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

Chapter 253: The Giants Bleed, Japanese Car Owners' Sky Collapses!

As soon as these words came out.

The viewers in the live stream were so angry they almost lost their noses.

"Hibuki Dog!!"

"I'm asking you, what else does this car have besides the engine? In what way is the Highlander better than the Starry Night L7? They don't even offer ventilated seats as standard!"

"You think Xingchen Auto's air suspension is some kind of joke? It's truly domestically developed cutting-edge technology. Domestic cars used to be lacking, but now they have some very impressive R&D capabilities!!"

...

A flood of comments appeared.

With increasingly fragmented communication on the internet and the widespread dissemination of short videos, more and more people online are becoming knowledgeable about cars.

For targeted customers in this price range, it's impossible to buy a car without understanding its features and power specifications.

The Japanese crystallization fans in the live stream were unhappy.

Some of them are owners of Lexus and Highlander vehicles.

"Sorry, I don't know what domestically produced cars are like, but do you think I don't know what the Chinese people are like?"

"Let these people support the new forces. They'll regret it when the car companies go bankrupt and their cars spontaneously combust."

"There's a reason why joint ventures sell so well; following the trend is a safe bet."

"Yeah, what's the point of all those fancy features? As long as the car is easy to drive and stable, that's enough."

"Dragon-scaled Horse! Which eye of yours saw stars spontaneously combust?!"

...

Dissension began.

The first few sentences at least made some sense.

After that, things completely fell apart.

In short, if you call me an idiot, I'll call you a jerk.

Just then, someone suddenly said:

—"Toyota has hit a snag."

Old Yogurt noticed this comment and was taken aback.

"Some people are ignoring logic in their efforts to elevate the reputation of domestic cars. I'll say it again: even if domestic brands have problems, Toyota wouldn't. Joint venture car companies have principles and commitments..."

She hasn't finished speaking yet.

More and more comments flooded in below.

"Good heavens, this is a real bombshell..."

"Hilarious! The engine they were hyping up has a defect and stalled!"

"what?"

Some people simply sent the link to the live stream.

It drew a lot of surprised and bewildered glances.

The previously boisterous atmosphere froze.

A group of Japanese car owners who own crystallized powder were bewildered.

I clicked on the old-fashioned yogurt and took a look.

Just one glance.

The sky collapsed in an instant!
Caijing.com first published this report, which was confirmed by the US NHTSA Highway Safety Administration. After relevant regulatory authorities intervened, they quickly collected relevant complaint records from 500 car owners over the past two years and made the information public. Denso Corporation and Toyota, among other involved companies, issued emergency statements simultaneously, promising to thoroughly investigate the cause of the defect and trace the batch of vehicles involved within one day.

Denso is a leading company in Japan's automotive supply chain, and the range of car models involved is too wide.

In addition to brands such as Honda, Mazda, and Subaru, the Lexus ES series (domestic production) and IS series (imported production) cover almost all of Toyota's core best-selling models, including global models such as Camry, Highlander, Levin, and Corolla.

That's practically confirmed.

Below are countless angry curses from Japanese car owners.

This time, he was truly hoarse and exhausted.

How much trust was placed in them before.

How heartbreaking it must be to be betrayed like this!
After all, the market positioning of Japanese cars is quite "mysterious". Their configurations are often simplified and their safety is not outstanding. Instead, they are associated with "fuel efficiency and stability" and "long-term value retention".

just now.

The myth has crumbled!
Even the strongest crystallized powder couldn't withstand this devastating blow from the car company!
Invisibly.

Something cracked.

The owners of Lexus and Highlander cars just now spoke sarcastically about domestically produced cars; their mouths were as hard as steel...

Now their eyes were bloodshot, and tears were almost streaming down their faces.

The sound of breaching defenses could be heard constantly in the wind.

"Ah! Holy crap!!!"

"Dragon Scale Horse! Stupid blogger, recommending a terrible car during a live stream!"

"Oh no, I need to go to the 4S shop for after-sales service. No wonder it jerked last time I drove it; I thought I had filled up with cheap oil!"

"I'm truly impressed!!"

……

"Brother Li, Brother Li... Toyota has had an accident!"

Assistant Chen Chao brought the news with great enthusiasm.

Yang Li has actually been quite resilient lately. While there are many people who support new energy vehicles and Xingchen Motors, the number of fans of Japanese joint ventures is exceptionally large.

The private messages and comment sections on various platforms can only be described as cyberbullying.

But he was not convinced!

They've been lying low to avoid account risks and haven't posted anything for quite some time.

Upon seeing the latest revelation, his expression shifted from shock to delight, and he almost clapped and cheered.

I opened my phone, logged onto Weibo, and started typing furiously.

In no time, he had typed out a dense text.

But when the time came, perhaps feeling that his words were too harsh and might be seen as kicking someone when they're down, he deleted the content.

