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

Chapter 202 One sentence caused a global automotive giant to lose tens of billions of dollars! (6300 words)
Xu Yi sat in both the second and third rows.

With a body length of 5040mm.

It's impossible to say that the third row is spacious.

Xu Yi sat down in the third row of seats, and there was just enough space in the knees to fit most of his fist.

This already indicates that their "usable floor area ratio" is high.

In SUVs of this size, the third row is mainly used for temporary adult seating or for children.

Starry Sky excels at integrated design, focusing on making the most of every available space.

If it were a full-size SUV with a length of 5130mm or 5220mm, there would be even more room for development.

Xu Yi folded down the third row and stared inside for two seconds.

"There's a problem with the design of the third-row seats. After folding them down, the second-row seats can't be moved all the way back electrically, and the headrests are too long. We'll fix that."

Xu Luojiang was slightly startled by that cunning look.

Then they discovered the problem that Xu Yi had pointed out.

"Mr. Xu really understands everyday car use."

he sighed.

Wang Jingming, Wang Jun, and several other technical leaders gathered around.

“Yes, the third row of seats does need to be modified; the pre-installation stage was too rushed.” Wang Jingming paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.

hiss.

They should have discovered this problem.

How did it get missed?

Technically speaking, it's a very insignificant detail.

But those of them who work on core technologies focused all their energy on the power system and the more difficult underlying research and development.

The workmanship on the seats was actually rough.

It's dark under the lamp, though.

"Many people buy six-seater cars because they want a fully equipped four-seater. They only use the six seats when needed. If the third row is folded down to increase the trunk space, the second row will conflict and cannot be adjusted to the back, which greatly affects the experience."

Xu Yi pointed to the reclined seats, "Also, try to make the seats completely flat when reclined, so that people can put down a mat and lie down to sleep."

What are details?

That's what you call attention to detail!
Some people think that stacking a sofa and a large refrigerator is not difficult at all.

When they actually piled it up, they found that it wasn't like that at all.

The result is either chocolate-flavored poop or poop-flavored chocolate.

It just can't achieve true comfort and silky smoothness.

Ultimately, it boils down to this being just a little bit off here and a little bit off there.

The experience of sitting on the floor is about the same, but the experience of using it for a long time is completely different.

...

That's really weird!

From the inside of the car to the back, it went around in a circle.

Xu Luojiang felt as if he wasn't looking at a prototype vehicle, but rather at a newly renovated "new house".

Xu Yi was the real estate agent who was constantly organizing these "refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas".

I didn't look at the chassis, the powertrain, or even open the hood to check the integration.

This was completely different from the three major items he had anticipated.

A "very special" SUV.

Although he knew a bit about the automotive industry, he wasn't a car manufacturer after all. From a purely sensory perspective, the points Xu Yi raised made him feel extremely comfortable.

This is something you won't see from other domestic car manufacturers.

A thought involuntarily welled up in Xu Luojiang's mind: maybe Xingchen Motors could really succeed...

Automotive steel and high-end sheet metal are Baosteel's core businesses, accounting for 25% of its total revenue.

For hot-formed steel with a strength of 1000MPa-1500MPa, in addition to joint venture giants, the market share of domestic car companies has been increasing in recent years.

Automakers such as Geely, Great Wall, and BYD have all joined in.

If domestic car manufacturers can achieve rapid growth and rise, it will certainly bring Baosteel increased volume and customers for high-end steel materials.

According to their internal reports.

As an emerging vehicle type, new energy vehicles often have a greater demand for high-end hot-formed steel than gasoline vehicles.

Because their battery pack packaging also uses a composite structure of aluminum alloy shell + hot-formed steel frame.

In addition, with the increased vehicle weight, the materials used for the crash beams and safety design naturally become redundant.

Not to mention users like Xingchen who have increased their usage.

Xu Luojiang pondered to himself.

If StarCraft can truly establish itself at this price level, then it will likely need to be treated as a closer strategic partner, and both parties can be more open in the subsequent long-term agreement.

then.

The group sat in the car and drove around the test track twice.

The main tests were on the shock absorbers and the lifting speed of the air suspension.

Fortunately, there were no problems throughout the entire process.

