Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 554 A Tribute to Those Domestic Cars

Xiao Hong said, "Let them move wherever they want, it's better to move further away, out of sight, out of mind. If we were neighbors with these people, we'd have a lot of trouble."

Aunt Wang said, "Xiao Hong, how can you talk like that? When did this girl become so sharp-tongued?"

Xiao Hong rolled her eyes at her mother with dissatisfaction and said, "Right now, when I run into them, I'll give them a piece of my mind."

Xiao Wei said, "How do we recruit people? By contacting schools? Schools probably won't work, right?"

Chen Hui, like a primary school student, leaned on his side on the table with his arm as a pillow, writing, and said, "Go to the labor market, all the job seekers are there, you can find whatever kind you want."

Xia Maosheng turned to Chen Hui and said, "Xiao Hui, go and contact the Armed Forces Department. There should be quite a few veterans waiting for resettlement. Recruit some."

Chen Hui thought for a moment and said, "A veteran? Let me ask around. Is this the armed forces department? Can't I contact the military region?"

Xia Maosheng slammed his hand on the table and laughed as he said to Xiao Wei, "Damn, I forgot, this guy really showed off." Geng Hui reached out and slapped Xia Maosheng, giving him a glare. Everyone laughed. Xia Maosheng glanced at Aunt Wang, feeling a little embarrassed.

Because of the prevalence of heavy industry and numerous small factories and mines, by the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were already a considerable number of unemployed and jobless urban families in Liaodong. Fengtian launched a labor market in the late 1980s to provide a place for job seekers to exchange information. At that time, it was completely free, a kind of social welfare.

Xiao Wei said, "Then let's look in three directions. Didn't Xiao Hui say he was recruiting a batch of people from my hometown the other day? We'll look for people from my hometown for the food factory, since they're stable. For the department staff in each company, we'll see if the labor market can fill the positions, and if not, we'll look to schools. We'll look for ordinary workers from the furniture factory and feed mill in Liguan, and if that's not enough, we'll look for them from the labor market. For security guards, we'll look for veterans, and for drivers, escorts, patrols, etc., veterans are more suitable."

Xia Maosheng said, "There are enough cars in Longcheng now, and the restaurant has enough too. The only thing the head office needs to do is buy more cars, right?"

Xiao Wei scratched his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Do we need two more for the Anton Hotel? Adding the food factory, that's at least four vehicles—one sedan and three bread trucks. Over here, Brother Long drives Lao Xia's Xiali, Hong Liang needs a sedan, and will three bread trucks be enough for the furniture factory and feed factory? Do we need any trucks? The head office needs a few vehicles, right? Geng Hui, Chen Xiao, and Li Na need them for outings, don't they? And for patrols, will they be traveling by car or by truck?"

Xiao Hong said, "Oh my god, we'll have to buy so many cars!"

Xia Maosheng clapped his hands and said, "Hey, sister-in-law, that's a great idea! If we use them all at once, we can buy fewer units."

Xiao Wei said, "We still have to distribute them separately. It's okay to use the bread from the trucks together, but shouldn't the factory manager and directors have their bread distributed separately?"

Xiao Hong said, "Doesn't Xie Xiaolong drive a Xiali? Then let's buy a whole batch of Xiali cars, just go directly to the manufacturer. Otherwise, Xie Xiaolong drives a Xiali while Hong Liang drives an imported car? Can't we have some ideas?"

Xiao Wei said, "They're different. Brother Long is a hired factory manager, an employee, while Hong Liang is a shareholder. They have to be different."

Chen Hui said, "Let Hongliang drive that 100-liter car, and buy Lao Xia a better one. The rest of the cars will be Xiali. Didn't Xiao Hong say she was going out for the holidays? Go to Tianjing and buy ten Xiali. I reckon those things will only cost around 30,000 yuan from the factory. They also make bread, so just buy them all at once."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Is Tianjing Dafa?"

Chen Hui said, "Yes, it's a bit ugly, but it's durable. When we come back, we'll paint all the lettering on the car body, then it can be used as a 'GG' too."

Xiaohong said, "Isn't it better to buy it from the manufacturer? Just have them paint the lettering directly, and it'll save us the trouble of coming back and doing it ourselves."

Xiao Wei asked, "Do you want to buy ten Xiali cars? How much bread do you want?"

