2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 710 Research Institute Site Selection
Regardless of whether the Spring Festival Gala is entertaining or not, it always generates a massive amount of online traffic in a short period of time.

It has become a focal point of discussion among numerous media outlets and ordinary citizens.

This year's focus has also shifted to the topic of Weilai Auto's exorbitant advertising fees, which is naturally driven by both the Spring Festival Gala production team and Weilai Auto.

"Haha, speaking of which, Flashcar is the big winner of this year's Spring Festival Gala."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Jinsheng came to visit and was in the study having tea and chatting with Tan Jincheng.

When he woke up in the morning, he received the viewership data for the Spring Festival Gala. This year's Spring Festival Gala had two moments with the highest viewership.

One of them was the "British-style" Compendium of Materia Medica, which surpassed Uncle Benshan's skit "Not Short of Money" and became the highest-rated program of the season with a 39% viewership rating.

Secondly, there's the midnight countdown, which garnered a viewership rating of 34.82% during the Spring Festival Gala.

The northern provinces showed a significantly higher level of interest in the Spring Festival Gala than the southern provinces, with some areas achieving viewership ratings as high as 60%, and the three northeastern provinces reaching as high as 90%, making them the regions with the highest viewership.

While the percentage in the south is not as high as in the north, it still remains around 20%. With live broadcasts on hundreds of websites, the exposure of Weilai Auto is nothing short of terrifying.

Ironically, the program with the highest viewership ratings featured the spokesperson for FlashTech's electric vehicles.

"We've spent so much money, it should have some effect, right?"

Tan Jincheng was also in a good mood. He had obtained this data as well. The Spring Festival Gala is not only broadcast live in China, but also on international channels. The sooner Weilai Automobile makes a name for itself, the easier it will be to do some work in automobile exports in the future.

Even during the Spring Festival, many companies have staff on duty, and Weilai Auto is no exception. Zhang Yong is still in the capital at this moment.

Since last night, online searches for Weilai Auto and Yuechi A1 have increased significantly. Zhang Yong, who lives in Beijing, is also very excited, saying that 2010 has started off well.

Zhao Jinsheng looked at Tan Jincheng, who seemed to be in a good mood, and asked, "I heard you're going back to your hometown tomorrow?"

"Yes, Zhang Xupeng is getting married, so I have to go back. I hope Secretary Zhao didn't come here just for casual conversation today?"

Zhang Xupeng is holding a wedding banquet in his hometown on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Old Zhang is getting married, and no matter how busy he is, Tan Jincheng has to go back. His parents will also go back for a visit.

While Tan Jincheng brought his parents a status and material life that they could never have imagined before, the Tan couple also lost some of their freedom.

To avoid causing trouble for their son, the Tan couple mostly lived a secluded life. Even when they missed home, they rarely went back, for fear of causing any trouble for Tan Jincheng.

In Tan Jincheng's hometown, there is a custom that people do not go out to visit relatives and friends on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The explanation is quite simple and honest: after a busy year, everyone should take a good rest for a day.

In rural southern Anhui, there's no concept of holding large market days. Those who can afford it might go to the county town for fun. Generally, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, people either play mahjong or visit a nearby temple to pray.

This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year coincided with Valentine's Day in the West. A temple near Tanjiacun was bustling with people, including many young men and women.

Zhang Suzhi is a Buddhist and doesn't have many hobbies. She usually just visits some nearby temples. Now, looking at the photos taken by her relatives in the family group chat, she is filled with envy.

"Mom, if you want to go, Dad can go with you when we get home, or we can go to the nearby temple today?"

Gu Hongshun and his wife went to visit his elder brother. In a couple of days, both families will return to Yiwu to pay New Year's visits.

Tan Jincheng was receiving guests in his study upstairs, while the Tan couple, Gu Qingqing, and Tan Jinyue were sunbathing in the courtyard, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

"Let's talk about it when we get back. Are you sure you're okay with the ride?"

"There's no problem, the baby is stable. Besides, Brother Li and Sister Man are both excellent drivers, so Mom, you don't need to worry."

"We still need to make some preparations."

"understood."

Gu Qingqing chuckled. In fact, Tan Jincheng had already made preparations. He had planned backup plans for the journey and preparations for his hometown before the New Year, so there was nothing to worry about.

In the study, Zhao Jinsheng explained his true purpose.

"I heard that your Weilai Automobile is planning to establish an automotive research institute?"

"Yes, lately I've felt that having so many subsidiaries, like power batteries and automobiles, scattered all over the place is too troublesome, so I'm planning to consolidate them."

Power battery systems, and future energy storage, etc., just in the automotive sector there are pickup trucks, SUVs, buses and future new energy sedans. If we don't bring them together at the very beginning, we'll have a lot of headaches in the future.

The establishment of an automotive engineering research institute is now imperative; in some ways, it is even more important than building a factory or increasing sales.

