2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 513: The First Model?
PS: Based on feedback from readers, the most upvoted comment was actually from Wei Lai, haha, so we'll use that. I really didn't expect that! Chapter 508 has been slightly modified, but it shouldn't affect the reading experience for those who have already read it.

Even after Tan Jincheng left, Leader Gu was still somewhat unsettled.

He is also very knowledgeable and has witnessed the rapid development of Beicang over the years. However, he has never seen a company like Flashpoint before. Its development speed has even caught up with that of Internet companies.

The subsidiary plans to go public and has started manufacturing cars. In addition, his Orange Technology is also very close to going public. Beicang District is about to welcome its first listed internet company.

This is preparing for a major undertaking.

However, his plan is indeed feasible. After taking FlashTech public and raising new funds, he will indeed be able to manufacture cars again. From a business perspective, it is indeed feasible.

If they were even more shameless and forcibly seized control of the Zhongtai Beicang factory, then Shanchi would already have its own car factory.

“Forcibly taking it is certainly feasible, but we don’t have our own model, so taking it wouldn’t be of any use. Let’s proceed at the normal pace.”

Tan Jincheng has returned. Beicang has a high administrative level, and the top leaders are all very busy. It's already quite a favor that they can spare a lot of time to chat with the small boss about personal matters.

The internal senior management of FlashCar is also discussing the feasibility of manufacturing cars, with the equity of Zhongtai being a key topic of discussion.

With car manufacturing brought to the forefront, anyone with a modicum of common sense could see that the boss's actions were already foreshadowed. By entering the market with a car manufacturing license, he seized upon the other party's pain points, leaving himself a great opportunity for future planning.

There is a factory but no car models. With the current production line of Zhongtai, it is not possible to produce any high-end models. The Zhongtai factory in Beicang mainly produces the Zhongtai 2008 model.

"So what are we planning to name our first model?" Zhang Xupeng also came to the meeting to join in the fun.

It wasn't even the eighth day of the first lunar month yet, but all the senior executives, like the government departments, had already gotten back to work. The first thing they did at the start of the year was to discuss the direction of car manufacturing.

Zhang Xupeng didn't understand these things, but he liked to hear them. Anyway, there wasn't much else to do these days besides recruitment, so as soon as he heard that Boss Tan was going to hold a meeting, he immediately rushed over from Dagang Industrial Zone.

"What kind of car model do you think we should build?" Tan Jincheng asked with a smile.

This matter is currently only in the discussion stage, just casual talk. The market for new energy vehicles is not yet mature, and like all private car manufacturers, Flashcar's primary task is still survival.

In fact, BYD, which started with batteries, had already successfully developed an F3e equipped with iron phosphate batteries last year. However, due to imperfect policies and immature technology, it was not launched to the market.

Tan Jincheng had seen it when he visited the BYD factory in Shenzhen last time. That visit really opened his eyes and made him understand why BYD became so strong after the boom in new energy vehicles.

Since starting to manufacture cars in 2003, Mr. Wang's ultimate goal has been new energy vehicles!

To achieve this goal, BYD's car manufacturing plan almost failed. In 2003, amidst a chorus of opposition, our boss Wang acquired Qin Chuan Automobile. At that time, BYD's stock price plummeted, and its market value evaporated by HK$27 billion within two days.

His firm idea at the time was to only produce new energy vehicles.

It has to be said that Mr. Wang's idea is really brilliant and quite forward-thinking. Tan Jincheng only set his first goal on new energy vehicles because of his talent, but he actually realized this problem from the very beginning of car manufacturing.

Tan Jincheng often looked down on the way their factory treated other factories, but he really admired their business acumen. Truly great people don't need any kind of rebirth; they are just naturally great.

During his visit to the BYD factory, Tan Jincheng was particularly impressed by one of Mr. Wang's remarks.

"People will do two things before going to bed in the future: realize that they need to charge their phones and remember to charge their cars."

Listen to this, listen to this, isn't this exactly what happened after the explosion of new energy vehicles? Smartphones are great to use, but Boss Tan is also a severe battery anxiety sufferer; he feels uncomfortable when his phone battery drops below 50%.

I always carry a power bank with me when I go out, and I believe most new energy vehicle owners can attest to this.

He firmly believed in what happened more than a decade ago, and that BYD becoming the king of new energy vehicles was inevitable. The market only saw its new energy vehicles constantly breaking sales records, but in fact, it was the result of more than a decade of accumulated technology.

Fortunately, Flashcar's ultimate goal is also new energy vehicles, which is the same as BYD. Although it is not as technologically advanced as BYD, it is only 2008 now. As long as it persists, in another 10 years, Flashcar's technology will not be too far behind.

