What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 540 Overlay (5k)

Jia Yueting was in a bad mood when he left Lingang.

He didn't expect Yu Xing to be completely unmoved by his approach. In fact, he had already made overtures to Yu Xing a long time ago, and had considered the potential for future cooperation at that time.

However, the man surnamed Yu was all smiles when he accepted the money, but now he shows absolutely no mercy.

Jia Yueting racked his brains, trying to figure out where he or LeEco had any conflict with Lingang. Whether it was new energy or mobile internet, the two sides had always been at peace.

at this point……

If his surname is Yu, what would he do?
Sitting in his car, Jia Yueting smoked, recalling the launch of the new car by Silicon Carbon Group and the "Jiuzhou" he had personally test-driven. He was filled with regret and remorse. LeEco had also announced its intention to manufacture cars last year, but he never expected that new energy vehicles could actually reach this level.

It's not surprising that someone surnamed Yu can build cars, but it's quite surprising that he can make such good cars.

The prototype car shown to the public and the mass-produced car that can actually be launched to the market are two different things.

A thought involuntarily popped into Jia Yueting's mind: If only LeEco were truly serious about making cars...

He felt envious and resentful. If LeEco could produce such a mass-produced car, his performance at the press conference would have been much better than Yu Xing's. This person should have talked more about dreams and the development of independent industries on stage.

Jia Yueting shook his head and sighed, but quickly put aside his distractions and began to consider how to better continue the story. Regardless of the final sales figures of the Silicon Carbon Group, the emergence of such a product is a positive development for the new energy story.

As he was about to arrive at the airport, he learned that the Singulato Motors team, which had previously been in Lingang, had gone to Tongshi to discuss cooperation. On a whim, he asked someone for Shen Haiyin's phone number and chatted enthusiastically with the former vice president of 360 for a long time.

The two have common topics; they can talk about both new energy and the arrogance of the Lingang area.

Jia Yueting finally rediscovered his charm with Shen Haiyin and immediately changed his mind, planning to fly to Tongshi to see if there were any better opportunities there to help his story.

……

1000 yuan.

Is the travel expense really only 1000 yuan?!
Chiu Chia-yu was truly shocked.

Two days have passed since the launch event of the Silicon Carbon Group. Apart from the gifts and 1000 yuan on the first day and that meal, Lingang really didn't offer any other gifts!
This is a complete betrayal of my sincere efforts in reporting to Silicon Carbon Group!
Of course, because the travel expenses for the first day were not "sufficiently paid", the report on the first day was very objective, roughly listing the configurations and prices of the two versions of "Jiuzhou", as well as the observations of Lingang in a normal tone, without exaggeration or criticism.

Chiu Chia-yu had a good impression of Yu Hsing, and his "no criticism" in this situation already showed that he had given his heart.

However, it's truly infuriating that neither I nor my peers have received any follow-up payments.

On February 24, Chiu Chia-yu visited Silicon Carbon Group again. This time, he didn't go to Lingang, but to see its offline store in Century Link Shopping Center in Pudong, Shanghai, intending to gather material for subsequent reports.

He arrived at the store at 11 a.m. and was shocked by the number of customers.

Today is not the weekend, but a weekday (Tuesday), and the store is almost completely full.

Chiu Chia-yu did not identify himself as a reporter, but joined a group of people with curious expressions near the display cars in the store. While others looked at the cars and listened to the explanations, he looked at the other people.

"With the national and Shanghai subsidies combined, plus the current cash discount for small deposits, the Kyushu Pro comes with a final price of 28.68 yuan. It is the most well-equipped mid-to-large SUV in this price range, bar none."

"This comparison might not be appropriate, but it's very intuitive. Take the 2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, for example. I won't even mention the E200 and E260 configurations; let's just talk about the E320L. Its list price is 59.8 yuan, with dealership discounts of around 8 yuan, bringing the final price to around 67 yuan. However, it lacks features like one-touch power windows, independent rear air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, a power tailgate, keyless entry, and independent rear air conditioning..."

"I don't mean to attack Mercedes-Benz; I just want to use comparisons to more intuitively demonstrate our sincerity in our first car."

The employees of Silicon Carbon stood in front of the car and talked at length, not comparing it to the Highlander, which is closer in price, nor to the Mercedes-Benz SUV, but to a model with a wider influence.

At this moment, someone in the crowd laughed and said, "Mercedes doesn't have this or that, but what can I do if I really want to buy a Mercedes?"

