What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 544 Ignorance (5k)

New energy vehicles differ from fuel vehicles in many ways, and real-time data collection during vehicle operation is one of them.

However, from the perspective of OEMs, both are very interested in vehicle data.

When Yu Xing saw the report on the suspected problematic evaluation, his first thought was not about the other party's purpose or whether there was a mastermind behind it, but rather he immediately thought of Guo Shanfeng's old friend - Volkswagen.

In the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen used steering angle sensors to identify the steering wheel's rotation angle data and then used software algorithms to cheat.

According to the fraud methods revealed at the end of last year, Volkswagen's sensors can monitor steering angle and steering speed in real time, with the former ranging from ±780° and the latter having an accuracy of ±0.5°. Furthermore, they support redundant signal output through a dual-channel design to ensure data reliability.

The German newspaper Mercury News interviewed Volkswagen executives and gave a clear picture of the technical cheating methods, but people didn't really care how Volkswagen cheated. The report didn't cause much of a stir. Instead, Liu Wanying noticed it and forwarded it to Yu Xing.

On a dark and windy night, the two of them enjoyed appreciating the methods used by the masses.

Yu Xing believes that if Volkswagen could transmit real-time data back to the cloud, like they do with new energy vehicles, instead of leaving the data in the car for processing, they wouldn't have been able to easily miss any oversights when testing Volkswagen models.

As a more advanced new energy vehicle company in this regard, Silicon Carbon Group does not actually collect data for the purpose of preventing testing, but rather to ensure safety through real-time monitoring of the status of the three electric components and the whole vehicle data. Everything else is secondary.

Of course, affiliating with a data storage institution in Shanghai is a minor tactic, but it's only half a step forward.

On November 19th last year, China issued a national standard plan for the "Technical Specifications for Remote Service and Management System of Electric Vehicles," aiming to complete the standard for data communication between vehicle enterprise platforms and regulatory platforms within 24 months.

Silicon Carbon Group is also a participant and is the responsible unit for the electric vehicle demonstration operation platform. It will provide experience in practical application and submit it for discussion in October this year, at which time the first draft of the standard will be formed.

According to the plan, the national standards in this area will be officially released and implemented in 2016.

The data from the operation of the tram needs to be connected to a domestic platform, so that accurate judgments can be made when problems are encountered.

The collaboration between the Silicon Carbon Group and the company in January made local news in Shanghai, but nobody cared about it.

The mechanical architecture and technological path of gasoline vehicles and electric vehicles are different. The latter's ability to actively control core components is determined by the characteristics of the power system. The fuel combustion process itself has natural lag and uncertainty, while the electric drive system achieves millisecond-level precise control.

The Silicon Carbon Group has discussed the differences between new energy vehicles and gasoline vehicles on various occasions, but their discussions have been rather general. For car reviewers who are unwilling to delve into the subject, it is probably impossible to know the extent that automakers can achieve.

Since we are ignorant, we can be fearless.

In tests like the moose test, or many other tests, human factors can have a significant impact, ultimately causing the results to fall within the range desired by the testers.

Yu Xing has considerable experience in short selling and is quite cautious about the nature of "deception".

Cui Zhiyu quickly set up a special task force without alerting others. Instead, he went offline to find out which vehicle "Lao Xiang" was testing before identifying the problem. Meanwhile, the official website of the Silicon Carbon Group responded to the public opinion surrounding the evaluation, stating that their results were based on repeated tests under the standard and there were absolutely no problems. They also hoped that the car reviewer would take the initiative to contact them to jointly confirm and resolve the issue.

The issue of falsifying vehicle performance can be a big deal or a small one. Japanese automakers have apologized for their vehicle problems many times, but it hasn't really affected their sales. However, in Lingang, there is currently only one model available, and sufficient trust has not yet been established among customers. At this stage, it is necessary to take such easily spread accusations seriously.

In the last week of March, public opinion was rife regarding car reviewers questioning test data.

The Silicon Carbon Group was previously featured on CCTV News, and Yu Xing appeared with a Hong Kong-listed company to discuss the integrated die-casting technology. This officially put an end to some of the controversy surrounding this technology.

However, Lingang cannot solve every problem in this way. The Silicon Carbon Group knows this, and so do the others.