Chen Hui said, "Geng Hui, Chen Xiao, Li Na, the factory director and other managers all need a car, right? If it's bread, would fifteen cars be enough? Or maybe twenty?"

Geng Hui said, "How about we sell cars over there after the building is built? Would that work? We can buy one for ourselves and sell it to others. We're going to get so many at once anyway. Didn't Xiao Hui say that the factory price for a Xiali is only 30,000? It's over 50,000 here, that's 20,000 per car."

Chen Hui, Xia Maosheng, and Xiao Wei looked at each other. Chen Hui scratched his head and said, "So that means we need to set up another industrial and trading company?"

Xiao Wei said, "The key question is whether the manufacturer will agree? If we sell it, we certainly can't let others sell it either, right?"

Xia Maosheng said with a smile, "When you buy a car, you can talk to the general distributor in Northeast China. By the way, you can also talk to the Santana distributor."

Xiao Wei twitched his face, then hissed in pain at the spot where he'd been hit. He raised his hand to cover his face and said, "Do I think we're getting a little too cocky? How come we want to do everything?"

Chen Hui threw down his pen, sat up straight, and said, "Why can't we do it? It's a way to make money, and we have the capital. Why not do it? It's just a matter of hiring a few more people. I think Geng Hui's idea is good."

Xia Maosheng said, "I agree to do it."

Xiao Wei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, let's get started. Where are we going to put all these cars?"

Geng Hui looked around at everyone, then hesitated before saying, "No, are we going to buy land in Liguan? Would it be okay to add a garage?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "If it works, let's do it. At worst, we can use it ourselves. Anyway, we'll need to provide vehicles for Jibei and Longjiang in the future."

Xia Maosheng said, "That's right, we're not losing money anyway. Let's get a general agency in Northeast China and sell it together, since we're going to open shops and buy houses all over the place anyway."

Xiao Wei scribbled a few notes in his notebook and said, "Forget it, I'll just take a trip around Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shanghai, and Chengdu and talk to everyone."

In the early 90s, it seemed like there weren't many cars in China, except for a Santana and a Xiali. It seemed like Japanese, German, and American brands dominated the market. But that wasn't true. In 91, there were at least seventy, or even more, car brands in China. The actual number was much higher.

Excluding heavy-duty vehicles, special-purpose vehicles, and trucks, there are nearly forty companies producing sedans, SUVs, and vans. This only refers to those with available records; the actual number is likely much higher. Most of these car manufacturers originated as auto repair shops or parts factories of large organizations, with a significant number being military-related.

Many of these cars were best-selling brands in their time, even export brands, but they gradually disappeared into the annals of history for various reasons. Some were due to outdated technology, while others were unable to obtain the necessary permits. At that time, the domestic automobile enterprise directory was being implemented, and the permit system was being introduced.

Since the early 90s, a noose has been inexplicably tied around the neck of state-owned vehicles, and to this day, no one knows who is holding that noose. Although it is ostensibly a national policy or state management, who really knows?

It was from this point onward that the domestic market gradually became dominated by joint venture and foreign car manufacturers. This was because many domestically produced cars couldn't obtain the necessary licenses and had to either switch production or go bankrupt. Who would buy cars that couldn't be registered? Joint venture cars, on the other hand, didn't face this hurdle.

Every year during the Qingming Festival, there's a memorial event in the industry commentary section of the automotive news website; you can check it out if you're interested.

Minsheng, Dongfeng, Phoenix, Shanghai, Jinggangshan, Changjiang, Haiyan, Dongfanghong, Wuhan Wantong, Huapu, Qinchuan, Aux, Boda, Zhanjiang Samsung, Henan Changjian, Shenjian Automobile, Guizhou Yunque, Jeep, Liming, Saibeijian, Yungang, Datong, Hongxing, Qiguan, Chunlan, Yemingzhu, Chahua, Shanlu, Tianma, Tianye, Tongbao, Yunbao, Hafei, Wanfeng, Songliao, Jinbei, Beiquan, Yuejin (Nanjing), Sanfeng, Yanpai, Fuqi, Shuanghuan, Shuangma, Zhonghua Zidantou, Feihu, Nanyan, Qinghai Lake, Gongnong, Hainan, Xianfei...

At that time, joint venture car manufacturers included SAIC Volkswagen, Tianjin Dafa, Guangzhou Peugeot, Nanjing Fiat, Sanjiang Renault, and BAIC Mitsubishi.

(End of this chapter)