My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 771 Business is all about constantly generating new ideas
For a moment, Wei Dong couldn't help but feel a little cocky.

Whether it was because he couldn't secure the deal with the Economic Commission and was able to take advantage of the situation, or because he had just made a lot of money with Apple and was constantly being flattered by those around him, especially Qin Yuye, who admired him so much.

It really does float.

They thought it was because they were amazing, not because they were reborn and returned to this era.

They decided to change their strategic intentions at will.

In fact, if you make one wrong step, you will lose everything.

Wei Dong drove this American luxury sedan, destined to disappear into the annals of history and no longer suited to the market, through the seemingly magnificent and bustling car city.

Even if he didn't know that the city was about to face a landmark bankruptcy resulting in the outflow of Citibank's entire manufacturing industry, he should at least know that Citibank cars were failing miserably.

The fact that Shangzhou was a bit out of the way and the tax office was a bit small actually prevented him from being overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. He was able to clearly remember which joint venture models were more common and at what stage domestic brands were gradually rising to prominence.

Anyway, there's nothing to do with these Citibank cars.

Especially the fact that there are no Citibank luxury cars.

Wei Dong had driven that Lincoln luxury car for several hundred kilometers and had a lot of experience with it.

"Citibank luxury cars that emphasize large displacement engines, high fuel consumption, soft and comfortable leather seats, and even somewhat exaggerated exterior designs are all doomed to failure!"

Now, pointing to the dashboard and seats, he finds everything disagreeable: "Look, do Mercedes-Benz and BMW have these messy decorations? All these fancy things are meaningless. They're just plastic with chrome plating, making them shiny to deceive the eyes. Sitting on soft sofas for too long is even worse for your spine, so all these ideas are wrong!"

Cars from this era certainly wouldn't have hidden microphones for eavesdropping, and there would be language barriers as well.

This allowed Wei Dong to launch unrestrained attacks.

Just by glancing at him slightly, Qin Yuye looked like a born Daji, his peach blossom eyes both mesmerizing and affectionate.

Wei Dong is usually kept a low profile because he knows that being arrogant in mainland China will not end well.

Furthermore, if I were to reveal these predictive points related to my clairvoyance to anyone, they might all benefit.

Therefore, it is rare to hear such unrestrained and blunt comments.

Isn't it also a desperate attempt to warn one's own heart?

Unexpectedly, he also managed to charm his wife.

It is said that power or money are the best aphrodisiacs.

This kind of man, who is decisive and capable, a business tycoon who can easily achieve great success in business, is like a potent aphrodisiac to Qin Yuye.

From a young age, she longed for a man who was constantly successful and possessed an unparalleled sense of reliability.

Her eyes could practically overflow with spring-like passion.

The front row of this car also has an armrest that connects to the sofa, right? It's like a gentle, watery embrace, without saying a word, the face flushed as it rubs against you.

Wei Dong is considered an experienced driver now. Even if he goes out every day, he still practices the Dragon Tiger Heart Sutra. Otherwise, they would feel embarrassed to spend so much money to hire three bodyguards who do nothing all day.

So he remained relatively calm, understood the situation, and was probably still a little smug inside, so he kept quiet.

Let's just drive around and wander around.

It's truly wonderful.

The headquarters of the three major American automakers are all located here. At this time, the average annual salary of an auto manufacturing worker is even 30% higher than the average annual salary of a university professor.

Therefore, the city streets are all lined with beautiful buildings that are laid out in a wide open style, with stone facades, and there are rows of yacht marinas just near the lake.

Wei Dong was somewhat amused, realizing that even his boast to the Economic Commission was wrong.

If the goal is truly to develop the automotive industry, Shanghai is the choice that best aligns with business principles and commercial norms.

The Yangtze River Delta region boasts advanced spare parts manufacturing capabilities, Shanghai possesses the most complete industrial base, and most importantly, the ability to cultivate skilled workers.

They are all far superior to Jiangzhou.

If you're importing the car model to sell in mainland China, choosing Jiangzhou is understandable. But if you want to resell it to North America, then Shanghai is definitely the best choice.

Only a mentally ill person would produce a child upstream on the Yangtze River, a thousand or two kilometers away, and then transport the child to Shanghai to board a ship.

Having figured this out, Wei Dong finally made up his mind and drove back.

However, the fact that the car city was currently at its peak and in such a wonderful state corrected Wei Dong's preconceived notions and also made him a little less vigilant.

It's like turning the car into a Chrysler dealership, only to look down and see that the girl in your arms has ears that are so red they're practically bleeding. You realize that your right hand has somehow ended up wrapped around her chest!

All of these are bad habits I developed with Xiaodie's mom.

Hurry up and get off the bus!
Qin Yuye blushed and lowered her head meekly like a submissive wife, clinging to him with small, shuffling steps. Several high-ranking executives also came from the hotel, except for the oldest president.

He seemed to have made up his mind: "Okay, we agree to try producing cars in mainland China as an OEM and then exporting them back to North America. But isn't choosing the luxury Fifth Avenue model too risky? Do the workers in mainland China have the ability to operate the production line and ensure quality?"

