Reborn in 1982: I Became the Richest Man by Repairing Cars

Chapter 166 Envy, Jealousy, and Hatred: Want to Learn?

Although the export price of a Jianghui J71 is only 5000 RMB, the German company pays in US dollars.

According to the current official exchange rate, one US dollar can be exchanged for approximately 5.5 Chinese yuan.

Each exported J71 train generates nearly $1000 in foreign exchange.

200 vehicles would cost $20.

If this data isn't very impactful yet, the impact will be different when export earnings exceed $100 million.

Don't underestimate the mere $100 million; consider that the country's foreign exchange reserves are currently less than $200 billion.

So, for a private enterprise to generate over $200 million in export revenue in just a few months would be an extremely impressive figure.

It could even be said that they have already achieved several percentage points of the district's export earnings target for this year.

So soon, leaders from the district came to inspect the area.

The support from the local government for Jianghui Motorcycle Factory has also increased significantly.

Previously, there were occasional power supply shortages, but now they have become key units for ensuring power supply.

These are all tangible and visible benefits.

Especially when Jianghui Motorcycle Factory's J71 continued to be exported, with monthly production capacity exceeding 2000 units, its influence became even more significant.

"Secretary, during the recent meeting in the city, the leaders specifically criticized our factory."

"If Jianghui Motorcycle Factory, a private enterprise, can sell motorcycles overseas and earn foreign exchange, why can't BAIC Motor?"

An Qinghe just took over as the factory director of BAIC Motor in January this year, and now he is under tremendous pressure.

Many people in later generations only know about BAIC Group, but not BAIC Motor.

In fact, BAIC Motor, established in 1987, was the predecessor of BAIC.

Since BAIC Manufacturing Plant and American AMC jointly established BAIC Jeep, some of the factory buildings and related assets were directly incorporated into the joint venture.

For a period of time, the BJ212, a classic model of BAIC, was even produced by BAIC Jeep.

Later, when BAIC Jeep looked down on the BJ212 and focused all its efforts on models imported from the United States, BAIC Motor, a factory formed by the merger of BJ Automobile Manufacturing Plant and BJ Motorcycle Manufacturing Plant, resumed automobile production.

It can be said that BAIC Motor is now the most crucial pillar of the automobile and motorcycle industries in the capital region.

It's easy to imagine the criticism the leadership would give to such a large state-owned enterprise that had been surpassed by a local private company.

"I also know about that Jianghui Motorcycle Factory."

"Their factory manager, Jiang Hui, is a capable man. I had dealings with him many years ago."

"Even our new generation BJ212 was able to quickly enter mass production under his guidance."

"The 4MT manual transmission at North Gearbox was also fixed with Jiang Hui's help after various problems were resolved."

"His understanding of automotive structures is second to none in the entire capital region."

"Especially when it comes to imported cars, I've hardly met anyone more knowledgeable than him."

Upon hearing Liu Chenggang's words, An Qinghe's curiosity was immediately piqued.

"There's another story behind this?"

"Yeah, don't let Jiang Hui's age fool you. He's probably not even thirty yet, but he's been an entrepreneur for ten years."

An Qinghe's rank was the same as Liu Chenggang's, but nominally his position was higher.

However, the current trend is for factory managers to take responsibility, and he has actually gradually begun to fade out of Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC).

Of course, as the former director of BAIC Manufacturing Plant, he still wielded considerable influence.

Many of his former students and colleagues are now working in various departments, becoming ministers or section chiefs.

Therefore, An Qinghe dared not disrespect the other party in the slightest.

"If he knows so much about cars, why did he suddenly get into motorcycles?"

"As far as I know, their motorcycle factory was only established this year, and it produces the outdated Changjiang 750."

"But they just changed the name of the Changjiang 750 to something like J71 and sold it to Germany."

"I heard that it's not cheap."

An Qinghe said, quite annoyed.

He felt that in terms of motorcycle technology, BAIC Motor was far superior.

They were even the originators of the motorcycle industry in the capital.

How did we suddenly get surpassed?

If the opponent's skills are very good, it's okay to be surpassed.

The key point is that they used the very outdated Changjiang 750 engine to surpass them.

That would be frustrating.

It's important to know that among the Dongfeng brand motorcycles produced by BAIC Motor, the Dongfeng BM021 series three-wheeled motorcycles, which are the main models, have very clear advantages compared to the classic Changjiang 750 sidecar motorcycles.

Lighter, more fuel-efficient, cheaper, more flexible, and more suitable for civilian cargo hauling.

