Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 1021 Building Cars? Let's Get Wild!

Chen Mo is no longer satisfied with the empty promises of spiritual fulfillment.

But since his boss had already put it that way, he could only smile wryly and say, "You really want me to start all over again, sir."

From previous conversations, the old man knew that this person was the type who wouldn't act until he saw a clear benefit.

Seeing that the young man was still hesitating, the old man pointed to the coffee table in front of him without saying a word: "Why don't you take a look at these documents on the table?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo picked up the materials that had been prepared on the table and began to carefully review them.

The room fell silent, but Chen Mo's heart was in turmoil.

It turns out that the turbulent period before, which seemed to be a TT dispute on the surface, was actually just the first layer. The underlying power struggle between the two countries was far more profound than he had imagined.

It's fair to say that his email was only one part of the reason why the other party abandoned TT this time.

Moreover, this is not limited to TT. The other party has also made certain concessions on the sanctions and blockades against Xiaomi and other Chinese technology companies. Otherwise, Mr. Dong, who is the type to gnaw on bones rather than drink soup, would never have compromised so easily.

Then Chen Mo saw the predicament that this new energy vehicle company in Beijing was currently facing, which shocked him even more. Were they pigs?
A lucky start turned into a disastrous ending.
These are only the parts he has the authority to see; there may be much more he cannot see.

There was definitely a reason for this. No wonder he was surprised that the public opinion environment seemed to have improved. It seems he had underestimated the situation.

Chen Mo understood the old man's underlying message: accept the heavy responsibility of building cars, take the lead in lighting up the new technological tree of domestic new energy vehicles, and continue to support it in the future—a win-win situation for everyone!
If they still refuse, then things might get complicated in the future.

Seeing this, the old man continued to place more chips on the table.
"The risk assessment report for HengD that was submitted earlier has been finalized, and we will take action this year."

"And haven't you ever thought about why your Wutong Academy has been so successful?"

Unexpectedly, at the age of 35, when one should be "graduating" in the workplace, I was forced to start a business again, just like most people.

Chen Mo was still thinking, but he wasn't thinking about whether or not to build cars as the first step. Instead, he was thinking about how to make his start smoother, since he still wanted a piece of the pie in the sky.

"Since you've already said all that, what else can I say?"

The old man's expression softened slightly, and he relaxed his posture. Then he heard this troublesome fellow start to raise the price on the spot.
"I heard that there are no more slots available for new energy vehicle manufacturing qualifications in Beijing?"

“Special approval is possible.”

"If they want to manufacture cars, they'll definitely have to build their own factories, especially with land prices so high these days."

"A discount is available."

"We're just a small family business, this tax policy..."

Seeing Chen Mo twirling his fingers and looking up at him with a grin, the old man, who admired Chen's talent, didn't immediately return the money. Instead, he was furious: "Just tell me everything at once, what do you want?"

Chen Mo clenched his fist. "In short, I want all the benefits and perks that BAIC in Beijing and Tesla in Shanghai offer!"

"You've got quite the nerve. I can give you these things. But can you give me what I want?"

Thinking about his meticulous planning over the past few years in the automotive industry chain, including Xinyi Glass in Fuzhou, CATL, "Weixiaoli" and even Faraday Future, coupled with the various policy supports he had just secured, all of this gave Chen Mo confidence.

Originally, I only wanted to play a supporting role for Xiaomi, but who knew that these preparations would eventually make me successful.

The wonder of life's encounters is beyond compare.

In response to the old man's question, Chen Mo raised his head and nodded: "I am Chen Mo from the other shore."

That speaks volumes about his reputation; nothing more needs to be said.
"Good! Good! Good!"

The old man's hearty laughter faintly drifted outside, and the secretary outside couldn't help but smile—he hadn't heard his boss laugh so heartily in a long time.

Before leaving, Chen Mo took out a document and handed it over. It contained clues about the virus that hackers had intercepted overseas and his own speculations.

After Chen Mo left, the old man picked up the document, and as he looked at it, his expression became increasingly serious, with a hint of anger in it.

"audacious in the extreme!"

Stepping out of the building, a gentle evening breeze caressed my face.

Having just made a pledge, Chen Mo touched his short hair, which was chilled by the wind, and looked up at the southern night sky.

As August approaches, the night wind still carries a hint of inexplicable clamor.
Without any prior indication or preparation, Lei Jun suddenly announced that Xiaomi would be building cars.

A company that manufactures mobile phones and home appliances suddenly went into car manufacturing? This 180-degree turn shocked the entire industry at the time, and the reasons were widely speculated.

Could his own experience be one of the reasons?
However, these facts are now impossible to verify.

Chen Mo stretched and yawned, extending his legs and feet.

Since things have come to this, let's just get to it!
Thirty-five years old is the age to take risks!
So what if we're building cars? Then let's build the ultimate car, something truly amazing that will shock the world!
After Chen Mo left, the secretary quietly entered the room.

The old man gazed at the pitch-black night outside the window and said softly, "The 70th anniversary celebration will be in two months."

