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

Chapter 218 PPT Showcases Unique Skills: Concepts and Awesomeness Soar Together (6200 words)
Xingchen Community posted a notice that the power banks were sold out.

Despite the overwhelming popularity of this hit product, customer service was flooded with inquiries.

However, the specific replenishment period will be 15 days later.

no way.

All the previous stock has been sold out.

If we want to produce them now, we can only schedule the production of a new batch of battery cells.

However, Polestar's mobile phone battery production capacity is currently tight, and the power banks use the same battery cells, making it difficult to balance production capacity. Being able to replenish stock within 15 days is already quite impressive.

……

With the hot sales of vivo.

The industry peers are casting a "concerned" glance.

Judging from the data, the buzz generated by Polestar's battery and the widespread adoption of wireless charging technology in the industry have clearly impacted the sales of flagship phones with large screens in the second half of the year.

Although Samsung and other manufacturers have used this technology before, it is not considered widespread because Apple has not adopted it.

Now that Apple products have become widespread, competitors are immediately motivated to follow suit, and the supply chain is bustling again.

Vivo's explosive sales a few days later put Lei Jun under considerable pressure. The Xiaomi MIX 2, which followed closely behind, also fell short of expectations in comparison. Despite featuring a Snapdragon 835 chip that was more powerful than the Vivo X20 Plus and a meticulously designed ceramic body, it failed to achieve better order results. Amidst a series of heated discussions online, its popularity and attention were successively suppressed.

"Mr. Lei, we are trying our best to catch up in marketing, but consumers' attention has been completely drawn to the battery field and wireless charging. It seems that they care more about charging methods and battery capacity than about chips and other aspects."

Lin Bin smiled wryly and began to try to salvage the order data from the past few days, not daring to admit that they had bet on the wrong direction this time.

It's just too much of a coincidence.

This move by our competitor was truly unexpected. We never imagined that vivo would not only acquire Polestar batteries to improve battery life, but also gain the advantage of wireless charging.

“Wireless charging saves space from the battery. If we had purchased Polestar batteries before, we should have had the space for this design as well,” Wang Teng couldn’t help but mention. As the product manager for the Mix 2, he had also given this issue a lot of thought.

The industry is updating and replacing products too quickly these days; ultimately, mobile phones are a product of emotional consumption.

Some features aren't necessarily ones you'll actually use; they're enough just to generate buzz.

On the Android side, what features overlap with Apple's that generate even more discussion?
Forget about copying or not, sales figures never lie.

Compared to that, what's a little bit of criticism?
They desperately want the online backlash to be directed at them, hoping to draw consumers' attention back.

"Xingchen Automotive is also very savvy about the digital industry; they made a power bank that actually sold like hotcakes."

Inside the meeting room, someone spoke again.

Developing an ecosystem marketplace has always been one of Xiaomi's strengths, especially in the power bank industry, where it now holds a leading market share.

But they have never sold a power bank at such a high price before, creating such a large profit margin!
But the stars did it.

That's really weird!

How could a car manufacturer be so successful? So astute?

Wang Teng had a sudden inspiration: "Why don't we make a power bank too? This ultra-thin power bank concept is really good."

While it's natural to be envious of others' success, wouldn't it be a win-win situation if we could copy it?
Furthermore, regarding matters in the mobile phone industry, can that be called plagiarism?
Lei Jun listened to everyone's words and remained silent for a long time.

He is reflecting.

The opportunity for Vivo to take off right now clearly belongs to Xiaomi.

If we had been able to reach an agreement back then, none of this would have happened.

But it was all because of a single wrong thought.

A single thought...

I can't quite describe how I feel right now.

This level of defeat isn't enough to cause extreme regret, but it does leave me feeling a bit down.

"Power banks are not easy to make. Even if we can make them that thin, we don't have such high-density and safe battery cells, unless we get Xingchen to supply them to us."

Lei Jun rejected this approach.

The positioning of this magnetic power bank is a stroke of genius.

But the key lies in Xingchen's powerful battery cell technology, which can withstand punctures without catching fire and maintain extremely low heat generation and ultra-high energy density.