All those words were finally condensed into a single, heartfelt expression.

"—Speak up, Kuroko!!"

...

In just one day, this caused a major upheaval in the automotive industry.

This time, it's a real bloodshed for the giants, and the news is spreading like wildfire.

The following afternoon, Toyota's belated press apology arrived.

Company President Akio Toyoda publicly admitted the mistake in the media, confessing that the fuel pump impeller manufactured by its core supplier Denso Corporation had insufficient resin density due to imperfect resin molding conditions during the manufacturing process. He also stated that the company is willing to cooperate with government regulatory organizations to conduct an in-depth investigation into the defects that cause abnormal vibration and engine stalling in the affected vehicles, and will take responsibility for a large-scale recall of the affected vehicles worldwide.

Akio Toyoda and all senior management members bowed deeply in apology.

Following this bow, Toyota's stock price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange fell by another 5%, bringing the cumulative decline over two trading days to more than 7%.

The domestic market was also the hardest hit by this scandal.

The online and offline communities were immediately filled with criticism.

"Fuck you, give me my money back!!"

"I just bought this car six months ago!!"

"I just paid a deposit a few days ago, and the order is locked and I'm waiting for the bus. Can I get a refund?"

"Get a refund as soon as possible, or we'll call and complain!"

"Who exactly said Japanese engines are reliable? This thing has stalled, how can it be reliable? Speak up!"

……

GAC Toyota in China quickly backed down, issuing apologies and recall statements simultaneously on its official website and through its distribution channels.

Although he did not hold a public press conference to apologize, he still had to accept written interviews from local media such as the Southern Daily and Guangzhou Daily.

Huang Yongqiang appeared before the media with a gloomy expression.

The air of dignified bearing and lofty ambition is gone.

A gloomy and desolate mood prevailed.

"Regarding the defect and malfunction, the official channels will compensate car owners and consumers according to the procedures. More than 600 4S stores nationwide will complete all recall procedures within three months and open a 'dedicated service channel for fuel pump recall' to minimize the inconvenience to car owners."

He spoke in prepared, official language.

I just hope time will pass quickly.

The reporter meticulously recorded GAC Toyota's official response.

As the interview was drawing to a close, I couldn't help but ask one more question:
"At the conference of 100 people, you and Mr. Kobayashi publicly praised the Highlander and Toyota engines. Were you aware of this at the time?"

Some media outlets also featured interviews with the 100-person conference in their news reports.

A short video clip of the "interaction" between the founder of Xingchen Automotive and the head of Toyota's China region was naturally made public.

"I was unaware of it." This was the only answer Huang Yongqiang could give. GAC Toyota would never admit to being aware of the matter, just as Toyota could only shift all responsibility to Denso.

The reporter asked: "As a senior executive of the company, how could you be completely unaware of such a core defect as the engine fuel pump, yet be able to publicly proclaim that your engine has undergone a long period of research and development and has long-term quality reports? Does this prove that the data in the reports may also be fabricated?"

"Here……"

Huang Yongqiang's face turned from red to green, and finally to a mixture of green and white. Surrounded by the media, he stood up angrily and ended the interview.

An excerpt from an interview with Southern Daily has been released.

Toyota's domestic orders have been hit hard, with the Highlander and Lexus series being the most severely affected. Some car owners have blocked offline 4S stores to protest, while many others who recently ordered cars and then cancelled their orders are angrily swearing.

People say that buying a car in middle age is like taking a concubine; it feels like being betrayed by the woman you love!
pain!
It hurts so much!!!
at the same time.

Xu Yi was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Popular memes such as "craftsmanship spirit" have emerged online.

The attacks and controversies surrounding the Starry Sky L7 vanished overnight, as if they had never existed.

Public opinion was quelled.

The outcome we've achieved today can be considered a case of getting what we asked for.

Glaucus is an organization that discovers corporate fraud through independent research, then releases negative reports to drive down stock prices and profit from short selling. Its website also has a decentralized anonymous tip submission channel, so things became simple. He put Liang Shouzhou in charge of the operation, setting up an overseas virtual account and trading entirely in virtual currency. After profiting from short selling, he would receive 30% of the exclusive information. Glaucus would be responsible for leveraging its influence to spread the word in the New York Times and on the largest scale in the world. Based on the magnitude of Toyota's stock price drop, the final profit was expected to be over 1000 million US dollars.

The profit margin isn't high, but its simplicity and speed make it a pleasure to use!

at the same time.

Yu Nian knocked on the office door.

"President Xu, great news! Our Starry Night L7 orders have surpassed 20,000 units!!" Yu Nian pushed open the door and excitedly reported the offline sales situation when he saw Xu Yi's face. His smile was even more hard to suppress than an AK!
That's how the market works; one thing rises while another falls.

Toyota has been discontinued.

Xingchen Automotive's stock price went up as well!
(End of this chapter)