"Let's leave the extra spot that was originally printed on the viewing platform on the city gate vacant for now."

He turned away from his gaze and looked at his secretary: "If the other side officially announces its car manufacturing within the next two months, change the name to Chen Mo."

The secretary was taken aback upon hearing this.

He knew that his superiors appreciated this young man, but he never expected them to value him to this extent.

The slots for business representatives who attend the ceremony from the Tiananmen Rostrum represent the highest level of recognition an entrepreneur can receive, signifying the nation's stance.

Even though she was very optimistic about it, the secretary still reminded her, "Chen Mo is only thirty-five years old this year, isn't he... too young?"

"It is precisely because they are young that we can better demonstrate our open-mindedness in recruiting talent." The old man said firmly, "The achievements made on the other side prove the value of this position."

Let the world see how we treat innovators well, and set an example for all young entrepreneurs.

The documents on the table are listed as the highest level of confidentiality for my review.

Go and make the arrangements.

The secretary's expression hardened, and he lowered his head, replying, "Understood."

It's easy to make grand pronouncements, but ultimately, success requires hard work, taking one step at a time.

Returning to Ziyu Manor late at night, the moment the door opened, I saw Leng Ning's pretty face.

He smiled gently and said, "You should go to sleep first. I still have some things to take care of." With that, he went straight to the study.

Leng Ning watched his retreating figure and sighed softly.

Although Chen Mo had a smile on his face, she, who had been with him for many years, had long seen the deep solemnity hidden between his brows.

I looked up at the wall clock; the hour hand was pointing to eleven.

Two years ago? Or three years ago? She couldn't even remember the last time Chen Mo stayed up all night.

After a moment's hesitation, she turned and went into the kitchen, where she prepared some simple tea and snacks, and brewed a cup of hand-ground coffee, which she then gently brought into the study.

Seeing that Chen Mo was deep in thought, she quietly placed the tray on the corner of the table, without making a sound to disturb him, and considerately closed the door and left.

After changing into her pajamas, she lay obediently on the bed.

Since graduating and joining the company, I've had the good fortune to meet Chen Mo. These years of close interaction have taught her what to do and when to do it. Unlike those women on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform), who either flaunt their boyfriends' salaries or complain about their husbands playing games after work and whether they should get a divorce.
Chen Mo would naturally tell her what she needed to know.
Since he didn't say, he must have had his reasons.

What she should do right now is to offer unconditional support.

She and her sisters all understood this principle; otherwise, they wouldn't have stayed together through thick and thin until now.

Within minutes, Leng Ning's breathing became steady and even.
In the study next door, Chen Mo reorganized the ideas he had conceived on his way back.

When I came to my senses, I realized that there had been a warm gesture of care on the corner of the table, and I couldn't help but smile.

This unexpected conversation, while carrying an inescapable responsibility, was less of a mission and more of a deal that reached a new consensus.

This was not a bad thing; on the contrary, it finalized several things that he considered more important, making it a very fruitful outcome.

Apart from the car manufacturing project, Hengda's problems have finally received a substantial promise of resolution.

Although triggering risks prematurely may cause pain, it is better to have short-term pain than long-term pain. The longer it is delayed, the more serious the consequences will be. In the long run, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and it will reduce many unnecessary losses.

More importantly, the intelligence alerts for the year-end event have already drawn significant attention.

Chen Mo sincerely hoped that the plans he had made in this life would lead to a different ending.

In his view, these two things are even more strategically significant than building cars.

Another issue is car manufacturing. The leaders have all said so, so car manufacturing is definitely a must.

He had originally planned to ask for an exorbitant price and have the other party negotiate it down to a reasonable level, and eventually reach an agreement after some haggling. However, he found that he had underestimated the old man's magnanimity and vision.

Now that it's the end of 19, after preliminary preparations, the actual launch of the car manufacturing plan is nearing the end of the year.

The new energy vehicle race has already begun. Entering the game now, while not as dramatic as joining the National Revolutionary Army in 49, is still a race of a thousand meters, where your competitors have already run a hundred meters while you've only just stepped onto the track.

Chen Mo understood that the leadership was even more aware of this.

Therefore, all kinds of preferential policies, such as qualifications, taxes, and land use, are fully utilized to help the other side make up for the time gap.

This sincerity is enough to show that the other party genuinely hopes that the other side can create a new world in the field of car manufacturing.

The greater the support, the greater the responsibility.

At the same time, Chen Mo was also well aware of the severity of the current economic situation.

Of the three drivers of economic growth, two have shown signs of fatigue, while only the internet industry continues to develop rapidly.

The new energy vehicle market, with a future scale of trillions of yuan, has been selected as a new growth engine.

Looking at the current situation in China: some enterprises are content with the status quo, some are constrained by the environment and can only take roundabout ways to survive, and some are growing wildly but lack a solid foundation.

It was this background that made him the one chosen.

"If it were me, I probably would have made the same choice," Chen Mo murmured to himself.