With battery technology and new energy vehicle technology, they're following the same path as BYD. Even if they can't be the big brother, they still have a chance to survive in the market as a smaller player.

As long as the technology catches up, the Flashcar might not be too bad. At least Mr. Tan understands consumer pain points. Think of TVs, refrigerators, and big sofas—these things get a lot of criticism, but once you drive one, you genuinely feel comfortable. Anyone who's driven or ridden in one can't resist that kind of experience. Li Xiang truly understands consumer pain points. Since he's still active in car forums like Li Bing, I'll let him try it out in advance.

Speaking of which, Tan Jincheng knows all of these people, and they are all considered his financial backers. Every year, Shanchi will contact some car reviewers to conduct reviews of its new electric vehicles. Compared to car reviews, electric vehicle reviews are a relatively niche industry, but they still have to hype it up.

Advertising on several car websites is also a must, a trend started by Tan Jincheng. Later, some electric vehicle companies followed suit and started advertising. These days, it's not easy for websites to get advertising deals. In fact, these companies are quite grateful to Tan Jincheng.

"My ideal is to build a high-end car like BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi), but that's impossible. We need to produce cars that ordinary people can afford."

Zhang Xupeng is no child either. Building cars sounds impressive, but in recent years, we've heard news of car manufacturers going bankrupt almost every month. Just like when they first started their business, if they wanted to show off, they first had to survive.

"Haha, no problem. Our first model to be produced will definitely be one that ordinary people can afford."

The ideal is lofty, but the reality is cruel. Although private brands have risen, the top-selling cars on the market today are still mostly joint venture brands, especially Japanese brands.

Japanese brands are much cheaper than American and German brands, and they mainly focus on fuel efficiency, which is quite popular with consumers, so they have grasped a pain point in the market.

If Flash Motors is going to manufacture cars, its first model will definitely follow this direction: energy-saving and environmentally friendly, with cost-effectiveness remaining Flash Motors' main focus.

"Our first model will still focus on vehicles priced below 10 yuan, but we also need to come up with some new ideas in terms of design; we can't just copy."

"Haha, I was saying that with all these industrial designers and collaborations with research institutes, it seems you're still following the same path as the first Flash product."

Zhang Xupeng recalled how Tan Jincheng designed the first model of the Flash Spur. When they couldn't compete with others in terms of configuration, they focused on styling, emphasizing beauty. Subsequent models followed the same approach.

Everyone likes pretty things, and this approach is quite effective; it really is a winning formula.

"It's like I'm seeing those days when I was being controlled again," Wang Chao, now the technical director of FlashDrive Technology, joked with a smile.

"Haha, not really. I know a little about electric cars, but car design is a highly technical field, and I really can't control that."

No one in the meeting room believed what Boss Tan said. There was nothing he couldn't control. Whether they understood it or not, he could always offer some pointers, and often his slightest guidance could spark everyone's inspiration.

This is what everyone is most curious about; Boss Tan's mind is truly brilliant.

"For our first model, we'll use the Xingchi brand and price it at a low-end, cost-effective price point, below 10 yuan. You can all go to the market and see which models are selling well and see which ones we can copy. Let's brainstorm together."

"In addition, we need to expedite the registration of trademarks to prevent others from registering them first."

Tesla's trademark in China was registered by someone back in 2006. To be honest, I (the author) originally wanted to register it too and make a quick buck, but when I checked with the Trademark Office, I found that it had already been registered.

There are so many cunning people out there.

Of the five trademarks that FlashChe decided on, except for Wei Lai which was "stolen," the others were actually their own ideas. They also use the Chi series, which doesn't sound very appealing, but you get used to it.

The Chi series focuses on cost-effectiveness and is more geared towards the gasoline vehicle market. Its main goal is to ensure its survival. As for the future new energy vehicle brand, that will be called Wei, which can be made relatively high-end.

Tan Jincheng proposed the concept of copying without any hesitation, and no one present thought it was wrong. What else could they do but copy? Even if they designed something, they still needed a direction, and there was no guarantee that the market would accept it.

Why not integrate them? If all else fails, just grab the Baoshitai from Zhongtai in advance.

The Porsche Tai is indeed a very successful model. It gets a lot of criticism, but its sales are really good. It's just that it was ruined by Mr. Ying. It's definitely not good to not pay attention to quality at all.

If it were FlashCheer to make it, it would definitely be different. Although Tan Jincheng is rather shameless, he still cares about product quality and is willing to invest in technological research and development.

"It's settled then, Porsche is mine!"

(End of this chapter)