Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 976: Autonomous driving has become popular thanks to its thudding sound. Lao Mo is awesome!
When all domestic automobile companies were opening their application papers, Zeng Tingting suddenly came to Cao Yang's office and reported a rather surprising news.

"Mr. Cao, our Yangwang bulletproof version suddenly received a large order of 200 units from Mexico. At the same time, the dealer in the Middle East also placed an additional order for 300 units. This has exceeded the total sales of the bulletproof version in the past year."

The overall sales volume is over 100,000 units per year, but the sales volume of the top-of-the-line bulletproof version is actually only two to three hundred units a year, which is not particularly high.

After all, the selling price of tens of millions in China and more than one million or even two million US dollars overseas is really not something that ordinary people can afford.

Of course, ordinary people don’t have any requirements for bulletproof.

To suddenly receive an order for 500 vehicles is definitely an exaggerated figure.

It can even be said to be an abnormal data.

That's why it attracted Zeng Tingting's attention.

"Oh?"

"Have you confirmed the reason?"

Cao Yang knew that with Zeng Tingting's style of doing things, she would not just come running over to explain to him when she encountered something strange.

She must have confirmed some backstory.

Sure enough, Zeng Tingting turned on her computer and showed Cao Yang a video.

In the picture, more than a dozen vehicles from relevant departments were chasing the two cars looking up.

During the chase, both sides continued to fight back with various guns.

One of the cars was obviously bulletproof, and although it was hit by many bullets, the impact was not great.

The rear windshield of another car was shattered. The person inside lowered his head and raised the muzzle of his gun to fire outside.

This scene is very explosive.

But in Mexico, it doesn't seem to be a strange thing.

"Mr. Cao, look at this car. There is no one in the driver's seat, but the car is moving normally at high speed."

Zeng Tingting reminded him from the side.

Obviously, this is a very crucial message in the video.

Looking back at last year’s upgraded version, the NS8155 chip was already in use, and the assisted driving function was greatly improved.

Although we dare not advertise that you can drive with your hands off the steering wheel, in fact, in many road conditions, there is no problem with taking your hands off the steering wheel.

The driver who was looking up in front of me was not sure whether he was shot dead or was busy suppressing the pursuing vehicles. In any case, he was not in the driver's seat.

"According to foreign media reports, the two Yangwang vehicles eventually escaped the encirclement of relevant departments. It can even be seen from the video that some people in the vehicles were injured, and only one person was able to fight back normally."

"Under normal circumstances, they would definitely not be able to escape."

"But because of the autonomous driving function, the vehicle successfully escaped the pursuit."

"After our investigation, we believe that it was this news that prompted some talented people in Mexico to purchase 200 bulletproof versions of the Yangwang."

"As for the Middle East, it is probably because of the safety of the bulletproof version and its excellent performance in autonomous driving that they received an order for 300 vehicles."

Zeng Tingting didn't keep anyone in suspense and gave a quick explanation.

This made Cao Yang laugh.

In recent years, companies under Nanshan Automobile Group have been constantly promoting their excellent performance in autonomous driving.

After all, this is where it is easiest to widen the gap with other car companies.

This is also an area where Nanshan Automobile Group is relatively good at.

But unexpectedly, this time it became popular because of an accidental video of "thump thump thump".

"This video probably cannot be used in formal domestic promotional channels, but you can consider using other methods to quickly promote it privately."

“It should be very helpful to increase the visibility of our autonomous driving functions.”

Cao Yang immediately realized the usefulness of this video.

Those people from Mexico provided me with such good materials. It would be a pity if they were wasted.

"Yeah, I think so too."

"In the next stage, I plan to have Xingchen Auto, Jaguar Land Rover and Future Auto all focus on promoting their autonomous driving functions."

“When people talk about autonomous driving in the future, they will think of our brand.”

"Especially now that the competition situation in the industry has changed significantly, it is difficult to demonstrate our superiority simply by competing with ordinary equipment."

As an old hand who has been working in the automotive industry for more than ten years, Zeng Tingting can naturally fully feel the changes in this industry.

It is not easy for Nanshan Automobile Group to continuously consolidate its advantageous position without doing something innovative.

Technologies such as hot stamping, the use of high-strength steel plates, or the installation of other special equipment can no longer be competitive at this time.

