What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 557 Trusting Those You Employ (4k)

Yu Xing had close exchanges with the visiting delegation, but no specific cooperation agreement was reached.

While sincerity is certainly evident, the development of the Silicon Carbon Group still needs to be considered in light of the actual circumstances.

Of course, he also shared his views on the development of the new energy industry, including his assessment of industry competition and supply chain conditions. His main point was that the speed of development would exceed everyone's expectations.

This isn't the first time Yu Xing has expressed this view, but the past is the past, and the present is the present.

The same statement has a greater impact after being supported by sales figures for Silicon Carbon Kyushu.

The visit lasted half a day, and the exchange between the two sides was very friendly.

At 11 p.m., a slightly tipsy Yu Xing said to his secretary in the passenger seat on his way home, "Xiao Zhang, bring me your phone, I'm going to call the director again."

Zhang Yangxu handed the charging phone to the back of the room and hesitantly reminded him in a low voice, "President Yu, it's already very late."

"I know, pull over to the side of the road first." Yu Xing looked for the number, thinking that even though it was late, the director might still be waiting for his call.

Once the vehicle came to a stop, Zhang Yangxu tactfully invited the driver to get out and have a smoke with him.

Yu Xing dialed the number, and the call connected in less than two seconds; the voice on the other end was very clear.

He briefly described the findings of his inspection.

Zhu Zehui listened quietly, and finally said, "It's pretty good over there."

Yu Xing said, "Director, you need to explain clearly how it should be done."

Zhu Zehui coughed and mumbled a few more words. These things were inherently difficult to explain, and he couldn't be certain of them on his own, but what followed was undoubtedly an important step in his career.

If China is determined to develop new energy sources, and Lingang has achieved significant results, then it is natural to share this experience.

If possible, he would very much like the Silicon Carbon Group to be his backer, but he could only vaguely mention it. Firstly, the Silicon Carbon Group was already on the list given the circumstances, and secondly, Yu Xing was not a very scheming person.

If we are truly destined to be apart, we won't force it, since Lingang wasn't exactly a popular destination before.

When Zhu Zehui got home that evening, he sat in his study for a long time, quite pleased with the phone call.

Yu Xing ended the call, thought for a moment, and then told his secretary to continue the journey home.

Having reached this level of development in silicon carbon, some issues are inevitable, but we should still view these issues from the perspective of the group's and industry's fundamental development.

The following day was the first day of the Shanghai International Auto Show, which was mainly aimed at the media and professional audiences.

As one of the three major auto shows in China, Shanghai has attracted nearly 2000 well-known domestic and foreign companies to participate in this year's exhibition, which will showcase 1345 vehicles, including 109 global debuts, 105 new energy vehicles, 47 concept cars, and 44 Asian debuts.

Thanks to its location near the port, the Silicon Carbon Group secured a very central booth, a small but prestigious treatment.

Kyushu's current order volume is still good. Depending on the region, the time from ordering to picking up the car is generally 2-6 weeks. However, considering the time required for capacity expansion, the company naturally hopes to accumulate more orders to cope with the upgraded capacity and achieve the best work continuity.

The auto show is located at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, which is more than an hour's drive from Lingang.

Before Yu Xing set off, he chatted with Xiao Ying about Toshiba's situation, and once again, the location of Lingang was criticized.

“A trip to the city takes about the same amount of time as it takes you to go home,” Liu Wanying said. “If you go there often, I think you really should buy a helicopter.”

Yu Xing replied with a smile, "This is more peaceful. You need a place like this to concentrate on building cars. I've also spoken with Bai Xiaosheng, and they'll be moving to Lingang in the second half of the year."

Bai Xiaosheng's company is also expanding. The Shuohe International in Yangpu could no longer support the business, so they simply moved to Lingang. The two silicon carbide companies here are also important clients of Bai Xiaosheng, and they need to look for industry talents all year round.

After Liu Wanying helped straighten her clothes, she said, "With new energy, mobile internet, and overseas expansion, Lingang really could become a bay area in the future."

Yu Xing shrugged: "Anyway, I think the roads here have been repaired much faster in the last two years."

The impact of the Lingang dual-carbon silicon project can perhaps be glimpsed from the road construction.

The vehicle used to travel from Lingang to the convention center was their own Kyushu Max, with Liu Chiping from Mus and Guo Chuan, a domestic air suspension supplier, picking them up along the way.

Liu Chiping's flight to Singapore is tomorrow night, while Guo Chuan arrived in Lingang last night.

"Mr. Yu, when will we be able to use Kyushu cars in Singapore?" Liu Chiping got into the car. Although it wasn't his first time experiencing a Kyushu recently, he still thought the car was pretty good.

He hadn't researched what a car should be like, but based on his past experience using and riding in cars, he genuinely felt that the overall feel of this car surpassed that of its competitors in the same price range.