So another person seemed to be playing along: "We hope to produce the Dodge Caravan commercial van, which is our current high-profit focus and has good sales. It would be great if we could further reduce costs."

This idea is also good. The high price of a luxury model will inevitably bring high quality requirements. Let Weidong give it to the MPV that he takes to the set to doze off. It is practical but not luxurious, and users will not be concerned about the details of the workmanship.

Wei Dong immediately and soberly refused: "No, no, no, the simplest solution is to transfer all of the Cherokee's supporting production lines there. Off-road vehicles have always sold well in North America, right? The final assembly line is already in place, and skilled workers are readily available. Transferring all the other supporting lines there immediately will definitely benefit your company greatly!"

As the vice president of Cherokee, he was familiar with the basic structure of a modern factory industry.

The four major steps of stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly are often only represented by the final assembly plant in many so-called joint venture production lines, including the one in Pingjing.

All the parts were imported from abroad, and even the car body paint was already applied and shipped over.

Not to mention the parts produced by the component manufacturers, such as the engine, transmission, radio, seats, sofas, and even every screw, all of which are imported.

Foreign manufacturers have already made a fortune, supported so many workers, and then made more money after selling the cars.

If this is combined with the use of US dollars, it would be another round of exploitation of the hard-earned dollars of third-world countries.

The entire process is truly like sucking blood to make huge profits and suppressing the development of industrial manufacturing.

But it was precisely this monster from Japan that allowed Toyota and a few other automakers to outcompete automakers worldwide with their low-cost, low-fuel-consumption, and cheap car strategy.

After all, even in North America and Europe, most people are content with an affordable car; it's unrealistic to expect to sell only luxury cars.

So now it's the North American manufacturers; if they don't make changes, they'll collapse too.

Wei Dong understood this principle when he was the vice president of Cherokee.

Qin Yuye flipped through it again with great enthusiasm.

Wei Dong, observing the other party's expression, could still get to the bottom of things even across the language barrier: "My suggestion is to cooperate on this first. It'll have immediate results. Chrysler is listed, right? This will benefit the stock price. Actually, the Cherokee is produced in mainland China. Your management asked to raise the monthly salary to around eighty dollars, but it was ultimately rejected. Hurry up, I'm very confident I can help you... There are still six months left. Starting from New Year's Day next year, it will be available in large quantities and will definitely be cheaper than it is now, getting cheaper and cheaper!"

That got everyone excited.

I would like to hear the details.

Previously, Wei Dong had been working with the Economic Commission and other departments to promote the relocation of factories from the Pingjing urban area.

That's why he started building a new factory area and new dormitory buildings in the suburbs by the airport road, and that's why Wanmad Hotel Group partnered with them for a budget business hotel there. It has been under construction for seven or eight months now.

The building complex is taking shape.

Now it's perfect to move it to the new Cherokee parts factory first: "The existing factory, the stamping, welding, painting and other complete car production lines can be transported there immediately. At the same time, some materials and parts may also need to be transported, but first we should try to reduce labor costs as much as possible, reduce the production cost of each car, and then transport them back, or sell them in Southeast Asia or Europe. Yes, I can help you sell in Southeast Asia. I can be your general sales agent for Cherokee in Southeast Asia!"

Even though it was something she had just thought of, Qin Yuye seemed to have grasped the essence that made Wei Dong tremble with excitement, and translated it steadily.

"I came to Citibank East this time to watch the NBA draft and then pick a few players to bolster my team. I have a basketball team that is very famous in Southeast Asia. I'll bring the Cherokee along to perform and sell them all the way. Just you wait and see, it will definitely boost Cherokee sales!"

This isn't a lie; the club's big boss is Chow Yun-fat, who is indeed a household name in Southeast Asia. At the very least, you could use someone like Chow Yun-fat to endorse and sell cars.

Therefore, Wei Dong's seemingly useless groundwork, such as basketball and celebrities, was ultimately used for commercial sales.

These executives immediately felt much clearer.

If you were to sell a bunch of parts worth over $9,000 to assembly plants in Asia, assemble them, ship them back, and sell them for $15,000, even if you could make a profit, it would feel like a pointless exercise.

Therefore, it's not surprising that significant profits might only become apparent once all these components are manufactured in Asia and then assembled.

But if we send the $9,000+ worth of parts over there now to assemble them and then sell them in Southeast Asia to open up entirely new markets, then we'll absolutely be ecstatic.

In fact, by 1987, SUVs were far from reaching the point where they could compete with sedans.

Thirty or forty years later, among all car models, SUVs and sedans each accounted for one-third of the total production and sales volume, and this continued for many years after the new century, while MPVs accounted for only one-tenth.

The Cherokee is arguably the most affordable and durable SUV among American models.

This market is dominated by a few brands of off-road vehicles, such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.

Southeast Asia may be poor, but the demand for affordable SUVs is actually very high, as it has two or three large countries with populations exceeding 100 million.

In particular, their road infrastructure is not well-developed, and off-road performance and the ability to handle rough roads are important indicators.

Last year, when I visited Pendu in Singapore to check out the rates, I had this feeling.

Now we can take advantage of their power and reap the rewards.

(End of this chapter)