yet."

"The effect of the 'Tang' exhibited this time can only be described as average."

"Mr. Yu, I've seen many people comparing the 'Tang' to your 'Jiuzhou'. I estimate that sales will be hard to meet expectations. The less it meets expectations, the more we need to consider things." For two consecutive days at the auto show, the "Tang" was the most attractive product to visitors and media at BYD's booth.

However, although "Tang" is not priced as high as "Jiuzhou", after subsidies, it falls into the more competitive 20+ yuan range.

Putting aside other factors, the Buick Envision, which is above the Carbon Silicon Kyushu model on the weekly and monthly rankings, has a mid-range price of 25 yuan. Moreover, car owners clearly prefer the Encore to the Tang, which costs more than 23 yuan, over the Encore, which costs 25 yuan.

The Envision was just redesigned last year, and both its exterior and interior are the latest models. The Tang is not superior in this regard. In markets like Shanghai, new energy vehicle license plates may provide additional incentives.

Wang Chuanfu is quite anxious because, apart from cities with license plate policies, 4S stores in other cities have not received very good feedback.

This made him somewhat self-deprecating, as other people's expensive products sold better, while his own cheaper products lagged behind.

“The 542 strategy is indeed good, but I still think that at this price point, people’s needs will become more… how should I put it, more refined,” Yu Xing discussed. “Cars around 10 yuan value cost-effectiveness more, while cars around 20 yuan do value cost-effectiveness, but on that basis, they also need to take quality into consideration.”

Regardless of the price, a car is essentially just a vehicle that takes people from point A to point B. However, as prices increase, greater safety, comfort, and brand value lead to different customer segments.

Wang Chuanfu frowned and said, "The technology and materials used in our cars are absolutely no less than those of more expensive cars, including Buick. We have more features."

Yu Xing disagreed: "Technology and the market are not the same thing. Supply and demand are interdependent. Solving the demand is what brings more direct market feedback. Of course, this is also based on technology."

He never expected to be able to teach boatmen how to build cars, but BYD really hasn't made any breakthroughs yet; its current market experience is limited to below 20 yuan.

Wang Chuanfu was about to speak, about how BYD had noticed the demand-side issues, when he suddenly remembered President Yu's visit to Shenzhen.

Regarding seat ventilation...

It can only be said that what you learn from books is never enough; putting it into practice is another matter entirely.

Yu Xingju gave a different example: "I talked to you about the adaptive cruise control (ACC) when I invested in Zhibo, but I didn't see the 'Tang' use it. It still uses the standard cruise control."

Wen Zhixuan, the vice president of BYD, muttered to himself, "Even the Envision is useless. The cruise control is standard across the entire series, and people's acceptance of this feature is not particularly high."

"Having something is one thing, using it is another," Yu Xing replied.

Wen Zhixuan said, "We can't just install them randomly. If we have them, but the car owners encounter problems using them, then it's better not to install them at all."

Yu Xing looked at the vice president and said, "I'm not asking you to give away unfinished products; I mean to put them on the platform after they're actually finished."

Wen Zhixuan paused for a moment, then said, "To do it well, you need to invest more. The cost-effectiveness of non-priority functions is not high."

“This brings us back to the issue of cost-effectiveness. When considering quality, you have to weigh the cost-effectiveness of cars at different price points. If a car that costs over 200,000 yuan has interiors, parts, and features that cost over 100,000 yuan, you might as well just buy the latter,” Yu Xing objected. “Besides, the subsidies provided in China can be used for this purpose.”

Wen Zhixuan fell silent.

Wang Chuanfu said, "President Yu, your praise for Kyushu's willingness to spare no expense in the market has really touched me. How about this, next year we'll see if we can make a more comprehensive version of 'Tang' and add air suspension."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "President Wang, I may have said a lot, but... I also bought your stock."

Wang Chuanfu raised his glass: "Then I'll toast the shareholders."

After a few rounds of drinks, the open-source system that had caused the major disagreements yesterday was brought back to the table.

Yu Xing discussed his plans in more detail, believing that this approach would be more conducive to the development of new energy.

Wang Chuanfu pointed out the problem: "President Yu, that's not more conducive to new energy, but more conducive to carbon silicon new energy. I have no idea about that. Or, I'll take a look when you make a prototype."

His attitude remained firm.

Yu Xing felt regretful and, after offering a few more words of advice, had no choice but to give up. He then turned to other matters, the most important of which was the upcoming follow-up policies for new energy, the design of which would affect the market in the short term.

Overall, the atmosphere at the dinner was quite pleasant.

However, after the guests and hosts had left in high spirits, Wang Chuanfu sat in his car, pondering President Yu's ambitious open-source strategy, and couldn't help but repeat the word "open source, open source..."

Hearing his boss's slightly hesitant voice, Vice President Wen Zhixuan, sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and said indignantly, "President Yu insists on talking about his system. It's right that we don't cooperate. Why is it his turn to bring it up? Why doesn't he let us open source it so he can join in?"

Wang Chuanfu remained silent.

Wen Zhixuan thought that his boss agreed with him, and continued to mutter, thinking that President Yu was just taking advantage of the fact that silicon carbide products were selling well.

"Are you out of your mind?" Wang Chuanfu frowned and criticized, "Why doesn't he ask us to open source it? How can he even bring it up? Have you even provided a usable system? Kyushu has a pretty good system now, of course he can open source it. Otherwise, are you expecting him to wait for us to release the system and then join our open source? What are you thinking about all day long?"

BYD is developing its own system, but it will take some time before it is launched.

Wen Zhixuan blushed instantly.

Wang Chuanfu was in no mood to continue criticizing, and just sighed: "It depends on the sales volume of silicon carbon. If it can continue to sell like this, it may really be united and get ahead of us."

Step by step, step by step.

In this step, they use subsidies to manufacture cars at any cost, seeking economies of scale to reduce costs, and then try to define the dominant standard after achieving sales volume. Lingang also has investments and cooperation with upstream suppliers...

As Wang Chuanfu considered the plans for the silicon carbon group, he suddenly recalled the news reports he had seen praising them. He hadn't taken them seriously at the time, but now it seemed they really did have the air of a pioneer in new energy.

(End of this chapter)