However, while "Old Xiang's" moose test result of 57km/h certainly generated a lot of buzz, not everyone was convinced by his test. "No. 38," who had previously praised Kyushu highly, directly expressed his doubts.

Just two days later, on the 38th, I borrowed the Kyushu Max that my friend had just repaired and conducted the same moose test. The final result was 76 km/h, which was slightly better than the figure presented at the carbon silicon launch event.

Both car reviewers released test videos, one rated 57 and the other 76, and each had their own supporters in the comments section.

On the one hand, "Lao Xiang" discussed his review of Kyushu on platforms like Weibo, which are easier to spread, and on the other hand, he quickly updated his video to respond to "No. 38's" test, insisting that his test was exactly as described.

As for why there is such a big difference...

In the video, Lao Xiang jokingly asked rhetorically: "Why do Kyushu's moose test results fluctuate so much across different cars? You shouldn't be asking me that question; you should be asking Silicon Carbon Group directly! I can only guarantee that my tests are rigorous and fair, and I'm personally willing to take legal responsibility for the results! Of course, I also hope that domestic cars will be good. I'm also completely baffled by Kyushu's performance. Well, how should I put it? I hope it's just a problem with Silicon Carbon Group's assembly process. I'll work with them to see what's going on."

At the carbon silicon launch event, Kyushu's moose performance was described as the number one among mid-to-large-sized SUVs.

However, questions are quite common about why a new company like silicon carbide can outperform century-old automakers and take first place.

Therefore, it is unclear whether the current criticisms of "Lao Xiang" regarding his performance, combined with the impressions and videos, have actually affected the sales of the Silicon Carbon Group. However, his number of followers on Weibo has increased rapidly, from 22 to 79.

Many people believe the test results because he is willing to take legal responsibility, so it must be true.

Silicon Carbon Group has only issued one announcement and has not provided further explanation yet. However, a reporter revisited the Silicon Carbon Shanghai store and found that the customer traffic has decreased significantly compared to when it was first listed.

On March 29, Yu Xing welcomed an old friend to the Silicon Carbon Group.

Or rather, an old rival.

IDG's Xiong Xiaoge and new investor Liu Chiping arrived in Lingang.

Yu Xing had previously done Xiong Xiaoge a favor by squeezing out time to go to Anhui Province to serve as an industry expert, and he also frankly commented on the project establishment of Singulato Motors from his own perspective.

What determines the success or failure of a startup project?
To a large extent, it's about understanding the founder's ideas first.

If a founder's ideas are wrong, the project is doomed to fail.

Shen Haiyin wants to build a pure electric car, to rival Tesla, and to place his hopes for the development of the three core technologies (battery, motor, and electronic control system) on Japanese companies. This...

This was certainly related to his previous experience starting a business in Japan, and perhaps he had some resources, but Yu Xing thought it was a pipe dream, and the meeting ended unhappily.

In return for his help, Yu Xing made a small request to Xiong Zong, hoping that he could help persuade Liu Chiping to focus on MusVid's overseas development.

Xiong Xiaoge was surprised that President Yu would so boldly set his sights on Liu Chiping, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that the former president of Tencent was a perfect match. He was impeccable in terms of both ability and vision, and could also avoid the embarrassment of competing in the domestic market.

The problem lies in Liu Chiping's own thoughts...

Xiong Xiaoge contacted Liu Chiping and learned that he was already thinking about investment business. So this time, he did not directly mention MusVid, but instead used the excuse that there were good investment projects in Lingang to bring him here.

With the initial success of the Silicon Carbon Group in the market, regardless of the reactions within the automotive industry or the wait-and-see attitude of consumers, investors are overjoyed, and the doubts surrounding Mr. Yu's foray into the automotive industry from the internet sector have almost completely disappeared.

Looking back from this point in time, Mr. Yu's investment in the automotive industry was indeed visionary, courageous, and persevering!
Similarly, upon re-examining Lingang, the opportunities and resources offered by double-carbon silicon are top-notch, making it a must-visit destination for investors.

Liu Chiping has decided to become an investor. It is because he admires Mr. Xiong's many years of investment experience that he is willing to come and see what the so-called excellent new projects in Lingang are all about.