The road feel filters out most of the vibrations, resulting in a soft and comfortable overall feel, a significant difference from the tuning of the previous sedan version.

The only drawback is that there is noticeable noise when the range extender kicks in.

The air suspension's inflation and depressurization speed also seems to be slower than that of imported models.

Chen Zhou explained that their NVH solution for the first prototype was only half completed. Once the next version of the engine with 40% thermal efficiency is completed, the NVH solution for the entire vehicle will be completed.

The issue of slow air suspension raising and lowering seems to be due to a slight error in ECU control, and Guo Chuan stated that further optimization and adjustment are needed.

Xu Yi was generally satisfied with the progress.

Although there are still quite a few flaws.

However, most of the core functions and technologies have already been implemented!

Now that we have engineering vehicles, the hardware and software of the entire L2-level intelligent driving system can be directly installed and matched on the vehicle. However, it will still take some time to realize functions such as high-speed ACC cruise control and automatic parking.

……

6 month 5 day.

A piece of information released by Xingchen on its official website has taken the lead in igniting the car market.

The Starry Sky S7 topped the list of new energy vehicle registrations with an incredible 14732 units sold, making it the best-selling new energy vehicle at present (excluding the Starry Sky MINI).

Ok?
How come it's defying the heavens again?

Some people were taken aback when they saw this title.

Oh, I remembered it.

Last month, when the Starry Sky S7 broke through 12,000 units in sales, this was also the title used.

In this era where the wave of electrification is still sweeping across the world, Xingchen Automotive has truly caught the wave!
Its massive sales volume and outrageous rise make it impossible to ignore.

After the BYD Tang DM was revamped last month, it received a positive market response, with 3,300 units sold through channels nationwide last month alone.

Its 2.0T hybrid three-engine four-wheel drive achieves a 0-100 km/h acceleration of 4.9 seconds, and with a price of just over 200,000 to over 250,000 yuan after subsidies, it has also opened up a niche for itself in the mid-to-high-end new energy vehicle market.

This should have been something to celebrate.

Wang Chuanfu, however, could not feel happy at all.

This feeling.

It's like you've just dug up a piece of gold in your own yard, only to find out that your neighbor has unearthed a gold mine.

It's impossible to resist feeling jealous.

"Mr. Wang, the first-generation blade battery has entered the sample verification stage. At the earliest by the end of this year, or at the latest by the beginning of next year, we will be able to start small-batch production of the first-generation blade battery."

Lian Yubo brought good news.

After the success of Xingchen Motors, they devoted more energy to the research and development of pure electric vehicles.

Because they already had relevant technology reserves, disassembling the Polestar battery brought them a lot of inspiration and ideas. With vigorous efforts, they actually produced a prototype of the blade battery.

"At that time, we will be able to replicate the dual-gun charging and needle penetration experiments."

"Considering cost, the energy density of initial mass production, while not necessarily reaching 160Wh/kg, will at least be around 150Wh/kg," Lian Yubo stated frankly.

During this period, they conducted extensive research and development on materials, processes, and structures, and the intensity of their work was astonishing.

"I don't really like the word 'replica'."

Wang Chuanfu shook his head.

This level of technological sophistication would be greatly diminished in terms of publicity if it weren't for being number one.

Who will remember the second person to climb Mount Everest?

"However, this momentum is good. The market performance of the Star S7 is beyond expectations. If we can get a share of the market for pure electric sedans in the 200,000 yuan price range, it would be at least nearly 100,000 units sold per year. We can definitely follow suit."

Currently, the top four sedans in the 180,000 to 200,000 yuan price range are Camry, Accord, Magotan, and Passat.

The gasoline-powered camp has a very solid and almost unbreakable base. No one wants to compete head-on with these cars. However, Xingchen Motors has broken this convention.

Wang Chuanfu was very tempted.

Strictly speaking, he doesn't want to admit that this is a bandwagon effect.

Back in 15, BYD internally initiated a project for a four-door sedan named "E9".

The original plan was to go public in 19.

However, after communicating with former Audi design director Wolfgang Egger, the exterior underwent a series of changes, adding more elements and a new aesthetic style.

They also unanimously decided to rename the car "Han" and continue the naming of the entire Dynasty series.

Even more coincidental.

