From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 140: First Batch of Star S7 Owners' Delivery Experience
As the time goes.

The first ten days of tight delivery passed quickly.

The Xingchen S7 has become an unavoidable topic in the recent domestic new energy vehicle market.

Popular internet memes such as "charging speed is faster than a million-dollar luxury car", "screen is 0.7 inches larger than a Maybach", and "battery won't catch fire when punctured" continue to circulate online.

It is worth mentioning that.

This happened just a few days after Xingchen Automotive held its owner delivery ceremony.

At the same time, the official Mercedes-Benz Continental account released several mid-term details of this year's Maybach facelift.

It wasn't a big deal.

While mainstream luxury giants like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi (BBA) may have slow platform updates, they still make numerous minor adjustments and facelifts every one to two years, such as changes to the interior and details of the vehicle's features.

One of the update details attracted the attention of many netizens.

"The mid-cycle refresh of the Mercedes-Maybach will upgrade the 12.3-inch in-car entertainment screen to dual 12.3-inch screens, enhancing its technological sophistication and doubling its luxury..."

...

When the netizens saw this, they were amused.

"666!"

"The Maybach was immediately redesigned after the Star Auto launch event."

"Hilarious! To avoid the Starry Sky S7's dominance, they actually added an extra screen!"

"Is this the keen insight of old-school luxury?!"

……

of course.

This was just an accident.

Anyone familiar with the automotive industry knows that traditional automakers usually make changes to configurations and launch announcements at least one or two quarters in advance. They rarely make decisions on a whim, especially since this timeframe is typically the mid-cycle refresh time for luxury cars.

However, ordinary netizens don't care about all that. Since they've run into you, they'll just treat it as a joke and make fun of you first.

Such rumors have left many industry insiders both amused and exasperated.

They were all speechless.

How come Star Cars always seems to have such a coincidence?
This is absolutely insane!!

……

at the same time.

The first batch of 3,000 Xingchen S7 vehicles has been shipped and delivered to major cities.

The first batch of car owners who watched the launch event have finally received their beloved cars.

Hangzhou.

Lin Hao is a 35-year-old office worker.

After graduating from university and entering the workforce, I caught the wave of the internet boom.

Now, he owns a car and a house in a strong second-tier city, has a stable job in the internet industry as a product manager with a moderate income, and has a daughter who is in the first grade of elementary school.

They've managed to settle down and establish themselves in a big city.

however.

Recently, Lin Hao has been feeling very tired.

That means oil prices have gone up again.

On January 15th, the two major state-owned oil companies officially announced that, due to the rebound in international oil prices and the impact of OPEC's production cuts, gasoline prices would be raised across the board.

The price of 92-octane gasoline has been raised to 6.74 yuan per liter.

This is an absolutely shocking price!

It's worth noting that two years ago and at the beginning of last year, the price of 92-octane gasoline was still over five yuan, and in some areas it even hovered around five yuan.

It suddenly jumped by more than a dollar, who can withstand that?

The internet was filled with angry comments.

Phrases like "the two oil giants' sons are born without an anus," "when international prices rise, you follow suit; when international prices fall, you don't," and "monopoly, shameless" were used.

Sources familiar with the matter also said that the oil drums of the two oil companies are high-tech products, using nanotechnology, aerospace materials, and equipped with smart chips that can automatically regulate the temperature and humidity of the oil to ensure the quality of the oil!
Such a high-tech bucket deserves to be a bit pricey!

So please stop complaining about high gas prices and understand the difficulties faced by the oil companies! The two oil giants have sacrificed so much to ensure that people can use high-quality gasoline!

We should be grateful for this phenomenon!
In this era of soaring prices, the fact that the two oil giants only raised the price of oil by a little over one yuan is truly a great blessing.

Who knows—we might never see such cheap gas prices again?

……

This dark humor garnered a lot of likes.

However, some people have expressed their opinions.

The price has only increased a little, yet people are already complaining. We should understand the difficulties of not having oil and mineral resources in China and take the initiative to contribute to the country.

You're an adult, if you can't even afford this little bit of gas, what are you doing driving a car?
Sell ​​the car and go home to raise pigs!
Such seemingly "rational and objective" remarks were immediately met with a barrage of criticism.

Lin Hao couldn't help but laugh.

As a heavy commuter, he was truly exasperated by these clueless netizens who seemed to have no taste for the good life!

In his view, people who say such things are either students or people who can't even afford to drive two tanks of gas a year.

They don't know the cost of daily necessities until they're in charge of the household.

Take his current daily life as an example.

He commutes from Yuhang District to Binjiang District every day, a journey of nearly 50km one way, which is 100km round trip.

I commute at least 24 days a month, covering a total of 2400km.

Previously, his monthly gas expenses were over a thousand yuan. Now that the gas price has increased by one yuan, it will cost him more than three hundred yuan more each month.

This is really a bit of a pain in the ass.

He drives a 09 Honda CR-V. As the car gets older, the engine has accumulated carbon deposits, and the fuel consumption has increased significantly compared to before. Maintenance is also an expense.

In addition, the transmission was old and the shifting was jerky, so the driving experience wasn't very comfortable. As a result, I started thinking about getting a new car.

He only had one requirement for the new car.

That means keeping fuel consumption as low as possible and providing a stable and comfortable ride.

Minimize your commute costs!
He initially targeted Japanese cars, but soon noticed the hybrid models that have become popular in recent years. These models have very low fuel consumption, not only with high configuration, but also with fuel consumption of only four or five liters per 100 kilometers in the city.