By 11 a.m., most of the important matters had been handled.

Yu Xing warmly welcomed the two investors, showing neither sarcasm nor condescension towards Liu Chiping.

"Mr. Yu, how are you going to handle that car review incident? I see it's spread quite widely, and the reporter even said that your store's customer traffic has been affected." After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xiong Xiaoge brought up a matter of great concern.

“We originally had 20 stores, and we opened 5 more in the middle of the month and another 5 at the end of the month, so of course the customer flow was diverted,” Yu Xing said with a smile. “As for the car review, we already know about his car, and the company has communicated with him to inspect the car, but he has been dragging his feet on giving us the car these past two days.”

Xiong Xiaoge frowned: "Are you afraid that you will find some information stored in the car? But dragging this out will only allow the public opinion to spread further, and he is still keeping an eye on Kyushu to make trouble."

"Old Xiang" has probably tasted the sweetness of increased fans, and his recent comments are still focused on Kyushu. Yu Xing nodded slightly: "It's alright, the company will communicate and handle it further, and it should be resolved by next week, just in time for the meeting."

This year, Shanghai hosted the "China Automotive 100 Forum," inviting OEMs and industry professionals who participated in this year's Shanghai Auto Show to discuss the development of the automotive industry.

The forum was held before the auto show on April 22, so there was some overlap in the timing.

In fact, this conference was almost tailor-made for the Silicon Carbon Group. The Shanghai side initially considered holding a conference specifically focused on new energy, but found that it was not enough to generate scale and influence at this stage, so they decided to start from the overall industry.

Director Zhu Zehui chatted with Yu Xing in private and felt that the weekly ranking of carbon silicon was quite influential. Jiuzhou's excellent performance in the market was even included in the internal reference, which further attracted the attention of the city.

"Are sales still stable?" Xiong Xiaoge asked as a final question, sensing that President Yu was confident.

Yu Xing nodded slightly: "Wait and see the rankings. We will release the monthly rankings in a few days. Our current production capacity is almost at its limit. Simple expansion will affect some of our production capacity for the next two months."

The sales figures in the first week prompted the decision to expand the silicon carbon plant's production capacity. After a full month of performance in March, the previous decision has been proven to be correct.

Xiong Xiaoge glanced at Liu Chiping, who was leisurely drinking tea, gave President Yu a wink, and coughed, "Um, I forgot to bring up a document, I'll go get it."

He left the president's office on his own.

Only the former president of Tencent and the head of Silicon Carbon remained in the office, former rivals.

Yu Xing asked casually, "Mr. Liu, how are you?"

Hearing this, Liu Chiping felt a pang of sadness. Backed by Tencent, his position as president was in no way inferior to Yu Xing's. But times had changed, and Yu Xing had achieved great success in the new energy sector, while he had become just an ordinary investor.

Human destiny is truly unpredictable.

His expression remained unchanged. He first praised, "President Yu, your tea is excellent, and the car from Silicon Carbon is also excellent. I watched the live stream and thought the market would accept it, but I didn't expect it to sell to this extent. Vertical segmentation is indeed the magic weapon to improve competitiveness. What I didn't expect was that Silicon Carbon Group could even subdivide the monthly ranking into a weekly ranking. However, this is really your style."

After saying this, Liu Chiping replied, "I'm not bad. Investing allows me to see business from another perspective. I came here this time to see what exactly your so-called good projects are."

Yu Xing fell silent.

People were indeed brought, but why were bears always brought in like this?

He shook his head slightly: "No projects."

Liu Chiping was taken aback: "What do you mean? Has President Xiong made a mistake?"

“That’s how Mr. Xiong tricked you into coming here,” Yu Xing said. “I don’t have any projects here. Even if I did have projects that needed investment, I wouldn’t need to find individual investors.”

Liu Chiping suddenly stood up: "You..."

"What about MusVid that we talked about last time? What's your opinion?" Yu Xing didn't dwell on the details and went straight to the point.

Liu Chiping walked towards the office door: "I haven't even considered it."

"Asking about fields and houses, I fear I should be ashamed to face you, Liu Lang, with your talent." Yu Xing quoted a line of poetry and sighed, "You really are afraid to see me."

