The car giant started by marrying the daughter of the king

The launch event of BMW Group’s Chitu 77 caused such a big stir.

Naturally, all peers are also paying close attention.

With so many media outlets attending the event, it was natural that much of the related content spread quickly.

"Baz, this is the latest information about the Chitu 77 faxed back from the Huaxia Sales Company."

"It will probably take about a week for the Chitu 77 to be put on sale in Germany."

"From the current situation, this car is very competitive."

Lai Ping went to Baz's office immediately.

He feels that the Chitu 77 has the greatest impact on Porsche.

On the one hand, the positioning of this car is highly consistent with the Porsche 911, its flagship model.

Another thing is that the design style of Chitu 77 is somewhat similar to that of Porsche 911, but it is designed to look better.

This is very uncomfortable.

The key is that the engine performance of Chitu 77 is better than that of Porsche 911.

How can consumers make up their minds when looking at the Porsche 911?
“This appearance is indeed consistent with the high standards of the BMW Group.”

"Especially the innovative teardrop-shaped headlights and embedded turn signals are more stylish than our 911."

Baz is also a man who knows what he is doing.

After taking a quick look at the information Lai Ping handed over, he was able to feel the beauty of it.

Whether a car's exterior design is good-looking or not can be intuitively determined almost instantly.

When it comes to appearance, you don't need any particularly strong theoretical basis to judge it.

As long as you think it looks good after taking a look at it, it can be considered a successful design.

There is no doubt that the Chitu 77 has the ability to make you feel good-looking at first sight.

"This car is priced at 77.77 yuan in China and is equipped with a V8 engine, so its performance is very powerful."

"BMW Automobile Group has even said that it will install the W16 large-displacement engine and 6AT automatic transmission currently under development on this model in the future."

"If that's the case, then the power performance of our Porsche 911 will be completely incomparable to it."

"But the Porsche 911 we just launched in China has a minimum selling price of more than one million RMB."

"The impact of import tariffs alone means that we will never be able to compete with the Chitu 77 in price."

Lai Ping explained the seriousness of the problem to Baz.

Although Porsche's brand influence is much stronger than Chitu Auto.

But apart from brand influence, other advantages are not obvious.

At that time, China had not yet joined the WTO.

In order to protect the domestic automobile industry, which is still relatively weak overall, the tax rate on imported passenger cars is relatively high.

The tax rate is as high as 120%~150%, and is adjusted according to different displacements. The larger the displacement, the higher the tax rate.

Sports cars basically belong to 150%.

That is to say, a car model that can be sold for $10 in Germany will cost more than $25 in China.

Taking into account various other costs, the final selling price in China will be three times that of Germany.

Even higher.

In this case, there is definitely no way to compare the cost with Chitu Automobile.

"Do you think BMW can really develop the W16 engine?"

Seeing Lai Ping mentioned the W16 engine to him again, Buzz felt a little uncertain.

According to his understanding, Chinese companies would not be able to develop such a large-displacement engine even after another ten years.

But the BMW Group is indeed quite evil and cannot be dealt with by common sense.

If others really develop the W16 engine in a few years, we will be in a passive position.

One of the biggest selling points of a sports car is its powerful performance.

How do you compare your 3.0L engine with someone else's 6.0L or even 8.0L engine?

“This is really hard to say.”

"But the rise of BMW Group is obvious, and we need some countermeasures."

Lai Ping naturally didn't want to give a casual answer to something that no one could judge.

You will be responsible when the time comes.

"We will also speed up the development of new products to keep abreast of market changes."

In the short term, Baz couldn't come up with any specific proposals and could only take things one step at a time.

Similarly, the launch of Chitu 77 also brought a certain impact to Ferrari.

"Paul, you should pay attention to the market performance of Chitu 77 after its launch in Europe."

"Their powertrains are very similar to our 348 series, and some consumers may compare them together."

