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

Chapter 1031 A New Competitor, the "Bitpee" Strategy

The news of cars being manufactured on the other side of the ocean, like an unexpected east wind, rippled the surface of the waters across the ocean.

When Musk was stopped by a reporter during a break at an event and pressed about this, he first raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Really?"

The next second, he burst out laughing without any attempt to hide it, even blurting out, "Oh, shit!"

He immediately became serious, his tone carrying a rare hint of excitement: "If this is fake news, I hope it's true; if it is already true—that would be fantastic!"

Chen Mo is an incredible guy, I'm so happy to hear this news!

The brief encounter with Chen Mo a few years ago still left a clear mark on his mind.

The young man's accurate prediction of industry trends, his vision beyond his years, his shrewdness in business negotiations, and his restraint in the face of temptation at the dinner party all left a very deep impression on him.

Over the years, he has been paying close attention to the developments on the other side of the strait, and the more he learns about them, the more alarmed he becomes.

In recent years, in order to promote Tesla's factory construction in Shanghai, he has traveled back and forth to China many times. He knows how difficult and challenging it is to build such a huge business empire in less than ten years on this land.

He admitted that he did not have this ability. After all, he had to stand up to toast people even when he was just building a factory, and he felt as restrained as if he were in prison during meetings. Such an experience was simply terrible.

Occasionally, he would feel a little regretful that the business on the other side of the strait did not pose a direct competition with his own.

It now appears that Tesla is about to face a very interesting competitor.

What will the first electric car on the other side look like? Ideally, it should be directly comparable to Tesla.

He looks forward to that day coming soon, when product strength will speak for itself, and we'll see whose technology is more cutting-edge, whose user experience is better, and whose components are more advanced.

Musk is looking forward to facing off against such a formidable and respectable opponent as Chen Mo.

Shenzhen, outside the headquarters of the Automotive Business Unit.

Big Mouth was surrounded by a group of reporters who had been waiting for a long time.

"Mr. Yu, what's your opinion on the rumors that the other side might be manufacturing cars?"

He frowned, knowing he wouldn't be able to leave without offering a few perfunctory words. "I already said it's just a rumor, take it with a grain of salt."

"But they're holding a press conference on September 21st, which will most likely be to announce that they're making cars!"

“Perhaps it’s just a new marketing method from the other side, after all, it’s what they do best.” He said as he moved forward with difficulty.

"What if it's true?" a reporter asked loudly.

"Really?" Big Mouth paused, turned back to look at the group of media, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Are you asking the wrong person? What does it matter to us whether the other side manufactures cars or not? We don't manufacture cars!"

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to walk into the company gate.

Inside and outside the door are two different worlds.

Unlike his nonchalant attitude when facing reporters earlier, Da Zui actually carries a heavy burden in his heart.

Because it's true that cars are being manufactured on the other side.

This is an open secret within the industry. It also shows that the other side isn't deliberately hiding anything.

The core of the meetings over the past few days has been analyzing a host of domestic and international competitors, with the other side being a key focus of the meetings.

Their original targets were Tesla, BYD, Geely, and NIO; the rest of those fraudulent subsidy companies were not worth worrying about.

Wei Xiaoli is relatively easy to deal with. NIO's Li Bin's insistence on the battery swapping model results in excessive asset weighting and enormous cost pressures—reminding him of the early days of smartphones: when battery technology was inadequate, everyone swapped batteries. With leaps in battery capacity, safety, and battery life, who still swaps batteries now?
In his view, if NIO does not change, it will eventually be dragged down by the high cost of the battery swapping model.

He Xiaopeng's XPeng Motors has indeed made great strides in intelligent technology, but its scale is too small, with annual revenue of only a few billion yuan, and the pressure to make a profit is always looming.

Li Xiang's ideal choice for the range-extended route has also provided a lot of inspiration in product definition.

However, in his view, although Wei Xiaoli has its own unique characteristics, its overall scale is still too small compared to Huawei.

In contrast, BYD, a domestic company, has achieved near-omnipresent market coverage thanks to its vertical integration capabilities, formidable cost control, and extensive product portfolio, making it the current sales leader in new energy vehicles, followed by Geely.

Meanwhile, Tesla is gaining momentum overseas. With its Shanghai factory about to start production, the price of the Model 3 will drop further, and a full-scale invasion is imminent.

He originally thought that Tesla and BYD would be his biggest rivals.

Unexpectedly, another company, Bi'an, emerged out of nowhere with huge investments and massive user traffic!
What a hassle.

He had read the article online titled "Will the Other Shore Build Cars?"

Although he was surprised by the depth and early start of the other side's layout, he was even more aware that these alone were not enough, and integrating resources was no easy task.

Da Zui has been in charge of the car manufacturing business for several years and is well aware of the difficulties in overcoming the technical challenges involved.

Even a company as powerful as Huawei, with its profound technological foundation and operational capabilities, still faces significant challenges in its journey to manufacture cars.

"Do they really think building cars is as simple as building phones? And they even went to Lei Jun?" He shook his head inwardly, "It's ridiculously naive."