Liu Chiping stopped and looked back at his old rival: "You are quite arrogant."

Yu Xing shook his head: "The former president of a domestic internet giant now only knows how to make personal investments. He comes running here as soon as he hears that there are projects. Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

Liu Chiping's expression changed slightly.

"You said you'd come to our Silicon Carbon Group's press conference, but you didn't show up. You just stayed home all by yourself. Isn't that because you're afraid to face the opponent who beat you?" Yu Xing laughed. "Is this my arrogance, or have you been trying to avoid it all along?"

Liu Chiping's expression had returned to normal, and he commented, "His eloquence is still quite good, though he didn't show it at the press conference."

“Cars are a different product. Looking back now, I should have emphasized family needs more, but there was no other way. The concept of new energy vehicles needs to be popularized, and we had to talk about all aspects. Later, when consumers are more accepting of it, we can omit a lot of content.” Yu Xing gave a serious answer and asked again, “MusVid urgently needs a suitable person to take charge. What have you thought about it?”

Liu Chiping looked at Yu Xing, intending to push the door open and leave, but a hesitation arose involuntarily in his heart. Finally, he put his hand on the door and asked, "I said I wouldn't consider it, so why did you insist on coming to me?"

"I just think you're suitable, Mr. Liu. Chiping, the one who knows you better than you is your rival," Yu Xing said sincerely. "I never expected Tencent to replace you. I don't think you should bear the main responsibility for the competition Tencent has faced these past two years. And look at Weishi now, what do you think of it?"

After Liu Chiping left, Weishi has been fully integrated into Weichat.

After the Spring Festival, the short video market has taken different development paths.

Douyin has become more comprehensive, Kuaishou has become more accessible to lower-tier cities, Weishi has become more integrated into its platform, and Leyin has become more like Weibo – each platform has its own unique characteristics.

Upon hearing the question he had been concerned about, Liu Chiping slightly turned the door lock, remained silent for a few seconds, and then commented, "It's not as good as they imagined. Competition isn't static. WeSing didn't have enough time to refine its technology, and there are issues with smooth sharing after it's built in."

It's not just WeChat users who use short videos; users of Alibaba's WeChat also use them, but the two ecosystems are not interconnected.

Instant messaging is disgusting enough, but short videos are so fragmented. You might as well just choose Douyin, a platform with richer content and more shareable features.

The penguins' attempt to change has not yet yielded a final result, but short-term observations suggest a less than optimistic outlook.

"So, how could you be so easily defeated?" Yu Xing sighed. "The penguin doesn't respect you. You should come to a place that respects you and use your talents."

Liu Chiping laughed in anger: "You think you respect me the most, huh! Do you think the internet has no memory?!"

Yu Xing said sincerely, "I have already corrected it."

Liu Chiping was suddenly speechless. He could only turn the doorknob again, but did not leave.

Seeing this, Yu Xing immediately said, "Penguin is a thing of the past for you. I don't understand why you would miss an opportunity like MusVid. Are you afraid of the criticism? Worried about the comments? Or are you unable to face Pony?"

Liu Chiping took a breath: "Without Pony, there would be no Tencent president that you value so much."

Yu Xing nodded, believing it, but then said, "Yes, but Pony also made you the former president. I don't believe that your position could have been changed without his approval. He trusted you in the past, but now he doesn't believe you can achieve anything in the mobile internet era."

He raised his voice: "Mr. Liu, now is your chance to prove yourself again!"

Liu Chiping looked at Yu Xing and suddenly sneered, "Your eloquence has declined. Do you think you can get me to agree by raising your voice like this?"

Yu Xing laughed and said, "If you're not interested, then why are you standing by the door and not leaving?"

Liu Chiping turned the lock again, annoyed, and said, "How the hell do you open this office door?"

It's not that he doesn't want to leave, it's that he can't open the door.

Yu Xing was taken aback, not because his heart was moved, not because his mind was stirred, but because the door remained unmoved.

Just then, Xiong Xiaoge's muffled voice came from outside: "I'm blocking the door!!"

If I said I'd bring people, I meant I'd bring people. If I said I'd let you have a proper talk, I meant we'd have a proper talk, no matter how I did it!
(End of this chapter)