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

Chapter 219 Just kidding, I'll avoid his sharp edge?! (6700 words)
This is a concept image of the new car's curves.

Against a deep, dark background, adorned with starlight, several elegant curves outline a vehicle hidden in the haze, vaguely revealing the silhouette and overall proportions of a large SUV, along with a signature star-ring headlight.

The overall style of the image is the kind that is unforgettable.

There is no PowerPoint presentation.

There was also no press release.

There wasn't even any text!

A silent message spread across the internet at an extremely fast pace.

"StarCraft is launching a new car!!"

It's worth noting that when Xingchen Automotive released its first two models, it was largely ignored.

Take the Star Mini as an example; it didn't hold a press conference at all, but chose to debut at an auto show.

And the second car.

Despite a series of promotional activities, the company did not receive much capital support or external attention.

These two cars have undoubtedly become bestsellers in the industry, achieving remarkable results for a startup car company.

Now, Starry Sky's third car has arrived.

It's a large SUV!!
...

The emerging forces all turned their attention to this, feeling a strange sense of urgency.

Traditional automakers, including BYD, have all shown signs of caution.

Xingchen Automotive is not like those car companies that only use PowerPoint presentations to promote themselves.

This guy, he's really lucky to have a car!
Some of them showed expressions of unsurprised surprise.

really.

As rumored in the industry, Xingchen Automotive's next vehicle will be an entry into the SUV market.

In such a large domestic market.

SUVs are synonymous with best-selling.

Forget about all the hype about sports car spirit or sedan spirit online; just look at the sales charts.

The sales of one SUV can be equivalent to those of several sedans.

But in reality.

The technical difficulty hasn't increased much; many cars are simply sedan chassis that have been stretched and heightened with new skins.

Why not take advantage of such a lucrative business?
……

Car owners were the first to get excited!

"Alright, alright, you finally couldn't hold back anymore, huh? It's been so long, finally some news about a new car!"

"StarCraft is making an SUV? What will its features and positioning be?"

"Is it a pure electric SUV? What will its range be?"

"I'll give you a number: 200,000, full configuration, acceleration in under six seconds, and a range of 500 kilometers!!"

A series of comments.

Comments are rapidly accumulating in the comments section of the official Weibo account.

This shows how high people's expectations are for the stars.

After all, the previous two models were very generous in terms of both positioning and configuration, and were quite impressive.

It has also been associated with the label of high cost performance.

Many people are considering family cars and are also paying attention to the new energy vehicle category.

Currently, many people in cities with license plate restrictions have changed their preconceived notions after using electric vehicles.

They are also starting to pay more attention to new energy vehicles.

After all, the cost of obtaining a license plate is a factor, making the green plate a necessity.

However, a strange phenomenon has emerged in the new energy SUV sector.

That is, I wanted to choose a spacious SUV, but there weren't many models to choose from.

Most of them are compact SUVs with very limited space. The ones with slightly larger dimensions are plug-in hybrids like the BYD Tang.

Compared to sedans, achieving a certain range for pure electric SUVs is much more difficult. For example, the new energy SUVs released the year before last and last year generally still have a range of around 300 km/h NEDC.

It's not practical and it won't sell in large quantities.

This year, things took a turn for the better.

Breakthroughs have been achieved in both upstream and downstream supply chains. CATL released its 811 battery, and other first- and second-tier manufacturers have also publicly announced that the energy density of ternary lithium has reached a new level.

In this way, the range of large SUVs can be improved.

So who will do it?
Who can do it?
Who will ultimately succeed?
this is a problem.

……

The official image of Xingchen Automotive is like a pebble thrown into the water, causing a splash and an undercurrent.

But it soon sank again.

Just like that concept image, the car body is decorated with starlight against a deep, dark background.

Indistinctly visible.

Aside from the visible outline of the front fascia, the curves of the body, and the signature star-ring headlights, other more detailed features are not visible.

It makes people really eager to try it.

Some people went to Xingchen Auto's directly operated brand stores to inquire, only to find that there were no promotional images or activities for the new car. When they asked the official sales staff, they were told that everything should be based on the official website.

9 month 28 day.

After pre-production testing, Xingchen F1 Factory quietly held a supply chain collaboration conference, attended by several hundred people, including company executives, production and manufacturing directors, quality directors, and representatives of core suppliers.