So what if we make a power bank that looks exactly like it?
The core concepts are completely different.

They have absolutely no competitive edge.

Lei Jun asked, "What did ATL say? Is there any hope for this type of battery cell next year?"

The core of this issue lies in battery cell technology.

Lin Bin replied, "They said before that the energy density could catch up, but the safety and such low calorific value are still unclear. They were a bit vague. In short, they are still researching and decomposing it... and they haven't given us a reply yet."

Lei Jun: "Huh?"

Listen to this.

Are ATL completely bewildered by Polestar batteries?
The meeting room fell silent.

Judging from this perspective, the value of Polestar batteries is probably even higher than their initial estimates, and they are gradually making a decision based on their inclinations.

After the meeting.

Lei Jun sat down, took a breath, and decided he couldn't wait any longer. He then dialed the number.

"Mr. Xu, congratulations! Polestar batteries have achieved such a good market response in their first appearance in the mobile phone industry, and have made a name for themselves in high-end battery cells..." The tone was very polite from the start, and even though they hadn't met in person, you could almost see that "friendly and sincere" smile.

"Mr. Lei, you're too kind. Actually, the first version of the Polaris mobile phone battery cell was somewhat rushed, both in research and development and production. Fortunately, there weren't any major problems," Xu Yi said modestly with a smile.

"This isn't luck; it's all about ability," Lei Jun said, offering a compliment.

"Yes, there are several companies manufacturing mobile phone battery cells, so the competition is fierce. Battery supply is not only about reputation, but also about long-term competitiveness. We will continue to work hard to improve energy density and charging speed."

This time, Xu Yi didn't hold back.

Lei Jun couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart, as he caught a crucial piece of information: "Huh? It can still be improved?!"

"Mmm." Just two simple words, leaving plenty of room for imagination.

……

Lei Jun hesitated, "Well...we agreed before that we'll be releasing a flagship phone next year. How about we cooperate in advance and sign an agreement...we can even co-brand it with Xiaomi. If the next generation has significant improvements, Xiaomi is willing to pay extra for the first release rights."

The earnest and heartfelt emotions also convey a desire to retain and make amends.

Other battery cell manufacturers haven't figured it out yet. If we can improve it further, we might not be able to compete with high-end battery cells next year.

Most importantly, Polestar batteries have virtually no weaknesses; they are purely designed for the high-end market.

Unlike some battery cells that have high density but low lifespan.

Either the charging speed is fast, but the energy density is reduced.

Xu Yi grunted in agreement, but his reply was chilling: "Mr. Lei, it's not that I don't want to agree, it's just that the exclusive rights to the first release of battery cells next year have already been signed by vivo."

Vivo immediately responded that they had booked all the production capacity for the year-end.

We will continue to firmly purchase Polestar battery cells, signing an exclusive first launch agreement for them to be used in the series of flagship models to be released next year.

Even some mid-to-high-end models are going to be included.

This has led to a surge in demand.

"Is there any extra production capacity?" Lei Jun was startled and couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, but not many. We're facing a huge problem with distribution, and now the other two Android manufacturers have also approached us..."

Xu Yi's tone suggested a dilemma.

Lei Jun understood perfectly well what he meant; what seemed like a "dilemma" was actually a "win-win situation."

"Mr. Xu, we have a long-standing relationship. Don't worry, I'll send someone over right away. Price isn't a problem, just make sure to reserve the production capacity for me!"

Lei Jun hurriedly expressed his opinion.

This time, the situation has really taken a sharp turn for the worse. Large batteries and wireless charging have become the new trend. If you can't get your hands on batteries, you'll be at a disadvantage in the high-end market.

Xu Yi neither agreed nor disagreed on the phone. In short, if they wanted battery cell supply, then let someone come and negotiate. There wasn't much spare capacity, and the price was no longer what it used to be.

hang up the phone.

Lei Jun's feelings are extremely complicated!
Thinking about the opportunities that were lost before.

Staring at the empty office in front of him, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"What a tragedy!!"

……

……

Digital circles.

The best mobile phone battery cell in the industry was actually made by an automaker.

