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

Hotel Presidential Suite

After listening to Bohr's words, Chen Dong tapped his fingers rhythmically on the sofa armrest. After carefully considering his words, he smiled at Bohr and said, "Mr. Bohr, the proposal to directly produce 'Dilu' in Europe to circumvent tariffs is indeed an attractive idea."

"But how much sincerity is Volkswagen prepared to offer in exchange for further technology licensing from Snapdragon?"

Chen Dong is a capitalist, as is Boer. Since they are not in China, and business is business, Chen Dong will not show Boer any personal feelings, even though the social dynamics in Europe are even more blatant than in China.

If you, Volkswagen, want my Snapdragon to produce cars in your Volkswagen factories, you need our chassis and other technologies licensed. Snapdragon will definitely not let go of this opportunity to make an exorbitant demand. Any sane businessman would make that request.

Paul was clearly prepared. He leaned forward, his eyes revealing the shrewdness of a businessman. "Chen, our Volkswagen has the most mature production line in all of Europe, the most comprehensive sales network in various regions, and the management team that understands the local market best."

When Boer opened his mouth, he first boasted about himself, first establishing the high-end status of Volkswagen, and then made it clear to Chen Dong that they were in a cooperative relationship, not a client-customer relationship.

"As for sincerity, in addition to the usual profit sharing, I can also give you three percent of the Volkswagen Group's cross-shareholding," Ball said with a confident smile. "In this way, we will be a true community of interests, and the tariff barriers in the European market will no longer be a shackle that prevents us from making money."

The three percent cross-shareholding between Volkswagen Group and Huasheng Group in exchange for full technology licensing from Huasheng Group was a deal that Volkswagen's board of directors and shareholders had already calculated. It was a win-win situation for both Volkswagen and Huasheng!

"A 3% cross-shareholding sounds very attractive," Chen Dong thought to himself.

As a giant in the European automotive industry, the value of Volkswagen's production system and sales channels is self-evident.

If they can use Volkswagen's shell, they can not only perfectly circumvent the high tariffs imposed by Europe on foreign car brands, but also allow Snapdragon's technology to take root and influence major European car companies in another form.

This is much smarter than simply selling cars.

The technology patents that Chen Dong and Zhang Yi applied for in America were not really intended to create barriers to prevent other car companies from using them. Rather, they wanted to keep the stallion in their hands, sell the castrated racehorse to those car companies to compete, and have Huasheng Group continuously collect high patent fees.

This was Chen Dong and Zhang Yi's real plan. The reason why Chen Dong was willing to license the technology that Xiaochi used to Volkswagen was to make Volkswagen, the largest automotive group in Europe, a promoter for Huasheng Group, forcing European and even American car companies to wait to be eliminated by the market if they did not use Huasheng Group's patented technology.

Chen Dong picked up his coffee and took a sip. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable confidence. "But Mr. Boer, you need to know that the core technology of 'Dilu', especially the body structure and safety system, is the lifeblood of Xiaochi. I can authorize its production, but the supply of core components must be controlled by Xiaochi headquarters."

"In addition, I want Volkswagen to set up dedicated showrooms for Snapdragon and Saab under the Huasheng Group in every dealership in Europe."

Bohr frowned. The fact that core components had to be supplied by Snapdragon meant that Volkswagen could not fully control production costs. Snapdragon still held onto the core technology tightly, making it difficult for Volkswagen to cross the line.

As for setting up dedicated showrooms, the reputation of the Snapdragon has already been established in Europe, and Saab itself has a very good reputation in the European market. Like Volvo, it is a synonym for high-end safety. Setting up these two dedicated showrooms can further enhance the luxury image of the Volkswagen brand, so Ball would certainly agree.

After a moment's internal deliberation, Bohr finally nodded. "Deal! The core components will be supplied by Xiaochi, and dedicated showrooms for Xiaochi and Saab will be set up in every flagship dealership. Chen, I believe our cooperation will completely change the landscape of the European automotive market."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Paul," Chen Dong said with a smile, extending his hand.

After the two shook hands and reached an agreement, Boll's mood improved significantly. He then chatted with Chen Dong about the upcoming MotoGP World Championship in South Africa, analyzing the conditions of the venue and some rumors about other teams and riders.

Over the next few days, Chen Dong took his two children to visit Volkswagen's factory in South Africa. Bohr accompanied them throughout the visit and explained in detail Volkswagen's production process and advanced management model.

Although the management concepts and production processes were from the 1980s and couldn't compare to the 21st-century production lines that Chen Dong had purchased from the system, Chen Dong still had a friendly exchange with some of the managers at the Volkswagen factory.

According to Boer, this was Chen Dong, the president of Xiaochi Motors, learning from and drawing inspiration from Volkswagen's management model. The accompanying reporters kept taking photos, but they were stopped by Chen Dong's secretary, Qu Cai, afterwards.

"I'm sorry, sir, you must delete the photos you took of my boss and two children," Qu Cai said in fluent English, leaving the reporter who had been stopped speechless.

"We're just reporting the news, sir, and we won't use it for anything else," the reporter argued.

Qu Cai shook his finger and said, "No, no, no, gentlemen, my boss doesn't like to appear in news reports for people to comment on, so you must delete these photos. As compensation, each of you can collect two hundred US dollars from me afterwards."

"However, if anyone fails to properly remove my boss's photo and publishes it in newspapers or on television news, Huasheng Group reserves the right to sue for infringement of portrait rights!"

Upon hearing this, the reporters glanced in surprise at Chen Dong, who was still chatting and laughing with Volkswagen CEO Paul not far away, wondering if this man was perhaps "Old Qian" from America's side.

The average nouveau riche, once they have money, wants the world's news newspapers and media to photograph and report on them every day. They even want reporters to spend three pages on what they ate that day.

But truly wealthy people with a solid foundation would prefer that no one in the world knows of their existence. They won't appear in news reports, and paparazzi can only capture their profile, rarely getting a clear frontal photo.

Maintaining a low profile is the first lesson for the super-rich to learn. If you don't want to be shot and killed one day, you have to maintain that sense of mystery, especially in a country like America where it is open to own guns.

The more high-profile you are, the faster you die. Only CEOs who are pushed into the public eye by the wealthy and old money will make a high-profile appearance. You will never see any news reports about the real old money.