The internal debate was already raging over whether to target Tesla or BYD first, but now the addition of another competitor has plunged the strategic meeting into further disagreement.

According to Da Zui, even if the other side does manufacture cars, it will take at least three years for such a capital-intensive industry to bring the products to market.

His 'research and development funds' are limited, and it would be premature and unwise to divert resources at this point.

Without the present, there is no future.

Currently, they only have one competitor: BYD.

The most important thing right now is to focus our efforts on taking down the current market leader.

Ultimately, he overruled all objections and set the attack sequence of "now, then, then" and internally defined it as the "Big Two" strategy!

Back in his office, Da Zui rubbed his throbbing temples. Musk, Wang Chuanfu, Chen Mo—each opponent was extremely difficult to deal with.

Even with Huawei's vast resource system behind him, he still felt immense pressure, since these people were the ones who sat at the same table with his boss in meetings, while he wasn't even qualified to sit at the table.

So what? Kings and generals!

The "Smart Selection Model," which had been successfully validated in the Consumer BG, has now been replicated in the automotive field, with a successful collaboration with Seres to create the Wenjie (问界) platform.

Over the past few months of collaboration, Da Zui feels that he has to be deeply involved in product definition, design, R&D, and quality control, as well as follow up on channel sales and promotion. He has been involved in everything from start to finish, except for the brand and factory, which are not his own.

It's truly exhausting being both a father and a mother, but the only good thing is that the 'child' is more obedient, unlike that 'brat' from the north before.
Suddenly the phone rang; it was Mr. Ren.
Big Mouth quickly stood up straight, answered the phone, and heard the contents of the call.
He was taken aback for a moment.

BAIC is seeking cooperation? They weren't against it before.
The storm brewed in his mind, but without delay, Big Mouth immediately replied, ".Okay, okay, I'll follow up and make the arrangements right away. Okay, understood!"

After hanging up the phone, he smacked his lips, realizing what he had just said.

It seems that the capital city cannot accommodate two tigers on one mountain. One of the tigers, being old, is afraid of being bullied by the black dog. Otherwise, it would never have lowered itself to seek cooperation.

Unexpectedly, the rumors of cars being manufactured on the other side indirectly brought him an opportunity.

He immediately dispatched a team to contact the BAIC team that had already arrived in Shenzhen.

This time, the other party's attitude was completely different from last time. BAIC Chairman Xu Heyi personally led the team, showing great sincerity.

In short, from this initial contact, Da Zui found that the other party had adopted a very humble attitude. How humble? Slightly better than Xiao Kang, but still only slightly.

After several days of negotiations, a preliminary cooperation framework was reached: the two parties will work together to develop a luxury sedan. In mid-September, the BAIC team returned home.

Big Mouth returned to his office, his thoughts still unsettled.

Why would news of the other side's foray into new energy vehicles put so much pressure on BAIC, which is based in the same city? Or is there some inside story that he is unaware of?
In any case, this is a good thing.

First, they partnered with Xiaokang to launch their first "Jie" brand – "Wen", targeting family SUVs.

Now, the second "boundary" signboard—"enjoy"—has finally been finalized.

He is one step closer to his envisioned "Eight Realms Plan".

This is also the source of his confidence in promoting the "Bitpei Strategy"—as long as he has Huawei technology, builds the HarmonyOS ecosystem, validates the intelligent selection model, concentrates his superior forces, and focuses on implementation, he is confident that in this great era, he can lead HarmonyOS to defeat "Bitpei".

“At that time,” he thought to himself, “I will be completely deified.”

A slightly satirical analogy flashed through his mind: the emperor was getting old, his eldest son had gone far away and had no interest in politics, the little princess was obsessed with performing arts, and the eldest princess, though legitimate, lacked talent.

Having fought abroad for many years and made great contributions, he has won over some, divided others, and suppressed others.

When the dragon falls, he can return to the capital with his numerous military achievements and compete with the eldest princess. There is no doubt that he could ascend the throne and rule the world.
His past setbacks in the mobile communications market led to his demotion to the automotive BU, where he endured hardship for several years. Now, with the new energy vehicle market booming, he is making a comeback and will reclaim what he has lost!

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter."

"Mr. Yu, this was sent by headquarters. Mr. Ren said he is getting on in years and would like you to represent him at the event."

"Understood, let's go out."

The assistant gently closed the door.

Attend? Attend what?
Big Mouth picked up the sealed brown paper bag, tore it open, and his pupils contracted slightly.

—The press conference on the other side, they invited me?

This surprised him.

The invitation in my hand is of excellent quality, about the size of a large-screen mobile phone, with precisely chamfered edges. The overall blue and white color scheme is very simple, with no embellishments except for the ship-shaped logo and the words "Beyond Technology Launch Event".

Turning the pages, a few lines of text come into view:
To Mr. Ren:
When the surge of technology overflows the boundary between terminals and vehicle tracks;

When the pursuit of experience is no longer confined to a single screen;
We know that the real journey lies in the broader future.

You and your partners have achieved remarkable success on this journey, demonstrating admirable wisdom and courage.

