My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 976 What's so remarkable about this?

Clearly, Wei Dong's position in Beijing is even better than in Shanghai.

It has its own five-star hotel that can fully accommodate Chrysler executives, and a fleet of vehicles near the airport that can pick everyone up and take them to the automotive industrial park in no time.

Furthermore, there are successive generations of leaders whom we know and are familiar with.

If it weren't for that sense of responsibility, Wei Dong really wouldn't like coming to Pingjing, nor would he like doing business here.

It's a psychological feeling that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

There are too many outstanding people in this blessed land.

However, all of this was enough to shock Sister Qing.

She must have heard of Rang Weidong through various channels, but she never imagined that someone could have such a large business in Beijing without making a sound.

A dozen or so brand-new Chrysler vehicles, bearing temporary license plates, arrived at the Capital Airport to pick up a group of Chrysler executives.

Since the beginning in Shanghai, Wei Dong had never spoken alone with that ambitious president.

They successfully relocated the industrial chain that was to be phased out and dismantled in accordance with the contract, and reached an agreement to continue to create wealth for Chrysler.

It also brought relatively advanced complete automobile production technology to the mainland, which had no foundation at all.

This is a business where both parties get what they need.

There's really no need to pander.

But who says that Western countries don't have office politics, social niceties, and sycophancy?

Collins, the head of Cherokee's joint venture, has been preparing for the emperor's trip in the automotive kingdom since New Year's Day.

Under the guise of developing prototype vehicles, they imported several of the latest Chrysler Fifth Avenue and Dodge minivans from headquarters and meticulously maintained them until they were spotless.

It's reserved for the big boss to use.

Let Wei Dong have it too.

This is currently Chrysler's most luxurious model. He and Qin Yuye test drove it in Detroit last year before it was even officially launched.

The vertically square front grille is like a miniature Rolls-Royce, and the dashboard and center console are covered with sparkling buttons and switches, along with the fluffy, studded sofa-style seats.

An absolute epitome of American automobiles.

Wei Dong initially abandoned this out-of-trend model precisely because of its flashy but impractical features.

He went out, got a car to drive himself, and complained to Xiong Guoming, Lao Cheng, and Long Zhenwei:

"The Dodge 600 is rather outdated and even mediocre, but it has the advantage of not having any outrageous major problems. Most consumers buy cars for shelter from the wind and rain, reliability, and affordability. The fact that it has been a bestseller in the North American market for six or seven years is a good example for us to learn from. This car is not worth it. Why bother with all these fancy features? After a while, it will rust and get filthy, looking terrible..."

This time, Wu Shengyun and Xiong Guoming were deliberately separated. Lao Zhang wanted to maintain the foreign trade situation, so apart from Xiong Guoming who went to Beijing to seek approval, Long Zhenwei who accompanied him to see the mainland, this was mainly said to the Dodge CEO.

Upon returning and comparing his experience with that of Lao Cheng, Lao Cheng said casually, "I don't understand car design; I'm only responsible for production management. Back then, you were the one who made the decisions regarding camera modifications. I think that's your way of thinking, isn't it?"

When Wei Dong thought about it, it made perfect sense: "Simplicity and practicality solve the problem of whether or not we have them. The slightly outdated Dodge 600 is just right to take on this task."

The exterior is decent enough to be used as an official vehicle; after all, in this day and age, having a proper beginning and end is of paramount importance.

Both hatchback Xiali cars can sell for over 100,000 yuan, but the domestically produced Dodge, priced at 128,800 yuan, blows the competition out of the water.

Xiong Guoming then extended this to his own insurance industry: "Dong, do you require us to prioritize basic insurance types like social security and labor insurance, and to carefully consider commercial insurance?"

You really know how to make Wei Dong feel so indignant.

In just a few words, we had already left the airport and arrived at the automobile industrial park.

Even now, there's still no sign of an airport expressway construction plan; the Capital Airport is still just a two-lane rural road lined with trees on both sides.

Therefore, the Baimao Hotel, located right on the roadside, is extremely eye-catching.

While twelve stories isn't particularly tall, its vast size and impressive scale are undeniable.

In an era of travel restrictions and frequent arrests of migrant workers, there was no such high demand for accommodation.

Those who can afford to fly these days are not ordinary people; they must all have a deep impression of this place.

The proprietress was accompanied by three beautiful women in a minivan driven by a chauffeur.

Sister Qing has only become a frequent flyer in the last two years, and has even stayed at the Baimao Hotel, but she has never paid attention to the factory area that leads inward.

Now, listening to Yu Xiaoqiu proudly introduce the assembly plant, painting plant, engine plant, and so on along the way...

Clearly, he has brought quite a few people to visit.

They watched intently, their eyes glued to the screen.

Even Zou Huimin was so surprised that she covered her mouth slightly: "You can't find a factory this big in the whole of Hong Kong, right? It's even bigger than the one in Shanghai!"

Actually, the Shanghai side was built later and was more effectively planned into a standard modern factory, which is much simpler and tidier.

The buildings here follow the same scale as those relocated from Pingqi, all of which are based on the Eastern European factory model from the 1960s and 70s, and are much more substantial and massive.

Moreover, the residential areas built earlier became crowded due to later replanning, being mixed with the production areas.

Of course, people in the capital also enjoy this lively atmosphere.

Across the street, in the food industrial park, a long row of neat and impressive shops has been built along the street. From fermented bean curd, pickled vegetables, soy sauce, and pastries to braised tripe, braised dishes, and sesame mutton, shops sell everything.

