What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 514 McDonnell Douglas 12
"Hanma S9 sales figures? Let me check."

Tang Wen was sitting on the No. 1 turret of the new Moscow watching the swimsuit party below when Zhao Hande unexpectedly called him about it.

For a while, he had been preoccupied with Nanmei's situation and had completely forgotten about the situation with Feiyue Motors. He just felt that no bad news was good news.

However, after making the phone call, Shen Wei uttered a startling number:
"5000 vehicles! Just yesterday, our order volume surpassed 5000 vehicles. I was just about to share the good news!"

Tang Wen couldn't sit still any longer. Ordering the Hanma S9 was different from the "big order" or "small order" in the future. He had to pay the full amount first and then wait for the car. It would take at least a month to get the car.

What does 5000 units mean? It's only been on the market for a few months, and it's already almost knocking Audi out of the market.

The real reason is that Tang Wen did not fully understand the buying and selling relationship of this era: the automobile market was entirely a seller's market, with supply falling short of demand.

The primary task of automobile factories after production is to supply the needs of public institutions, accounting for more than 80%, with the remainder being supplied to the private market.

The lowest-spec Santana has a factory price of 13 yuan, but the dealer prices it at 15 yuan. The dealer also forces customers to add audio equipment and leather seats for 1 yuan, and there is a 5000 yuan charge for vehicle adjustment. The maintenance package costs 8000 yuan, and customers have to pay a deposit and wait 3 months before they can pick up the car. All these fees add up to nearly 20 yuan before they can take delivery of the car.

The Audi 100, which has a similar listed price to the Hanma S9, is priced at 38 yuan for the mid-range model, and with various optional extras bundled together, the final price is 45 yuan.

In addition, for high-end models like Audi, car manufacturers would deliberately limit production to create room for price increases, which seems unbelievable from a later perspective.

Even so, private individuals buying cars still need to provide a "social control certificate" or obtain stamped documents from certain departments to prove their ability and eligibility to buy a car. It's even difficult for self-employed individuals to buy a car...

However, Hanma S9 chose a direct sales model, with the official price being the actual price and no bundled packages. You can even order a car through the official website or by phone and have it delivered directly to your door by truck. The process is simple and straightforward. In addition, Tang Wen offers various benefits, free maintenance, extended warranty, etc. He can even handle all kinds of procedures in Guangdong Province. Such practices, which would be commonplace in the future, are unheard of now.

When it comes to buying a car, the experience has suddenly changed from "no one is allowed to beat or scold customers" to "paying money is God," which is almost a revolutionary experience for many people who want to buy a car.

It can be said that sales models other than car sales have tapped into a large segment of users who would not normally buy a car.

"Our assembly lines are already insufficient; orders are booked until next year!"

Shen Wei was not only surprised by the orders, but also by the fact that Tang Wen had estimated a maximum of 1500 vehicles per year, which meant that the average loss per vehicle would be quite bad.

But now that production has basically doubled, the cost of the assembly line investment can be spread out. In addition, with the increase in production, many parts can be supplied by domestic suppliers at low prices, which can turn a big loss into a small loss, and a small loss into no loss.

After offering some encouragement, Shen Wei hung up the phone. Only then did Tang Wen understand why Zhao Hande had received such preferential treatment at BMW.

He also said that Joshua W. Johnson would come to the United States, and the three parties would then finalize the joint venture agreement together.

……

"Pearl Harbor, here comes xx!"

Before the Great White Fleet had fully entered the port, Tang Wen, standing at the bow of the ship, could see that the shore was filled with dense crowds.

Their composition is complex. Some are there to dismantle the Tang Dynasty, some are American military enthusiasts who want to see replica battleships for the Great White Fleet, and some are fans of Hong Kong martial arts stars. Moreover, there is some overlap among these groups.

In addition, there were also people hired by Robert.

In short, the fleet received an unexpectedly warm welcome upon arrival, including from the local governor.

