America: My Time

Chapter 158 Heartbeat
Chapter 158 Heart Fluttering

"Contact Ms. Mary Barra and inquire about the Bentley expansion and the acquisition of Leyland vans. If it hasn't started, stop immediately. Those British dare to set me up, so they should bear my wrath. Abandon the plan to build a European automotive center in Britain and re-evaluate the situation. Bentley's production base doesn't necessarily have to be in Britain; there are plenty of cities in Europe for us to choose from! There are also many van brands in Europe. Let Ms. Mary Barra make a new choice."

Although I knew that Hong Kong Telecom couldn't have a monopoly on communications forever, I didn't expect this day to come so soon. It had only been a short time since I acquired Hong Kong Telecom, and these damned British dared to unilaterally breach the contract without even consulting me. They showed no respect for me at all. Did they really think I was young and easy to bully?

Soon, John's secretarial team was busy. After a phone call, the US took action. The original plan to expand the production base in Britain was called off, and the acquisition of Leyland Trucks was canceled. And this was just the beginning. The power of the media was also at work. As a media tycoon, he would not let this go unpunished. The British had to pay the price for their actions.

Backing down? That's out of the question. John will never back down because of the Hong Kong Telecom incident. If even the British dare to cheat him like this and he doesn't react at all, then those guys in Japan probably won't behave themselves either. Not to mention he also has to face those old guys in the US. If the British dare to cheat him, he can use the British to establish his authority and let everyone know that he is not someone to be trifled with, even if it means paying some price.

John believed that he could not back down in this battle under any circumstances. If the British dared to make a move, he had to retaliate and let them know what pain was. Only by hurting them could he earn the respect of others and make those old guys who had been eyeing him restrain themselves. Only by showing strength could he make these guys fear him and prevent them from continuing to make trouble for him. Otherwise, he would continue to be targeted by these bastards, which would only make the situation worse.

"Thank you both for the notification. Actually, all of this was within my expectations, but I didn't expect it to happen so suddenly, or at such a convenient time. Perhaps they thought this would catch me off guard. I must say, those British are really scoundrels. I just didn't expect it to happen so suddenly or be so crazy!"

"Mr. John, will this unexpected event affect your upcoming plans?"

"The impact isn't that great. The problems with Hong Kong Telecom were bound to happen sooner or later, it's just a little early now. Since the British have unilaterally breached the contract, they have to pay the price. I'm very curious to see how they'll react when the news comes out tomorrow! I can't possibly have no counterattack at all. To be honest, before you two arrived, I had already ordered Bentley Group to abandon the construction of their automotive center in England and to abandon the acquisition of Leyland Trucks. The US side has also made arrangements."

As soon as John finished speaking, they realized that although the young man in front of them was young, he was a media tycoon who held a voice in the world. Moreover, he was also an industrialist. They had all heard about the establishment of the Bentley Group, but they did not expect that the Bentley Group's plans were so grand!

Industry is the lifeblood of a nation. Bentley's decision to abandon its expansion in Britain has a far greater impact on the country than the Hong Kong Telecom incident. Such a retaliation is indeed a major headache for the British. Automotive centers mean jobs, and with the Hong Kong Telecom incident, all of those are gone, causing significant trouble for Britain. Add to that the influence of media groups pushing things along the way, and the consequences are unimaginable!

Indeed, there is no such thing as luck in success. To achieve such remarkable results in just one year is a testament to one's ability. The British underestimated John's capabilities, treating him as an ordinary young man, and the result was a huge problem!
"Mr. John, will the Bentley Group's decision to abandon the construction of the production center have any impact on itself? If needed, we can do our best to help!"

"It's impossible to say there's no impact at all, considering all the preparations made beforehand, which now have to be abandoned due to this change. But it's also not that the impact is huge. Bentley is a high-end brand, and although it plans to build a production center to cater to the European market, the factory doesn't necessarily have to be located in England. As for the current acquisition of a van brand, that's even less significant. Due to the overall economic climate, car sales are in trouble. There are many European car brands, and the Bentley Group has more than just Leyland Vans as an option! Actually, the Hong Kong Telecom incident coming sooner was a good thing. At least it showed me how ruthless the British can be. If we had waited until the Bentley Group's work had begun, that would have been a real problem. Even if they wanted to make changes, they wouldn't have been able to. But they will definitely regret their actions."