Now that the decision has been made, the next step is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the automotive industry, identify all the players in this game, and truly know yourself and your enemy.

He searched for relevant information online and in the company's database and began writing the analysis document.

In the quiet study, the sound of keyboard typing sometimes rings out densely like pearls falling on a jade plate, and sometimes it sounds like a babbling brook.

An hour later, a complete preliminary industry analysis report was completed.

He then turned the large monitor screen around, walked to the whiteboard, and began writing furiously.

The global new energy vehicle industry is currently at a critical turning point, where old and new forces converge, and the market landscape is changing rapidly.

On the one hand, the phasing out of subsidies has chilled the market;
On the other hand, everyone sensed that a profound transportation revolution was coming, with giants making moves and new players constantly emerging, all eager to be at the forefront.

First and foremost is Tesla, which is the most familiar to us.

Chen Mo still vividly remembers the image of Musk dancing excitedly at the factory site.

With the recent completion of Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, which aims to start production by the end of the year, this will be key for Tesla to open up the world's largest market, reduce costs, and achieve profitability.

Tesla has always presented itself as a brand of "technology and excellence," and is hailed as the Apple of the automotive industry. It has the strongest appeal and the largest accumulation of real driving data. It maintains a leading position in electronic control, autonomous driving software, and electronic and electrical architecture, and will surely become one of the strongest competitors in the future.

Another potential competitor is Huawei.

At the press conference at the beginning of the year, Huawei made it clear that it would not manufacture cars and would focus on becoming a supplier of "incremental components". Subsequently, it released the "autonomous driving mobile network" solution and began to cooperate with multiple car companies.

Among them, Seres, a company established in cooperation with Dongfeng Xiaokang, is particularly noteworthy.

Chen Mo keenly sensed that Huawei was following a path that the other side had been exploring before, with a very clear positioning of "selling shovels but not making cars, helping car companies to make good cars".

More importantly, the head of Huawei's automotive business is none other than Yu Dazui, who gives Xiao Lei a real headache.

This guy's fighting ability is still commendable, but if he keeps talking big, then let him see the consequences of provoking the other side!

Another tech giant worth noting is Apple.

Since the launch of "Project Titan" in 2014, it has been in the works for several years but has yet to yield any results.

Based on the information gathered, Apple's top management has disagreements on its car-making strategy, wavering between "building a complete Apple car" and "developing an autonomous driving system".

Such strategic hesitation is extremely rare in Apple's history.

Perhaps it is because Xiaomi exerts too much pressure in the mobile phone market that Apple is hesitant to fully invest in the field of new energy vehicles.

Although Apple's car manufacturing plan ultimately failed in his memory, Chen Mo dared not say whether things would be different in this life.

"Wei Xiaoli" is in a similar situation, striving to increase delivery volume, establish a reliable supply chain, and control the rate at which cash is burned, struggling to survive in the winter of subsidy reduction.

Traditional automotive giants have begun to shift from a wait-and-see approach to a full-scale effort.

Volkswagen is the most aggressive, having already released its first electric vehicle but not yet delivered on a large scale. Its massive size and firm determination to transform are remarkable.
General Motors and Ford launched several trial products in the US market, but their overall presence was not as strong as Volkswagen's.
Toyota and Honda remain committed to hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell technology, while remaining cautious about pure electric vehicles.

Finally, there's BYD, a domestic giant. With its deep expertise in the battery field, it holds a significant share in the plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle markets. However, its models are more concentrated in the taxi and ride-hailing markets. Previously, it single-handedly competed with BAIC on a back-and-forth basis.

Next, Boatman Brother probably wants to push the brand to a higher level.

These traditional automakers are all facing the challenge of "turning the elephant around": they must avoid conflict with their own gasoline-powered vehicle business, while also making up for their shortcomings in software capabilities in the era of software-defined vehicles.

Ultimately, new energy vehicles are competing for the market that originally belonged to gasoline vehicles. Therefore, they not only have to face competition from other new energy vehicles, but also have to contend with the counterattack from traditional automakers.

Looking at the landscape of the new energy vehicle industry in 2019: Tesla is in the lead, but its advantage is not yet secure; "NIO" is struggling to survive; traditional giants have awakened, but it will take time to turn around.
Huawei and Apple, as two major representatives of technology, are hovering on the edge of the competition, looking for an opportunity to enter the market. One has chosen to take a roundabout approach by empowering others, while the other is still secretly making its moves. They represent another possibility for the future.

Finally, Chen Mo picked up his coffee, which had long since gone cold, and stared at the densely packed industry map on the whiteboard, his eyes gradually brightening.

He saw that he had the time and space to enter the arena.

Then, picking up a pen, he solemnly wrote four large characters in the very center of the whiteboard, where formidable enemies surrounded them:
The other side! The shore! Car!
The icy sweetness goes down the throat, but it doesn't cool down the hot blood!

Chen Mo felt a slight heat rising in his body. Was this the feeling of boiling fighting spirit?

Then he realized, damn it, he forgot to turn on the air conditioner in the study.

(End of this chapter)