Because other people can catch up with these things very quickly.

However, when it comes to autonomous driving, it is not so easy to catch up.

Nanshan Automobile Group has more than 10,000 technicians working on the research and development of autonomous driving related functions.

The annual salary of these people is generally more than 50 yuan, and some even earn one million yuan a year.

Apart from the leading Internet companies that can afford such a team of programmers, it is difficult for ordinary physical enterprises to afford it.

This alone has eliminated many people.

The most important thing is that even if you recruit a large number of R&D personnel, you may not be able to develop an autonomous driving function with good performance in the end.

This thing is also closely related to chip technology and component technology.

Currently, Nanshan Automobile Group is definitely a leading company in the world.

"The autonomous driving function is closely related to the sense of technology that we have been promoting for Xingchen Automobile."

"In the past, we could compete on engine performance and the number of gearbox gears, but in the future, we will focus on autonomous driving and smart cockpits, which will further distance us from other automakers."

"We can even consider expanding the market globally through this opportunity, so that Xingchen Auto's global sales can hit the long-term goal of 200 million vehicles, and Jaguar Land Rover can also become a car company with annual sales of more than 100 million vehicles."

"As for the future car, I hope that its sales will be greater than that of Xingchen Auto and Jaguar Land Rover combined."

"I hope that the annual sales of Nanshan Automobile Group's three major brands plus Nanshan Hongqi will reach 1000 million vehicles in the future."

Cao Yang directly set a very challenging goal for Zeng Tingting.

1000 million vehicles, this is not so easy to achieve.

You know, the world's number one car company basically has this sales level.

The key is that the models of Nanshan Automobile Group are priced much higher than those of General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen, which are automakers that have the strength to compete for the world's top spot.

This means that if Cao Yang's wish is realized one day, the turnover of Nanshan's auto companies will be more than the second and third place combined.

"Mr. Cao, I will break down this goal into specific details when I return, and promote it as the mid- and long-term strategy of Nanshan Automobile Group towards 2020."

Although Zeng Tingting felt that the goal set by Cao Yang was very challenging, she did not directly refuse.

After all, although the goal is high, there is still hope.

Especially since the sales of Future Automobile and Nanshan Hongqi are increasing rapidly, it is entirely possible to give everyone a huge surprise in the future.

……

After Zeng Tingting finished her report to Cao Yang, she quickly took action.

Those special videos quickly spread across the Chinese Internet.

In almost every WeChat group and Penguin group, there are people forwarding this kind of video.

In order to fully absorb the impact of this video promotion, Xingchen Auto, Jaguar Land Rover and Future Auto also invited the media to hold a special test ride and test drive event.

Let everyone fully feel the strong strength of Nanshan Automobile Group in autonomous driving.

These actions naturally put a lot of pressure on peers.

"Amoha, do you think it's possible for us to buy parts related to autonomous driving from Nanshan Auto Parts?"

Phillips has been listening to analytical reports on the various marketing activities of Star Auto and Jaguar Land Rover in China and around the world these past two days.

BMW is under competitive pressure from Star Auto and Jaguar Land Rover worldwide, and the pressure is increasing.

"Nanshan Auto Parts has never said that any of its products are only supplied to Nanshan Auto Group."

“Theoretically, this is also true for parts related to autonomous driving.”

Aimoha explained his views based on his understanding of Nanshan auto parts.

However, he immediately added, "There are many parts related to autonomous driving. LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, surround-view cameras, controllers, etc. are a complete set of parts that form an autonomous driving system."

"If we want to use related products of Nanshan Auto Parts, the purchase amount involved will be very large."

"These parts are generally of high value, which will cause the cost of our models to rise rapidly."

Although most things in this world can be bought with money, you still need to weigh the pros and cons to see if it is worth buying.

BMW has had a pretty good relationship with Nanshan Automobile Group in recent years, so there is obviously nothing wrong with this normal practice of spending money to buy parts.

But whether to do so is debatable.

"If we don't cooperate with Nanshan Auto Parts, but want to make a big breakthrough in autonomous driving, what suggestions do you have?"

Phillips does not necessarily want to push for in-depth cooperation between BMW and Nanshan Auto Parts.

All he wants is for BMW to improve on aspects related to autonomous driving.

However, Aimoha's words made him quite disappointed.