This time, the main focus was on confirming supply chain inventory, weekly production plans, quality preparedness, and risk contingency plans.

After all, Xingchen is not a "car-making project based on empty PPT slides".

They don't have the ability to make a car fall from the sky with a simple tap of their mouth.

For this level of new energy vehicle, starting mass production is an extremely large process.

Confirming production capacity, ensuring material supply, strictly controlling quality and supplier reserve inventory involve extremely large inventory volumes and cash flows in the upstream and downstream supply chains.

For Xu Yi to ensure that the product is available for sale immediately upon release, he has to bear the enormous pressure of preparing inventory in advance.

This is a radical approach; although it carries high risks, the potential rewards are also substantial if successful.

Holding a press conference, then only stocking a few dozen units in the first month, and then ramping up production to hundreds or thousands of units in the following months—this may be in line with tradition, but it doesn't align with human nature.

If you whet consumers' appetites, and then make them wait for half a year to get a car, the market enthusiasm will be exhausted.

Some car companies even start "warming up" the market months in advance.

New car information and configuration details are everywhere.

Various "accidental leaks" and media insider reporting.

In reality, there aren't that many leaks; they're just the car companies' little tricks.

By testing the waters beforehand, we can open pre-orders first, and then hold a launch event a month later to finalize the sales. This series of tests to gauge consumer and market expectations reduces the pressure of inventory buildup.

It's not a monkey show, but it's even better than a monkey show.

...

"Everyone, the final sprint is about to begin..."

At the conference, Xu Yi addressed the representatives of the suppliers with sincere and formal words.

"I'm sure you're all tired of hearing motivational words. Whether we can succeed in going high-end and how big and strong we can become depends on everyone's joint efforts. I hope you will all focus on production and strictly control quality."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an immediate response from below.

"Mr. Xu, we believe in you!"

"mutual encouragement!!"

……

Many small suppliers have grown up alongside Xingchen.

For example, injection-molded parts, seals, wiring harnesses, and seat fabrics in the vehicle are all sourced locally first.

Many of our supporting suppliers have achieved their current profits and manufacturing scale thanks to Xingchen's large-volume orders.

Xingchen has signed long-term procurement agreements of more than one year with leading core suppliers such as Qualcomm, Nvidia, Bosch and ZF, locking in a portion of production capacity through advance payments and shortened payment cycles.

For small and medium-sized suppliers and raw material suppliers, the pressure is alleviated by shortening the payment cycle or making full payment in advance.

The goal is to maintain firm control over production capacity.

Especially for chip and screen suppliers, they lock in large orders, repeatedly confirm inventory, and stockpile a batch in advance.

Xu Yi certainly didn't want to hold a press conference only to have something like a factory fire, screen shortages, or chip production disruptions happen overseas.

The most crucial components—the three core electric components—are actually the least worrisome.

Starry Sky can produce this stuff on its own, and there isn't much of a production capacity bottleneck.

Currently, the second-generation Polestar battery and V6 motor have both entered the mass production stage.

As chairman, Chen Libao represented Dong'an Power at the dealer conference. As a core supplier on the front line, this was the first time that Dong'an Power had engaged in in-depth cooperation with Xingchen Automotive. To show his importance, he came in person and expressed his willingness to fully cooperate.

Before this, he could hardly have imagined that an engine manufacturer would enter the new energy industry in this way.

We've considered range-extending engines before, and we've also prepared contingency plans for them.

just.

This starting point exceeded his expectations.

Can high-end extended-range new energy vehicles really succeed?
He originally didn't have much confidence.

However, the progress made by the collaborative research and development between the two teams gave him a completely new understanding of Xingchen Motors!

Confidence gradually grew during this process.

……

"Mr. Chen, the range extender engine is the core of the power system. We have done a lot of research and development work and made preparations for production in the early stage. However, at this last moment, please pay more attention to the quality."

Zheng Tie and other senior executives in charge of production and inventory are in communication.

Xu Yi then walked over.

With the core suppliers' production capacity already secured, he still needs to confirm the control of quality issues.

Chen Libao glanced at the operational factory area and took a deep breath: "President Xu, rest assured, we will do our utmost..."

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's just a 1.5T four-cylinder engine; the technology and materials used in it are of extremely high standard compared to other products in the Dong'an Power system.

