What's wrong with me being a rich man?

Chapter 670 A Laugh
On May 11th, the car market waited all day for the data on the Trumpchi GS7, but it still didn't come.

There was no company announcement, no activity from senior executives, and even the once-active social media accounts became inactive. This continued until the evening when rumors finally began to circulate. It was said that a low-key notification from Vice President Xiao Yong stated that the market response to the GS7 was very encouraging.

As for how delightful it will be, that remains to be seen.

Some media outlets attempted to find more accurate information and interview GAC, but several executives declined the interview requests. When pressed, they stated that the company is currently focused on its own business and does not need to engage in hype like some other car companies.

This reaction raises some doubts, but the industry as a whole is still quite optimistic about the results of GAC's foray into new energy vehicles and the competition between carbon and silicon.

Although questions about range-extended electric vehicles have not diminished, the sales volume and performance of Silicon Carbon Group are truly impressive. It sold 8.25 vehicles last year and, according to the figures published in its financial report, achieved a revenue of 293 billion yuan in 2015.

It's also worth mentioning that 26% of the sales volume of Silicon Carbon Group consists of the top-of-the-line Max model.

Excluding subsidies, the Max model is priced at 38.58 yuan. This configuration alone achieved sales of 2.145 units last year, and even in the ten months since the official launch of the carbon silicon model, it achieved monthly sales of over 2000 units.

With this price and sales volume, Max alone is quite competitive.

A new energy vehicle company, a founder who came from the internet industry, and a technology route that isn't particularly high-value—yet they've sold nearly 300 billion yuan worth of products in just one year. No wonder the industry is getting excited.

GAC is one of the few automakers that has quickly launched its GS7 project, while other OEMs, whether in hybrid or pure electric vehicles, have already invested more resources in this area.

Everyone shares the same sentiment: if these people can do it, there's no reason why we can't.

The GS7 carries GAC's hopes and also the sentiments of many industry insiders.

Unable to reach GAC Group, the media turned to another party involved, hoping to get the Silicon Carbon Group's opinion on adding new products to the new energy market.

Yu Xing has recently declined interviews, but Vice President Cui Zhiyu, who oversees daily operations, did agree to a short phone interview.

He doesn't talk about cars or people; he only talks about the market.

"The availability of new energy products is a good thing for the entire market, and consumers will have more options."

"I believe that domestic car companies will produce more and more sincere products, and the entire new energy industry will develop rapidly."

Cui Zhiyu said a lot of platitudes, but when asked whether he would launch a product in the 20 yuan range in the future, he dodged the question: "We are definitely focusing on SUVs now, and we hope that our products will live up to their name. We will launch a new five-seat configuration of Kyushu at the end of the year. As for the future, we are willing to explore products that are suitable for different consumer groups. It mainly depends on the needs of our customers."

There weren't many questions during the phone interview, and Cui Zhiyu ignored any questions that directly touched on competition with GAC GS7.

Cui Zhiyu doesn't need to compete with rivals in terms of public opinion. Jiuzhou's sales this year will definitely be better than last year's. Moreover, his judgment is exactly the same as President Yu's. The positioning of this GS7 is vague and does not seem to pose any competitive threat.

However, his response as a vice president was relayed by the first media outlet as it was, slightly modified by the second media outlet when it was reprinted, and then further interpretations were made, leading to the conclusion that the Silicon Carbon Group was not worried about the threat posed by the Trumpchi GS7.

The meaning of these words is actually quite similar, and the two products target different consumer groups, but some of the wording can be interpreted differently by discerning readers. GAC's Deputy General Manager, Xiao Yong, immediately became low-key after learning of his company's poor performance. He was unwilling to say much in media interviews and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with Cui Zhiyu's reaction; instead, he was more focused on figuring out the shortcomings of the GS7.

However, a day later, when he looked at the news again, he was stunned. His own side hadn't said anything, so why was the competitor showing up the GS7?
Yan Si, a senior executive from Great Wall Motors and CEO of the WEY brand, posted several related comments last night, immediately relieving the urgent need for material in the industry's media.

"GAC's approach is correct. Domestic brands especially need to take a steady and solid approach, rather than being short-sighted and making cars in the 300,000 or 400,000 yuan range or even supercars."

"There isn't that many consumers in China, and subsidies are already being phased out. Relying on subsidies to boost sales is like pulling up seedlings to help them grow!"

"I saw the GS7 in person at the Beijing Auto Show. It's a very good product, and I believe it will sell very well."

Yan Si just joined Great Wall Motors, while the WEY brand is a brand that Great Wall Motors just established this year. On the one hand, it was planned internally, and on the other hand, it was put on the agenda because of the achievements of Silicon Carbon Group in the mid-to-high-end field.

Against this backdrop, Yan Si, a former senior executive at Audi, joined Great Wall Motors as the brand's CEO, aiming to develop mid-to-high-end SUVs in China. However, the initial product was still a gasoline-powered vehicle rather than a new energy vehicle.

There is nothing wrong with the different choices made by car companies, but since Yan Si joined the company, he has heard colleagues mention Silicon Carbon Group almost every day, mentioning sales of 30 units, and even mentioning the big short seller. The most eye-catching achievement of the big short seller is shorting car companies.

Regardless of his background as a former Audi executive or WEY's direction of producing gasoline-powered vehicles, Yan Si has no fondness for the Silicon Carbon Group, and this time he didn't hesitate to offer his comments.

Xiao Yong from GAC was looking at the news when he saw that silicon carbon had given a response.

Cui Zhiyu posted a Weibo post: "It seems that Great Wall Motors is also going to launch new energy vehicles. I hope everyone will treat products with the same standards and not be strict with others but lenient with themselves."

He came from Great Wall Motors, and when he saw the executives from his former employer appear, he couldn't help but interact with them.

Yan Si reacted quickly, reposting and commenting: "Silicon Carbon's stock price has fallen again today. The market is voting with its feet. Silicon Carbon should think carefully about how to deal with the impact of the GS7."

This time, Cui Zhiyu only replied with a smiley face and said nothing else.

Watching the two interact remotely, and seeing Yan Si's brimming confidence, Xiao Yong felt extremely uneasy. He thought, "Even I wouldn't dare to brag like this, but you, an outsider, are already spouting nonsense."

Soon, the data from the second day of the Trumpchi GS7 was delivered to the table: 2618 small orders and 183 large orders in 48 hours, which could still only be described as dismal.

Xiao Yong's face darkened instantly. He could still have a glimmer of hope on the first day, but the same transformation on the second day could spell the death of the extended-range GS7.

Logically speaking, with limited range-extended battery products, effective pre-launch marketing, and existing offline store resources, the GS7 should have achieved good conversion rates. However, its launch has generated such low demand, proving that consumers are genuinely uninterested in it.

When Xiao Yong saw Yan Si's rebuttal, which was essentially saying the market would vote with its feet by promoting the GS7, he felt a chill run down his spine. He really wanted to go up and laugh along with Carbon Silicon, saying, "Stop making your brother Zhou laugh..."

(End of this chapter)