He added: "The main parts manufacturer doing well in this area in the industry is Bosch, but Bosch's autonomous driving level is still far behind Nanshan Auto Parts." "Some other suppliers, such as Denso, Continental and Valeo, are also increasing their investment in this area."

"But no matter the final result or the resources invested, there is no way to compare with Nanshan Auto Parts."

"The key is to do well in this area. The core autonomous driving chip is very important."

"In the United States, for example, Tesla has started to develop its own autonomous driving chips, and Nanshan Automobile Group has also developed its own autonomous driving chips. However, other car companies, including BMW, may not have the ability to develop chips independently."

Amoha felt that Phillips should not have too high expectations of BMW's R&D organization.

There would be no problem in letting those people improve the body and chassis, or even enhance the engine performance.

However, many professional parts are not actually designed by BMW's R&D personnel themselves. Instead, they are designed by suppliers and then jointly confirmed and used if they are deemed to have no problems.

Of course, this situation is not unique to BMW. Most car companies in the world are in similar situations.

Otherwise, auto parts giants such as Bosch, Nanshan Auto Parts and Denso would not be able to grow so big.

"Some time ago, Nanshan Automobile Group and Nanshan Semiconductor launched the NS9155 chip. After this chip is mass-produced in the future, it is estimated that Nanshan Automobile Group's industry advantage in autonomous driving will be even greater."

“The competitive pressure we face is even greater.”

Phillips sighed and was a little worried about the future of BMW.

Whether it is Xingchen Auto or Jaguar Land Rover, they have both established a firm foothold in the automotive industry, and their brand influence is no less than that of BMW.

In the past, BMW cars gave people the impression of having great power performance and a strong sense of technology.

But these are also the advantages of Xingchen Automobile.

In comparison, BMW is no match at all.

There is even a voice on the Internet that thinks Xingchen Auto and Jaguar Land Rover are more luxurious brands than BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and that their competitors are luxury cars of the Porsche level.

Although this voice is still quite controversial globally.

However, in China, many people have begun to recognize it.

In particular, as the influence of Nanshan-related companies continues to expand, relevant Chinese departments are providing more and more support to Nanshan-related companies.

The final impact will be felt in all aspects.

"There is nothing we can do about it. However, the models that Nanshan Automobile Group sells now are basically positioned differently from our popular models, so the direct competition is not that strong."

"Our best-selling models are mainly in the price range of RMB 30 to RMB 60."

"But the models of Xingchen Auto and Jaguar Land Rover are generally priced above 50 yuan, and even over a million yuan. There are still differences between their potential users."

Although this difference is not a glorious thing, it even indirectly proves that BMW's brand power is lower than that of Star Auto and Jaguar Land Rover.

But it was also a way to comfort Phillips.

After all, what Amoha said is an objective fact.

Although the further rise of Nanshan Automobile Group will have an impact on BMW, it will not be to the point of being frightening.

Compared with the pressure on BMW, Tesla is actually very nervous.

Even though Nanshan Automobile Group's models cannot be sold in the United States, they can still be sold in other markets.

Tesla is now preparing to enter the global market with all its strength and sell its new products to all countries.

For Tesla, their main selling point is the autonomous driving function.

If there were no Nanshan Automobile Group, Tesla's autonomous driving function would basically be the best in the industry.

Whether it is traditional giants such as Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen, or new car manufacturers such as Qiantu Motors, none of them can match it in terms of autonomous driving.

But now Nanshan Automobile Group is paying more and more attention to autonomous driving functions, and its related technological accumulation far exceeds that of other competitors in the industry. The cards Tesla wants to play are not enough.

This will definitely affect Tesla's expansion pace.

"Max, according to the results you have confirmed, when will our autonomous driving performance be able to catch up with and surpass Nanshan Automotive Group?"

Musk is now very concerned about the companies in the Nanshan Group.

Future Motors and Venusstar Technologies are the main competitors of Tesla and SpaceX respectively.

Any movement of Nanshan Group’s enterprises is worthy of his attention.

"Currently, Nanshan Semiconductor has the world's most advanced chip production technology, and Nanshan Automobile Group has rich technical accumulation in autonomous driving. Other supporting parts can also be produced within the group itself."

"It can be said that all the components of the entire set of autonomous driving functions are produced in-house by Nanshan Group companies, and the interaction between various parts and control systems is also very good."

