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

Chapter 249 A Face-to-Face Slap in the Face!
"Battery safety should be given top priority. Next year, the country will continue to improve the safety requirements for the entire life cycle of batteries."

General Manager Wan spoke with a certain tone.

These two issues are given considerable attention at the policy level.

One is a mandatory aging standard.

Another is mandatory safety standards.

If batteries fail to meet lifespan requirements due to aging, a large number of abandoned new energy vehicles will be generated, posing problems for disposal and scrapping.

Early car manufacturers that used subsidized subsidies caused a lot of trouble for society, and cars with a large number of substandard batteries posed a safety hazard no matter where they were parked.

As for mandatory safety standards, thermal runaway fires of lithium battery packs are often accompanied by intense chemical reactions and can burn for more than half an hour. If they are placed in open areas, it is fine, but if they are in densely populated areas or basements, the danger level will increase dramatically, and the negative social impact will be significant.

but.

Mr. Wan spoke up again:

"Before today's meeting, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had a battery supervision and traceability data report, in which Xingchen Motors' battery safety and lifespan performance was excellent, with an average degradation of less than 1% over 30,000 kilometers and minimal damage to calendar life... This is progress in the industry and a major trend for future development."

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has production access supervision for new energy vehicles, and also leads the construction of a comprehensive management platform for the traceability of power battery recycling.

Speak human language——

It enables real-time monitoring of various battery data from an official perspective, and facilitates the issuance of reports by authoritative third-party institutions such as CATARC.

Xingchen Automotive emerged as a dark horse, bursting into this database with explosive sales, which the official authorities could not possibly ignore.

General Manager Wan was very pleased.

From any perspective, Xingchen Automotive's new energy vehicles and batteries have demonstrated a high degree of durability and safety.

This even includes the Ministry of Emergency Management's "Fire Accident Statistics System" and "Automobile Accident Reports".

What defines a good car company for the people?
This is what you call a truly good car company for the people!
Xingchen Automotive is even investing heavily in building supporting charging stations, constructing 400 stations a year. This efficiency is certainly unmatched by third-party charging station companies, but among all new energy vehicle manufacturers—it's far ahead!
Kazuhiro Kobayashi sat down.

When General Manager Wan mentioned security, he thought everything was fine.

But when I heard the next sentence, I almost lost my mind!

Why the contrast between first downplaying and then elevating?
favoritism!

This is blatant favoritism!

……

"Mr. Wang, will your blade battery be used in vehicles next year?" Zeng Yuqun, CEO of CATL, asked, turning to the side. He was interested in BYD's battery progress.

Both companies launched their large single-cell battery and CTP battery-vehicle integrated structure technologies later than Xingchen Automotive.

It's even... kind of like being forced into it.

But we have no choice but to speed up our pace.

The advantages of CTP technology are too obvious: it can improve volume utilization by 15-20%, reduce the number of parts by 40%, and increase production efficiency by 50%. Apart from the high requirements for cell consistency and the need to replace the entire battery pack during maintenance, it has almost no other disadvantages.

"Go for it! Our blade battery is already very mature."

Wang Chuanfu's answer was brief and powerful.

BYD learned from its mistakes in the second half of the year, and its overall R&D efficiency has undergone a transformation. They are no longer the BYD of the past.

"Then... is the Polar Star Battery mature?" Sensing the other party's determination, Zeng Yuqun pondered for a moment and then suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, he suddenly sensed that the other person had fallen silent.

Upon closer inspection, Wang Chuanfu's eyes seemed to convey a silent emotion.

The atmosphere suddenly became very strange!
"We at BYD... have our own set of battery manufacturing standards, so we don't need to compare ourselves too much with our competitors."

Wang Chuanfu managed to utter this sentence.

Zeng Yuqun: "..."

Wang Chuanfu was also speechless.

What does it mean that Polestar batteries are mature?

Are they good at chatting?

The Star Battery has already reached its second generation, while our first-generation Blade Battery has only been officially announced for a short time. Version updates also take time, you know.

Thinking about this, he vaguely sensed the abnormality of Star Cars.

Catching up technologically is tough enough, but facing direct competition is truly agonizing.