"That's why Jiang Hui is so amazing."

"Our Dongfeng 021 is compact, making it easy to navigate through alleys and along field ridges."

"The Yangtze 750 is too clumsy; it can't even get into the village paths."

"And when hauling goods into the city, the Dongfeng 021 is inconspicuous, but the Changjiang 750 looks like a military vehicle, and the traffic police always check it."

「关键是我们的东风021百公里油耗3.5~4.5升，而长江750百公里油耗7~9升，都接近小卡车的水平了。」

"Under these circumstances, they are still able to sell their products overseas. Even though the J71 has made many improvements based on the Changjiang 750, it is still very impressive."

Liu Chenggang's words made An Qinghe even more depressed.

I feel I was unfairly criticized and it was all rather inexplicable.

It's worth noting that there are plenty of motorcycle factories in China capable of producing the Changjiang 750.

There are several companies that are even larger than BAIC Motor.

As a result, because Jianghui Motorcycle Factory was located in the capital, BAIC Motor suffered a setback.

"Secretary, do you think that if our factory also produces the Changjiang 750, we can sell our products to Europe like Jianghui Motorcycle Factory?"

"Although the production lines for the two products are not exactly the same, the production of the Changjiang 750 is not too difficult."

"Our factory can definitely do it too. If we can export it and earn foreign exchange, we can explain it to our superiors."

An Qinghe just took office this year, so he definitely hopes to achieve something.

If we can seize this opportunity to enter the Yangtze 750 motorcycle market and sell our products to Europe to earn foreign exchange, then we can achieve this goal.

That was definitely a huge achievement.

By then, he will have officially established himself at Beijing Automotive Motorcycle Sports Center.

"It's not that easy. You only see other people's success, but you don't know the circumstances behind it."

"Just like you said, there are so many manufacturers in China that produce the Changjiang 750."

"And after so many years of production, why hasn't any manufacturer been able to sell their products to Europe?"

"Even if a few manufacturers, such as Hongdu Machinery Factory, sell the Changjiang 750 abroad, they are mostly to very backward countries. The sales are mainly for aid purposes and have not achieved any export earnings at all."

Why do you think that if it were us, we would definitely do a better job than others?

Liu Chenggang wasn't intentionally trying to dampen An Qinghe's enthusiasm.

Instead, it is necessary to clearly explain the difficulties.

He didn't want to tarnish his reputation in his later years.

"That's definitely something that's a bit surprising."

"But I think if Jianghui Motorcycle Factory can do it, there's no reason why we can't follow in their footsteps, right?"

An Qinghe refused to give up.

What a great opportunity!

His eyes welled up with envy.

"If you really want to try it, you can just use the 021 three-wheeled motorcycle we're currently producing."

"There is no need to specifically modify the production line to produce the Changjiang 750; we can try it the fastest."

"As long as you can successfully sell our 021, that will naturally be a credit."

After Liu Chenggang said that, An Qinghe felt that something was not right.

But it seems to make some sense.

After all, it's a consensus that their own 021 three-wheeled motorcycle is more advanced than the Changjiang 750.

Logically speaking, if we're going to focus on exports, O021 should definitely have a greater advantage.

"You're right, I'll give it a try."

After An Qinghe finished discussing with Liu Chenggang, he began to arrange for people to do the work.

However, he soon discovered that things were not so simple.

Who will buy the motorcycle?

How much?

The people at BAIC Motor Sales Department were completely clueless.

In particular, Li Xuan, the head of the sales department, was completely frustrated.

Although they didn't know how to sell their motorcycles, they at least figured out some of the situation at Jianghui Motorcycle Factory.

After all, everyone is in the capital, so there's bound to be some overlap between their circles.

Even some of the parts suppliers for BAIC Motor are also suppliers for Jianghui Motorcycle Factory.

"Factory manager, the J71 motorcycles exported by Jianghui Motorcycle Factory were sold directly to a German trading company."

"It is said that this trading company has its own motorcycle dealership network in Germany and is itself a BMW motorcycle dealer."

"Then the person in charge of that distributor was an old acquaintance of Jiang Hui, and they had a very good relationship, so his export business was able to take off."

"We want to sell our products in Europe, and after thinking it over, the Canton Fair is the only option I can think of."

"But the Canton Fair in the first half of this year is over, so we can only wait for the one in the second half of the year."

Li Xuan certainly couldn't say that she was completely incapable of handling this matter.

First, we need to understand the situation and explain the difficulties. Then, we should propose a solution that seems feasible, but in reality, no one dares to say whether it will work.