The most popular third-party accessory after the release of the iPhone X was actually made by a car manufacturer.

This matter has sparked heated discussions.

"A power bank that sells for 298 yuan is still hard to get, but on secondhand platforms it's being sold for 498 yuan. Is there any justice? Is there any humanity left?"

"Malicious marketing! This is malicious marketing!!"

"It's just the industry's first magnetic wireless power bank, the thinnest power bank in the industry, and it has a slightly more refined design and is compatible with Apple products... Is that so great? Even if it's out of stock, I won't buy it from a scalper at a higher price!!"

"Dude, that sounds a bit sarcastic."

"It was identified as a monkey show, and those who have the capacity are deliberately keeping it off to create hype."

"Sigh, how obsessed are you all? Their main business is selling cars, why would they care about the small scale of digital products? Besides, the power banks are listed in the car mall, which is theoretically for car owners to use outdoors and for travel, so of course they won't prepare much production capacity. You bunch of tech-savvy fools rushed to buy them all, and the car owners haven't even said a word!!"

Some people have commented on this.

After sparking heated discussions, many tech bloggers immediately snapped up a Polestar power bank and even made a video featuring an iPhone and the newly released Vivo X20 Plus.

It's unclear whether they snatched them themselves or bought them from scalpers.

The video reviews the Polestar power bank with comments such as "excellent feel," "extremely high level of aesthetics and industrial design," and "very suitable for handling and playing with."

This has made another group of people envious.

This sparked a trend of "magnetic wireless charging".

I didn't really want it that much in the first place.

But these tech bloggers keep posting videos showcasing their uniqueness and their new travel philosophy of abandoning bulky power banks in favor of card-sized, lightweight power banks, and they keep popping up on the homepage. Who can resist that?
Its status as the industry's "exclusive and first" wireless magnetic power bank is becoming increasingly sought after.

……

"Brother Zheng, there's been a little trouble." Hu Chao strode into the office.

"It seems like there's a commotion in our car owner community. Everyone's demanding that we restock the power banks separately, and they're saying that we're selling all the car store accessories to people who don't buy cars, which is disheartening for car owners who genuinely need them..."

Zheng Guozhao was extremely busy, having just coordinated with the factory to improve production capacity and hoping to get the first batch of goods in the first week. However, something didn't seem right when he heard this.

"Huh? The car owner is making a scene too?!"

He was stunned!

What kind of development is this?!
"Yes, many car owners have reported that they also need to buy power banks."

Hu Chao smiled wryly and said that he had sent all the posts from the car owner community to the work group to confirm their authenticity.

Their ecological community has now been developed into a hybrid platform combining text, images, and videos.

Some car owners shared their car ownership experiences and daily routines, while others posted questions.

Regarding the issue of power banks, a number of posts have surfaced from yesterday to today, reflecting the thoughts of some car owners.

Zheng Guozhao was speechless: "No, it was listed for a month before, and only a few hundred car owners bought it, right?" "That was true before, but now customer service has received restock notifications from over eight hundred car owners," Hu Chao sighed.

……

Many car owners were initially indifferent to it.

But once this product became popular online, they developed a desire to buy it.

Just like the previous car wrapping service, it was so popular that even car owners from other brands came to buy the car wrap service, but were ultimately rejected by Starry Sky.

This includes Wuling car owners coming to their car store to buy seat accessories.

This matter is similar in many ways.

Some categories on Xingchen Auto Mall often achieve excellent "compatibility"!
This is both an advantage and a characteristic.

Zheng Guozhao took a close look at the car owner community and felt a bit numb!

Compared to online opinions, the opinions of car owners certainly cannot be ignored.

Although this matter seems a bit unreasonable, the car mall is, after all, directly dealing with car owners. They can't ignore the opinions of a large number of car owners. They usually put a lot of effort into maintaining good relationships with car owners.

Many car owners have bought a full set of eco-friendly car accessories; these are the "core fans"!
It will be sustainable in the future.

He had a headache.

After much deliberation, a sudden inspiration struck me!
"I've got it. Let's add a reservation button. The first week's restock capacity will be reserved exclusively for car owners to make reservations. The second batch of restock, which will be available 15 days later, will be available for all registered users to purchase."