Since its release in 348, the Ferrari 1989 series has sold more than 4 units.

For a supercar, this is a very good result.

The 348 series is a mid-mounted V8 engine model with a variety of body styles. It is relatively affordable and suitable for the daily driving needs and budgets of more consumers.

In early 1992, Mr. Li, the richest man in the capital of China, bought the first Ferrari 348 TS in mainland China.

This gives Ferrari more confidence in the Chinese market.

It also shows to a certain extent that Ferrari has a certain market influence and popularity in China, and it also indirectly reflects that it has received a high degree of attention from consumers.

Having already begun to focus some of their attention on Ferrari in China, they naturally do not want a fire in their own backyard.

"Our 3.4-liter V8 engine, although not as large in displacement as the Chitu 77."

“But it can output a maximum power of 7200kW at 221rpm, which is very high.”

"It can produce a maximum torque of 4200Nm at 324rpm."

“Matched with a 5-speed manual transverse gearbox, it allows the vehicle to accelerate from 5.6 to 0 km/h in 100 seconds and has a top speed of over 275 km/h.”

“And it adopts a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, which makes the front and rear weight distribution of the vehicle more reasonable, which is conducive to improving handling performance.”

"Both the front and rear suspensions are independent unequal-length wishbones with coil springs and gas-filled telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bars."

“This suspension system can effectively filter road bumps and provide good support when cornering, allowing the driver to control the vehicle’s trajectory more accurately.”

"The car body adopts a large number of thick and eye-catching guide grilles, which can greatly meet the needs of air intake and heat dissipation."

“It also retains the classic flip-up headlight design in automotive history. This design is unique and is a swan song for sentimental cars.”

"I don't think a sports car from China with no background can easily surpass it."

Paul also saw the relevant information about Chitu 77.

Although he felt a little nervous, he didn't want to show it at all in front of President Codelo.

Ferrari is already considered a luxury product.

In the field of luxury goods, you must never lose confidence.

Otherwise, how can people buy your products? "I understand what you said very well."

“Not only are the exterior and chassis great, our interior is also very distinctive.”

"The interior is rich in premium materials, with Connolly leather covering the seats, door panels, lower dashboard, center console, drive shaft tunnel and rear upper bulkhead, which is premium, soft and comfortable to the touch."

“Black vinyl covers the top dash, the headliner is cloth, and the rest of the cockpit is carpeted, creating a luxurious and comfortable driving environment.”

"But a threat is a threat and we cannot ignore it."

After what Cordero said, Paul's attitude changed a little.

"The 348 series was the first Ferrari model launched after Enzo Ferrari's death."

“It is also the first Ferrari model to officially enter the Chinese mainland market.”

“It is an important milestone in our development history and has high collection value and commemorative significance for car fans and collectors.”

“I think we can also do some marketing from this aspect in the future.”

Paul began to think about how to deal with this situation.

Ferrari has experienced many challenges in its development history over the years.

American and Japanese car companies have long wanted to challenge Europe's established car companies in the sports car field.

But to this day, Ferrari is still one of the most successful sports car companies.

And its brand influence is even higher than that of Porsche and BMW.

This is not an easy thing to do.

“Ferrari is a world-renowned super sports car brand with a profound motorsport history and an outstanding brand reputation.”

“As the company’s current representative model, the 348TS carries the brand’s tradition and spirit, and is the embodiment of Ferrari’s constant pursuit of outstanding performance and ultimate design.”

"I will never allow its market performance to be surpassed by the new Chitu 77."

After hearing what Cordero said, Paul felt a little overwhelmed.

Although he has a certain degree of confidence that Ferrari will not be affected too much this time, there are definitely certain risks involved in things that are not ultimately realized.

What if its sales are surpassed by Chitu 77?
"Kodlo, I will arrange for someone to collect more information about Chitu 77 as soon as possible."

"We will never let a new car company surpass us."

Regardless of whether you can do it or not, just make the big promise first.

