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

Chapter 169 The Prelude to the Shanghai International Auto Show
"Then wait for good news."

Xu Yi smiled.

There are conditions for attracting top talent to settle down.

For example, in China, apart from a few emerging companies that have received funding from multiple giants, no other small car company can afford to maintain such a large-scale intelligent driving department.

It's important to understand that the autonomous driving department is essentially a pure expense before the solution is implemented.

Even in the mid-term, only a handful of companies can actually charge for intelligent driving services, and even then, they can't break even.

To independently develop a team focused on Level 3 autonomous driving, you would need at least 300-500 people to start, and in the future, you would need to expand to thousands of people.

The cost of talent alone amounts to over a billion yuan every year.

Add in the computing power cluster equipment and various expenses, it's no exaggeration to say that they burn through billions a year.

And this is just the ticket to the future "AI era".

Traditional manufacturers, on the other hand, currently have stable sales of gasoline-powered vehicles and are not in a hurry to ramp up their efforts.

However, since emerging forces lack advantages in other areas, they must spend money to acquire something to demonstrate their capabilities.

Just like a newcomer who suddenly arrives in this "malicious" family, they must have some special skills.

If you don't do anything productive, you might as well not live at all.

Everyone's expectation is that the newcomers will have some "liveliness".

It's not just consumers who have this expectation; the entire industry, investment institutions, and the country all share this expectation.

Otherwise, you might as well buy a traditional gasoline car!
If you can't develop your own unique characteristics, you'll likely fail very quickly.

Even with the best financing, the funds will eventually run out.

Thanks to Polestar's batteries and charging technology, Star Auto has its own unique strengths, enabling it to secure a place in the market and stand out in the new energy vehicle sector.

They are absolutely qualified to attract top talent.

Xu Yi knew how difficult it was to develop algorithms in-house; having just one top talent leading the team wasn't enough, and they were only at the beginning stage.

It should at least attract a large number of people, eventually develop into a large-scale scientific research center, establish research and development laboratories with top domestic universities, bring in the top academicians and laboratory talents, and finally cultivate its own scientific research ecosystem base.

In the end, it all comes down to laboratory results.

He's not only willing to recruit people from Qualcomm, but also the team from Baidu and other talented individuals starting their own businesses in China.

The main idea is that strength lies in numbers!
In the world's top algorithm and semiconductor chip fields, it is actually a bunch of Chinese people fighting each other, a large part of whom left Chinese universities.

Therefore, the available talent in the industry is currently in short supply, and in the future, domestic universities need to further develop their talent pool. These can all be carried out simultaneously.

……

……

3pm.

"Mr. Xu, the arrangements for the 17th Shanghai Auto Show in April have been completed. Our exhibitors will mainly be the Star S7 and Star Mini Premium Edition, both mass-produced vehicles... The exhibits will be located in the domestic new energy vehicle zone."

Yu Nian arrived at the office.

As we approach the end of April, a new launch event is underway.

The auto show is a trendsetter for the industry, unlike the previous joint business exhibition.

This year's Shanghai Auto Show at the end of April was a true international industrial extravaganza.

A host of big names and international giants gathered, with a large number of mass-produced cars and concept cars waiting to be unveiled, making for a truly magnificent spectacle.

The exhibition features a total of 1400 vehicles, including 113 global debuts. In terms of prestige, it is comparable to the Paris Motor Show and the Frankfurt Motor Show, and it is no exaggeration to call it the "No. 1 Auto Show in Asia". Of course, Xingchen Auto could not miss such an opportunity to make its debut.

Unfortunately, apart from two mass-produced vehicles, Xingchen currently doesn't have a single concept car. Their first high-end extended-range SUV is still under independent research and development.

So this time, I went there purely as an extra.

Yes.

They were just ordinary "extras".

The Starry Sky S7 has made a name for itself in the new energy vehicle sector.

However, compared to the entire international car manufacturing industry, it's not quite up to par.

Xu Yi glanced at the list.

Such as the McLaren 720S, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Aston Martin Vantage British Limited Edition, Rolls-Royce Ghost Supreme Edition, Bentley Mulsanne...

Among them, there is only one domestically produced supercar, which is the NIO EP9, which was just released at the end of the year.

These are all the most attractive luxury exhibition venues.

And there are even more concept cars that are explicitly scheduled for mass production next year.

Numerous domestic brands, as well as joint venture giants such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, and Volkswagen, and a host of foreign companies, are exhibiting both gasoline-powered and new energy vehicles.

But there is one noticeable change.

Driven by the pressure of carbon credits and the booming energy sector in China, the number of new energy vehicles unveiled this year is far higher than in the previous two years, and most of the models that were involved in subsidy fraud have gradually disappeared.

After one round of screening, the remaining players are all quite large.

However, in terms of actual sales, Xingchen Automotive is still far ahead.