The size and positioning of this car are almost exactly the same as the current Star S7.

This really tests your mentality.

The sudden emergence of the Starry Sky S7 disrupted a series of their plans.

The plan for the "Han" car is to use it as a trump card after the blade battery is developed.

The trump card hasn't been played yet, but the throne has already been usurped?

“We are not without advantages either. Although Xingchen Motors has performed strongly, it has not accumulated experience in the hybrid route.”

Wang Chuanfu paused for a moment, then revealed a confident smile: "Young people tend to be too absolute in their views and often overlook the process of development in between."

It's not just Xu Yi who's like this.

Li Bin, He Xiaopeng, and Shen Hui, the founder of WM Motor, are all examples of this.

They've put all their effort into pure electric vehicles.

They loudly proclaimed in front of the media that new energy would change the world.

“Yes, Xingchen Motors has indeed performed strongly in the market thanks to its marketing and battery technology, but its performance is not as strong in the northern region due to the underdeveloped charging network coverage.” Lian Yubo nodded in deep agreement.

They also have detailed data surveys and extensive market knowledge. They have studied how much sales potential a car can achieve under different regional conditions, including the influence of regional culture.

In regions with extreme temperatures, pure electric batteries don't sell well because of physical limitations; they can't withstand temperatures that are too cold or too hot.

In rural towns and villages, although there are no extreme temperatures, the local people's perceptions and values, as well as their understanding of the social attributes of vehicles, often take several years to evolve. These areas are also where the basic market for gasoline-powered vehicles is located.

This is why BYD has not given up selling gasoline-powered vehicles to this day.

Internet entrepreneurs often overlook this issue.

Overly idealistic narratives will cause you to miss out on a huge market share.

"By the end of the year, we'll launch the Han series with its blade battery and DM technology, and then we can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Wang Chuanfu said.

To put it bluntly, they still wanted to outdo Xu Yi.

Although the last negotiation between the two was brief, they were inexplicably slandered by the media, leaving them speechless.

He later summarized it.

To put it bluntly, it's still all about sales figures.

If any of their cars performed as well as the Starry Sky S7, the media would definitely switch their tune and praise BYD instead. These people are good at changing their tune depending on the wind.

……

He has a lot of confidence in the "Han" car.

Because in his opinion—

Xingchen Motors' biggest mistake was not making hybrid vehicles!

Over the past few years, BYD has reaped significant benefits from its hybrid technology. It has been able to receive government subsidies while also penetrating the core market of traditional gasoline vehicles.

That's definitely a dual identity!

Hybrid vehicles can be included in the promotion of new energy and environmental protection.

When the state and various provinces and regions issue new energy subsidies, hybrid vehicles can be included.

While the mainstream consumers of gasoline-powered vehicles complain about the short range of pure electric vehicles and experience travel anxiety, hybrid vehicles remain a good solution.

It's amazing that Xingchen Motors couldn't see through this.

All I can say is that young people are still too young!
-

Wang Chuanfu can almost see the upper limit of the current growth of pure electric vehicles.

Although the Xingchen S7 has achieved monthly sales of 15,000 units, it is actually fulfilling the orders generated by the phenomenal marketing campaign at the launch event. When customers placed their orders, they found that the delivery period shown on the Xingchen app had been significantly shortened.

So, although it appears to be enjoying great success, its decline is already evident.

It's virtually impossible for this car to achieve the sales miracle of 30,000 to 40,000 units per month in lower-tier markets.

But their approach of pursuing both pure electric and hybrid powertrains is different.

Targeting consumers across the region, their potential is inevitably higher. Even if they break even, it's not a loss, as they have a wider product line. Tang can also move towards the high-end market next.

Although BYD has recently accelerated its pure electric vehicle R&D, it does not mean that hybrid vehicles have lost their footing. On the contrary, they have invested even more in R&D.

More ambitious and more targeted research and development!

The goal is to pull off a big heist in the second half of the year, right up to the end of the year!
……

It is no coincidence.

BYD is not the only company paying attention to Xingchen Automotive.

A car company with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units will attract at least significant attention.

If we add the qualifier "new energy pure electric" to this sales figure, the attention it has attracted is almost phenomenal in the industry.