This will give me a few months to recover.

The pressure won't be so great.

"Do you have a way to directly contact Jianghui Motorcycle Factory's customers?"

After a moment of silence, An Qinghe asked, unwilling to give up.

If we wait until the Canton Fair in the second half of the year to find customers, it will be difficult to achieve results this year.

Even if customers are interested and all the necessary investigations and confirmations are completed, the results won't be visible until next year.

However, this is his first year in office, and he is eager to achieve some results.

Time waits for no one.

"That's a bit difficult; we have absolutely no way of getting in touch with them."

Li Xuan dared not increase the difficulty for herself, otherwise she would be in trouble if she couldn't handle the situation.

"If we were to promote our O021 product at the Canton Fair, how confident would you be?"

An Qinghe was clearly unwilling to give up until he heard definite news.

"this----"

Li Xuan was now in a bit of a dilemma.

To be honest, she had absolutely no confidence.

If it were truly effective, it wouldn't have waited until this year.

Although BAIC Motor has not participated in the previous Canton Fairs.

However, it's not that they've never participated.

Clearly, all previous attempts had been fruitless.

Why should we expect to achieve a breakthrough this time?

Li Xuan herself had no confidence at all.

"Here's what we'll do: you contact Jianghui Motorcycle Factory directly and tell them we want to visit and exchange ideas."

An Qinghe wasn't stupid; he knew that relying on Li Xuan seemed a bit unreliable.

But he didn't want to give up on this matter just like that.

Since that's the case, I'll just go for it myself.

He figured that if he went directly to the person in charge, he could probably get some information.

"Okay, no problem."

Li Xuan felt no pressure at all about this task.

Being in the same industry, she would definitely have a way to contact Jiang Hui Motorcycle Factory.

She even knew that many people in the Beijing Automotive Industry Association knew Jiang Hui.

She was confident she could handle it if she just went over to have a chat.

As for how much information the other party is willing to reveal during the exchange, that's another matter entirely.

The news quickly reached Jiang Hui.

"Director Liang, is your factory also planning to increase foreign exchange earnings through exports?"

Jiang Hui never expected that, after all the twists and turns, the person who contacted him would be Liang Hongyu.

Since everyone was an old acquaintance, Jiang Hui didn't want to directly deceive people.

"Yes, isn't this because our Factory Director An has just taken office and we hope he can achieve some results?"

"It's said that because of your outstanding performance, the higher-ups even gave our factory leaders a dressing down."

Liang Hongyu is currently the head of the technical department at BAIC Motor, and he will be retiring in a few years.

So I was in a very relaxed state.

I'll do whatever I can.

If I can't do it, it's no use asking me.

Anyway, no one can fire you.

"Do you intend to sell the Type 021 overseas, or do you also want to produce products similar to our J-71?"

Since they are old acquaintances, I should definitely take this opportunity to ask them for information.

For a conversation to proceed more effectively, both parties need to exchange information.

"Currently, we seem to be looking to try the 021, but we've heard that our factory manager was also thinking about producing the Changjiang 750."

Liang Hongyu didn't hide anything and directly told everyone the information he knew.

"If you want to communicate, there's definitely no problem."

"However, earning foreign exchange through exports seems simple, but it is also very difficult."

Jiang Hui knew that in this era, companies would do anything to earn foreign exchange through exports.

Given the chance, BAIC Motor would never hesitate to steal business from their own factory.

Therefore, he would definitely not do anything that would aid the enemy.

However, we still have to give Liang Hongyu face.

"Our factory manager saw how easily you made millions of dollars in export revenue, so he thought he wanted to follow the same path."

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"It's up to you. Say what you can say, and change the subject if you can't."

For Liang Hongyu, contacting Jiang Hui this time was simply to complete a task.

As long as the other party arranges the reception, that's fine with him; other matters are not his concern.

Of course, if the factory can actually export and earn foreign exchange in the end, then everyone will be happy.

"Sure, come on over."

Jiang Hui exchanged a few more subtle words with Liang Hongyu before hanging up the phone.

"Jiang Hui, BAIC Motor has already noticed our J71 exports, and I feel that other motorcycle manufacturers in China will soon follow suit."

"Some people are so resourceful that they might even be able to find Lucas."

"Will that create direct competition between us?"

Lin Wanqiu was right next to Jiang Hui when he answered the phone.

So I was a little worried after hearing it.

As a private enterprise, we are naturally filled with insecurity in the current environment.

This is also a common problem.