The combined monthly steady-state sales of the Star Mini and Star S7 have reached more than 30,000 units. Even if we remove the Star Mini, which costs 50,000 yuan, the sales of pure electric vehicles still amount to 10,000 units.

What is this concept?
This just broke BAIC New Energy's five-year winning streak as the top-selling pure electric vehicle brand.

BYD and other new energy vehicle companies are closely following suit.

Therefore, even without competing in the high-end gasoline vehicle market, Xingchen Automotive still stands out in the new energy vehicle exhibition area. The marketing department has already arranged the booth setup, channel marketing, and related arrangements, which are expected to bring a surge of traffic to Xingchen Automotive.

"For the car models, we've partnered with a top agency in the industry this time. The auditions and makeup were all conducted with high standards. However, there are even more international celebrities participating this time. Do you think we should add a batch of international faces?"

Yu Nian handed over another audition document.

to be frank.

Since Xingchen Auto doesn't have a supercar booth or any concept cars on display, and doesn't have many models, they can't spend much money on setting up an exhibition. Instead, they simply put the extra budget into the models.

The so-called international faces are actually more internationally-looking Chinese faces, or mixed-race supermodels who act as hostesses.

"No need, just have all East Asian faces. Secondly, it would be best if they could embody East Asian temperament and have cultural confidence."

Xu Yi waved his hand.

On the media day of the international auto show, car models will not be present; it is mainly industry professionals and major media outlets that will interact. Car models will gradually appear on the public day following the second day.

At this stage, their new energy vehicles are mainly targeted at domestic consumers. Why would they try to attract international attention?

Xingchen Motors doesn't lack investment!
"understood!"

Yu Nian nodded.

Back in his office, he immediately submitted the request to the brokerage firm.

The candidates had already been largely confirmed, as they were all among the top in the industry. Their looks and figures weren't that different; the main differences were in their styles, makeup, and dresses.

Even among top-tier supermodels, beautiful makeup and gowns can elevate a model's overall aura.

Inappropriate makeup can also lower the overall look.

However, some car companies, in their pursuit of style, will come up with some strange and unusual designs, such as a shiny, "tech-savvy" suit. If done well, it's fashionable; if done poorly, it's just tacky.

Or, as mentioned earlier, in order to cater to certain specific groups, models with certain faces are selected to stand on the stage.

Their Xingchen Motors doesn't have this kind of "unhealthy practices".

The two sides exchanged views.

The clothing options provided by the agency were clearly insufficient to meet Yu Nian's high aesthetic standards. Not to mention President Xu, even he felt that they were somewhat perfunctory and had the same monotonous feel as previous auto shows.

Yu Nian suddenly had an idea.

Eh? !

Why not create a separate haute couture art gown for each supermodel?!

……

……

The preview clips of "Crazy Car Show" are very popular on YouTube.

This has led to a surge in searches for the term "world's cheapest electric car".

A live stream on an external website.

This familiar redneck guy from Texas has attracted attention with a video featuring him saying, "You are the most beautiful Chinese girl I have ever seen," and a mesmerizing scene of him touching and kissing the car paint.

...

"Today I'm going to drive my little basket to the supermarket to stock up on goods."

Did you know that I've wanted to buy a used pickup truck for a year and a half?

However, due to price and operating costs, I hadn't made a purchase until I saw this imported pickup truck.

It's a bit small, but it perfectly meets my daily needs.

York spoke to the live stream, his expression and tone full of joy, even though there weren't even twenty people in the live stream, he was still very satisfied.

In the past two years, the cost of domestic car insurance has increased by 34%, and the cost of used cars has increased by as much as 38%, in addition to the increase in routine maintenance and repair costs.

In the United States, many low-income people feel immense pressure when it comes to buying and maintaining a car.

Everywhere, the middle and low-income groups make up the majority.

York was one of them.

Buying this imported Star pickup truck is what he considers the wisest decision he made this year, and he even started a live stream every day to share his life and feelings about it.

For those who enjoy sharing, this is nothing.

Because some people even livestream for hundreds of days, 24 hours a day, showing everything from eating and drinking to relieving themselves, making the entire livestream content veritable human body art.

While driving, York chatted with the scattered viewers in the live stream.

Before long, we arrived at the mall entrance.

Yorke is proud of his distinctive appearance, which has attracted some attention.

"Look at how much it can hold... I can tell you definitively that the quality of this product far exceeds expectations. Even if I fill the entire back of the cargo box, the power will not decrease much. It's as powerful as a bull."

York stuffed cases of water, toilet paper, milk, snacks, and other supplies into the back of the truck, then happily started the vehicle and headed home.

While he was driving on the road.

Two patrol officers noticed the "unique" little blue car and looked on with surprise; it was a model they had never seen before.

"Hey sir, hold on, you need to undergo a check-up now..."

……

(End of this chapter)