Reinforcement Panel: Tech Wars

Chapter 27 External Enemies and Internal Troubles

Dongda Tietou booked a four-star hotel for the two of them. Wei Jiang pushed his father into the guest room and was quite satisfied after taking a look.

To be honest, for more than 20 years since he was a child, the few times he stayed outside were always in motels.

“The room is nice and more comfortable than the bed at home.”

Wei Jiang helped his father sit on the sofa, and then he threw himself on the bed to feel it.

Wei Yonghe looked at the tall buildings outside the window. The guest room on the 17th floor had a very wide view.

"I haven't been out for a long time. It feels really good to be out. I feel more cheerful."

Wei Jiang picked up his phone and took a look, then stood up and said to his father:

"The big influencer has gone to the venue first, so there's no rush for us to go there tomorrow."

"Dad, are you hungry? There are many restaurants near the hotel."

"Take a break, don't rush."

Wei Yonghe leaned on the sofa to rest, and was obviously in a good mood after leaving home.
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While Wei Jiang and his son were resting in the hotel, the online taxi that Dongda Tietou was riding in squeezed through the traffic and slowly stopped outside the auto show venue.

"Hurry up and enter the museum. Today and tomorrow are media days. We can't miss the wonderful scenes."

After urging his assistant a few words, Dongda Tietou took out his pre-applied media pass and walked towards the entrance of the venue without stopping.

This Shangdu Auto Show is huge in scale, and a large number of domestic and foreign media will be present.

At the entrance of the venue, they saw people of various hair colors and skin colors, many of whom had cameras hanging on their chests.

After queuing up for security check, the assistant checked the information obtained in advance on the phone and reminded:

"Let's go to Hall 3 first. There will be a media conference with several domestic joint venture car manufacturers. We can't miss it."

Dongda Tietou turned his body to take a look, his face expressionless.

He is clear about the current situation of joint venture cars in China. Since the past two years, the sales data of joint venture cars in China has been declining.

Some car manufacturers have even decided to stop production, and layoffs and store closures are common.

"Let's go and see what they can come up with."

The two of them weaved through the crowd according to the guided route and soon saw the sign for Pavilion 3.

As they walked into the exhibition hall, they heard someone inside the hall already starting a speech.

The exhibition hall was filled with posters and large billboards, and the logos of small-time car brands that were once familiar to Dongda students could be seen everywhere.

After following the sound and squeezing through the crowd for a few minutes, the two finally found a position where they could see the situation inside the booth.

"We and our overseas partners have been developing autonomous driving technology for more than a decade."

".Consumers may be curious about why we haven't launched our own mass-produced self-driving models at a time when self-driving seems to be becoming a trend? Why haven't we launched L2 or even L3 self-driving technology?"

A short-haired middle-aged man standing between several chariots and holding a microphone had an expression of concern for the country and the people. After a brief pause, he raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

“Safety! Autonomous driving technology is not yet mature. If we sell an immature technology to consumers at a high price, it is completely contrary to our company’s consumer-oriented values!”

"For cars that endanger consumer safety, no matter how high the configuration is or how environmentally friendly the car looks, who will ultimately protect the safety of consumers' lives?"

Dongda Tietou's face was not looking good. He knew the other party, a big boss of a domestic car company, who owned two joint ventures of small life brands. In the past, he was also a powerful figure in the domestic automobile market.

The other party mentioned safety in this situation, which obviously had a hidden meaning.

Isn’t the recent big news about the Internet and autonomous driving related to him, Dongda Tietou himself?
Noticing the other person's gaze, Dongda Tietou didn't say anything, but silently raised his phone and started filming.

“Safety is the most important value in the automotive industry and the greatest luxury!”

"Whether it is a price war or a value war launched by some companies now, after seeing it, I can only advise these colleagues here to focus on vehicle safety and the long-term development of the industry. Thank you." Dongda Tietou put down his phone after watching the other party say goodbye to the onlookers and leave.

"What the hell! They just want to make money without doing anything. They are not willing to invest in R&D and still talk about long-termism. It's so funny!"

"Let's go check out the other houses."

Dongda Tietou couldn't help but complain a few words in a low voice. He had noticed some strange looks from the people around him.

As a popular figure in the automotive industry recently, many people know him.

Along the way, many people took the initiative to greet him, some were concerned about his head injury, and some exchanged information about the auto show with him.

I squeezed through the crowd and came to the booth of another joint venture. The reason I came here was that the executives of the overseas partners of this joint venture would be visiting the booth in person soon.

Looking at the brand logos around the platform, Dongda Tietou couldn't help but sigh at the influence of the Xiaorizi car brand in Dongda.

Small-scale car companies once occupied nearly 28% of the domestic auto market. Compared with Western brands, small-scale cars were considered affordable and reliable in the eyes of ordinary consumers in the east. However, this impression has begun to change in the past two years as the spirit of craftsmanship has been demonstrated time and again.

The two didn't have to wait too long. At the host's invitation, a slender middle-aged man walked to the center of the booth.

"Let us welcome Mr. Inoue, CEO of Toyota's Eastern Region."

"Hello everyone."

Looking at the fake smile on Xiao Rizi's face, the other party's obviously strange Chinese accent made Dongda Tietou feel uncomfortable.

A few minutes later, the CEO began to talk about Toyota's development plans for the next two years.

"We have noticed new changes in the automotive market in the east. Toyota has been investing in electric vehicle technology over the past few years, especially in battery technology."

"Toyota has completed the research and development of a full set of solid-state battery technologies. Let me reveal to you that our solid-state battery products will be officially launched in the second half of the year!"

Inoue Mu swept the crowd around him with a proud look. In his mind, no group in the world's automotive industry could compare with Toyota.

"By then, the energy density of Toyota's solid-state battery will reach 395wh/kg, which is 2.5 times the energy density of existing power batteries!"

"Safety and long driving range are the factors that must be given priority in power batteries. Solving users' driving range anxiety is a problem that Toyota has always pursued and must solve."

"Toyota will be a game changer in the electric vehicle industry and do our part to combat global climate change."

"Please be patient, thank you."

Dongda Tietou didn't pay much attention to what the other party said afterwards, as it was mostly just empty talk and clichés.

“Toyota’s progress is so fast?”

"Previous information is that it will take 25 years for commercial use at the earliest. How can solid-state batteries be put on the market directly before the cost drops? Is there a new technological breakthrough?"

Dongda Tietou stood in the crowd, staring at Inoue Mu's face on the stage, trying to find more clues.

The auto show hall was crowded with people, and any movement at each platform would attract a lot of people to watch.

The information released by Inoue Mu about Toyota's solid-state batteries instantly set off the entire audience. Dongda Tietou noticed that some media reporters had already edited the materials on the spot and tried to send out the media releases as soon as possible.

A few hours later, after walking around the exhibition hall for half a day, Dongda Tietou and his assistant were tired and hungry.

When the two got on the special car again and went to the hotel, neither of them looked very happy.

The information received in the exhibition hall during the day was very dense, and it can be divided into three aspects:

There are strong rivals outside, and the Tesla exhibition hall is packed with people. Everyone wants to learn about FSD and Robotaxi. The daily automakers are intensively introducing new technologies;
Public opinion has changed. Domestic brands are still popular, but there are still many doubts.

Industry struggles have become apparent, with some domestic brands having strong opinions about their peers, and quite a few of them secretly challenging them.

(End of this chapter)