At this moment, we sincerely invite you to witness this dialogue about the future.

Time: 8 PM, September 21st

Location: Beijing, Bird's Nest

It feels like it was eight years ago when I last attended Chen Mo's press conference in person.

Back then, he was just a "junior" who gave speeches for Lei Jun. Who would have thought that he would become a force to be reckoned with for Huawei?

This time, he wanted to see for himself just how determined Chen Mo was to build cars.

After all, hearsay is not as good as seeing the truth for yourself.

During this period, after finalizing the acquisition of the Racing Point team, Lei Jun returned home early due to his heavy workload at Xiaomi.

Chen Mo, along with Jia Yueting and his core team, boarded a Gulfstream G650 private jet and headed in the opposite direction—to Germany, breaking through the clouds.

A five-day, intensive visit spanning three locations officially kicked off the global journey of Beyond Automotive.

From Munich to Stuttgart, and then to Wolfsburg, the journey is precise down to the hour.

Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen—the three benchmarks of the German automotive industry. Every classic model and every technological breakthrough tells a story of the rich history of a century of industry.

Chen Mo's team not only gained an in-depth understanding of the glorious history of these brands, but also listened carefully to their introduction of the latest products and technology roadmaps.

However, the other party mostly provided an overview of the technology, and instead focused on viewing the other side as a potential customer, promoting their latest commercial vehicle model.

The same goes for Bi'an. At the end of each meeting, they meticulously showcased their independently developed "Bi'an Intelligent Driving" system, hoping to demonstrate its technological advancements in algorithms, perception, and decision-making through a direct demonstration.

Chen Mo's goal for this trip was very clear:
First, we should humbly learn from and understand the profound experience of traditional manufacturing giants in vehicle R&D, supply chain management, and quality control systems.

Secondly, it serves as an initial contact and groundwork for exporting and selling the intelligent driving system from overseas to these traditional automakers in the future, exploring potential cooperation opportunities.

However, beneath the surface of warmth and politeness, Chen Mo keenly sensed a subtle yet real sense of alienation.

While these executives at car companies certainly valued the size of the other side as a trillion-dollar internet giant and treated Chen Mo, a world-class celebrity, their words and actions still couldn't hide the arrogance and prejudice stemming from a century of industrial heritage.

Hidden beneath their etiquette was a cautious, even slightly skeptical, gaze as they examined the intelligent driving system displayed by this "outsider" from the other side. Their deep-seated conservatism and skepticism were silent yet clear.

Upon realizing this, Chen Mo was not angry but rather pleased.

For century-old automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen, their strong heritage is certainly an advantage, but their bureaucratic systems, outdated practices, and deeply entrenched interests also make their transition to new energy vehicles arduous—just like Nokia back then.

When Apple emerged, Nokia wasn't blind to the crisis, but rather, it was a large ship that was difficult to turn around; it wanted to change course, but couldn't!

By recruiting teams and talents with rich experience in car manufacturing, the other side of the world can start with a light burden, especially in the rapid iteration of vehicle development.

Perhaps we are not as good as the big companies in terms of resources and technology reserves, but we are also free from those cumbersome procedures and restrictions that restrict our actions. Everything is new.

This is precisely the greatest advantage of the other side.

The original plan also included a trip north to Sweden to visit Volvo.

However, this trip has already lasted for more than ten days, and the domestic press conference is imminent. Luo Yonghao is making almost three phone calls a day to keep track of the progress, and with rehearsals, at least five days need to be reserved.

After careful consideration, Chen Mo looked at the eastern horizon and finally made a decision: "Cancel the trip to Sweden and return home."

Although the inability to visit Volvo was a slight disappointment, the trip was far more rewarding than expected.

He turned to Jia Yueting and instructed him: "Go back and purchase dozens of vehicles of various models from these brands. We need to conduct a systematic reverse engineering."

Porsche's design philosophy, Mercedes-Benz's luxurious interiors, Volkswagen's modular architecture, and Volvo's safety concept—all these essences must be utilized by us and ultimately integrated to form our own unique system.

As for intelligent driving and in-vehicle systems, we believe that the system from the other side is the strongest, so we don't need to learn from others.

"Understood. Boss, you have to believe that we are professionals when it comes to disassembling cars."

On the return flight, Chen Mo wrote down a few key points in his memo.

"Germany's century-long history of car manufacturing tells us:"
The barriers of engines are formidable but can be overcome; electrification is a completely new starting line.

Safety and performance are never a trade-off; achieving both is the pinnacle of engineering.

This journey, whether it was acquiring an F1 team or visiting traditional automakers, brought the most valuable industrial perspectives and strategic thinking to the fledgling "Otherworld Autos".

Porsche's exterior design and performance; Mercedes-Benz's overall sense of luxury; Volkswagen's economies of scale and platform-based approach.
This time, what they brought back was not blueprints or technology, but a standard for how to build a good car in a fast-paced era.

During the flight, Chen Mo took a short nap and felt as if he had returned to the scene of Xiaomi's first product launch event many years ago.
(End of this chapter)