Later, he saw pure electric new energy.

This is even more amazing; it doesn't even need oil, just charging.

With a charging station available, a full charge only costs 30 yuan, while filling up a tank of gas costs over 400 yuan!

Lin Hao's heart fluttered at the sight.

He hadn't paid much attention to hybrid and new energy vehicles before, and had only recently started cramming on related knowledge. But soon...

Some information on the internet poured cold water on him.

Claims such as "electric vehicles are unsafe and prone to catching fire in collisions," "batteries age severely after seven years," "cheap electric vehicles have a range of no more than 300 kilometers," and "saving a little money leads to big losses"...

Such comments are still plentiful on various forums.

Lin Hao felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing this.

He did the math in his head: if he bought a long-range electric car, based on his annual commute of more than 30,000 kilometers, even after seven years, the battery would be unusable due to degradation.

That covers the cost of buying the car.

Overall, it's still very cost-effective.

The most concerning issues are "safety concerns" and "too short battery life".

What if an accident happens while driving, and it really explodes or bursts into flames?

That really turned into what people online call a "crematorium".

Just as he was about to turn his attention back to the gasoline-powered vehicle system, he came across a very popular live-streamed product launch event.

A car named "Starry Sky S7" came into his view.

"Multiple needle punctures won't cause a fire," and "Maximum range can reach 520km"?!
Lin Hao was truly moved!

He had previously checked online and found that, apart from Tesla overseas, there are currently no new energy vehicles in China with a pure electric range exceeding 520 kilometers.

The appearance of this car perfectly solved his anxiety about safety and range.

While a range of 520 kilometers is less than that of a gasoline car, it's sufficient for commuting to and from get off work.

Moreover, there is space in his garage to install a home charging station.

The monetary and time costs of charging are negligible.

Moreover, this car, and this launch event, seem truly "touching"!

On the stage.

That man was passionate and sincere!

It's the kind of thing that can get your head spinning.

Driven by this impulsive emotion, Lin Hao immediately placed an order.

Without hesitation, I traded in my old car, sold it for its residual value, and received an additional 6,000 yuan trade-in subsidy.

Actually, online reviews of pure electric vehicles aren't entirely negative.

For example, the Tesla brand is very popular.

Because of its impressive charging speed, vehicle performance, and advanced configuration and design, it has gained a large following among new energy enthusiasts.

At that time, domestically produced electric vehicles had not yet developed to that stage.

The emergence of the Star S7 has just filled the gap in Tesla's lack of domestic production!

Just today.

He went to the Star Auto brand direct-sale store and mentioned his second car.

A brand-new Obsidian Black Starry Sky S7 is laid out before me, its appearance as stunning as it was at the launch event, with its distinctive front fascia, star-ring headlights, and elongated body curves…

This car is amazing!!

At first glance, its appearance and design style are unlike any gasoline-powered car he has ever seen before.

Lin Hao felt as if he had rediscovered the same exhilarating feeling he had when he bought his first car!
No.

Even more exciting than last time!!

After all, this was my first car purchase, and it was for my wedding and family, so I chose a Japanese SUV.

But what real man wouldn't want to own his own car?

The moment he sat in the driver's seat of the new car and stepped on the accelerator, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

Unlike the "powerless roar" of ordinary household engines, it is a more linear, faster, and more direct power.

The 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7 seconds is two or three seconds faster than his old car, and the overall experience is so smooth and powerful!
In addition, there's this large screen and a smooth, fluid infotainment system.

The map navigation and touchscreen response speed are many times better than his old, outdated car infotainment system, a level that domestic cars can't possibly achieve.

While driving on the road, Lin Hao could vaguely sense that the eyes of passersby and other drivers were clearly focused on him, and the number of people turning their heads to look at him had increased significantly.

In his experience, almost everyone who has just bought a new car has this "misconception".

On the very first day after picking up the car, I subconsciously felt like the coolest guy on the street.

This time, however, it wasn't his "misperception" but rather the fact that the Starry Sky S7's appearance was indeed quite eye-catching in the street environment, whether it was the overall low-drag streamlined design style or the star-ring headlights on the front.

In this era, it is a novel product.

It belongs to the very top of the top.

As a pure electric vehicle owner in the new era.

After a week of driving, Lin Hao felt that his cerebral cortex had been completely soothed.

There's no longer any anxiety about rising fuel prices!

joke.

Fuel price hikes? What does that have to do with my electric car?!
this day.

With the company on holiday and his wife and children at work or school, Lin Hao should have been resting at home at noon, but he felt a little restless.

Ever since I got a new car, it feels like I'm missing out if I don't take it for a spin.

"Forget it, how about we go out and get some mala tang?"

Lin Hao didn't know what he was thinking, but he inexplicably put on a jacket, got in his car, and drove to a shopping district 20 kilometers away from his home. He ordered a large bowl of spicy hot pot and a Starbucks.

"If it were a gasoline car, just running 20 kilometers round trip would cost 20 or 30 yuan in fuel costs... Now that we've switched to an electric car, it only costs 3 or 4 yuan."

As he sipped his coffee, he felt a little smug inside!
If you can save so much in just one day, imagine how much you'd save over the years!
But soon.

He stared at the coffee in his hand, lost in thought again.

wrong.

Something's not quite right...

If he hadn't bought an electric car, he'd probably be at home eating something simple right now, so there wouldn't be any cost associated with driving.

Now, all of it has been spent.

"..."

Lin Hao suddenly realized.

broken!

This tram doesn't seem to be very cheap!
……

(End of this chapter)