Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"Oh God!"

After hearing the figures Chen Dong reported, Thorne instinctively exclaimed in surprise: 180 horsepower, 499cc, two-stroke. These words exploded in his mind like a grenade, leaving Thorne completely stunned.

Although Volkswagen does not have a motorcycle division, as a professional manager in the industry, Thorne certainly knows what these figures mean. In the World MotoGP, the horsepower of factory team race cars is generally between 150 and 160.

The Xiaochi Jueying 500RR has increased its horsepower by twenty. Twenty horsepower could mean the difference between first and fourth place on the track.

"Mr. Chen," Thorne said, his throat tightening. He swallowed hard, "If you're really going to participate in the MotoGP World Championship this year, I'm genuinely worried for the factory teams and riders involved!"

Chen Dong smiled and said, "Of course we're going to participate! We've invested nearly two million US dollars, and we're going to dominate South Africa!"

Thorne was silent for a moment. He thought of the engineers at Wolfsburg who spent decades making a car more and more complicated. But sometimes, they made it so complicated that they forgot what the car was for. The car in front of him, however, had no extra decorations. Every line said that he was born to race.

He walked around to the front of the motorcycle, squatted down, looked at the pair of angry xenon headlights, and reached out to touch the glowing "horse" logo. This was a Chinese motorcycle, meant to compete against Muda, Yamaha, Lingmu, Dukadi, and others on the same track to see who was faster.

He stood up, took a step back, and felt that this car should not be parked at the test track, but should be running on an international racetrack, being watched by cameras all over the world.

Sometimes Thorne would think how great it would be if Volkswagen could acquire Snapdragon Motors entirely, then all the technology Snapdragon possessed would belong to Volkswagen.

However, considering the more than five billion US dollars in cash flow held by Huasheng Fund, Thorne abandoned this unrealistic idea. If they dared to launch a takeover bid for Snapdragon, Huasheng Fund could easily retaliate, and Volkswagen would be in deep trouble.

On the test track, the two Shadow Blades completed another lap. The sound of their engines rolled over from afar, like muffled thunder, getting closer and closer, and then whizzed past in front of him. The wind they generated messed up Thorne's hair. He stood by the track and watched the taillights of the two cars flash once, like children playfully blinking.

"Mr. Chen," Thorne suddenly spoke up, "Volkswagen's motorcycle division hopes to collaborate with Snapdragon in the field of motorsports."

Chen Dong chuckled and looked at Thorne, "As far as I know, Volkswagen has not invested in any research and development in the motorcycle field."

Thorne, of course, knew that Chen Dong had done his research on Volkswagen beforehand. He continued, "We can provide racing experience, rider resources, and sales channels in the European market. In exchange, we hope to obtain the engine technology license for the Jueying 500RR!"

Seeing that Chen Dong just smiled and shook his head without replying, Thorne added, "Mr. Chen, wouldn't you like to enter the European market more easily for sales? Volkswagen has more than 3,000 dealers in Europe. If you're willing, the Jueying can be displayed in Volkswagen's showrooms."

Chen Dong continued to smile as he looked at Thorne. The biggest obstacle for Xiaochi's motorcycles and cars to enter the European market was not technology, but distribution channels, and Volkswagen's dealer network was exactly what he needed.

But Thorne was shrewd. In previous negotiations, he had never included this point in his bargaining chips. Chen Dong was also waiting for Thorne to bring it up on his own initiative. Today, seeing Jueying, he was probably truly amazed by Thorne, which led him to propose this condition that even Chen Dong had to take notice of.

"Mr. Thorne, your proposal is very interesting," Chen Dong said. "We can discuss the licensing of the Jueying engine technology, but it's not just about exporting the Jueying 500RR. We also have our 'Dilu' and 'Zhaoyebai' motorcycles. You'll have to become the exclusive distributor for our Xiaochi in Europe!"

Thorne frowned. "Exporting the whole vehicle?"

"Yes, the Jueying 500RR, the Dilu, the Zhaoyebai, and subsequent versions. The Europa market will be handled by your Volkswagen distributor. You will be responsible for sales, after-sales service, and brand promotion, while we will be responsible for production and technology upgrades," Chen Dong said, looking at him. "This is a collaboration, and also an authorization."

"What about the licensing of those four technologies we mentioned earlier? Mr. Chen, if Volkswagen accepts your Snapdragon brand and becomes your exclusive distributor in Europe, at what price do you intend to license those four technologies to us?"

"We'll license four technologies to Volkswagen for 12% of the vehicle's price, with the contract renewed every three years. What do you think?"

Faced with the huge concession offered by Chen Dong, Thorne had no choice but to lower his head and ponder. An 8% concession, given Volkswagen's annual car sales volume in the European market, was a huge profit concession. Chen Dong truly had great courage to make this decision!

On the test track, the two Shadow Blades had slowed down and were slowly driving towards the maintenance area. The engine sound changed from violent to deep, like a tired wild beast panting. The engineers surrounded them, plugging in computers, reading data, and removing spark plugs, each busy with their own tasks.

Thorne stared at the two Shadow motorcycles painted in red and yellow and gray-blue, gritted his teeth, and said to Chen Dong, "Mr. Chen, I need to consult with Wolfsburg headquarters before I can give you a definite answer!"

Chen Dong nodded. "No rush, you can ask for instructions at your own pace."

As he spoke, Chen Dong walked towards the repair area. After getting off the bike, Walter Smithett and William Rodrigo took off their helmets with the help of the repairmen. William's face was flushed, like a boiled lobster, and he was excitedly telling Walter Smithett, "Walter, I have never ridden such a powerful racing bike before."

"Just now, when we were on the corner, I felt like my whole soul couldn't keep up with the speed of this Shadowy Racer coming out of the corner. It was so exhilarating! I absolutely love this race car!"

"William, you should change your habit of braking too hard. Your cornering technique needs further improvement," Wall Smithett advised William, who was five years younger than him, as a senior.

Hearing the two talking, Chen Dong walked over and asked, "So, Wall, William, what do you think of the riding experience on this Shadow 500RR?"

"This is absolutely fantastic, boss! Whether it's the acceleration or the car's stability when cornering, it's the best race car I've ever driven, bar none!"

Unlike the young and boisterous William, Wall was much more composed. "I think there's still a lot to adjust. If we go to South Africa with the current condition of this Jetpack, I estimate that the results will only be mediocre."

Chen Dong looked at Landau, who was recording data in a notebook, and said, "Will, you should listen to Wall's advice more when it comes to tuning the race car."

"I know the boss!"