The employee in front of the car smiled slightly: "Sir, no problem. We can add each other on WeChat later. I can help you find a better price for Mercedes. My previous job was at a Mercedes 4S store."

The crowd laughed, and this person's familiarity with Mercedes-Benz seemed to explain it.

Chiu Chia-yu knew about the sincerity of Silicon Carbon Group on the day of the press conference. After listening for a while, he picked up a cup of hot coffee handed to him by a Silicon Carbon employee, strolled around looking at the promotional materials in the store, and listened attentively to the discussions of potential customers.

The people sitting near the window were clearly a couple; it was unclear whether they were married, but they looked quite young.

Woman: They were so slow during the test drive. Why couldn't they drive more cars?

Man: The store needs to display static cars, so we can't display too many outside. I really didn't expect that there would be more people looking at cars than at the Audis over there.

Woman: The smell in the new Audi is too strong. I think the PM2.5 filter mentioned on this is pretty good. There was no smell when I was in the car just now.

Man: They say it's made of environmentally friendly materials, but I don't know what's inside.

Woman: Anyway, Audi is a no-go, I don't like it. But there's one thing I really like about this car: it feels very soft to the touch, it's all fuzzy.

Man: That's called suede.

Woman: Do you have Mercedes?

Man: No Mercedes.

Woman: Mercedes is so luxurious, why don't we have one? Which car is the luxury car?

The man seemed stumped by the question, and after a while, he gave an answer: "Of course it's Mercedes. They can sell you more for less, that's what luxury is all about."

Chiu Chia-yu, holding his coffee, almost choked on it with laughter. When he turned his head to look at the woman next to him, she was speechless.

He observed them closely and noticed that the couple was wearing wedding rings, indicating that they were already married.

Chiu Chia-yu lingered in the silicon carbon store for a long time, hearing discussions about free license plates, inquiries about the rich configurations, and concerns about the future of new energy. However, he was mostly genuinely trying to understand the information rather than simply watching the spectacle.

The market response to the silicon car is actually quite good?
Chiu Chia-yu felt a sense of unease.

I had lunch nearby, but before I finished, I received a call from the editor-in-chief asking about the frontline market feedback from the Silicon Carbon Group.

Qiu Jiayou honestly shared his impressions: "This car has just been launched, and it's really popular. I saw that the employees at Carbon Silicon have lost their voices, so I guess the customer traffic was very good in the first two days."

The caller asked, "Could you provide more specific sales figures?"

"I added their sales representative on WeChat. I didn't get the information when I asked them at the store, but I'll try to get some more information when I get back at night." Qiu Jiayou said, explaining his small plan and then giving a vague assessment based on his experience. "Given the current situation, there are only 20 carbon silicon stores. I feel that we might be able to sell several hundred cars in the first month."

Regardless of what the subsequent reports reveal, he is currently discussing and analyzing the objective reality.

Saying several hundred vehicles was definitely a compliment from Qiu Jiayou. Even he himself felt he was being too optimistic after saying it. What does it mean to say several hundred vehicles worth around 30?
Zotye Group, which ranks among the top in monthly sales of new energy vehicles, only sells a few hundred vehicles, with each vehicle costing tens of thousands of yuan to purchase.

If Silicon Carbon Group can maintain monthly sales of several hundred vehicles, it will definitely incur losses, but it should be able to develop well by lowering prices or launching more affordable models. After all, the fully equipped Pro model can be partially downgraded.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the person on the other end of the phone said, "Bai Xiaosheng has some information that the response to the Carbon Silicon Group's car is extremely good. It's said that there have been several thousand small orders. Do you think that's possible? Is Lingang trying to hype it up?"

Qiu Jiayou was stunned. Several thousand small deposits?
Since its launch on the 21st, it's only been four days. How can a new energy vehicle get thousands of small deposits?

What does this mean? Small deposits turning into large deposits, large deposits turning into locked-in orders, can amount to several hundred in a single week? One or two thousand in a single month?

Even second-tier luxury brands aren't all that great.

He quickly dismissed the idea, saying, "Impossible! It's definitely a publicity stunt! I observed at the silicon carbide 4S store, and while many people were asking and looking, I didn't see many actually signing contracts. And even small deposits can be refunded!"

On the phone, the person seemed to trust the reporter's firsthand assessment, saying, "I also think it's impossible. The carbon silicon car comes with a lot of features, but car buyers don't need that many at all. Things like TVs and refrigerators are completely unnecessary; it's just a gimmick."