Otherwise, the thermal efficiency could not have reached such an exaggerated level of over 40%.

"We conducted complete batch testing in the early stages. The aluminum alloy customized by Nanshan Aluminum has a very high purity. The diameter tolerance of the imported valve stems is controlled within 0.007mm, and the diameter tolerance of the piston skirt is within 0.008mm, which can ensure the stability of engine mass production," Chen Libao said.

Xingchen Automotive requires "zero defects" in its deliveries.

To ensure that problems such as abnormal engine noise, vibration, and abnormal wear do not occur after the engine is launched, as an engine manufacturer, he has to raise the procurement standards of downstream suppliers.

It's worth noting that the engines that were previously in trial production had even lower precision.

However, it has never had any major problems after being verified by precision testing equipment.

With improved mass production standards and precision requirements, the overall quality will become more stable.

"Mr. Chen, I believe you too."

Xu Yi smiled and shook hands with Chen Libao.

They looked at each other, everything was understood in tacit agreement.

Starry Sky doesn't care about the increased mass production costs that this would result in.

Dong'an Power, on the other hand, is even less concerned about this cost; what they care about is the performance of the car after its launch!
After exchanging a few words, Xu Yi looked at Guo Chuan and Kong Hui's team sitting to the side.

"President Guo..." He smiled, but inexplicably put a lot of pressure on people.

"Mr. Xu, the air suspension assembly tests are all fine. As for ramping up production... we'll do our best!"

Guo Chuan scratched his head, then felt it wasn't sincere enough, so he added, "I'll be sleeping here from today onwards."

Konghui Technology has built a new mass production line for air suspension, right next to the F1 factory.

Compared to other core components, this could become a bottleneck to production capacity, since the development cycle for self-developed air suspension is ultimately too short for mass production.

Even they themselves didn't expect that, with the combined efforts of both teams, they could develop it so quickly.

Currently, the production efficiency is still less than 2,000 sets per month, and each set requires necessary verification and testing, which lengthens the cycle.

Since this is their first time producing mass-produced goods, they dare not relax their verification standards, as this could lead to a surge in failure rates later on.

"It's not easy for systems engineering to reach this point. Let's all work together and overcome any difficulties."

Xu Yi nodded in agreement; this couldn't be rushed.
Air suspension is inherently complex, involving not only the components themselves but also the overall vehicle tuning and calibration.

If a batch of failures occur due to overproduction, it will be very troublesome to find the problem with the parts and design.

Fortunately, there is still a buffer period, which is enough for them to stockpile a batch of production capacity.

This also highlights the importance of pre-production.

...I returned to the company in the afternoon.

"Mr. Xu, the official concept image has been posted. After a day of buzz, the online attention and discussion are very good. Should we still proceed with the press conference date as originally planned?"

Yu Nian arrived at the office.

He looked at the comments under the Weibo post and the online search data, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it took off in a straight line.

The concept images of the new car are a signal released to the public, and can be considered a formal response to the industry's speculation and public attention over the past six months.

With this signal, the launch schedule for Xingchen's new car has been basically set.

Unlike other automakers, Xingchen Automotive only began its official pre-launch promotion a month before its IPO.

However, based on just one picture...

It has already made it to the front page of social media, car enthusiast forums, and automotive forums.

Its presence overshadowed the Faraday Future (FF) in Los Angeles and the NIO ES8, which is poised to gain momentum at the end of the year. One wonders what its competitors are thinking.

"Yes, the press conference is scheduled for October 25th. We'll announce it to the public after today. Some people are probably waiting to see our next car. We can't let our competitors get impatient, and we certainly can't let our consumers down."

Xu Yi smiled slightly.

Xingchen Automotive released concept images of its new car, while several other companies suddenly went silent in their marketing efforts.

I don't know if they've been silenced or if they're waiting for them to announce the date.

Now that the press conference date is so close, it's likely to give these people another surprise.

"Okay!!" Yu Nian answered forcefully, his eyes filled with anticipation.

One month.

That's very close!
A batch of cars has already rolled off the production line at the factory, and more will be coming off the line in a month!
This inventory will accumulate to a considerable amount by the 25th of next month.

If you take into account the cost and pricing of the entire vehicle, it might even terrify many industry insiders!
……

9 month 29 day.

