The car giant started by marrying the daughter of the king

Chapter 502: Always Chased, Never Surpassed
"Murphy, our joint venture factory in China will be able to launch the first model to the market this quarter."

"We have done a special survey and this car should still have a large market."

As the general manager of GM Shanghai and president of GM Asia Pacific, Edward returned to the headquarters to report to Murphy.

Since the official decision to enter the Chinese market, General Motors has become more concerned about changes in the Chinese market.

Although the size of China's automobile market is only about 100 million vehicles, its future potential is undoubtedly enormous.

By then, let alone surpassing the American market, as long as it can reach half of its size, countless auto giants will rush to grab it.

"The production volume of BMW Group has exceeded 150 million vehicles?"

Compared with the performance of the entire Chinese automobile market, Murphy is now more concerned about the movements of the BMW Group.

After all, in the Chinese automobile market, BMW Group accounts for half of the market share.

General Motors also has a very close cooperative relationship with the other party.

“Yes, their annual growth is very considerable.”

“Last year, sales slowed down somewhat, but still exceeded 150 million.”

"According to this growth rate, it is estimated that by next year, the scale will exceed 200 million."

"Even in the global automotive market, a company of this size cannot be underestimated."

Although General Motors is the world's largest automaker, the American auto market remains at a scale of 1500 million vehicles.

But that doesn't mean Edward will underestimate the existence of the BMW Group.

After spending two years in China, he had a clearer understanding of the strength of the BMW Group.

This is definitely a car company with huge potential.

Many car companies in Japan and Korea may be surpassed in the future.

Edward believes that except for General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota, the sales of other automakers will be caught up by BMW in the future.

In this case, it is even more worthy of his attention.

"I also heard that the BMW Group is preparing several new products, and it is said that the appearance is also very stunning?"

At this point, Murphy couldn't help but have some opinions about the design center.

Our own engineering team is obviously much larger, so why are the cars we design always inferior to those of BMW Group in appearance?

This is very abnormal.

If one or two models are like this, then forget it.

It's like this every time, it doesn't make sense.

"I have also heard some news, but the BMW Group has not officially launched any publicity yet."

"But judging from the time, it should be soon."

"I will go there in person to confirm whether it is worthwhile for us to continue cooperating with them."

In the past, Edward has been deeply involved in the negotiations and cooperation with BMW Group on various vehicle models.

Whether it is the Land Rover G Series, the Land Rover X Series, or the Land Rover Highlander, after being introduced to General Motors for OEM sales, the market feedback has been very good.

The profits these models contribute to General Motors are also considerable.

Even today, General Motors has borrowed design elements from these models and has begun to launch similar models of its own design.

However, the sales of these models are still relatively strong.

The quality issues that everyone was worried about in the past have not been exposed so far.

It can basically be believed that the quality management level of the BMW Group is trustworthy.

"As long as their products look acceptable, we will continue to cooperate."

"Now Volkswagen and Toyota are very ambitious and want to compete with us for the world's number one position."

"Especially Toyota in Japan, which keeps launching new products one after another."

“They are quicker to absorb new design elements than we are.”

"This is a significant threat."

The relationship between General Motors and Toyota is rather complicated.

At one point, the two companies even built a joint venture factory in the American market.

But now they have parted ways.

Murphy even regarded Toyota as General Motors' main competitor.

There’s no way around it; many of Toyota’s products are just too powerful.

"I understand."

"Jiang Hui is a relatively easy person to communicate with."

"I will follow up on this matter personally."

After hearing what Murphy said, Edward knew what was going on.

In the next one or two years, the cooperation between the two sides should be able to continue.

This will also be beneficial for his job at Shanghai General.

After all, BMW Group is the local boss in China. If Edward has to deal with Shanghai GM, his work will be more difficult.

By then, his grades will not be good, and it will be difficult for him to get further promotion.

……

"Director, I heard that Mercedes-Benz's flagship model will be officially put into mass production this quarter."

"The engine used in this car is the same as our Hongqi A8, and the power performance should be similar."

"Will it affect the sales of our Hongqi A8?"

Zhao Guangming was well-informed. He got wind of the news as soon as the BMW Group started preparing for the roll-out ceremony of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan.

Seeing that their Hongqi A8 will also roll off the production line and be launched this year, competition between the two sides is inevitable.

"Our Hongqi A8 is aimed at the high-end official car market. You have seen its appearance, which is very stable."

"When Mr. Jiang designed the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, he would definitely have taken this into consideration. It is impossible for the two cars to be too similar."

"And Mercedes-Benz's products are mainly aimed at the international automobile market, and domestic sales are not the main part."

"In the short term, I don't think there is any need to worry too much."

Geng Weidong is not particularly worried about the situation of Hongqi A8.

Last month, the combined sales of Hongqi A6 and Hongqi A4 finally exceeded 8000 units for the first time.

We are not far from achieving the goal of breaking through the monthly sales target of 1 vehicles.

It can be said that Hongqi BMW has completely entered the track of development.

In this case, he certainly does not want to have a conflict with the BMW Group because of the Hongqi A8 issue.

"Mr. Jiang is amazing. In just a few years, he has grown the sales volume of BMW Group to 150 million vehicles."

“This is something that no one has ever thought about before.”

"At this pace, it is estimated that the number will exceed 200 million, or even 300 million in the future."

Zhao Guangming is very optimistic about the prospects of BMW Group.

There is no way, the new products they launched are too competitive.

