From knock-off old-man's electric vehicles to industrial giant

Chapter 241 Starry Sky Rectifies the Luxury Market
He immediately began to suspect his competitors.

Everyone wants to achieve impressive sales in the fourth quarter, and the Highlander also faces several competitors in the same segment.

They've been keeping an eye on models like the Ford Edge and Volkswagen Teramont.

In order to boost sales at the end of the year, traditional brands often coerce 4S stores to take on more cars and bundle car deliveries. Huang Yongqiang even relaxed the restrictions on bundled car deliveries. Of course, the discount rebate from the factory to the stores will be reduced a lot, which is why the stores have been raising prices. They have to spread the operating costs.

“We’ve investigated, and while our competitors on the joint venture side are running promotions, they haven’t lowered prices. The main issue is that we’ve seen a recent loss of customers in a few regions,” the secretary said.

"Which regions?" Huang Yongqiang asked.

"Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen."

"..."

Huang Yongqiang was stunned. The customer base in the core first-tier areas had been lost. This was supposed to be a few areas?

This is clearly a key area!!
"The sales department sent over an offline survey report, saying that it might be... perhaps it's the domestic brands, Xingchen Automotive, that have affected Highlander's year-end sales."

As soon as these words came out.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Huang Yongqiang retorted instinctively.

Are you bragging?

When was Xingchen Automotive released?

It was only released at the end of last month.

Can a new energy vehicle model that was only released a month ago really impact these established joint ventures?

Do you think car manufacturing is like printing?

I won't say more.

Based on the impressive order volume of the Xingchen L7, delivering more than 4,000 vehicles in the first month is considered quite impressive by Huang Yongqiang.

He had no intention of investigating whether there was any adulteration involved.

Even if a consumer orders a Starry Night L7, it's impossible to pick up the car within a month.

Their Highlander production capacity is plentiful, and all vehicles are available for immediate delivery.

How does this compare?
In short, Xingchen cannot influence the overall trend within the joint venture camp.

He frowned as he examined the survey report closely, and then noticed something strange.

The first picture is a real shot of the store.

The photos show a bustling Xingchen Automotive direct-sale store with a constant flow of people, showing both morning and afternoon scenes. The number of people looking at cars inside remained consistently high, with people always present.

Looking at the date again, it was actually taken on the 25th.

How long has it been since the press conference?

It's been about a month.

How can the crowds still be so outrageous? It's just one car, how can it be so attractive? Did Starry Night hire actors?
Huang Yongqiang couldn't help but think of the tricks to buying a house, but he quickly shook his head and dismissed the absurd idea!

Let's look at the next one.

It's a public advertising space in the core business district. Their Highlander has always been in a relatively prominent position, with the main slogan being "family car". There are also advertisements for other luxury brands next to it.

At first glance, it doesn't seem wrong.

But upon closer inspection... why is there an extra advertising space for the Starry Sky L7? Or is it an electronic screen??

The brightness and eye-catching nature of the large display screen far surpassed that of the Highlander poster next to it.

High technology to defeat primitive people?

And what's the meaning of that promotional slogan?
"The best family car under 500,000... Pshaw, shameless!"

……

The last photo shows several GAC Toyota showrooms in core business districts, and next to and across from them, a Xingchen Auto brand direct-sale store has quietly appeared.

Huang Yongqiang felt a chill run down his spine.

What's going on with Xingchen Motors?

They've expanded to so many new stores all at once? And they're everywhere, like a persistent plaster!
It looks like it's been entangled by something dirty!
wrong.

These locations aren't just occupied by GAC Toyota; they often also include dealerships of German brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, as well as Volkswagen. In the past, domestic brands wouldn't open stores in these areas, but now that Xingchen Automotive has entered the market, it seems quite out of place.

Do they really think they're a luxury brand?

“We observed the situation at Xingchen Auto’s stores, and the customer traffic was a bit beyond our expectations. People don’t seem to be averse to this emerging new energy brand, and... moreover, some of our potential Highlander customers walked right into Xingchen Auto’s stores.”

Huang Yongqiang called to inquire about the details, and Wang Fan from the sales department responded as follows.

"You're saying that potential Highlander customers were lured to Xingchen Auto's dealerships to place orders? What's so appealing about Xingchen Auto?"

Huang Yongqiang was stunned.

Is the user out of their mind?
They have the cars in stock.

The starting price of the Starry Night L7 is actually a bit higher than that of the base model Highlander.

Even if consumers place an order now, it will still take more than a month to pick up the car.

Why buy a car on the way out when it's readily available?
Ok.

A month isn't a particularly long time, but does a range-extended vehicle really have that much magic?

“Their stores are different from other new energy brands… no, from all our current independent car brands. Not only can you get a free meal, but the service is also quite good…” Wang Fan described the results of his offline observations. He recalled that when he went into the store to investigate, he was actually invited to have lunch.

The taste was quite memorable...

Are the boxed lunches for test drive users all so good? Are they cooked fresh by a chef?

He was a little curious about what the employee meals at Xingchen Motors were like.

An ominous alarm bell rang louder and louder in Huang Yongqiang's heart.

