What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 562 Behind the Scenes (4k)

The Shanghai Auto Show lasts for a week, with the first part being media and professional visitor days, and the public visitor days from the 25th to the 29th, which is when the event sees the highest number of visitors.

The Chinese market was already the world's largest automobile market two years ago, but it continues to maintain strong growth, which has made it particularly important to major brands.

As top-tier brands, BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi) not only had local executives participating, but also headquarters executives who came to China specifically for inspections. Silvia, BMW's Vice President of Customer, Brand and Sales, arrived in China before the official start of the auto show.

However, she didn't participate in the company's activities for the first three days. Instead, she took the opportunity to travel around Shanghai and other cities in East China, giving herself a short break.

BMW, or rather European automakers, has been in turmoil since last year’s “mountain peak incident.” The worst case was Volkswagen, where even the chairman was imprisoned. BMW has also seen several senior executives take responsibility, and the related internal affairs are exhausting.

On April 25, Sylvia, accompanied by Ren Mingyu, Deputy General Manager of BMW Brilliance, attended the Shanghai Auto Show and was interviewed by several media outlets, discussing topics such as the e-commerce trend of car sales networks, cross-border marketing, and consumer experience.

A reporter also asked about new energy: "What are BMW's plans in the new energy field? Does BMW believe that new energy companies such as Tesla and silicon carbide will pose a huge challenge?"

After listening to the translation, Sylvia smiled and replied, "BMW has always been concerned about environmental issues. We launched the i3 before, which is a great model and I believe it will gradually gain more popularity among consumers. As for Tesla, it still needs to work harder. I have met Elon Musk of Tesla, and he is a talented person."

The reporter followed up with, "What about Silicon Carbon Group? What's your view on the development brought about by Silicon Carbon Group in the SUV field?"

Sylvia repeated, somewhat puzzled, "Silicon Carbon Group? Silicon Carbon?"

Upon seeing this, the translator realized that the vice president from BMW headquarters might not know about the new company, Silicon Carbon Group, so he briefly introduced the relevant information and models to her.

Sylvia then learned that Silicon Carbon Group was a Chinese company dedicated to new energy vehicles.

She nodded slightly, showing no interest in discussing it, and replied, "I wish it all the best."

The reporter had no problem communicating in English. Knowing the situation, the reporter didn't dwell on it and simply completed their assigned task.

After finishing her media activities, Sylvia grabbed an ice cream from the BMW booth and strolled around the exhibition with her colleagues.

She was very satisfied with the visitor flow at the BMW booth. After visiting several booths, she smiled and said to Philippe, the director who came from headquarters with her, "There are so many people here in China. I like this market and I like that they buy our products."

Philip smiled and said, "The Chinese market still has a lot of room for growth. The SUV market has been booming in the past two years, and many brands are competing for it. Last year, 416 million SUVs were sold in the Chinese market, compared to only 303 million the year before. This year, it is expected to exceed 600 million."

The number was 303 million in 2013, and it's going to double that this year. This growth is incredible.

Sylvia nodded and asked with interest, "So, in another two years, it's possible that we'll exceed 1000 million vehicles?"

Philip nodded seriously: "That's an unquestionable judgment."

Even with the most conservative estimate, China will reach 1000 million SUV sales in two years, which is only four years after the year before last.

Sometimes he really felt he couldn't understand the Chinese market or the Chinese economy, but he was happy to see this situation happen.

Sylvia was about to continue talking about this when she suddenly noticed a long line of people ahead of her.

As she walked and chatted, she smiled and said when she reached the end of the line, "They'll definitely give out souvenirs or ice cream here, let's get some too."

The four German executives from headquarters had no objections.

However, Ren Mingyu of BMW Brilliance reminded him somewhat awkwardly, "This is the booth of other car companies."

Sylvia looked at Ren Mingyu in surprise, then at the long queue, her face showing obvious confusion: "Other car companies? Isn't Mercedes right next to us?"

She spotted the Mercedes-Benz booth during her interview.

Ren Mingyu said, "These are cars from the Silicon Carbon Group. They launched a six-seater new energy SUV this year, which was just launched not long ago and is still very popular."

This was the first time Sylvia had heard the name Silicon Carbon Group.

She was even more confused this time, and couldn't help but laugh: "A six-seater electric SUV?"

Ren Mingyu confirmed and added, "Yes, it's still a range-extended model."

Sylvia looked around and said to her colleagues at headquarters, "Did I hear that right? Did you hear me?"

Philip laughed, shaking his head as he laughed: "China is truly an amazing market."

Amazing growth, amazing market!
Ren Mingyu of BMW Brilliance smiled, but then felt unsure what to say.

His wife has been looking at the Silicon Carbon Kyushu car in Beijing these past few days and keeps saying she wants to buy one.

