My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 980 Bloodsucking is my forte
There is a time point involved.

Why did Japanese cars begin their aggressive push into the North American market in the early 1980s?

Because of the energy crisis in the 1970s, which caused oil prices to soar, the luxurious and spacious style of several major American car brands from the 1960s and 70s was rejected by the market.

Japanese cars, known for their durability, reliability, and fuel efficiency, are gaining popularity.

Chrysler capitalized on the Dodge 600's appeal as a cheap, durable, and fuel-efficient Japanese car to regain its status as a national car.

Even the Dodge 600 produced at the Shanghai plant still uses a Mitsubishi engine.

The Caravan commercial vehicle is also relatively fuel-efficient.

Fuel-efficient cars are also typically compact and small, which is why the Dodge Caravan is classified as a minivan.

After all, bigger means heavier, which will increase fuel consumption due to wind resistance and load.

But if Wei Dong knew that this crisis of high oil prices would definitely end at Citibank.

Later, everyone started talking about how cheap Citibank oil was.

Citibanks seem to care nothing about gas prices; they just love large-displacement engines.

He didn't know the exact time, but a few days ago Lao Fang reminded him of something: the European partners at the West Wharf believed that the downturn in the shipping market was coming to an end and that a surge in marine demand was imminent, because the energy crisis in the Middle East was basically over.

Earlier, Guoyuan's chief engineer, who had already become the head of Guoji Group, had also told Rang Weidong that Guoyuan had suffered significant losses in previous years due to the energy crisis.

But recently they've recovered and started building new ships.

The shipping market is showing signs of emerging from its slump and experiencing a breakout.

The car market may depend on a slower-reacting consumer market, unlike boat owners who face market changes head-on.

Before car companies could even react, the golden age of this inexpensive, fuel-efficient model was about to end.

These cheap, fuel-efficient vehicles will certainly always exist, but American brands eventually had to move into the luxury, large-displacement...pickup truck market?
Didn't Japanese car manufacturers also launch various luxury brands in the 1990s?

Especially when he saw that round Toyota MPV, Wei Dong almost shouted out its nicknames, "Big Predator" and "Bullet Head".

This car is bound to sell like hotcakes!
You can even see this car in Shangzhou, so it should sell very well in Citibank.

Therefore, the only way to beat this car is to play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses.

Why did so many automakers, seeing Chrysler making huge profits from this MPV since 1983, hesitate for six or seven years before following suit?

The investment required to follow this new trend is simply too great.

This basically means that the entire model has been redesigned, from the chassis and handling to the exterior and interior.

It cost a huge amount of money.

Then, many of them were met with disastrous failures upon listing, with very few sales.

Before changing its president, Chrysler had lost billions of dollars and almost went bankrupt, only recovering by applying for government subsidies.

Throughout the 1970s, every product they released lost money.

Very cautious.

That's what emboldened Wei Dong, an amateur, to spout such nonsense.

Of course, his wife also didn't understand at all and just followed along.

The executives, who had just been looking at him with new respect, fell silent again.

The president gestured, "Let's show Pete our new designs for this year and get his feedback."

Immediately, someone opened their briefcase and even demanded that the area be cleared out...

Both of these vehicles, from GM and Toyota, were publicly displayed at international auto shows last year and this year.

When it comes to new cars that are about to be launched, those are top secrets of the car companies.

But Wei Dong kept them there with just one sentence: "I can guarantee that my people won't leak any secrets. Let them learn and experience more from me."

Therefore, the lord's position became increasingly secure in the hearts of his subordinates.

A stack of A4-sized color photos, some of which are still hand-drawn sketches, while others already include prototypes or models.

It's clear that the filming took place at the R&D center.

Now Wei Dong understood why the president had laughed earlier.

Because this batch of Chrysler's new cars have all undergone major design changes.

It's just that sedans are unlikely to be round like dough balls, but are changing completely towards a streamlined shape.

It's like a shuttle.

The design director, holding up the pictures, proudly introduced that this was inspired by supercar concepts drawn from the acquisition of the bankrupt Lamborghini last year.

Indeed, compared to aimlessly searching for vague design directions, acquiring a well-known supercar manufacturer is a simple, convenient, and cost-effective solution for major automakers.

It was when the president saw Lamborghini sports cars with extremely low wind resistance at the Frankfurt Motor Show that he was inspired to instruct the design center to lean the new sedan towards a "supercar" feel.

As the leading figure who single-handedly created the famous "Mustang" sports car series at Ford, President Xi Jinping has always been a sports car enthusiast.

Capitalizing on the market demand of young people in the 1960s who valued freedom and loved stunning designs, much like Lei Jun's later Su-7, which was specifically marketed to young people, it sold an unprecedented 400,000 units in its first year on the market.

That's why Wei Dong sincerely said that the person had real vision when they were young, and that they were able to create the Caravan commercial vehicle category even in their old age.

It's really awesome.

Now he couldn't help but applaud: "That's right. I didn't like Fifth Avenue last year, but this tastes just right. If the front part were a little thicker, it would be even more perfect."