……

The afternoon session was a multi-party exchange meeting within the industry, covering mainstream suppliers and numerous OEM brands.

The media flocked to the scene, seizing the opportunity to conduct bold and proactive interviews.

As a result, Xingchen Automotive has received a lot of attention.

"Mr. Xu, the Xingchen L7 sold out immediately upon its debut, and its monthly sales have entered the top five in the 30-yuan luxury SUV segment. Are you satisfied with this result? How exactly did Xingchen achieve this? How were you able to produce and deliver such a large volume of vehicles in the first month?"

As soon as they arrived at the venue, reporters eagerly surrounded them.

The Xingchen L7 has become an undeniable rising star in the market. A car reviewer posted a hot thread on Autohome, claiming that Xingchen Auto will become the first new energy brand to gain a foothold in the luxury market, and then released a series of statistics.

—If we consider SUVs with an average price between 300,000 and 400,000 yuan, the Xingchen L7's sales of 7,000 units would be enough to rank it among the top 5 in monthly sales.

"I am generally satisfied with this result. As for how we did it, it's because we produced a batch of cars in advance. After all, we didn't want the launch event to be too grand, but instead make the first batch of customers feel like they bought cars that were not yet available."

Xu Yi smiled slightly and replied.

Compared to other internet trendsetters, he appears in the media less frequently.

This also greatly piqued the reporter's interest in asking questions.

The reporter looked surprised when he received this reply.

"This is a market worth 300,000 units. Does Xingchen Motors have this kind of confidence without receiving any pre-orders or opening up pre-booking?"

Xu Yi nodded: "Because we believe in the market, and we also believe that consumers will choose better cars."

...

Li Xiang stared at Xu Yi, who was being interviewed by the media, from afar. His enthusiastic attitude contrasted sharply with the coldness on the other side.

The lingering gaze seemed to pierce through time and space. Even though CHJ Automotive has officially announced its rebranding as Li Auto, it hasn't attracted much media or industry attention; it's simply a sign of disdain.

Even attracting investment has become incredibly difficult; nobody has any faith in Li Auto!

I was thirty-eight that year, attending the Hundred Gathering, standing there like a lackey...

He vowed that once the Li Auto One was released, it would make everyone look at it with new eyes.

Just you wait, Xingchen Motors!!
……

"Are you referring to the overall configuration of this better car?" the reporter asked.

"It's not just about configuration, but also about operating model and service. We have a very reasonable nationwide unified pricing, a service system that respects car owners, and a longer and more comprehensive vehicle warranty compared to traditional car companies. We even offer a ten-year warranty on the air suspension, eliminating consumers' worries. Many consumers have naturally chosen our Xingchen Auto after comparing various options..." Xu Yi said with a smile, promoting the various advantages of Xingchen Auto.

Just at this time.

Huang Yongqiang and his GAC Toyota team happened to be passing by.

When Huang Yongqiang heard phrases like "comparisons" and "nationwide unified pricing," and thought about the significant drop in Highlander sales last month, he was somewhat provoked.

The emergence of the Starry Night L7 has created competitive pressure and profit loss, which could very likely cause GAC Toyota to lose billions of yuan in revenue from this car in the coming year.

“False advertising, exaggerated hype…” Huang Yongqiang was heartbroken, his face was not good, and he muttered to himself.

Xu Yi, however, had very sharp ears and eyes as clear as a mirror, and he saw it all at a glance.

He asked loudly, "Does this friend have a problem with Xingchen? I think I heard the words 'false advertising' and 'gimmick'?"

All of a sudden.

The personnel from GAC Toyota were noticed by the media, and the cameras were also turned around.

Huang Yongqiang had no choice but to stop.

Faced with Xu Yi's subtly oppressive gaze and the numerous media cameras, he didn't want to be the subject of gossip and insults behind his back.

"Sorry, you might have misheard me. I didn't say anything," Huang Yongqiang said calmly.

But the reporter didn't want to miss this opportunity to fan the flames.

"Mr. Huang, Mr. Huang... Highlander's sales have exceeded 10,000 units for seven consecutive months this year, but there was a significant drop last month. Is this due to the emergence of competing products like the Starry Night L7?"