News media published related articles, and the topic trended on Weibo.

The content evaluates Xingchen Automotive's achievements in pure electric vehicles, assesses its positive impact on the domestic new energy industry, and the environmental benefits it brings.

Some people liked it, some commented, and some shared it.

While it may not generate as much buzz as entertainment gossip, it still attracts considerable attention from industry insiders and consumers interested in the new energy sector.

But two hours after it became a trending topic.

A more eye-catching comment appeared below.

"New energy vehicles will inevitably bring about a major trend of environmental protection, but new energy vehicles driven by pure electricity are not necessarily truly environmentally friendly."

A verified official account commented on this Weibo post in a lukewarm manner.

Take a closer look.

It also has a slightly sarcastic tone.

This person is Huang Yongqiang, the deputy general manager of Toyota.

He not only commented on the Weibo post, but also forwarded an international media video showing Toyota officially launching the second-generation Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in Europe last month and building hydrogen refueling stations.

The video cover has been re-edited, and the cover slogans "Five minutes of hydrogen refueling, 500 kilometers of range" and "Hydrogen energy is the only truly clean energy" are quite eye-catching.

Many netizens clicked on it because of this.

Then I discovered another piece of content.

In the video, when interviewed by international media, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda openly stated that "electric vehicles are outdated technology. Toyota developed them decades ago. They are not environmentally friendly in nature and are low-level products. Hydrogen energy is the future."

Its logic is clear.

It points out that current power generation relies on burning coal and fossil fuels, and that the recycling and disposal of batteries themselves cause pollution, etc. The more electric vehicles are produced, the more serious the carbon emissions will be.

The world's largest automaker has made a statement, which has caused quite a stir.

All eyes turned to them.

Many netizens, unaware of the situation, were watching the drama unfold in the comments.

"What does this mean? Is this propaganda or a targeted attack?"

"That's obvious, they commented under the trending topic of Xingchen Auto."

"Can any experts tell me, is hydrogen fuel cell technology really that good? What do you think of the Mirai car?"

"It's hard to say. Xiao Rizi has a leading patent portfolio in this area, but hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are quite expensive, costing around a million."

"According to him, he's criticizing our domestic car manufacturers' electric vehicles as garbage, not only because they're technologically inferior, but also because they're not environmentally friendly... What kind of attitude is that?"

"What they said doesn't seem to be wrong. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are indeed emission-free and absolutely green. On the other hand, what about the batteries and power generation methods in our country? Aren't they still burning coal?"

"Nonsense! What's the difference between hydrogen production and storage processes, hydrogen storage tanks, and timed hydrogen bombs?"

"Toyota is a global giant. The fact that this thing can be sold overseas means that the safety issues have been largely resolved."

soon.

The comments section of the post was filled with heated arguments from the hot-tempered netizens.

There are quite a few people who support Toyota.

...

After a while.

It has been discovered that Xingchen Automotive has responded to this.

Xu Yi has a personal account on Weibo, but he rarely posts personal content there.

Occasionally, I would like and share promotional videos from Xingchen Auto's official account, leading many fans to believe it was a bot account.

And this time.

Mr. Xu has released new content.

Moreover, it is a comic strip with a very rough style and text descriptions.

It looks like it was created on the spot.

The general content is as follows—

"Once upon a time, there was a persimmon tree. A Japanese chicken was the first to discover the tree and named the fruit on it 'persimmon.' From then on, all the animals that wanted to eat persimmons had to share a bite with the Japanese chicken."

Later, the Japanese chicken discovered an apple seedling and marked it with the same method.

It turned out that everyone had gone to grow watermelons.

The Japanese chicken got impatient and started yelling in the forest that other animals were wasting water by planting watermelons.

……

The content has just been released.

A large number of netizens flocked to watch!
"What does this mean?"

"Mr. Xu has switched careers to become a cartoonist?"

"Japanese chicken, doesn't that refer to a comfortable life? Persimmons, apples..."

"Look, BYD liked and shared it!"

"Can someone explain the meaning of this comic? I'm a bit confused. What does this watermelon, persimmon, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle have to do with it?"

...

Many people have grasped the underlying meaning, but some are still completely confused.

XPeng Motors immediately liked and retweeted this Weibo post.

