My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 671 I'm Just a Mandarin-Speaking Consumer

It's fair to say that anyone who dares to launch a vehicle brand and put it on the market within just two or three years is a formidable individual.

Previously, there wasn't much demand for cars. Since private individuals weren't allowed to buy and sell vehicles, the government had to centralize the purchase and sales, concentrating everything in a few large state-owned factories.

So, those who seized this opportunity and started producing complete vehicles were basically not ordinary private car companies at this time; they were all large state-owned machinery factories and repair shops, many of which had local backgrounds or even military connections.

After all, from the engine, transmission, and chassis to the sheet metal, shock absorbers, glass, and seats, even the worst car is a complex product with many components.

This has spurred the production of a series of related components.

They're used to being arrogant and boastful in their local area.

In the past two or three years, even selling just a few dozen or a few hundred vehicles can generate tens of millions in revenue.

The insults were incessant!
"Who do you think you are!"

"What do you know..."

It was another outpouring of emotions in various dialects.

But this time it was clear that everyone was focused on the conference room, with the car manufacturers being the core players, while the vast majority of parts and components manufacturers outside remained silent.

In fact, if most of these car manufacturers were to switch to manufacturing parts, it would be a devastating blow to them.

So there was a lot of noise around the conference table.

If Wei Dong wanted to suppress it any longer, he would have to yell.

Therefore, some people are born to be the protagonists.

Qin Yuye was originally standing at the back with Lao Gao and Lao Tang, but because of the crowd, she stood on the side with Sister Duan and the others.

Suddenly, he stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and leaned close to Wei Dong's microphone: "Mark Twain once said that if someone affects your emotions, you should focus on controlling your own emotions, not on the person affecting you. Thank you."

Actually, the moment she stood up, the shouting and cursing suddenly subsided.

Women have a natural ability to put out fires, especially beautiful women.

This posture is even more elegant and beautiful.

After she said those words, it inexplicably fell silent.

Wei Dong remained unmoved: "What right do I have to say that? Well, I've driven trucks all over the country, covering tens of thousands of kilometers, driven vans to the high plateaus and border regions, driven pickup trucks in Southeast Asia, and driven more than twenty different domestic car brands. I'm just an ordinary consumer. In the past, there were no choices, and there were even administrative quotas. Your junk could still be sold. But now that consumers have seen it for themselves, our friends in the high plateaus don't even look down on Cherokees anymore. They only recognize Toyota SUVs. Do you know what it's like to have to repair cars all the way? Imported cars don't need that, and joint venture cars will be able to do it in the future. Do you know what standardized parts mean? It means that parts of the same model can be interchanged and installed. You haven't even seen what a modern car company looks like. Who said that? Destruction is not due to strength or weakness, but to ignorance and arrogance!"

These are all anecdotes that Wei Dong learned about when he went to Santana. Even Shanghai, the most advanced manufacturer in China, didn't believe that the parts of a car could be interchanged when the Santana production line started. How could it be so precise?

Every Shanghai-brand sedan was assembled by hand, requiring hammering and tinkering.

All handmade!
Therefore, it's easy to imagine the level of other automobile manufacturing companies besides these joint ventures.

At this point, joint venture factories are basically assembling parts supplied by CDK (Computer, Device, and Knives).

The gap is obvious: "A leader from the State Economic Commission once told me that he hoped to gather car manufacturers and auto parts manufacturers from across the country to tackle the challenge of increasing the localization rate of joint venture auto parts. I said that it would be best to let the market test it. The auto parts manufacturers here can either strive to improve themselves and become suppliers to joint ventures, thus becoming world-class auto parts manufacturers, or continue to produce substandard parts to car companies that are destined to be dragged down and go bankrupt. How to make domestic auto parts suppliers become suppliers to world-renowned brands is the direction that our machinery manufacturing industry is striving for!"

By this time, no one was making any noise.

All that could be heard was Rang Weidong's voice echoing.

"Whether you make money or go bankrupt has nothing to do with me. I'm just reminding you from a consumer's perspective to cherish this golden period of development and elimination. Perhaps right next to you, a certain parts supplier or a certain car manufacturer will widen the gap and eliminate you in the future. The opportunity for natural elimination is only so short. Whether you are busy deceiving and making some short-term profits or want to survive and become the ultimate winner depends on whether you can improve the quality, instead of drinking a lot of wine and bribing a supply manager to sign a parts contract, and then sending some inferior parts to make money. That's all I have to say. The meeting will start tomorrow. Let the market and consumers judge everything in the future."

Perhaps only he clearly knows that while the wheels of history have indeed been shifted somewhat, their direction will never change.

This is a final reminder to all car manufacturers and parts suppliers before the auto show.

After finishing speaking, he put down the microphone and signaled the meeting to adjourn. Secretary Zhai, who had expected to be invited up to say a few more polite words, was a little surprised.

Wei Dong greeted him with a low chuckle: "If the final exhibition results are good and the total contract amount is decent, then we'll invite the city officials to give a concluding speech..."

Oh, that's very thoughtful, that's fine too.

The two had just nodded and smiled when a round of applause erupted outside.