Huang Yongqiang almost had the microphone shoved into his mouth, but he couldn't just run away. Highlander was aiming for sales at the end of the year, and they couldn't afford to be weak in terms of momentum: "Highlander's sales have always been very stable. It's very stable for us to sell over 10,000 units a month. Fluctuations are normal market adjustments. It's just that as a traditional car company, we may not be good at marketing and making a big splash."

"What do you mean by marketing and creating momentum?"

"Take the service and lifetime warranty that Mr. Xu just mentioned. I don't agree with the statement that traditional car companies have short warranty periods. Some consumers may think that they can rest assured with the guarantee from the car company, but they may not have thought about this issue. New car companies have only been established for a few years, and many of them have gone bankrupt in a hurry. At this time, let alone lifetime warranty, even if you provide warranty until the end of the universe, consumers will have nowhere to repair their vehicles."

Traditional automakers' vehicle warranties align with mature business logic and long-term brand reputation, and they have more after-sales service points, ensuring unparalleled stability within the warranty period.

……

This can be considered a direct rebuttal.

In his view, Xingchen Auto's media attention was somewhat of a veiled attack.

He felt very uncomfortable.

Competition for sales volume and customer base is a real phenomenon.

Xingchen Automotive is still using that same old marketing tactics, even openly claiming that traditional automakers have short warranty periods, and they want the media to broadcast it so that consumers will be misled again!

The Xingchen L7 comes with a four-year/100,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, a ten-year warranty for the three core electric components, and a ten-year warranty for the air suspension. Therefore, listing the vehicle's features and warranty services together with other vehicles in the same class is a form of "malicious competition."

"Is mature business logic simply about charging extra for vehicle delivery, mandating service fees, mandating decoration, and charging financial loan fees?" Xu Yi asked with a half-smile, without addressing the issue of new energy vehicle companies going bankrupt. This is like the theory of electric vehicles spontaneously combusting; it can't be explained clearly in a short time, and it will only get more and more confusing.

Huang Yongqiang sneered: "President Xu, I don't understand what you're talking about... The pricing of the distribution channels is based on transportation and vehicle purchase and operation costs, and there is absolutely no malicious price increase."

Price gouging is something like that.

It may not exist subjectively, but it may exist objectively.

It's absolutely impossible for him to admit it!
"So you're admitting that the price of a Highlander varies from store to store across the country? Isn't that a lack of transparency?" Xu Yi retorted.

Huang Yongqiang paused for a moment, then forcefully retorted, "There's no point in discussing this. We just hope for the orderly development of the market, not malicious and chaotic competition!"

What constitutes malicious competition?

"In my opinion, the Starry Sky L7 is suspicious of this!"

"For example?"

"You invite consumers to dinner, give them gifts, and even tout a ten-year warranty. Is this a fair way to compete?"

……

Huang Yongqiang became somewhat annoyed. After personally experiencing it offline, he could imagine how the lost car owners were "lured" back.

Xu Yi's expression showed some surprise.

Surprisingly, these traditional car companies, which are usually slow to act, actually have a good understanding of their offline operation models.
The clash between the two sides gradually drew everyone's attention.

He calmly said, "Even putting all that aside, the Highlander doesn't really have any special advantages, does it?"

Huang Yongqiang: "Range extenders are clearly an outdated power source, but Xingchen Motors has packaged them as an advanced technology system through marketing, which is excessive advertising..."

"We are range extenders, that's true, but we also have strong power."

"Sufficient power is enough; any extra power would be an additional burden for family users."

“Then our space is bigger than yours.”

"A moderate amount of space is fine; too much space will increase the vehicle length and make steering less agile."

“Our seats are also well-equipped, and the screens are large.”

"The seat..."

"Oh, by the way, although our cars are big and powerful, our Starry Sky L7 is more fuel-efficient than the Highlander."

……

"you……"

The phrases "Starry Night L7 is fuel-efficient" and "Highlander is fuel-inefficient" are like solid ice.

It struck a nerve, making Huang Yongqiang blush and suddenly speechless!

(End of this chapter)