Even giants like General Motors are looking for cooperation.

"So we are only suitable to be friends with the BMW Group, not enemies."

"Whether it is cooperation on complete vehicles or cooperation on parts, it is very critical."

Zhao Guangming still fully agrees with Geng Weidong's statement.

There is no benefit in being an enemy of the BMW Group.

"BMW Automobile Group is planning to build a new factory in Shanghai." "Can we, Hongqi BMW, also consider building a new factory?"

"Make some preparations in advance so you don't have to rush around in the future."

Zhao Guangming asked tentatively.

Only by expanding the scale of the factory can we further expand our influence.

This is the situation that Zhao Guangming very much hopes to see.

“You can do the site selection and planning work, but you still have to wait and see before officially starting construction.”

Geng Weidong thought about it and felt that it might be a good idea to prepare for a rainy day.

But when it comes to spending a lot of money, you have to think carefully.

Building a new factory costs a lot of money.

Hongqi BMW has finally started to make money, but it cannot easily fall into trouble.

……

"President, I saw an analysis report from the Chinese media, saying that the growth rate of China's automobile market this year could reach 20%."

"It is expected that this high speed of development will be maintained in the next few years."

“I think the company’s joint venture in China needs to import more models in order to grab a larger market share.”

Saito Shoei actively explained his China strategy to Shoichiro Toyoda.

Toyota has already established a firm foothold in the American market, and all it needs to do next is to continue to move forward steadily.

There have also been some breakthroughs in the European market, and the future is promising.

Toyota has also entered other automobile markets such as the Middle East.

However, in the Chinese market, Toyota Motor has established a joint venture with FAW.

But so far, the main production is a Toyota Crown sedan.

The monthly production volume is less than 3000 vehicles.

This scale is definitely not enough to fully exert Toyota's influence.

You know, Toyota is determined to become the world's number one automobile giant.

"The changes in the Chinese auto market have been very rapid in recent years, especially since China began its comprehensive reform in 1989."

"The number of individual consumers is increasing rapidly, and we can indeed invest in a few more products."

"Do you have anything specific in mind?"

Shoichiro Toyoda knew that what Saito Shoei said made sense, so he would definitely not object.

It’s just that which product should be imported requires careful consideration.

Car consumers in different regions have different demands for different products.

A product that is very popular with consumers in one place may become unsalable in another market.

"I think we can import an entry-level sedan and then an SUV."

"It should be possible in a short time to match the current Crown sedan to form a high- and low-profile combination of sedans and enrich the selection of off-road vehicles."

"After these two products have been put into mass production, we will further consider introducing more new models."

"By then, the situation of the Chinese auto market should be clearer."

When Saito Shoei came to see Shoichiro Toyoda today, he must have considered this aspect beforehand.

So I immediately came up with my own plan.

The Crown sedan is a relatively successful product and is very comfortable.

The appearance is also quite grand.

But in this case, its price is relatively high and many people cannot afford it.

If you want to increase sales, you naturally need a product that is more affordable.

This is especially true when targeting individual consumers.

As for the off-road vehicle, it was because after seeing the performance of the Land Rover, Saito Shoei thought it was worth a try.

"Since you already have a specific plan, find a time to hold a formal meeting in the company to report it."

"Then communicate well with FAW."

"We chose to import new products, so we naturally hope that these products can sell well."

“Whether it’s cost or quality, we have to find the best solution.”

After Shoichiro Toyoda gave some more instructions, Shoei Saito left his office.

……

"Boss Jiang, the invitations to our Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan production line launch ceremony have all been sent out."

"This time we specially invited relevant leaders from the foreign affairs department to attend."

Chen Chenxing is now considered an important figure in China's automobile industry.

As the head of sales for BMW Group, he has a very wide network of contacts.

He has acquaintances in various TV stations and newspapers.

He also has to deal with relevant departments frequently.

"As the most high-end product of Mercedes-Benz, the sales volume of Mercedes-Benz S will not be particularly high."

"But the reputation must not be lower than that of E and C grades, and publicity work in this regard must be done well."

Jiang Hui has high expectations for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The exterior design of this car can fully meet the needs of the entire 1990s, and may not even need to be changed in the future.

Many car companies hope that the appearance of their cars can reach this classic level.

But in reality, most models can't do this.

After a few years, it will seem outdated.

If this can be done, it will actually be beneficial for improving the car's value retention and sales volume.

Almost every product of the BMW Group can do this.

This is not easy at all.

The BMW Group's annual growth rate in recent years has been very impressive, which is largely related to this.

Even if the Land Rover G-series off-road vehicle was launched early, after a few years, when it was put on the market, no one would think that its appearance was outdated.

Many new products launched by car companies are not as classic in appearance as the Land Rover G Series.

"I understand that I will develop the Mercedes-Benz S-Class promotion work into a long-term series of work."

"We will also cooperate with film companies in Hong Kong to place advertisements in some more appropriate occasions."

Chen Chenxing has mentioned the issue of product placement in film and television dramas before.

In this era, the strength of Hong Kong's film and television companies is undoubtedly much stronger than that of the mainland.

The BMW Group’s Hong Kong City Capital background also provides convenience for cooperation in this area.

"Okay, I'll leave the details to you."

"Our products have always been imitated and chased by others."

"But no factory has ever been able to successfully surpass us over the years."

“This momentum must be maintained.”

Jiang Hui knows that the automobile industry will be a booming industry in China in the next 30 years.

It is definitely worth managing well.

(End of this chapter)