From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 27: Who on earth is building this kind of car?!
"Mr. Zhou, as per your instructions and internal requirements, our R&D and design colleagues have been working overtime intensively for the past month, and have finally completed the new mold opening for the new car in the shortest possible time, perfecting the exterior design from start to finish..."

Zhang Hui, R&D Manager of Leading Auto, introduced the company to the crowd.

They are not a regular car manufacturer, so they can't have a separate exterior design department. But for a manufacturer like them, the experience of imitation and borrowing is quite advanced.

can be seen.

In the vast testing area, a newly assembled engineering prototype vehicle was parked.

The unique frog-eye headlights paired with a large air intake grille, along with the smooth and dynamic lines on the side, and the integrated taillights that run through the entire width of the vehicle, make it instantly memorable...

But upon closer inspection, you'll find...

The headlights actually only have one LED, and the grille is also injection molded, so it doesn't have any function of air intake and exhaust for heat dissipation. After all, electric vehicles don't need heat dissipation at the front. In addition, there's the gloss of the paint and the streamlined design, which gives the whole thing a cheap feel.

Despite this.

It's also far superior to the previous Reading car designs.

This is the latest new model that has just rolled off the production line at Reading.

If it weren't labeled, and placed next to "Starry Sky 01", it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're twins.

That's right—

This is their new strategy.

Build a car exactly like the Starry Sky, and then defeat it with your extensive experience!

At the very least, we must win back the sales.

"We've adopted a similar configuration for this car to that of Xingchen, with the same 80km range and air conditioning. We've also lowered the price to 20,000 yuan. At the same price point, we believe many consumers will still trust our Leading Auto."

Vice President Liu Bin smiled.

"it is good."

Zhou Tao nodded in satisfaction.

Recently, he has been extremely angry with Xingchen Company, which has been colluding with distributors to steal their user base through despicable means.

It's time to get revenge!

At this price point, although the profit margin is very small, it's worth it as long as we can regain market share and sales.

"Mr. Zhou, the naming of this car is crucial for its launch. What name do you think would be good?"

Liu Bin said.

"Hmm... the new car's name definitely needs to be catchy. Since these consumers like the design of luxury brands so much, let's name it 'Reading 911' when it goes on sale."

Zhou Tao waved his hand and said without thinking.

……

The words are divided into two parts.

Jinpeng Group is also recently worried and frustrated about the decline in sales.

Unlike Reading Auto, Jinpeng Group covers a wider range of businesses and has a more extensive production scale.

The factories in Jiangsu alone include electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, mini-cars, motorcycles, forklifts, and some special vehicles.

It is a fairly large-scale manufacturing enterprise.

However, at this stage, Jinpeng's largest business still relies on motorcycles and mini four-wheeled vehicles, which account for the majority of its total revenue.

Compared to other rapidly growing companies, Jinpeng Group is more like the type that stays focused on its own small plot of land and lives its life there.

They'll build whatever they can, as long as there's a business need.

But the year was unlucky.

A single ban on motorcycles has halved motorcycle sales nationwide.

Kimpen Group's stock price fell in response.

He injured half of his leg so badly that it became lame.

What followed immediately.

The turmoil in the microcar market has greatly affected the sales of their best-selling elderly mobility scooters.

"How can there be such a rogue company!"

"The dregs of the industry..."

"Even if you're making mobility scooters for the elderly, you should at least have some integrity... This design is just pure imitation and plagiarism!"

"Who on earth is making this kind of car?!"

Yu Zilong is the main person in charge of the four-wheeled vehicle business of Jinpeng Group.

now.

He sat in his office, staring at the recent sales statistics.

His face looked ugly.

After two months, it has already fallen by nearly 30%.

The new cars rolling off the production line at their factory began to see a noticeable slowdown in sales. Profits plummeted.

And all this.

This is all due to the sudden appearance of Xingchen Motors and the successive price reductions by other competitors.

This has made it very difficult for them to do business.

Simultaneously.

The shamelessness of our competitors has once again lowered the bar.

They actually resorted to such despicable market competition tactics!
unacceptable! ! !

They lower prices, produce high-quality imitations, and hold a bunch of test drive events to grab customers.

How are manufacturers like them, who honestly engage in production, supposed to make a living?

Just as he was filled with righteous indignation.

"Director, the new test vehicle has rolled off the production line. This time, the exterior has been significantly redesigned according to your requirements..."

The department sent a message.

"Okay, I'll be right over."

Yu Zilong's expression changed, and he immediately set off.

A short while later, he arrived at the internal test vehicle area.

In the center of the venue, a four-wheeled vehicle that looks very much like a Porsche is undergoing internal testing.

Look at this test vehicle.

Yu Zilong's expression became calm, and his bad mood and anxious thoughts were greatly relieved.

It was as if the wrinkles in the cerebral cortex had been suddenly smoothed out by a pair of invisible hands.

...

"Great, now that's more like a car..."

“Our previous designs were too rough, and it’s normal for consumers to be dissatisfied and make demands.”

He initially strongly condemned the presence of such troublemakers within the industry.

But now we have such a product at home.

That's another story.

Because the R&D cycle is very short, and it is a product of market competition, it is essentially a rebadged car.

But that's enough.

Why are you demanding so much from a car for the elderly?!

what?
What kind of people are making this kind of car?
Of course, it's produced by excellent manufacturing companies like us!
This is an example of an industry best practice that suddenly became popular.

We should study hard!

Simply copy and paste someone else's success!
It would be best to eliminate the person who came up with the original idea!
"Take it off the production line as soon as possible. I don't care about anything else, we have to get production capacity up..."

I want this car to be available at offline dealerships as quickly as possible, and we need to increase advertising efforts to show consumers our sincerity in offering this new car.

"Yes, Director!!"

……

……

It is no coincidence.

Similar stories are spreading among various microcar manufacturers.

There are also some second-rate factories.

They also sensed an opportunity.

Speculation doesn't discriminate by size; as long as it's profitable, people will engage in it.

Furthermore, the development of elderly-friendly vehicles is not that complicated.

For regular cars, a facelift might take another six months to a year.

It's just an exterior shell, and if quality isn't a concern, it's even easier to copy.

Many inexpensive electric vehicles for the elderly have plastic bodies, making it easy to create a mold for a sample.

Ever since.

Manufacturers of lower-end rural electric vehicles priced at seven or eight thousand yuan, or even ten thousand yuan, have also begun to stir.

Xu Yi never expected that his actions would have such a butterfly effect, indirectly driving the rapid "iteration" of the elderly recreational vehicle market.

This caused the "high-imitation old man's car" boom, which should have occurred two years later, to come much earlier.

……

(End of this chapter)