Ren Mingyu found this quite amusing. He had never seen the actual Kyushu car before, but he took the opportunity of the auto show to stroll around and take a look. His mood became rather strange. In short, it has the ability to compete head-on with the Highlander.

Sylvia and Philip decided to take a look at the products of the Chinese automaker, which had a unique positioning.

Impatient, they moved to the front of the line from the side and saw the true face of the Silicon Carbide Kyushu – a car that looked incredibly fast.

New energy vehicles are developing rapidly, thanks to the addition of electric motors. This has gradually become more widespread since Tesla. The reason I had this first impression of Kyushu is that its full front face looks like it was designed with aerodynamics in mind.

“Tell them to wait a moment, we’ll go up and take a look,” Sylvia instructed Ren Mingyu.

Ren Mingyu nodded, showed his employee badge to the staff at the silicon carbon booth, and then briefly introduced himself as a BMW executive from the German headquarters.

"Okay, welcome to visit! There are quite a lot of people here, so the queue is a bit long. Mr. Ren, you can take your time to look around. There will be a special exhibition vehicle set up for exchange at noon," said Zhong Qingxuan, a management trainee from the Silicon Carbon Group, enthusiastically.

Ren Mingyu paused for a moment, then frowned and said, "Don't wait until noon. Their schedule is very tight. Let's watch for a while now. Tell them to wait a few minutes."

Zhong Qingxuan hesitated and said, "President Ren, they've been queuing for a long time, this..."

Ren Mingyu's expression darkened slightly, and before he could speak, he heard Sylvia inquire about the situation.

He turned back to reassure the headquarters executives, then addressed the silicon carbon employee again: "This is an exchange between car companies. What are you doing? You have things to do at noon. Do you really have to argue about this? What's your name?"

Zhong Qingxuan looked back at her colleagues, feeling helpless. Today was the first day of the public viewing day, unlike the previous two days when it was mostly people from the industry and related fields. She felt it wasn't appropriate to cut in line, especially since it wasn't her own senior executives accompanying her.

As a management trainee who joined Silicon Carbon Group this year, Zhong Qingxuan keeps in mind what the boss sometimes emphasizes in meetings: user needs are very important.

The people queuing up now are potential users, so we should focus on their experience. As for the group of people in front of me... Zhong Qingxuan had just graduated and knew that she was insignificant and didn't know whether she should take it seriously. Hearing the critical tone of the senior executives from the big company, she felt intimidated.

Gu Zhipeng, the deputy director of the sales department who noticed the situation, walked over quickly. Before he could hear Zhong Qingxuan's explanation, he heard the dissatisfaction of the senior executives of the same company.

“We came here out of goodwill to see the exhibition and look at the products of domestic car companies. There’s even a vice president from BMW here. Are your employees going to make things difficult for us like this?” Ren Mingyu frowned. “How do you do your job? What’s her name? Where is General Manager Yu?”

Gu Zhipeng did not follow Ren Mingyu's words, but turned his head to ask Zhong Qingxuan, who had already pursed her lips.

Zhong Qingxuan quickly and quietly explained the situation; it wasn't a complicated matter.

Gu Zhipeng glanced at the German next to him, just as he was thinking about how to handle the situation, when he saw his boss swaying over on the other side. He was overjoyed, but calmly said, "President Ren, President Yu is over there. He's coming over."

Ren Mingyu turned his head and saw that President Yu was walking this way.

He couldn't help but take a small step back; President Yu's temper seemed a bit...

Seeing this detail, Gu Zhipeng thought to himself, "If President Yu really comes, you won't be happy again."

After browsing through several booths, Yu Xing noticed a crowd gathered at his booth. He quickened his pace, and upon approaching, he glanced at Ren Mingyu and the foreigner before greeting them, "Mr. Ren, browsing the exhibition?"

Seeing that President Yu was very amiable, Ren Mingyu felt slightly relieved. After hesitating for two seconds, he still complained, "President Yu, the vice president of BMW headquarters is coming to see Kyushu. Do we really have to be put at the back of the queue?"

Yu Xing answered without hesitation, "No need to queue."

Upon hearing this, Ren Mingyu slightly raised his chin and glanced at Gu Zhipeng and Zhong Qingxuan, the two silicon carbon employees behind him.

Yu Xing continued, "Just come over at noon; there's no one there at noon anyway."

Gu Zhipeng suppressed a laugh, but Zhong Qingxuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

Seeing that the situation remained unresolved, Sylvia asked curiously, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to show us? Why?"

Although Yu Xing's spoken English is not standard, his listening comprehension is still good enough for communication. He replied, "The queue was too long, so I came to see you at noon."