"Still haven't decided where to put it?"

It's not surprising that Zhao Jinsheng knew this. Tan Jincheng had previously inquired with Beicang City Investment and Luzhou City Investment about suitable locations. The biggest advantage of placing the Automotive Engineering Research Institute in Beicang was that the core business would be under his watchful eye, while placing it in Luzhou would allow him to leverage Luzhou's strong engineering university resources.

This is a condition that Ningbo, or even the entire Zhejiang province, does not have.

It's not unprecedented to place core research institutes in other cities. For example, BYD currently has three research institutes: two related to automobiles in Shenzhen, and the other related to batteries in the capital of Henan Province.

In terms of importance, the BYD Materials Research Institute, which mainly conducts research and development on advanced battery materials, electrolyte and electrode materials, optoelectronic materials, and rare metal materials, is no less strategically significant than its Automotive Engineering Research Institute.

So, the main consideration when deciding where to place it is whether it's suitable.

Zhao Jinsheng asked with some confusion, "Why didn't you consider Beicang first?"

The businesses of Flash Group and Weilai Auto are growing larger and larger, and Beicang alone can no longer accommodate them. This is a consensus in the district. However, the district still has to try to secure projects like the Automotive Research Institute, which gathers high-end talents.

"Well, it's not that we look down on the district, it's just that the engineering education resources here are really too poor."

Tan Jincheng didn't want to hide anything. Among all the universities in Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University and other universities, Ningbo University is good and has money, but it is always a little lacking in terms of research projects and faculty strength.

Ningbo University is most famous for its aquaculture program, followed by communications engineering, physical education, and engineering mechanics, which are all quite good, but they are far inferior to those of Luzhou University.

To run an automotive engineering institute well, in addition to poaching talent from major car companies and recruiting from the general public, a continuous stream of talent from universities is also indispensable.

"Uh, I really can't respond to that."

Zhao Jinsheng was stunned, then smiled bitterly. What Tan Jincheng said was all reality, and it was something that couldn't be changed in a short time. The Beicang District government also didn't have the ability to change it.

Tan Jincheng considered the issue from the perspective of his own company, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

"In that case, I won't make things difficult for you, but if you can consider it, please do consider our Beicang. After all, having the research institute under your nose is an advantage."

Tan Jincheng nodded: "I've also been considering these two aspects, so I can't make a decision in a short time."

Zhao Jinsheng felt a sense of relief for no apparent reason; this meant there was still a chance.

"Haha, then take your time to think it over. Whatever decision you make, the district will support you."

"Oh, right, if you put it in Beicang, you can also put Leichi's R&D together, right? I don't see that you care much about this company."

Tan Jincheng picked up the teapot and refilled Zhao Jinsheng's cup.

"Let's forget about Lei Chi. Let the company become independent. It was really just an experiment in new energy vehicles back then. There wasn't much technological investment. Putting it in a research institute feels a bit out of place."

"As for whether we care or not, it's not that simple. The market for recreational vehicles for the elderly is still small. Let's take it slow."

The main reason is that although the market for "old man's cars" is not small in the future, and there are even special car shows for "old man's cars", it is ultimately subject to regulation because the safety hazards are too great.

The reason why it's called "old man's car" is simply because it's so popular with elderly consumers. The majority of domestic buyers are senior citizens, which is quite remarkable.

Traffic police are also having a lot of trouble with this group, and they don't know how to manage them effectively.

Placing Leichi within the Weilai system would only create more headaches in the future, and might even damage Weilai's brand image. It would be better to make money secretly.

Without much promotion, no one would associate the Leding and Lechi with Weilai Motors.

"Alright, it's good that you have an idea. Then I won't bother you anymore. When are you free to visit Boss Gu and my home?"

Zhao Jinsheng hadn't received any promises from Tan Jincheng, but he hadn't been abandoned either. He had completed half of his mission. It was a bit strange to talk about work on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He wouldn't have come if the kid hadn't been going back to his hometown tomorrow.

"I'll bring some local specialties from my hometown back to Brother Zhao when I get back."

"Haha, no need for local specialties. I heard the silverfish in your hometown lake are quite good. If you have any, bring some of those. No need for anything else. We don't need that between us."

Tan Jincheng smiled knowingly; “No problem, I still have some opened ones at home. Brother Zhao, why don’t you have lunch here? I’ll make you some steamed eggs with silver fish.”

Some things don't need to be stated, and it's not in accordance with regulations, but if there's absolutely no contact, it would be rather inhumane, so it's important to strike a balance.

"No, no, I know you don't visit relatives on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so it's not appropriate for you to stay for a meal. Besides, I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

He was very busy. If it weren't for the urgency of the matter, and the fear that Tan Jincheng would be intercepted when he returned to his hometown, he definitely wouldn't have had time to come here today.

(End of this chapter)