As Tang Wen disembarked, he glanced around and saw a row of grass-skirt dancers dressed as indigenous people, their attire extremely avant-garde and daring. Wow, they really were!
However, he only made a brief appearance before getting into a prepared car. The Hawaiian authorities had long ago made contact with McDonnell Douglas and Gekin, and used the Great White Fleet to capitalize on American patriotism.

The fleet will stay for 3 days and open some areas for exhibition. The local area not only collected a lot of ticket revenue, but also sold souvenirs on the side. They also want to make the Great White Fleet tour a permanent project.

They wouldn't object to Tang Wen recreating Pearl Harbor in the Spratly Islands; on the contrary, they wanted to continue collaborating and promoting the IP, and they were even bolder than Tang Wen imagined:
"The Great White Fleet can be stationed in Hawaii, while those Japanese warships can set sail from the Spratly Islands and launch a blitzkrieg against Pearl Harbor. That would definitely be the most talked-about and hottest event!"

The speaker was Cayetano, the governor.

The translator beside him glanced at him several times before relaying the truth, which made Tang Wen unable to hold back any longer.

This would certainly generate a lot of buzz, but what exactly does it mean that the Japanese fleet launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor from the Spratly Islands?

Tang Wen really hadn't expected the governor to be so unconventional, and after holding it in for a long time, he blurted out:
"If we're going to talk about controversy, why can't it be the Pearl Harbor attack on the Spratly Islands?"

His intention was to tell the old man not to talk nonsense, but Cayetano blinked and nodded seriously:
"You're right, Tang. You truly deserve to be the youngest super-rich man. Let's do it this way! Launch a surprise attack on the Spratly Islands, and then another one on Hawaii!"

Tang Wen: "..."

……

Having narrowly escaped the wildly imaginative Governor Cayetano, Tang Wen originally intended to watch a hula dance, but ended up running into Levi's again.

The latter's arrival in Hawaii was no coincidence. With the first domestically assembled McDonnell Douglas MD-11 about to roll off the production line, he needed to return to the mainland to confirm some things. Finding Tang Wen was another task Robert had assigned him.

McDonnell Douglas 12.

The next-generation mainstay large passenger aircraft after the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, the original Worldline was acquired by Boeing and the McDonnell Douglas MD-12 only remained in the concept stage, and the only model was burned.

Now things are very different. Due to Geyser's increasingly strong performance and the positive outlook for China's economy following its accession to the WTO, the McDonnell Douglas business, which has secured large orders, has been revitalized and is poised to overcome the setbacks of the DC-10 and McDonnell Douglas 11.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-12 was thus conceived, not only as a successor to the MD-11, but also as a large passenger aircraft to rival the A380.
Powered by four CF6 engines, with a maximum takeoff weight of 430 tons and a four-deck cabin design, the initial plan includes two versions with 550 and 630 seats, and a range of 1.3 to 1.4 kilometers.

In addition, a cargo model with a payload of 140 tons has been developed, with a full-load range of 8000 kilometers.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-12 is a true super-large passenger aircraft, designed to meet the needs of airlines who want to reduce the cost per passenger by using large-capacity aircraft. The first version of the design was proposed in 85.

With McDonnell Douglas anticipating a sharp drop in oil prices and the fuel consumption of four-engine passenger aircraft no longer being an issue, it was eager to push forward the MD12 project.

They planned to develop the aircraft with a budget of around $60 billion, with the first flight expected in 1999 and airworthiness certification around 2001.

The MD12 was developed primarily for the Asia-Pacific market, and McDonnell Douglas had a very attractive offer:

The MD12 was designed under the leadership of the local headquarters and with the assistance of the First Aircraft Factory in Guangzhou. The main fuselage, wings and final assembly were all carried out at the First Aircraft Factory.

McDonnell Douglas is producing MD12 domestically by paying a lease fee, and if Tang Wen is willing to spend the money, he can also have exclusive sales rights in the Asia-Pacific region, which is quite a show of sincerity.

But is that really the case?

(End of this chapter)