The demand from car owners is not high; the main issue is whether or not to show favoritism.

Zheng Guozhao felt that his logic was sound.

Car malls... of course, car owners should be the priority!
Just like their self-built charging stations, during busy holidays, the car owner app also has a "pre-booking" function.

You can reserve a charging station 15 minutes in advance, and only owners of Xingchen Automotive have this privilege.

To avoid the bizarre situation where other new energy vehicles occupy all the charging stations during holidays and peak periods, leaving Star Car owners unable to charge their vehicles.

soon.

The official response was to issue a statement based on this.

The company announced the restocking situation for the first week, as well as the number of pre-order slots available exclusively for car owners.

The news had just been announced.

It immediately garnered thousands of likes from car owners!

Those car owners who were still making a fuss online suddenly stopped!

His eyes were filled with emotion!

Look at that... that's privilege!

……

The message was also shared on Weibo.

Some tech bloggers who follow this story also shared it.

[Good news: The industry's only magnetic wireless charging bank that seamlessly adapts to Apple devices is back in stock; bad news: the first batch will only be available to car owners!]

"What the hell?! I'm totally freaked out! I waited two days for a restock notification, and this is what I get?!"

"Discrimination! This is blatant discrimination!!"

"Please, I just want a wireless magnetic power bank. No other power bank can be this thin or have such a top-notch build quality. I really want one, please restock! I'll do anything for you!"

“No problem. If I were Star Auto, I would also sell to the owner first.”

"This reservation button can only be clicked by people who have bought or ordered a car. We don't even know if we can get one when the car is restocked in 15 days. This is really bad."

……

"Well, I really had no choice. I never thought I'd end up ordering a car just to buy a power bank."

It was at this time.

The comment below is absolutely mind-blowing!
One netizen posted a screenshot of their car purchase deposit and a screenshot of their successful reservation for a Polestar power bank in the comments section.

Because this reservation event at the car mall is only open to car owners, and payment is made using points.

Only those who are car owners or have ordered a car can use the points.

This netizen adopted the most "simple and brutal" approach.

The number of likes and followers skyrocketed instantly.

"Holy crap, I bought a car just to buy a power bank?!"

"This...this...Brother Fu, isn't this a bit unnecessary?!"

"You're so stupid. Buying from a scalper on a secondhand platform only costs a little over a hundred yuan more. Why did you spend an extra 200,000 yuan?"

"Xingchen Motors is making a killing! They sell a 300-yuan power bank and end up selling an extra 200,000-yuan car?!"

……

"Don't get me wrong, everyone. First of all, I really like this magnetic wireless charging bank. Secondly, I browsed around Xingchen Motors' cars in my spare time and felt that the Xingchen S7 was pretty good. The appearance and design are very good. I also happened to need a new energy vehicle for commuting, so I just bought it."

This is how the wealthy netizen replied.

In recent days, many people have registered for Xingchen's app in order to snap up power banks.

Well known.

When registering or entering the app's homepage, you can see a page for ordering and configuring vehicles.

With just a little curiosity, netizens can easily select and save their wishlists on the app.

This is a conspiracy.

It's obvious.

Because he was called stupid, this wealthy netizen came out and explained a few more things.

He said that as a digital enthusiast, he was quite optimistic about Xingchen Motors' products and designs, and that he had never known about the brand before, if it weren't for the power bank incident.

Many netizens who were just watching the drama were left with a helpless expression.

Look at them, buying a car is like buying groceries.

Looking at myself, I clearly noticed this power bank before, but I thought it was too expensive and didn't buy it sooner. If I had bought it, I could have made 200 yuan profit by reselling it now!

……

……

As a result, Xingchen Automotive gained a new name in the digital world, while industry insiders in the automotive sector who paid attention to this matter found it both laughable and absurd.

This Star Auto is truly unpredictable!

That's unexpected!
While everyone else was focusing on developing new cars, he actually ventured into manufacturing mobile phone batteries and made a fortune from it.

wrong.