Qiu Jiayou made a slight "uh" sound, indicating a slight difference of opinion: "I think the refrigerator is fine. In winter, we can drink something hot, and in summer, we can drink something cold."

The person on the other end of the phone remained noncommittal: "Take another look this afternoon, and if you have time in the next couple of days, go to Lingang for another interview."

Qiu Jiayou agreed, but after hanging up the phone, he pondered the news and still felt it was unreliable. He thought that the internet people on Baixiaosheng had no idea about the concepts of pricing and sales volume in the automotive industry.

He was eating and scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) when he suddenly came across a video of someone picking up their Kyushu Max. A thought suddenly popped into his head: what if...?

In the unlikely event that happens, the Silicon Carbon Group should cultivate a better relationship with the media.

Thinking about it this way, Qiu Jiayou realized he should actually hope for increased sales of silicon carbon. ...

"President Yu, President Yu, Mr. Wang from Great Wall just messaged me, asking if the rumors about Xiao Ding circulating online are true or false."

Before the meeting even started, Vice President Cui Zhiyu, who was attending the conference, excitedly brought up a new development.

Someone on the Baixiaosheng Forum revealed that the market response to the first model of the Silicon Carbon Group is very enthusiastic, with thousands of small orders already placed. This immediately sparked discussion among forum users, since they consider themselves to be part of the Silicon Carbon Group.

The problem is that the pricing of "Kyushu" means it won't achieve great success.

Because... no independent brand had achieved this in the past.

The absence of such a market implies that it needs to be respected.

However, the revelation was quite detailed and seemingly plausible. Although the poster used an alias, after exchanging a few words with skeptical netizens, they actually posted a picture of the supplier's material list, which made some people doubt the story.

Employees of the Silicon Carbon Group rarely use the Baixiaosheng Forum. Firstly, they know that their boss is behind it, and although they claim to be anonymous, they can't hide their true identity from the boss. Secondly, the company is in the manufacturing industry and doesn't really fit into the "internet break room" concept.

Therefore, four days after the silicon carbon press conference, feedback on sales figures was first leaked by employees in the supply chain.

Yu Xing asked with interest, "President Wang seems quite interested. What was your answer to her?"

“President Wang is my former boss. She asked me… hehe.” Cui Zhiyu laughed, “I just replied, ‘It’s obviously fake, how could it be?’ and she didn’t say anything after that.”

Cui Zhiyu was telling the truth.

It definitely looks fake.

As of the evening of February 24, the number of small orders accumulated by the Silicon Carbon Group in Jiuzhou had exceeded 10,000. Although the trend was lower on the third and fourth days compared to the first two days, the total number was still more than 3,000, with the latest figure being 10519.

The most pressing issue facing Silicon Carbon Group in the front-line market is its absorption capacity. The limited capacity of its 20 stores is also considered a major reason for the decline in small order data in the following two days.

The company is working hard to build new stores in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai regions, which is expected to provide some relief in the middle and late part of next month.

Meanwhile, the hot sales situation in Kyushu also raises a question for Lingang.

Is this situation sustainable?

If so, should the factory production line undergo a simple capacity expansion?

The planned capacity of the silicon carbon plant production line is 6 units per year. This figure is based on the conventional two-shift system. However, if sales remain tight, the production line can be converted to a three-shift full-load operation for pressing capacity. With further optimization of the process, the maximum capacity can approach 10 units.

Normally in the industry, this is only done to deal with short-term order peaks, such as quarterly promotions, and it's not really done all year round.

Therefore, if the first model of the Silicon Carbon Group can maintain its popularity, the production line with a conventional capacity of 6 units will not be able to meet market demand. Building a second production line will require more funds and more time. A simple expansion without adding core equipment and expanding the factory becomes an alternative.

For example, adding 1-2 temporary semi-automatic workstations for welding or painting, increasing material buffer areas to reduce waiting time, and coordinating with the front-line sales system to increase mass production of the same model.

A simple expansion would require only about 10% of the production line cost, and it is expected to increase the regular capacity from 6 to about 8.

As Yu Xing listened to everyone's discussion, he felt both uncertain about the different ways to expand production and anxious about the hot market sales.

The release of Kyushu exceeded Yu Xing's expectations, let alone those of Cui Zhiyu, Cai Junhui, and others.

The key to determining the expansion method lies in the judgment of the future market in Kyushu.