Before embarking on the construction of the European automobile production center, John and Mary Barra had already made preparations. The design and development of Bentley cars had been completed, the prototype of the new off-road brand Knight had been completed, and it had been recognized by Middle Eastern tycoons. It had even received orders from the military and government of wealthy countries. It was precisely because of this that the automobile production center was built!
For the wealthy, Bentley's exorbitant price isn't the primary concern; what matters is comfort and safety, which Bentley can certainly deliver. It's precisely because the car has gained the approval of Middle Eastern tycoons that Bentley was in such a hurry to build a production center in Europe. Now, all of that is gone because of the Hong Kong Telecom incident!
Regarding the choice of cities for establishing its automotive manufacturing center, several alternative cities were initially considered, such as Hamburg and Dublin. Hamburg was chosen because of the Germanic technology and quality, while Dublin had the lowest corporate tax rate. The decision to expand in Britain was purely based on geographical factors. Truck brands were even less of a problem; DAF and Scania are among the top truck brands in Europe and the world. For Bentley's European strategy, Britain wasn't as crucial as initially thought. If the Bentley Group were to abandon Britain, the impact would be astonishing, triggering a credibility crisis there. Relocating production facilities is difficult, but moving the headquarters is relatively easy, especially since Bentley's R&D department is already moving to the US, making a headquarters relocation feasible in principle. From the beginning, John had intended to relocate the Bentley Group's headquarters, but since all of Bentley's car brands were in Britain, this wasn't an option; now, however, such an opportunity had arisen.

This incident is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. Perhaps, as he suspected, those old guys in the US were also involved, using the British to test him. Therefore, John must take a tough stance this time! If the British don't give him a reasonable explanation, this matter won't end. Bentley Group's headquarters can be moved elsewhere; any country would welcome a car group like that.

"Mr. John, the Bentley Group is expanding rapidly. Have you ever considered having the Bentley Group invest in and build a factory in China?"

"I want to, I really want to, but it's also very difficult. There are just too many problems to solve. Although Bentley Group's headquarters are in Britain, it still has an independent R&D department in the United States. The reason for this is that we need to eliminate the pressure from within the United States! To be honest, Bentley Group is under tremendous pressure in the United States because it doesn't have a factory. Almost all the giants that have entered the US car market have factories in the United States, but Bentley Group doesn't. As a result, it has suffered fierce attacks from the US auto union. This storm has already broken out once before, but that was when Bentley Motors Group was just established."

John paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "We are also very interested in the Chinese market, and we can see its potential, but we can't overcome the pressure from within the United States. It's not just Bentley Group; all the major American automakers are facing the same situation. The United Auto Workers are our biggest trouble and enemy!"

During this period, the unemployment rate in the United States was very high. Creating jobs abroad instead of creating jobs in the United States would inevitably lead to pressure from all sides. Therefore, this was not a good time for Bentley to expand. The high unemployment rate in the United States created enormous internal pressure, leaving John feeling powerless. This was caused by the external environment, which was beyond human control.

John had already made it difficult to secure semiconductor investments, but building a car factory overseas would be a huge problem. If it attracted a fierce attack from the auto union, even with his media group, he would have a hard time dealing with the many dirty tricks. After all, this was closely related to jobs, and jobs were precisely the government's biggest headache.

“We understand the pressure Mr. John is facing. If there were no investment management restrictions, would Mr. John be willing to invest in building a factory in China?”

Upon hearing this, John frowned. This was a question he had never considered before, as it seemed almost impossible to him. China shouldn't be opening doors for a mere American like himself; their sincerity was too great, even for him to resist.

"To be honest, I haven't really considered this issue. If that's really the case, Bentley Motors has no reason to refuse. Even if the investment is huge, Bentley will do it, and it will definitely use the most advanced technology. The Chinese market is worth our gamble! Funding has never been a problem for us! If, and I mean if, that's really possible, Bentley will place its Asian manufacturing center in China. Exporting complete vehicles might be difficult, but exporting parts is not a problem. Bentley has an auto parts sales company in the United States."

(End of this chapter)