Xingchen Automotive's official account and website have released another image.

This time.

These are renderings with a similar style.

Against a deep, dark background, adorned with starlight, a front end of a car shrouded in a star ring, along with most of its rounded and elegant front body, peeks out from the darkness at a 45-degree angle, revealing half of the car's design, curves, and imposing size!

The other half of the car body remained shrouded in darkness, like a thin veil.

It gives people the feeling of being coy and veiled.

This was followed by some exciting news for the industry: Xingchen Automotive's new car launch event will be held on the 25th of next month!
This design was released as soon as it was unveiled.

It immediately attracted a crowd!
"coming!"

"Wow! The press conference date has been announced? It's next month?!"

"Good good!!!"

"The design of the Starry Sky is indeed impressive!"

"The star-ring headlights...they're beautiful! And the body curves are beautiful too!"

"I declare this to be the best-looking new energy SUV in the industry!!"

"It doesn't look as cool as the Starry Sky S7 anymore. It has a rounded and bloated feel to it. Is it just my imagination?"

"You're mistaken. I think the appearance is already quite good, with a completely new charm, and it's much better than other new energy vehicles on the market!!"

"I think it looks even better than the ES8!!"

……

Netizens engaged in a heated discussion based on this, with their attention initially focused on the appearance.

Strictly speaking, apart from the iconic star-ring headlights, the car's appearance is not the kind that is immediately striking; rather, it has a rounded, streamlined, and elegant style.

However, when compared with other new energy vehicles on the market, the difference becomes apparent: its closed and smooth front face and simple and clean body give it an extremely simple and elegant appearance.

It still makes a strong impression at first glance.

no way.

This design is somewhat ahead of its time, bringing a pure sense of technology that is not found in this era.

Even NIO, which has invested heavily in marketing, is now being used as a comparison.

"Can you release more specifications and reveal all the exterior details? Why are you always so secretive?"

Some people are complaining.

"This is just a teaser; more will likely be announced later! Don't forget that the previous two models, the Starry Sky, didn't have their exteriors revealed much beforehand either; they were only disclosed after launch. That's their style."

"Judging by its size, it's probably over 4.7 meters long! It really is a large SUV!!"

"Has anyone leaked this information? Has anyone leaked this information? Why are you all so tight-lipped?"

Netizens were completely baffled!
The two pictures left them wanting more.

Although you announced the date of the press conference, Xingchen is not being honest at all.

The configuration, pricing, and other specific details were not revealed.

On the contrary, it's the appearance that really makes them eager to buy it!

My imagination runs wild.

……

"Brother Bin, the exterior design of Xingchen Motors has been revealed."

NIO headquarters.

Qin Lihong brought the news immediately.

The first-generation NIO ES8 is scheduled to be launched in December, which is common knowledge in the industry, and there are no other competitors at the same time.

however.

It's time to come.

Xingchen Automotive officially announced the release of its new car, but the scheduled release date was even earlier than theirs.

This is somewhat difficult to understand.

When the two sides met at the auto show this April, Xingchen didn't even bring out a single concept car. Now they're the frontrunner?
hiss……

This isn't quite right, is it?
The key point is that although the dimensions of this car have not been announced, its outline and proportions are extremely similar to those of the ES8.

This is very ambiguous.

Is it going to crash into our GPS?!
“Xingchen should have been preparing this as early as last year, but they didn’t bring it out, which is different from our strategy.”

Li Bin glanced at it, still not quite understanding why the Starry Night event was being promoted so late.

He glanced at the comments below and saw one that said "the ES8's appearance is not as good as the new Starry Night car," and silently reported it.

"I don't know if their car is a five-seater, or a six-seater or a seven-seater," Qin Lihong frowned.

There are quite a few differences here.

If it's a five-seater vehicle, then there's no conflict between the two parties.

If it's a six-seater or seven-seater, then it's positioned the same as the ES8.

"I'm not sure about that yet. The competition is different for different powertrain types. If Xingchen really bets on hybrids this time, it would be a good thing for us." Li Bin shook his head, recalling their meeting at the auto show last time.

to be frank.

At the time, he wasn't sure if Xu Yi was genuinely joking or if he intended to bet on this route.

But deep down he looks down on those who develop range extenders.