Cui Zhiyu summarized the current situation and asked Cai Junhui, who was in charge of sales, hoping to hear a more reliable assessment.

Cai Junhui had come from Volkswagen to be in charge of building the sales system. After listening to the vice president's question, he hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to give an answer.

He felt that the popularity of Kyushu could continue, but... the idea that the popularity of Kyushu could continue seemed to defy common sense in the industry.

When he switched jobs to join the company, he felt that the "5 vehicles" target mentioned by the boss was an unattainable goal. Now that production is being expanded, doesn't that mean he thinks this year's sales may have exceeded 5 vehicles?

If production exceeds 5 units, the expansion will serve two purposes: first, to alleviate this year's delivery pressure, and second, to prepare for next year's sales.

Seeing that Cai Junhui remained silent, Cui Zhiyu said with some dissatisfaction, "President Cai, if you're hesitating, just say it!"

Cai Junhui gritted his teeth and said, "I think it can last!"

Cui Zhiyu nodded, but just as he was about to speak, the person on the other end changed their mind.

“Well, not necessarily. The market situation…” Cai Junhui noticed his boss’s gaze sweeping over him and couldn’t help but change his tune, mentioning a competitor, “The Highlander’s annual facelift is going to be launched in April, and it’s likely to have an impact on us.”

The seven-seater Highlander is a direct competitor to Kyushu.

This was the assessment before Kyushu's launch. Cai Junhui's observations during his four consecutive days on the front lines also proved that many family customers were indeed considering the Highlander, and he also mentioned waiting for the facelifted model.

"The Highlander's competitive problem is that it's just an annual model, not a completely new facelift. At most, it's a minor tweak to last year's third generation," Cui Zhiyu frowned. "What can it tweak? Add a power tailgate, add ventilated seats. I don't think it will create more competitive pressure than the current model."

Cai Junhui shook his head and said, "I'm only talking about what I saw in the store. Families are indeed waiting for the Highlander. We can't underestimate the Highlander. In first-tier cities, you have to pay an extra 20,000 to 30,000 yuan to get one."

Cui Zhiyu sneered, "It's precisely this kind of price increase that will drive more customers to us. I have always believed in the competitiveness of our car products; now we just need time."

An argument broke out in the meeting room.

After listening to these different perspectives, Yu Xing pondered for a long time before suddenly asking a question: "Do you think it's necessary for us to discuss the construction of a second, completely new production line?"

After the boss said that, everyone fell silent.

Those who support simplified expansion think the boss is being too radical...

Kyushu's products are indeed of high quality and have received excellent feedback, but we shouldn't be too optimistic.

Yu Xing's proposal did not receive much concrete response, but the discussion in the meeting room about simplified production expansion suddenly seemed to accelerate, with most people beginning to support the decision to simplify production expansion.

The main issue is the choice between the optimistic and the even more optimistic camps.

At 6:30 p.m., it was already dark, and the meeting ended.

While packing his things, Cui Zhiyu smiled at his boss and said, "President Yu, you always have the best ideas. As soon as you mentioned the new production line, everyone thought that the simple expansion could be done. Although it will affect the production capacity temporarily, now is actually the best time."

Yu Xing frowned: "Do you think I'm joking?"

Cui Zhiyu stopped packing his things.

He looked at the boss, opened his mouth but immediately closed it again. There were not two factions in the meeting room, but three: optimistic, even more optimistic, and the most optimistic.

Cui Zhiyu put away the documents: "Um, President Yu, uh, I'm starving. I'm going to eat first. We can discuss the production line issue after we're done with this."

Yu Xing shook his head as he watched the vice president slip away.

He won't eat in the cafeteria tonight; he has to go home to eat after working overtime for four consecutive days.

However, on his way home, Yu Xing received a call from Wang Chuanfu of BYD, who was also inquiring about the rumored small order figures for the Silicon Carbon Group.

Yu Xing considered for three seconds, then decided that the weekly rankings would be released in a few days, so there was no point in hiding it. He told the other party directly, "That's no longer accurate; it's already over 10,000."

Wang Chuanfu's voice cracked noticeably on the phone: "What?! President Yu, you..."

Yu Xing confirmed: "The actual number."

Wang Chuanfu fell into a deep silence.

Equally silent were several curious executives in the office, who had been urging their boss to inquire about the veracity of the information.

Hearing Lingang's answer right now, my mood suddenly became rather strange, no, dude...

(End of this chapter)