"That's quite difficult; we need to mature further." Yu Xing thought for a moment and then asked, "President Liu, if we want to expand into overseas automotive markets, where do you think would be our first choice?"

Even in casual conversation, Liu Chiping is the kind of person who is willing to think things through carefully.

He thought about it carefully for a while and guessed, "Europe? Is the entry threshold in Europe better than in the United States?"

Yu Xing shook his head and smiled, "It's Australia."

Liu Chiping asked in surprise, "Why? Aren't the European and American markets much larger?"

“Australia doesn’t have any local car manufacturers; the cars there are all foreign brands, so they probably don’t care much about who sells them. But Europe and America have local car manufacturers, and they need to protect them,” Yu Xing explained. “Look at what happened when Guoshanfeng shorted European car companies. The US imposed heavy penalties, but Europe hasn’t even launched a proper investigation yet. I estimate that the final amount will be much lower than in the US.”

Liu Chiping immediately realized his point: "Professional matters should be left to professionals. Mr. Yu, about your car..."

He touched the seat and said sincerely, "Your ability to build this car is absolutely beyond the expectations of everyone in the internet industry."

Yu Xing smiled slightly: "This is just the beginning."

Liu Chiping chatted for a few more minutes about Kyushu's performance before finally bringing up his own matter. He said carefully, "President Yu, I have a small request regarding the Mus team, and I hope you can agree to it."

Yu Xing took a can of Coke from the small refrigerator and handed it to President Liu: "Go ahead."

“When I join MUS, I will further expand the team, but I may need to utilize fewer people from Silicon Carbon Data,” Liu Chiping said.

Yu Xing was surprised by the small request and laughed, "What? Is it that the people here in Lingang don't meet the requirements of your big company president?"

Carbon Silicon Data and Mus have always had a seamless connection; the latter doesn't seem like an independently operated company, but rather more like a department of the former.

People working at MUS (Music Industry Research Institute) are basically on a job rotation system.

“I believe Mus is capable of achieving results.” Liu Chiping slowed his speech. “However, based on my own experience, once a company’s new project gets off the ground, it easily becomes a place for old employees to come and reap the rewards. I’m not saying that Silicon Carbon will be like that; Silicon Carbon is still a young company. I’m just considering limiting a certain percentage.”

Yu Xing pondered for a moment and said, "President Liu, you've certainly done a lot of post-mortem analysis of Tencent's successes and failures."

Liu Chiping shook his head and then nodded: "When a company gets big, things inevitably change. It's not just Tencent; Alibaba and Baidu are the same." Yu Xing frowned slightly.

After a moment, he asked, "What have you discovered in this regard? You can ask me any questions you have."

“President Yu, we just need to get the imperial approval from you first,” Liu Chiping said. “I haven’t arrived in Singapore yet, and there aren’t any major problems. Even if there are some minor disturbances, we can only verify them after I arrive.”

Yu Xing nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay, whether you're worried about people from Lingang going there to reap the benefits, or you think this kind of operation is more suitable, you can go with your idea first."

Liu Chiping was somewhat surprised: "President Yu, you trust me quite a bit."

"The general direction is there. We'll focus on vertical markets first, then move to full-format markets. The potential competition is there too. We need to be wary of the two giants that monopolize traffic." Yu Xing was extremely blunt. "You, President Liu, came to MUS with a lot of hardship and criticism. You're the one who most wants to achieve results. You're not a newcomer. You're the president who has been in complete control of Tencent. If I don't use you now, I won't doubt you. When will I?"

Liu Chiping gave a wry smile: "President Yu, you... you are indeed very efficient at communicating, but sometimes it's hard not to have complicated feelings."

Yu Xing nodded: "You'll get used to it, but even the imperial sword is judged on performance."

There must be a time limit for trusting people; we can't just watch the market remain unchanged without any progress.

Liu Chiping accepted it calmly: "That's natural."

He said he was reducing the proportion of employees from silicon carbon data, but not eliminating them entirely. In fact, he hired several key personnel from Lingang on the way to the auto show.

After agreeing, Yu Xing felt something was off: "President Liu, are you using this as a pretext to advance? If you ask for people like this, Zhong Zhiling will definitely have something to say to me."

Liu Chiping laughed and said, "Then let President Zhong tell you. Anyway, I'm going to Singapore."

Yu Xing shook his head and mentioned another matter that Liu Chiping had brought up: "Mus will be in contact with investors next month about financing. You can start talking to them first."

Liu Chiping nodded calmly, but he was already feeling excited. Mus's foundation was quite good, and conquering overseas markets was an experience he hadn't had at Tencent, so he was filled with anticipation.

Once Guo Chuan got into the car, the conversation shifted to the issue of being suspended in mid-air.