Sylvia was often treated well here and was quite used to it, so she asked, "Can't I now? I'd like to see the interior design of this car."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Then I'll give you a brochure, you can look at it while you queue up."

Sylvia remained silent.

Ren Mingyu felt that the situation was clearly out of his control. He felt offended by the ordinary employee of the silicon carbon company and dissatisfied that President Yu did not give him face even for such a small matter. He said, "President Yu, there is no need to do this. It is not necessary to see your car. This is meaningless."

Yu Xing had already grasped the situation and said with a laugh, "President Ren, you're really something. Even if you were the deputy general manager of Silicon Carbon, you should have lined up in line today. Why didn't you come when there were no people around at noon? Why did you have to choose this time to compete with the visitors at the exhibition? What are you doing?"

Ren Mingyu waved his hand: "President Yu, nothing lasts forever, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."

“If that’s your point, then I have one more question.” Yu Xing looked at management trainee Zhong Qingxuan, “Take a look, take a look, and ask BMW if they’ve paid the fine for monopolizing the market.”

Ren Mingyu became agitated and stepped forward to block Zhong Qingxuan: "Don't translate nonsense! President Yu, what are you trying to do?"

Zhong Qingxuan refused to take Ren Mingyu's salary and directly turned the tables on the boss.

Sylvia and Philip's expressions changed.

As senior executives, they deeply felt the intense turmoil brought about by last year's events, and were extremely dissatisfied when suddenly asked about it at the Shanghai Auto Show.

Sylvia inquired about the identity of the man in front of Ren Mingyu, and then learned that he was the founder of the Silicon Carbon Group.

She became serious, speaking more in her capacity as BMW's vice president: "The matter concerning BMW is still under investigation. We believe in the law and are committed to fair competition in the automotive market."

“You’re not being sincere enough. Is there any reason to argue that BMW is colluding with Mercedes and Volkswagen to monopolize the market?” Yu Xing asked Zhong Qingxuan to continue translating. “This matter was already established last year. Your argument is just laughable.”

Sylvia was not satisfied with the answers, but there was really no room for negotiation; a fine was only a matter of time.

She didn't argue, but instead went on to say, "When it comes to being funny, your car is funnier than my words. I thought this car was electric. I never imagined that a transitional solution would be on display here. Range extender technology has no future in the electric vehicle field."

As Yu Xing arrived, and the atmosphere between the two sides became tense, many audience members took out their phones, and reporters nearby also quietly peeked out, but did not make a sound, for fear of disturbing the exchange in front of them.

"Is this a judgment from BMW? Indeed, this should be something BMW can judge, after all, you can only judge based on your own situation." Yu Xing laughed, "The BMW i3 extended-range version was launched in China last year, and as far as I know, it sold a total of 46 units last year. Your car couldn't gain recognition, so you must feel that this approach won't work, and I understand you."

Sylvia said calmly, "That was just an unimportant attempt. The i3 sold more than 1 units worldwide last year, which is more than your car can sell."

Yu Xing exclaimed in surprise, "1 vehicles? More than 1 silicon car units have already been sold. You can't imagine that, can you?"

Sylvia was truly surprised. She had only made her judgment based on the starting point of new energy vehicles, vehicle design, and roadmap. She never expected that Kyushu, which had only been on the market for a short time, would already have such sales.

Seeing that the other party had made a mistake, Yu Xing continued, "I understand you. The i3 uses a motorcycle's twin-cylinder engine to generate electricity because you are afraid that the abundant power brought by the electric motor will impact your noble horsepower level. On the one hand, you believe that new energy is a trend, but on the other hand, you are holding back because of your own gasoline car business. Most importantly, even if you say such things, nothing will change."

"You may realize it, but you can't change it completely."

"Just like when you participate in market monopolies, even if you raise objections, Reith will not listen to your ideas, but will only stick to his decisions, that's all."

Sylvia was stung. Reithofer, the head of BMW, was also deeply embroiled in the "Mountain Peak incident." There were indeed concerns within the company about a series of events, which ultimately led to disastrous consequences.

She concluded by saying, "You seem to pay close attention to BMW's developments. Hopefully, your car will present us with some noteworthy challenges."

Sylvia, unwilling to lose her composure in a foreign land, turned and left.

Ren Mingyu frowned, looking at the head of the silicon carbon industry: "President Yu, don't do things like this..."

Yu Xing interrupted, "Let's talk in the car."

Ren Mingyu recalled the past. When President Yu attended the auto show back then, there was a lot of public opinion that led to car companies mocking him for not having built a car yet. At that time, he often said that he would let the car speak for itself. Now that Kyushu has been launched, he has really let the car speak for itself.

He glared at the man in front of him, not wanting to become a second victim of alkaloids, and hurriedly left the carbon silicon territory.

(End of this chapter)