And it quickly spread to the conference room.

Many of those who were just shouting and cursing suddenly started clapping.

Perhaps it really is true what Qin Yuye said: after controlling one's emotions, which is actually controlling one's inner fear, Wei Dong's words carry immense weight.

Each car manufacturer may be used to being arrogant in its own territory. Even when participating in national evaluations in the past, it was all about dividing up the spoils among different systems and ministries. Now that they are finally being compared with all the car manufacturers in the country, they are probably already feeling panicked.

It was just that Wei Dong pointed it out directly.

Once I understood the situation and got over it, all that remained in my heart was admiration and gratitude.

Wei Dong remained expressionless, simply taking a quick look around the exhibition hall with Secretary Zhai, agreeing on the route for the city leaders to cut the ribbon and open the exhibition the next day, before they parted ways.

Many car factory leaders were left behind, wandering around the closed exhibition hall, and didn't sleep all night!

The next morning, Wei Dong still took Erwa's mother to the office before going to the exhibition center for social engagements.

Because it was right on the only way to cross the river bridge, Dong Xueqing looked at the scene that was already filled with the sounds of gongs and drums and the fluttering of colorful flags, and told her husband to bring more people: "Hehe, I've made a contribution too."

She contributed twenty typists, along with twenty brand-new computers and printers to produce agreements and contracts for clients from all over the country on-site, as well as four photocopiers borrowed from the White Building and the factory area.

Wei Dong felt a strange sense of guilt, as if he had cheated on Wei Dong: "There are too many people, so don't come and squeeze in. I'll pick you up after get off work later."

Fengchu happily hummed in agreement.

Back at the exhibition center, Qin Yuye indeed parked his Defender in the back as well: "They even wanted to tow my car in for display!"

He suggested that Wei Dong take a detour: "It's not impossible, you go with them, I need to accompany the city leaders."

The Hong Kong girl scoffed, "What kind of city leader is he?"

However, she was indeed dressed beautifully today, wearing a bright red formal wool suit, which looked exceptionally vibrant, but she also wore a white blouse with a large collar underneath, the large ruffled collar turned up from the neckline to the chest.

That kind of gaudy feeling was transformed into something dignified.

Paired with large pearl earrings, it's definitely the center of attention.

Wei Dong couldn't even avoid it.

But it would be perfect as a live interview host.

Since I've already brought a media team, I might as well take charge myself.

She was immediately surrounded by makeup artists and assistants to fix her hair and makeup, and then strolled up to the exhibition center floor while being filmed by several cameras.

Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, you can immediately capture the scene of tens of thousands of people crowding the entire square, even extending to the road, sidewalks, and the opposite side of the street, all packed with people.

It was only thanks to traffic police on duty and teams of security personnel that a passage was barely cleared on the highway.

Anyway, Wei Dong frowned when he saw it: "Why didn't you let them in first? Does it look good to have them squeezed out on the outside?"

Old Gao grinned: "They said they'd release it after the leaders cut the ribbon..."

Wei Dong was furious: "Bullshit!"

Then, for some reason, I remembered what Qin Yuye had said yesterday. Controlling my emotions, I said, "Arrange for their release immediately! I said it! Is all this preparation just for that bit of official power? If we really impeach them, the city officials will be furious."

Sure enough, Wei Dong was sent over to report to several city officials as the general manager of the exhibition center: "There are too many people. I still insist on letting the visitors in first. It will be better to take pictures of the steel bars later. How can we show Jiangzhou's ambition by having an empty exhibition hall?"

Some of them noticed this and glanced at the general manager casually: "Wei Dong is right! Let's go, let's get started as soon as possible and push it forward against the clock."

The others praised first: "The popularity has indeed increased, but we'll see how much actual effect it can achieve. Weidong, you need to keep pushing it."

"This is a long-term task, so let's not put too much pressure on Weidong. Don't blindly pursue the amount of money you want to achieve. It would be best to take actions that truly and effectively promote the manufacturing of the automobile industry."

"I heard you gave them a warning yesterday, which aligns with the higher-ups' warning about the overheated national economy. The automobile industry needs to accelerate its development, but not through this haphazard, makeshift approach. What's the difference between that and the Great Leap Forward's steel production campaign? So you set the tone by saying that first, which is very good!"

The entire 200-meter-wide building was covered with banners from top to bottom!
"Pyeongkyo Automobile Manufacturing Plant wishes this exhibition a complete success."

"Shanghai Santana extends its greetings to colleagues nationwide"

"Jiang'an Automobile welcomes friends from the national automotive industry..."

Two hundred yuan each, and the entire front of the building was covered with them, three or four hundred of them!

Wei Dong joked, "Look at this exhibition economy. Just this costs tens of thousands. In fact, the prices for the first edition are not even market prices. A booth costs tens of thousands, a banner ad costs several thousand, and if you bring in a few large ads outside, you'll probably charge hundreds of thousands. That's how the exhibition center survives."

Several people in the city nodded thoughtfully. They were still somewhat apprehensive when they canceled the Industrial and Trade Building and converted it into an exhibition center, despite the pressure.

Now we can finally see a glimmer of hope.

(End of this chapter)