Not only is the power system superfluous, but it's also a step backward.

Does this technological approach truly have a future?
Why not join their battery swapping program?

Let's power it up together!
……

"Then let's stick to the original plan for promotion. Although it might be compared to Starry Night online, there's nothing we can do about it," Qin Leehom nodded.

"It doesn't matter."

Li Bin has made a statement.

Since we've run into it, there's nothing we can do about it.

The two sides will clash sooner or later.

Although Xingchen has high sales volume, an early start, and the title of a leader in new energy pure electric vehicles.

But NIO isn't bad either!
Stars have polar batteries.

NIO has purchased top-tier ternary lithium batteries from CATL.

Not to mention the nation's first all-aluminum body and imported air suspension!

They've even built supercars.

joke.

Should I avoid his sharp edge?!
……

Chen Libao returned to the company and immediately began working. In the coming period, Dong'an Power will focus on ensuring the mass production and quality control of the 1.5t four-cylinder range extender engine.

If they succeed, it will mean that Dong'an Power has taken a crucial step in its industrial transformation.

Instead of facing the shrinking market for small engines, they can transform into manufacturers of engines specifically designed for new energy vehicles.

He held high hopes for this matter.

After all, this isn't a thermal efficiency of 37% or 38%, but a solid 40% thermal efficiency!
Although it is within a specific speed range.

However, its technological content is also quite exaggerated. If it were put into the industry, it would probably cause a stir!
Just now.

Deputy General Manager Lin Shuyang brought a message: "President Chen, the CEO of CHJ Automotive previously wanted to purchase a batch of engines from us internally, specifically the 1.2T three-cylinder model, designated DAM12TD."

"CHJ Automotive? Isn't that a new force in the automotive industry?" Chen Libao paused slightly.

He then waved his hand and said, "You can take care of the procurement for other companies. We don't have any production bottlenecks for the 1.2T three-cylinder engine."

Lin Shuyang: "The main problem is that the other party has a lot of requirements. While purchasing, they hope that we can cooperate with them to develop a range-extended electric vehicle system. It seems that they are developing a range-extended electric vehicle. However, as a startup team, their requirements for the development of this system are quite rough."

As soon as these words came out.

This left Chen Libao speechless.

what?
Another company looking to develop range-extending engines?

hiss--

That's quite a coincidence.

"Let's decline for now. Our internal development team needs to debug the production line and ensure production quality in the next few months, so we really don't have the timeframe. If you're willing to wait, there will be other opportunities for cooperation after this period."

To be honest, Chen Libao wasn't very interested in this anymore, and casually brushed it off.

Since partnering with Xingchen Automotive, the patents jointly developed by both teams, although primarily led by Xingchen Automotive, have significantly improved Dong'an Power's capabilities. They've also indirectly shared many mechanical design patents, resulting in substantial benefits!

When Li Xiang came to them to make a 1.2t range extender system, they immediately looked down on it.

Such a car is nowhere near as technologically advanced as Starry Sky.

How could I possibly waste my energy on this?

"Okay, I'll get back to you right away." Lin Shuyang nodded.

……

soon.

Li Xiang then received a reply from Dong'an Power.

He was completely taken aback.

Some were even at a loss.

He had done his research beforehand and visited several domestic small engine manufacturers.

During this period, Xingchen Automotive encountered the same problems: the joint venture engines were too expensive to purchase, and it was also difficult to guarantee supply and comprehensive cooperation.

So they set their sights on Dong'an.

In his view, the other party had no reason to refuse.

With the cooperation of both parties, the development of a 1.2t range extender system should be much easier.

But rather...

Dong'an Power, however, refused.

no! !
What the hell is going on?!

Li Xiang couldn't resist making a call, and the call was answered very quickly.

"Hello Mr. Chen, I'm Li Xiang, formerly the founder of Autohome. You should have heard of me. We want to make a range-extended SUV that's primarily for family use, a completely new market positioning... We have high expectations for future sales and a strong chance of entering the mid-to-high-end market, backed by ample financial support..."

Li Xiang started boasting, going so far as to bring up his past successes and the investors behind him.

Chen Libao is listening over here.

Whenever Li Xiang mentions the positioning and selling points of a new car, he can't help but silently compare it with Xingchen Motors.

then.

His expression became increasingly strange!
(End of this chapter)