The idea of ​​going to investigate it myself took root in my mind.

It was 8 p.m. After finishing dinner, he drove to a Starry Night brand direct-sale store near Tianhuan Plaza, parked his car, and went straight into the store.

Even as closing time approached, there were still six or seven people inside the store, with several sales staff responsible for serving customers.

"Sir, are you looking at a car?"

"Well, I guess so. Can we try it now?"

When greeted by the store salesperson, Huang Yongqiang nodded slightly, his scrutinizing gaze fixed on the Xingchen L7 in front of him, already familiar with its exterior and interior.

But to be honest, he hasn't actually driven this car yet.

"Sir, we have hot drinks and coffee. Which would you like?"

"No need, let's test drive it first."

"Okay, I'll prepare a bottle of mineral water for you and put it in the car. You can take it if you get thirsty during the test drive."

"..."

Huang Yongqiang wasn't particularly interested in this, but he had to admit that the service was more innovative than that of traditional 4S stores, and his focus was more on the car itself.

After getting on the bus.

My mind went blank for a moment.

He stared incredulously at the steering wheel in his hands.

Is this a range-extended vehicle? Why can't I hear the engine?
The startup process was incredibly smooth and silky...

soon.

I experienced everything about the car, from its space and materials to its interior features, including the air suspension system.

He originally looked down on range-extended vehicles, but he watched the press conference.

But that doesn't diminish my inner contempt.

The range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) approach can never compare to the hybrid dual-engine approach, whether in terms of technology or user experience, no matter how much hype is made at the launch event.

He firmly believed this in his heart.

But now?

My mind is buzzing.

I can't hear anything! I can't feel anything at all!!

Where's the engine vibration? Where's the jerking when starting? Where are they hiding?

Could it not have even started?
Huang Yongqiang confirmed repeatedly that the range extender mode was turned on during the test drive and began to rev the engine hard. Finally, when the speed was repeatedly revved to over 110 km/h, he vaguely felt a vibration from the engine.

"Sir, for safety reasons, we should try not to exceed 100 km/h during our test drive..." the salesperson earnestly reminded him.

“I’m a professional,” Huang Yongqiang interrupted with a raised hand.

The sales staff were completely taken aback.

Test drive...and professionals?

Is there any necessary connection between these two?

I experienced all the driving details of the vehicle, including the raising and lowering of the air suspension.

Huang Yongqiang is not optimistic about domestically produced air suspension systems.

The small market for these niche high-end components means that tuning experience is extremely difficult to accumulate. Even if they are successfully manufactured, the user experience cannot be guaranteed, and it is even more difficult to say whether there are any defects or corner-cutting.

But after trying it, he was once again surprised.

Surprisingly, there were no major flaws in the user experience; it was very similar to the imported air suspension systems he had used before.

Such a configuration, such an experience...

When he stepped out of the store, his face was already very serious.

Just then, two passersby who had just finished test driving walked out, chatting and laughing.

Huang Yongqiang couldn't help but strike up a conversation.

"Friends, how was your test drive experience today? What do you think of the Starry Night L7?"

“Great, we’re very satisfied with this car in every way, and we’ve placed an order,” one of the passersby replied.

“But it would take a long time to pick up the car now, and this is a new brand after all, and it’s a new energy range-extended vehicle…” Huang Yongqiang tried to find persuasiveness from other angles.

A passerby said, "Sigh, that's what I thought before I came, but after the test drive, I just couldn't resist liking this car."

“What do you think of that Highlander over there? It’s a new car, a seven-seater… A big brand with a new car in stock, isn’t that trustworthy? When buying a car, what you want is stability and convenience, and the Highlander has an excellent reputation in that regard,” Huang Yongqiang said.

As soon as these words came out.

The passersby's expressions changed.

"Don't even mention that stupid car. I originally had my eye on the Highlander, but they actually wanted to raise the price. The final price was reduced to 310,000 or 320,000 yuan, and it didn't have anything I wanted. The Starry Night L7 is so much better. I'd be willing to wait even a month."

“Friend, you can’t judge a car by its appearance alone. Some are just fancy features, and the more features a car has, the more likely it is to break down. It’s not like an electronic product…” Huang Yongqiang pondered for a moment and then argued again.

To be fair, the Starry Night L7 has somewhat broadened his horizons today, but the Highlander... isn't it worth it?
The price increase is also because the product is worth the money.

Furthermore, marketing channels also have costs. The reference price is just that—a reference price—because it is only for reference.

Can't you consumers at least try to understand?
"Are you a Highlander salesperson? You looked at the car for so long but didn't place an order, and now you're raving about Japanese cars?" a passerby asked suspiciously.

“Uh, I…” Huang Yongqiang was taken aback.

"Never mind them. These joint venture car brands have been bullying us for too long. Buying one is like being treated like a grandson. Today, finally, a domestic brand has shown some backbone and taught these people a lesson for their arbitrary price gouging..."

The two passersby ignored them, muttering complaints as they walked away.

Huang Yongqiang watched their retreating figures, and his heart skipped a beat!

broken! !
How did they become the villains in the eyes of consumers?
(End of this chapter)