People who work in sales are very good at this.

What else to do?

Tell my boss that I have no confidence and I can’t do it?
Then you won’t be able to do it.

……

When Porsche and Ferrari were worried about the launch of Chitu 77, BMW, which had long been paying attention to the rise of BMW Group, was naturally also discussing this topic.

"Valdi, our M3 was just launched last month. The first month's sales are almost out, right?"

As the sales pillar of BMW sports cars, the M3 can sell an average of about 1 units per year.

This is definitely a remarkable achievement in the sports car world.

BMW's reputation for excellent driving performance was also gradually formed under the influence of these sports cars.

“This generation of M3 has undergone significant improvements and upgrades in design compared to the previous generation, and is more in line with the aesthetic and performance requirements of consumers at the time for sports cars.”

“It uses more advanced technology and craftsmanship, achieving a better balance in performance, handling and comfort.”

“Equipped with an inline six-cylinder engine, the power output is strong and linear, which can bring the driver an excellent driving experience.”

"At the same time, the exterior design is more fashionable and dynamic, with a high degree of recognition, attracting the attention and love of many consumers."

"Current sales are expected to increase by more than 20% year-on-year, and even 30% is possible."

When it comes to the market performance of M3, Vardy is still very happy.

This is the best performing M3 on the market so far.

The new exterior presents a classic design that combines sportiness with elegance.

The body lines are simple and smooth, and the double kidney-shaped air intake grille on the front is outlined with a black frame.

With the narrow and sharp round headlights, the eyes are sharp and cold.

The side profile is compact and dynamic, with a low body posture and slightly flared wheel arches, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

The 16-inch star-shaped wheels have a unique shape, adding a mechanical beauty to the body.

The rear of the car is designed to be full and neat, with a small spoiler that is slightly upturned and double-sided circular exhaust ports embedded on both sides of the bumper. The overall style is low-key yet sharp.

It not only retains the classic elements of the BMW family, but also highlights the unique identity of the M series high-performance model through wide-body kits and aerodynamic details.

It won the favor of consumers as soon as it was launched on the market.

"What you said makes sense, but have you ever considered whether the launch of Chitu 77 will have an impact on M3?"

"It looks cooler, has more power, and is priced similarly to ours."

When Wals saw the appearance of Chitu 77, he was attracted by it.

Why can't anyone at BMW design such a good-looking car?
He is willing to pay for such a design.

"The M3 is a two-door, four-seater sports car that takes into account certain family needs."

"The Chitu 77 is a two-seater model, and its positioning is very different from ours."

"I admit that the Chitu 77 is a very good sports car, but our markets are different and its impact on our M3 is very limited."

"On the contrary, it may have a certain impact on our Z1."

Vardy couldn't lie with his eyes open.

The competitiveness of Chitu 77 is so strong, but you insist on saying that it is not good enough.

This is not convincing.

"Z1's sales volume was not particularly high to begin with, so no matter how much it is affected, it won't cause any serious damage."

If it is based on Jiang Hui's preference, he would definitely think that Z1 is better looking and cooler than M3.

However, as a convertible sports car, its market sales are indeed relatively limited.

It looks good, but it is inconvenient to use.

Of course, such a cool car model is very beneficial for enhancing brand influence.

So even though the Z1 is not as highly regarded as the M3 within BMW, a lot of resources were actually invested in it from all aspects.

"Indeed, I will ask the R&D department to test the performance of Chitu 77 in all aspects."

"At the same time, we will study its market performance and see where we can improve its configuration and performance in the future."

"The automotive industry will likely change much faster than before, and we have to adapt to this pace."

Since Vardy has expressed his opinion, Walls didn't worry about it anymore.

BMW has gone through a lot in its development history and can be considered a company that has weathered many storms.

A mere Red Hare 77 wouldn't be enough to cause them to panic.

It's just a matter of maintaining proper attention. (End of this chapter)