Does this count as crossing over into a new field?
Since Xingchen Motors became famous, battery technology has always been a core research and development point. At most, it can be considered as opening up a branch of the technology tree.

The automotive industry has also begun to warm up for the year-end.

Li Bin has been promoting the ES8 to the public and the media for a year, from the end of last year to the unveiling of the concept car at the beginning of this year.

They even subtly adopted the title of "financing genius".

At a press conference.

The reporter pressed Li Bin, "Mr. Li, are you confident about the year-end launch event? Can the ES8 truly become the industry's first high-end new energy vehicle?"

“We have a wide global following, a high-end supply chain, and ample financial support. We are very confident in the high-end market. The ES8 will also be equipped with many new technologies that are unprecedented in China. We will open a new chapter in the manufacturing of domestic new energy vehicles.” Li Bin glanced at the reporter and showed a confident smile.

"According to rumors, Xingchen Motors also has a new car plan for the end of the year, but it has not been announced internally yet. As a leading pure electric vehicle manufacturer, if we happen to run into each other, will NIO back down, Mr. Li?"

When pressed by the reporter, he brought up an interesting rumor: the industry is very interested in Xingchen Motors' next car, and it's almost certain that Xingchen has a car under development and production. This is confirmed, otherwise they wouldn't have partnered with Luzhou.

It's just a difference in marketing and promotion strategies.

Compared to the new car companies that are constantly promoting themselves online and creating a buzz, Xingchen Automotive seems to be too low-key in terms of new car exposure.

Li Bin's expression was somewhat unnatural, as if he was thinking about their previous meeting at the auto show: "Ahem... First of all, this news has not been confirmed. Secondly, we believe that Xingchen Motors is not in the same race as NIO. Although Xingchen Motors has high sales, it has stopped at 200,000 units."

As for NIO, we have supercars worth tens of millions of yuan, and the ES8 is also targeted at high-end consumers worth over 400,000 yuan. So strictly speaking, we are not in competition with each other.

After the press conference, Star Auto may indeed be the top seller of pure electric vehicles, but NIO may also become the top seller of high-end pure electric vehicles.

Both are likely to become leading automakers, but they'll be shining and exerting their strengths in different sectors!

He said it firmly and confidently.

It is no coincidence.

In September, XPeng Motors also announced the completion of a new round of financing and unveiled the interior of the G3 for the first time at the Guangzhou Auto Show, which garnered considerable attention.

WM Motor officially announced that the production version of its first pure electric vehicle, the "WM EX5," will be available for sale at the end of the year.

The domestic new energy sector suddenly became lively.

Industry news is constant.

Los Angeles.

After several months of silence, Jia Yueting announced that the pre-production version of the FF91 is about to roll off the production line, but due to funding issues, production capacity is facing bottlenecks, and he hopes to attract more attention from investors.

Meanwhile, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Byton and Aiways, founded by the former vice president of SAIC Motor and a former engineer from Volkswagen, also made appearances in the media.

Li Xiang officially announced the completion of the Series B financing for "Chehejia" (车和家), focusing on the range-extended electric vehicle route and announcing its transformation into manufacturing large family SUVs.

……

Two weeks.

Various car companies and emerging forces have made their debut one after another.

The media was buzzing about it.

It can be described as "each PPT showcasing its unique skills, with new car concepts and impressive claims flying side by side".

But we couldn't find a single actual car!

However—this has already excited car enthusiasts!
after all.

For a successful car, the most anticipated moment is often the eve of its launch event, and people are willing to chase after this hype.

The concept images and bold statements released by these automakers are quite exciting!
But that's about it.

An official Weibo post broke the "bustling noise".

—It's Xingchen Motors!!
On September 25th, their official account quietly released a rendering concept image of the new car!

There wasn't even any accompanying text.

……

All of a sudden.

A cacophony of boos and jeers.

The automotive world is completely silent!

Whether insiders or outsiders, everyone suddenly stopped discussing the industry's development at the end of the year!

They looked utterly astonished.

With incredulous eyes, I stared at the latest update finally released by Xingchen Automotive!
　I'm late, private Marseille

　　
　
(End of this chapter)