“We want to surpass them, and it’s very difficult.”

Max knew that this was not the time to brag.

Autonomous driving is Tesla's core selling point. If the layout in this area is not done well, the impact will be huge.

"Nanshan Automobile Group is very strong, and I know that too."

"But no matter how powerful one is, there is still a benchmark. We are not so weak that we don't even have the heart to challenge, right?"

Musk stared at Max unhappily, wondering whether he should fire this man.

Even though Max has been with Musk for many years, Musk will fire him in a minute if he does not meet Tesla's development needs.

"According to the current situation, we will need to wait until the year after next at the earliest to reach the current level of autonomous driving technology of Nanshan Automobile Group."

"By the year after next, their new generation of autonomous driving systems using NS9155 will surely have been launched."

"We have to continue to catch up, which may take another two or three years."

"Although our technicians are working hard to catch up, it is very difficult to surpass them, and even to completely catch up with their pace, unless they make mistakes themselves."

Max came clean and said that there is a gap between Tesla and Nanshan Automobile Group’s autonomous driving technology.

There was no way for him to surpass others for no reason, he could only keep catching up.

"According to what you said, wouldn't the performance gap between other car companies and Nanshan Automobile Group in autonomous driving be even greater?"

Although Musk knows that Tesla's level in this regard is not as good as Nanshan Automobile Group, he does not take other manufacturers seriously except this special opponent.

"Yes, traditional car companies like Volkswagen and General Motors may have a technology gap of about five years with Nanshan Automobile Group in autonomous driving."

"Unless they invest regardless of the cost, there is absolutely no possibility of narrowing this gap."

"Even Volkswagen's latest product launched this year is not as good as Nanshan Automobile Group's product three years ago in terms of autonomous driving performance."

When talking about others, Max suddenly felt less stressed.

It’s not that he is not good enough, but that his opponent is too strong.

If we compare it with another opponent, Tesla can also defeat its opponent in minutes.

"Then we will try our best to avoid comparisons with Nanshan Automobile Group's models in future publicity."

"It would be best if we could join forces with General Motors, Ford and other automakers to suppress the influence of Nanshan Automobile Group on a global scale. Otherwise, it would be very detrimental to our globalization."

It is impossible to defeat Nanshan Automobile Group by relying on one's own strength alone.

Musk was also very clear about this.

However, he also knew that Nanshan Automobile Group had many enemies around the world, and bringing together the enemies of their enemies was definitely an option worth considering.

"Well, I'll communicate with them as soon as possible and see if everyone has any methods that we can use together."

Seeing that Musk's focus had finally shifted, Max secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

I have passed this hurdle today.

I just don’t know what to do in the future!
……

"Mr. Cao, recently many car companies have been consulting us about the simultaneous development of parts related to autonomous driving."

"Our responses so far have all been that we are open to cooperation, but some of the estimated prices we have given are relatively high."

"I am a little worried that some car companies will increase their efforts in independent research and development."

As the general manager of Nanshan Auto Parts, Dai Hanbiao’s first consideration must be the interests of the parts industry.

Although they have indeed invested a lot of money in autonomous driving, the cost is actually not that high as long as the volume is increased.

Therefore, he has the idea of ​​launching some low-end versions of autonomous driving functions for some customers to use.

"You should know better than me how difficult it is to develop parts related to autonomous driving."

"Without thousands of people dedicated to development, there will basically be no output."

"I think we can let them give it a try. After they have invested a lot of manpower and material resources, but see that there is no output, then when they come to us again, the conditions will not be so harsh."

Cao Yang knows about the technological development of autonomous driving in the future.

Although major automobile groups have basically invested a lot of manpower and resources in this regard, the final result is a mess.

Volkswagen even disbanded its software development team.

Other car companies have also made very weak achievements in this regard.

On the contrary, some of the new car manufacturers who have little experience in the automotive industry are doing a passable job.

But compared with Tesla, there is still a gap.

Now Nanshan Automobile Group’s technology in autonomous driving is even more advanced than Tesla’s.

In this situation, it is not easy for other car companies to catch up.

Seeing Cao Yang's attitude, Dai Hanbiao was reluctant to bring up his other ideas.

However, some car companies are actually holding relevant discussions within their companies.

(End of this chapter)