He Xiaopeng also commented on this: "Toyota is so committed to environmental protection and promotes hydrogen energy, it must have developed a lot of hydrogen production patents for the world, right? How come 70% of the patents it applied for are for hydrogen use? It has ignored the most difficult manufacturing and transportation aspects?"

We recommend increasing research and development efforts!

That hit the nail on the head.

The two groups of people who had just been arguing about domestic pure electric power lines and hydrogen energy routes were immediately stunned.

Many people have a halo effect on foreign companies, even small and large giant companies.

Especially hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Some people think it's high-class just by hearing the name.

How ideal! How valuable the technology is! Once the research and development is successful and its promotion is successful, how much carbon emissions can be reduced?

It's a bit pricey, but isn't it amazing that it's pollution-free?!

But now, hearing these words, I feel like something's off.

"This is too cunning. They only applied for the use of the patent, skipping the most difficult parts of hydrogen production and storage, and then they're holding others back from development so they can collect patent fees on the spot."

"Just to give you some background, this isn't the first time Xiao Rizi has done this. They even sued BYD over lithium batteries before. What's most outrageous is that the lithium battery patent they applied for was actually a modified version of a publicly available patent."

"A nation of cunning people, and cunning companies."

"Pfft, no wonder BYD gave it a thumbs up. I acknowledge Mr. Xu's aggressiveness. He may seem to have said nothing, but his attack hits right to the heart, a truly devastating blow!"

"Now I really understand. No wonder China hasn't embraced hydrogen energy. If they had, it would have been a trap. All that talk about environmental protection would just be a business!"

...

The internet spreads information very quickly.

Just as Akio Toyoda's remarks could reach China, international media also carried them abroad.

This marks the first time that a major international automaker has engaged in a dialogue with Xingchen Automotive remotely.

The process was extremely brief.

It doesn't even count as a direct confrontation.

The content, however, is quite argumentative.

Hydrogen energy, electric vehicles, and environmental protection are topics of global concern.

Not a moment.

A message has been circulating on the internet.

Musk liked this international news article:

In my opinion, Toyota's stock price is too high.

The same style, seemingly nothing, yet saying everything.

I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not.

Right after this tweet was posted.

Toyota's US-listed shares immediately plummeted, falling 7% in a single day to a new low in sixty days!

The massive shock in the financial sector caused a wave of lamentations among investors.

"Dude, I've lost at least ten thousand dollars because of what you said! What's wrong with you?!"

This sparked strong dissatisfaction on Twitter.

Musk found the comment amusing. He was very interested in Star Automotive, but it was the kind of interest that was more of a rivalry than a friendship. However, since Toyota was launching a massive attack, he felt compelled to respond.

At least in this respect, he and Xingchen Motors are on the same side.

"You should ask Xingchen Motors in China about that."

He shrugged and replied in a comical way.

……

Screenshots from the external website were sent back to China.

Many people were dumbfounded.

It's important to understand that with Toyota's current market capitalization, a 5% drop in its US stock market value would result in a loss of over ten billion US dollars.

"One picture led Akio Toyoda to spend billions of dollars, amazing!"

"I acknowledge Mr. Xu's offensive prowess!!"

"These kinds of insider revelations are the most ruthless, often hitting the nail on the head. China has now clearly stated that it will not pursue hydrogen energy, and Tesla in the US is also going for pure electric vehicles. Once expectations are shattered, the stock price will fall. This is probably just a harbinger."

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Akio Toyoda never imagined that his news interview in Europe would be used as propaganda material in China, causing such a huge loss."

"It seems that Japan's domestic policies are quite strict, saying that it will complete the transformation in 30 years. So Akio Toyoda's strong words this time are aimed at Japan's domestic environmental policies, not at attacking domestic electric vehicles."

The mistake lies with this Toyota executive in China, who insisted on reposting it under a trending topic about Xingchen Auto, seemingly because the Xingchen S7 was selling too well and was stealing sales from the Camry.

Some people have analyzed this based on this.

……

at the same time.

Akio Toyoda, who was far away in Japan, inexplicably received news of a sharp drop in stock prices.

It also synchronized some international chain information.

An old face, showing three parts bewilderment and two parts astonishment!
"???"

(End of this chapter)