Rebirth 2004: I can make money by writing.

On the morning of New Year's Day, the Bund in Shanghai was shrouded in a thin layer of fog.

The temperature is around 5°C, slightly chilly but not biting.

A gentle breeze blew away some of the fog, allowing you to clearly see the outlines of high-rise buildings on the other side of the Huangpu River.

The sun gradually penetrated the clouds, bringing the first ray of warmth of the new year to the city.

Tourists wrapped in thick winter clothes strolled along the river, the white breath they exhaled floating in the air.

Nearing 9 a.m., several media reporters and many car enthusiasts had gathered in front of the Future Auto store on the Bund.

In the past two months, the second phase of Future Automobile Company's 20-vehicle production capacity has been fully utilized, and the company's annual production capacity has reached 40 vehicles, with a monthly output of about 3.3 vehicles.

With the new chips installed in new cars, cars will sell even better in the future. Currently, there are 200 directly-operated stores across the country.

Shanghai has no restrictions on new energy vehicles, and local people have extremely high spending power. In the future, there will be no less than 15 direct-operated stores opened by automobile companies in Shanghai.

Today, the highly anticipated large luxury SUV - the ES8 was officially launched.

The exterior design of this model is stunning, with a perfect combination of streamlined body contours and futuristic details, a bit like the Wenjie M9 more than ten years later.

ES8 is even more unique in its detail processing, highlighting the consistent innovative spirit of future cars.

As you step into the car, the sense of technology hits you.

The front row triple touch screen is beautiful and elegant.

Surprisingly, middle-row and rear-seat passengers also enjoy independent entertainment screens, making long-distance journeys no longer boring.

As a million-level top-level SUV, the ES8 has invested heavily in interior materials.

The entire car's interior is wrapped in the finest NAPPA leather, which has a delicate touch and superior texture.

The seat design incorporates a large number of cutting-edge technological elements. It is not only stylish in appearance, but also integrates multiple functions such as heating, ventilation, and massage. It can be called a mobile first-class cabin.

To meet the needs of different customers, ES8 provides a variety of seat layout options.

Needless to say, the regular six-seater and seven-seater versions are available, but the most eye-catching one is the "inhumane" executive four-seater version.

This configuration turns the back row into a real VIP area, which is spacious and comfortable, like a mobile president's office. The price is of course higher and reservations are required.

In terms of price, the pricing strategy of ES8 shows the brand positioning of future cars.

The standard version starts at 88 yuan, while the top-of-the-line version starts at 98 yuan.

Although the price is not cheap, considering its luxury positioning and leading technology, it is highly competitive among models of the same level.

There's no way, none of my colleagues can fight.

“Cars of the future will never cheat the poor.”

This slightly sarcastic remark reveals a reality: the future product line of automobiles will mainly be concentrated in the mid-to-high-end market.

In fact, many ordinary people have called on Future Technology Group to consider developing more affordable products, such as the Future electric motorcycle.

The general public supports Future Technology Group and domestic products, but it is difficult for them to support their products as they face price barriers in product selection.

Future Car's product line is almost entirely positioned at the high end, which makes many consumers feel daunted.

Just like Huawei mobile phones, they are getting more and more expensive, even more expensive than Pingguo phones. How can Chinese people support domestic products?

Biyadi does a good job, taking care of low, medium and high-end.

In fact, Future Technology Group is a bit like the future Huawei Company, which only produces high-end products.

Of course, it’s not impossible to make low-end products, but Hao Qiang doesn’t want to.

The profits are low and the group’s labor costs are so high that it is simply unsustainable.

Besides, we have to leave some soup for our domestic counterparts and not make too many enemies for ourselves.

However, even relatively affordable future electric motorcycles present a unique market phenomenon.

以广受欢迎的F1系列为例，最新款60V20Ah版本的售价已经攀升至接近5000元，而早期版本的价格仅为4300元左右。

This price action is in stark contrast to the overall industry trend.

It is worth noting that each generation update of the F1 series is accompanied by significant performance improvements and increased intelligence.

The new generation of products not only has significant improvements in power systems and endurance, but also adds advanced functions such as smart anti-theft and mobile phone interconnection, greatly improving the user experience.