Originally, the plan was to focus on showcasing the property to various parties, since the storefronts here are all self-built and there are no restrictions.

Incidentally, it also caters to the daily expenses of various units that have relocated to work here.

As it turns out, the Baimao Hotel mainly caters to airport travelers. Many passengers who come to stay for one night to catch their flights take the opportunity to buy some local specialties from Pyeongsang Province to take back with them, which is much more convenient than going to Wangfujing or Xidan to squeeze into shopping malls and queue up.

That's exactly what later became the airport store.

Business is booming, which is driving those old-timers in state-owned enterprises who thought they could slack off by working in the suburbs crazy.

In short, the two industrial parks, one with a large population and the other with a wide variety of consumer products, complemented each other and quickly took shape in this barren land.

Actually, Qin Yuye wasn't very surprised. She was there when they were choosing a site two years ago. It was a remote, uninhabited place. In less than two years, it had become so densely populated.
There's even a food industrial park: "Are these also ours?"

Yu Xiaoqiu spoke with a proud air, tinged with the superiority of a Beijing native: "They are all genuine time-honored brands, belonging to the Second Food Bureau. Brother Dong is now the chairman of the bureau's research center, expanding the real estate reform and development of food units. Everyone is praising them!"

It seems she got a little carried away, now that she's back on home turf.

Qin Yuye, on the contrary, became calm, leaned back in his chair, covered his mouth, and whispered to the administrative director in Cantonese.

Sister Qing also took the opportunity to look back at the secretary who hadn't been very "remarkable" before.

Chrysler executives repeatedly examined every detail of this brand-new and massive auto city.

The Cherokee has been in final assembly and production for three or four years, and has been painstakingly refined to a relatively mature stage. Now that the supporting facilities are complete, production efficiency has naturally improved significantly.

Many skilled workers from the previous 212 production line were recruited, along with a large number of young workers recruited from technical schools and industrial schools in the suburbs and neighboring provinces.

Adhering to the principle of "everything must be the best" in Heijing, the company has now reached a production scale of 5,000 vehicles per month.

Besides shipping 1,200 vehicles to the bonded area of ​​the West Wharf every month, the rest are sold domestically.

It's a bit saturated.

The rush to pick up goods began to slow down after two or three months.

The cheapest two-wheel drive costs 160,000 yuan, and apart from official vehicles, very few private individuals can afford it.

In those days, 160,000 yuan could buy several houses in Beijing or Shanghai, its purchasing power far surpassing that of luxury cars costing millions later on.

Not to mention the high-spec four-wheel-drive luxury version, which can cost nearly 300,000!
Therefore, Wei Dong, as a minority shareholder, wanted to take advantage of the foreign president's visit to China to discuss the price reduction.

More importantly, it involves reselling SUVs like the Cherokee, which are still gaining popularity in the North American market, back to China.

As a result, thousands of Cherokees were parked throughout the factory area!

I wonder if Citibank has a situation where thousands or tens of thousands of vehicles are still piling up in the factory.

In any case, in Wei Dong's memory, it was very common to see such things happening to major domestic manufacturers when he saw short videos online.

Every day, a steady stream of consumers, guided by Dongsheng Trading's sales representatives from various regions, come with their drivers to pay and pick up their vehicles.

There is indeed a sales commission of 1,000 yuan per vehicle, which is split 30/70 between the head office and the salesperson.

Together, they created a bustling and prosperous scene.

Queue up, pay the fee, get the vehicle pick-up slip, and have the handwritten temporary purchase slip stamped with the official seal. There's a gas station on the left after you leave; remember to fill up before driving back.

The most time-consuming part of the whole process was waiting for the cashier to painfully receive tens of thousands of ten-yuan coupons.

So, the many cashiers lined up at the counter wore finger covers made of rubber from ping-pong paddles, counting money with a swish, and each of them had a security officer standing behind them.

Wei Dong had already heard that banks had been confirming the issuance of 100-yuan notes since the end of last year, and there was a strong clamor for this everywhere.

In the days before bank transfers, manually counting cash, especially in ten-yuan denominations, was incredibly inconvenient.

A group of foreigners, guided by the obsequious CEO Collins, toured the site one by one.

The president looked at these people dressed in drab and plain clothes, who were generally thin and malnourished, yet they were beaming with joy as they came to buy cars and left, carrying faux leather handbags.

The observation was very detailed.

Finally, on the way to the city, he invited Wei Dong to travel with him.

Since the Asian regional general agent did not speak English, his wife took over the job, lowering the front armrest and turning to translate for the person in the back.

Wei Dong originally wanted to drive himself, but then he thought it was a rare opportunity to observe the Chrysler tycoon's reaction, so he leaned back on the comfortable back sofa and faced him.

The CEO wears a standard three-piece suit, which matches the image of imperialist capitalists in countless movies and TV dramas.

But it's clear that since his time in Detroit, Wei Dong hasn't been so formal.

Quite relaxed.

The president still maintained his condescending attitude: "I could have offered $20 million to sell the Dodge assembly line, and the entire supporting supply chain would have been worth more than $200 million."

Wei Dong calmly replied, "I spent nearly two hundred million US dollars to relocate these two industrial chains. This is not a favor, but a business transaction where each party gets what they need."

Qin Yuye was still unable to suppress her tension and tried her best to signal to her husband with her eyes, urging him to be more alert and not be so lazy.

This is a car giant!
(End of this chapter)