Because the prototype we saw had a truly modern streamlined design that met the aesthetic standards of the market later on.

The only thing missing is the front air intake, which has a flat, sucking lip like a big-mouthed catfish, almost turning into a sharp cone.

The main focus is on daring to speak one's mind.

The president remained smiling and silent.

The design director finally mustered the courage to explain: "We call this design concept 'moving the cabin forward.' Of course, Lamborghini did this to maintain the tradition of rear-mounted engines. We mainly learned from this style to give consumers the experience of driving a supercar."

While speaking, she subtly pushed a few other pictures, namely the third-generation Buick Regal which was launched this year and the eighth-generation Lincoln Continental: "It's also about creating some styling differences with them."

They have all abandoned the old-fashioned, upright, noble and elegant front of cars like Rolls-Royce, and have become more fashionable.

Both of them are like the "future aesthetic" that Rang Weidong described: streamlined but with a thicker front lip!

No wonder Chrysler has been getting worse year by year.

Doing something so unconventional is practically suicidal!
This once again "proves" that Wei Dong was right; the solutions he proposed were precisely the more perfect and correct ones that the competitors had proposed!
When Qin Yuye translated for her husband, her eyes were full of admiration.

Actually, Xiong Guoming and Sister Qing, who were sitting on the sofa in the distance, couldn't see the pictures on the table at all. But just by looking at the attitude of all the foreigners towards their boss, and the boss's wife's translation and eyes, they could only admire them immensely.

They are still learning from foreigners and competing with foreigners, which is an attitude that surpasses that of almost all Chinese people.

Let Wei Dong teach foreigners...

"Hey buddy, it's not like if you spend thousands of dollars on a car that looks like a supercar and drives it like a supercar, people will just laugh at you for buying a cheap one to show off since you can't afford a supercar..."

The Chinese people who heard his exact words exchanged knowing glances.

Boss, you really dare to say that!
This made things difficult for Qin Yuye, as the translation from Chinese to English became even more challenging.

Because she really wanted to convey the awesomeness her husband was expressing.

"Look, if Buick, Lincoln, and Chrysler all change towards this style, wouldn't the choice now be two to one? Why are more manufacturers choosing this kind of front-end change instead of making it look almost like a bulldozer's shovel? Consumers are likely to have this majority aesthetic, so won't they suffer in sales in the future?"

Wei Dong is still an excellent salesman: "A good product should be well-rounded, without any weaknesses, and it doesn't need to be too outstanding. It should be good in every aspect, and then have some highlights. In my opinion, this kind of unconventional design is not advisable."

The CEOs present glanced at the president again.

The president took a close look at the styles of Buick and Lincoln, and then compared them with his own.

He smiled and made the decision: "That makes some sense. Plymouth uses this style, and Dodge will make the front of the car a little thicker. Let's see how the market reacts."

That's the quality of a leader; you have to have the courage to make decisions and take responsibility.

Unlike the others who only started clapping at this moment, their faces and eyes filled with praise for their leader's wisdom.

When Wei Dong saw this, he thought it was a recipe for disaster.

The leader can't always be right; we need to pool our wisdom and efforts to provide more suggestions for adjustment.

Even the most brilliant and great decision-makers, and the most correct plans, may fail or even perish if they act too hastily or react too slowly, whether sooner or later.

Such people, who are fawned over by everyone, will only become more headstrong and self-willed.

For example, right now it's really the president's word: "Then let's go by the facts. Caravan must come up with a rounded, improved model as soon as possible, as well as a larger version that combines the features of an SUV and an MPV, and incorporate Pete's experiments with the seats and electric sliding doors. Okay, I'll talk to Pete alone."

Everyone stood up with a sigh of relief.

Wei Dong nodded to his men from a distance.

Sister Qing dared to come and refill the tea for the three of them again. Yu Xiaoqiu and Zou Huimin took the opportunity to clear away the other teacups on the table. Xiong Guoming and Lao Cheng even assisted. Hei Taizi helped to hold open the double office door. For him, this was already a huge change.

Wei Dong pondered silently, his face expressionless: "What benefits do I have?"

Actually, from the conversation with the president in the car, he had a vague feeling that it was another situation similar to Steve's.

When the meeting started, he realized that the "vampire supplier" model that he and Lin Wangfu were most familiar with and liked had begun.

Don't try to do sales in Europe and America yourself; just rely on these huge corporations to leech off them.

It was Lin Wangfu who made Wei Dong burst into laughter, "I've got it!"
Sister Qing respectfully closed the double doors.

The huge CEO office was now empty except for three people. As the CEO looked at Wei Dong, a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"What, do you have another great idea?"

Qin Yuye already trusted him completely; judging from her husband's expression, she knew he was absolutely certain!
Wei Dong nodded and smiled, "Yes, I'm almost 100% confident that your next model will sell well, but what do you have to offer me?"

The CEO's eyes couldn't possibly be anything but sharp: "What do you want?"

Oh, I'll take a lot of this.

(End of this chapter)