Amidst increasingly fierce competition in the electric motorcycle market, with most brands opting for price cuts, Mirai Electric Motorcycles has bucked the trend by continuing to pursue a high-end approach. Despite this, its products remain in short supply, with demand still a challenge. However, annual production has remained stable over the years, a testament to the brand's strong appeal.

Behind this phenomenon is the unremitting efforts of the employees of Future Motorcycle Company.

Although the company's founder Hao Qiang is no longer directly involved in daily operations, the company's employees have not slacked off.

They are well aware that in a large group system, if a subsidiary does not strive for progress, it is likely to be marginalized.

No, it has been marginalized.

If there is no profit, the company may not exist.

Therefore, the team chose to prove their value by continuously improving product quality and maintaining market profits, rather than passively waiting or seeking job transfers.

After years of development, the Future brand has become synonymous with high quality in the electric motorcycle industry.

This reputation is not only deeply rooted in the domestic market, but also enjoys a high reputation in overseas markets.

You should know that the annual production is about 220 million vehicles, one-third of which are exported.

Future Technology Group is doing well, but its peers are having a hard time.

……

Joint venture Baoma Company,

Chairman Liu Tie sat upright with a serious expression.

Vice President of Sales Wang Yu was carefully reporting the company's sales performance last year.

The sun was shining outside the window, but the atmosphere in the office was unusually depressing.

2011 was a year of rapid growth for luxury car brands in the Chinese market.

As a major luxury car brand, BBA's sales should grow rapidly.

According to incomplete statistics from Hao Qiang's previous life, Baoma sold 23 vehicles. In 2011, the total sales of the three major BBA brands in China reached a staggering 71 vehicles, of which the joint venture Baoma and joint venture Mercedes-Benz accounted for about 70% of their respective brands' total sales.

Wang Yu took a deep breath and reported, "Chairman, we sold 8.9 vehicles last year.

Since the Qinglong 8124 chip was launched on the market, our monthly sales have continued to decline.

Last month, we sold only 5055 vehicles.

Next year, it may be even worse.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Tie frowned and his face became gloomy.

He had long been aware that the company's sales were poor, but he hadn't expected the situation to be so dire. He cursed inwardly, "Damn it! The profit per car is so high, and it's selling so well!"

Wang Yu sat opposite, feeling equally frustrated and helpless.

Doesn't he know what the problem is?

Future cars are not only far ahead in product quality, but also have amazing marketing methods.

Hao Qiang himself is the best brand spokesperson. Today, platforms such as Toutiao, Jingdong Mall, and Tengxun.com are all promoting the products of Future Cars.

What makes people feel even more desperate is that Toutiao, which has nearly 100 million registered users, is a company owned by Hao Qiang. This means that in the future, cars can promote their products anytime, anywhere, and on a large scale.

In contrast, Baoma Automobile can only rely on high marketing costs and historical brand reputation to survive.

However, even these traditional advantages are rapidly fading.

Baoma's product configuration has already opened up a huge gap with future cars.

The younger generation of consumers' loyalty to BBA brands is declining sharply.

Luxury cars, once considered a status symbol, have lost their former luster.

Wang Yu clearly knows that even business people who used to need luxury cars to show their identity and status are now turning to future cars.

Chinese people joke that “those who drive the cars of the future are truly wealthy people;

Most people who drive the Baoma 3 Series buy their cars second-hand with loans, with a total price of less than 200,000 yuan and a down payment of tens of thousands of yuan.

Future cars will not only be technologically advanced, but will also be no less capable than Baoma in terms of brand image and social influence.

More and more corporate executives and successful people choose to drive future cars, which in itself is the most powerful brand endorsement.

The silence in the conference room became increasingly suffocating.

Liu Tie stared out the window, as if thinking about the future of the company.

Wang Yu sat aside, feeling helpless and worried.

The once proud luxury car empire is being quietly subverted.

In this ever-changing automotive market, there is no eternal king, only companies that continue to innovate and make breakthroughs.

Baoma is standing at the crossroads of transformation.

The silence in the conference room was broken by Liu Tie's sudden sigh.

Then, he turned to Wang Yu, his eyes revealing a bit of determination: "In the current situation, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take action."

Wang Yu was startled, knowing that the chairman was determined to change the status quo.

In fact, over the past year, the entire company has been worried about declining sales.