Guo Chuan's domestically produced air suspension could actually be installed on Jiuzhou this year, since it's only available on the top-of-the-line version. However, before the verification period was over, carbon silicon was ultimately unwilling to use it in such a rush, even with subsidies, and did not pursue this cost reduction.

Guo Chuan used the auto show as an excuse to finalize the supply of air suspension.

He didn't have any particular feelings about being an internet boss. After getting in the car, he simply greeted Liu Chiping and then launched into a long-winded discussion about the verification and quality of his company's suspended suspension system.

Yu Xing listened silently for a while before saying, "If it meets the standards, it can be used. President Guo, this applies to you as well as to all other suppliers. For example, Ningde has also approached me, and it's the same for them."

Guo Chuan immediately said, "We can get all the processes running smoothly in the third quarter. President Yu, can Kyushu release a facelift next year?"

Kyushu currently uses imported air suspension, and no new configuration will be added unless the model is updated.

"We'll have to see what the subsidy situation is like next year. The policy will be released after the auto show," Yu Xing said with a smile. "Mr. Guo, don't worry. Not letting your air suspension be included this time was the right decision. Our top-of-the-line Max still accounts for 27% of the market. Reputation can be built up."

Guo Chuan didn't have time to be surprised by the proportion of the top-tier Kyushu equipment before he heard what followed.

“Now I have a question that I need your confirmation on. You see, as the first car from a new brand, we offer owners a lifetime warranty,” Yu Xing said. “As the first supplier of domestically produced air suspension, how do you plan to allay users’ concerns?”

Guo Chuan offered a very sincere guarantee: "Mr. Yu, the general rule for BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) is 3 years or 10 kilometers. Can't I double that? 6 years or 20 kilometers. There's absolutely no doubt about that, right? In reality, most families rarely drive their cars for 20 kilometers."

Yu Xing remained silent.

Guo Chuan then compared the T1 air suspension of BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) cars, and seeing that he still didn't speak, and thinking about Kyushu's sales figures, he made up his mind: "President Yu, 8 years and 20 kilometers!"

Yu Xing sighed and said with difficulty, "President Guo, air suspension is not a new thing, but it still raises questions for Kyushu's target audience. It's like batteries and motors; we offer lifetime guarantees. You're being stingy with me now. To be honest, we need to increase our production capacity in the second half of the year. Your air suspension can also be used in gasoline cars; it just depends on whether it can be a hit."

If Kyushu can establish itself in the market, other domestic manufacturers will naturally want a piece of the mid-to-high-end market, and at that time, the lower-cost air suspension will naturally come into view.

Guo Chuan shook his head repeatedly: "President Yu, if this is a lifetime warranty, then... then I'll have to go back and look into it..."

“What’s the difference between lifetime and 20 kilometers? Many people don’t even reach 20 kilometers in their lifetime.” Yu Xing said, citing Guo Chuan’s words, “If you can guarantee 20 kilometers, you might as well give a more impressive and memorable offer.”

Guo Chuan almost impulsively agreed as soon as he opened his mouth, but in the end he said, "I'll look into it, President Yu."

Yu Xing didn't push him to the end; what he said was all based on the actual situation, and he could figure it out once he went back and studied it.

The group arrived at the convention center at around 10 a.m., where it was already quite lively.

Yu Xing was quite happy to see his car on the display stand for the first time.

He greeted people as he walked, and happened to pass by the GAC Toyota booth, where he saw the facelifted Highlander and Vice President Li Hui, whom he had spoken with before.

Li Hui was discussing the Highlander with his colleagues when he suddenly noticed Yu Xing surrounded by a group of people, and his face darkened.

Yu Xing greeted him with a smile: "Hey, Fifth Brother, you're here."

Li Hui was taken aback, then realized that the other party was addressing him according to the ranking on that bird list.

His temples throbbed slightly, and he said coldly, "President Yu has stolen quite a few of our deals, hasn't he?"

Yu Xing replied with a smile, "Not many, just over 4700 orders."

Silicon Carbon has a policy specifically for the Highlander that subsidizes owners who cannot get a refund on their initial deposit.

Li Hui was genuinely shocked when he heard this number, exclaiming, "More than 4700?"

Yu Xing nodded seriously and confirmed, "Yes."

Li Hui: "..."

Various thoughts raced through his mind.

Yu Xing glanced around, not recognizing the other person, and asked, "How is President Guo?"

Li Hui took two breaths but did not answer the question: "President Yu, please go ahead."

Yu Xing wasn't surprised by the other party's unwelcoming attitude. Just as he was about to leave, he said again, "Don't raise the price anymore, or we really won't be able to win."

Li Hui squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "I thank you for your guidance."

Yu Xing nodded and leisurely left the competitor's booth. That's what he said, but even if President Li really wanted to take action, it would probably be difficult to correct the problems in the market.

(End of this chapter)