At the beginning, everyone didn't take it seriously and thought that new energy vehicles could not develop.

But as future cars get better and better, they have to face facts.

It can be said that the rise of future cars is like a sharp sword, pointing directly at the vital points of traditional luxury car brands.

"We need to re-examine our product line from all angles," Liu Tie said slowly, "not just in terms of marketing, but also in terms of the product itself.

The emergence of the Qinglong 8124 chip has fully exposed our lag in technological innovation."

Although he disliked Hao Qiang, Liu Tie was not a fool.

At first I didn’t think it mattered. After all, a slightly lower sales volume wouldn’t affect his status.

But now, if they can't solve the sales problem, they may lose their position.

Even if you keep your position, your salary will be reduced.

Wang Yu nodded in agreement: "Indeed, the technological iteration speed of future cars will be several times faster than ours.

Not only are they at the forefront of electrification and intelligence, but they have also formed a closed-loop ecosystem in chip technology.

We make our own wafers, EDA software, and even lithography machines and chip manufacturing.

Our R&D department has reported that the gap between us and future cars in terms of autonomous driving and configuration is already significant.”

Liu Tie pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "To be honest, I can't believe how a new company that has only been established for a few years, and is run by young people from scratch, can achieve breakthroughs in so many fields at the same time?"

Wang Yu also thought deeply about this issue.

He organized his words: "This young man Hao Qiang seems to have a forward-looking vision that is difficult for ordinary people to understand.

He doesn't follow the market, he creates the market.

When it comes to new energy vehicles, smart chips, new energy technologies, and even the newly emerging electric motorcycles, he has never been a follower but has always been a pioneer.

Of course, how he got the technology is beyond my comprehension."

“More importantly,” Wang Yu continued, “he has built an extremely efficient innovation ecosystem.

There is extremely close technical collaboration among the various subsidiaries of Future Technology Group.

A breakthrough in one field can quickly translate into advantages in other fields.

Now, when they enter new industries, they develop very quickly.”

Liu Tie said thoughtfully: "This model is difficult for our traditional joint venture car companies to replicate.

We are bound by inherent management structures and interests.

Just like now, even if we want to change, the joint venture partner may not agree."

He felt somewhat powerless, as the joint venture with Baoma Company was not decided by him, Liu Tie, alone.

But in Future Technology Group, Hao Qiang has the final say.

"Chairman, I will always stand by you. However, it's difficult for us alone to persuade the shareholders."

"Let's prepare more materials, so that we don't get blamed by the higher-ups and have no reason to explain."

"In fact, it's not just Baoma that's experiencing this. Other luxury brands have also been severely affected. Sales of joint venture Mercedes-Benz and Audi aren't doing much better," Wang Yu said, handing over a copy of the latest market research report: "The younger generation of consumers' perception of the BBA brands is changing rapidly.

In their eyes, we are no longer synonymous with technology and innovation, but have become a symbol of conservatism and backwardness."

"Especially in cutting-edge areas like intelligent networking and autonomous driving," Wang Yu added, "Future Cars has already established an absolute technological advantage.

Their newly launched ES8 is even more intelligent and advanced.

After my experience, I really admire the other person, not myself."

Liu Tieshen said, taking a deep breath.

In the past two years, Baoma Automobile has been beaten by Future Automobile, and it is no longer as arrogant as before.

They are all adults and must face some facts, even if he doesn't like Hao Qiang.

After thinking for a while, he said, “It seems that we must make a thorough transformation.

The rise of new energy vehicles is a fact, and perhaps we should enter this industry and produce a new energy vehicle.”

Some time ago, Baoma also purchased a batch of Qinglong 8124 chips from Future Technology Group. At present, the trial modified fuel vehicles have not yet been launched on the market. The progress is relatively slow and the execution is poor.

In fact, Liu Tie himself knows the reasons for some problems, but he cannot change them.

All he thought about was how to keep his position.

So are others.

I really can't make it any further at the moment, so I have no choice but to give it a try.

Some employees simply change jobs.

But it is impossible for the top management to leave Baoma.

In the conference room, the two people's eyes met, and they saw a hint of determination in each other's eyes.

In this era of rapid technological iteration, no one can stand still.

The joint venture Baoma Company must redefine itself.