Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

Chapter 316 The Safety Revolution in Automobiles Has Arrived

"How much does it cost?"

Li Yichen picked up his wine glass, but deliberately ignored the conversation.

"You just said you were only going to eat dinner tonight, how come you're already fighting over the main courses before they've even all been served?"

Mr. Lei moved his chair forward half an inch.

"If you don't grab the good stuff when it's right in front of you, you're not here to eat, you're here to doze off."

Old Wei had already taken out his phone and slammed the calculator page onto the table.

"Mr. Li, please quote the price per ton."

"As long as the data is accurate, Great Wall Motors is willing to be among the first users. We will take full responsibility for testing, verification, and adaptation to new models, so as not to let future technologies bear the risks."

Lei glanced at him.

"You're quick with your calculations."

"Opportunities in the business world are fleeting; by the time you finish calculating, it'll be too late."

"You're making a decision before the material parameters have even been verified?"

"When has anything Mr. Li produced ever disappointed?"

Old Wei pushed his phone towards Lei Zong.

"Why don't you wait until the Great Wall has completed its verification process before buying?"

Lei smiled.

You wish!

With one focused on price and the other on production capacity, their earlier friendly camaraderie had been relegated to the sidelines.

Li Yichen picked up a piece of snow crab, ate it slowly and deliberately, and then held up five fingers.

"Internal cooperation price: 50,000 yuan per ton."

Lei's wine glass stopped in mid-air.

Old Wei stared at the calculator, but his finger didn't press any buttons.

"fifty thousand?"

"right."

Li Yichen took out a tissue to wipe his hands.

"A regular family car doesn't need to use it all over the vehicle. The core frame of the passenger compartment, the A-pillar, the B-pillar, the longitudinal beams, plus a few key load-bearing structures, about 200 kilograms is enough."

"Fifty thousand for one ton, ten thousand for two hundred kilograms."

"The material cost per vehicle is 10,000 yuan more, but the core body strength can be increased by dozens of times."

Lei's mind was racing faster than a calculator.

Ten thousand yuan might not even be enough for a high-end driver assistance package in a car costing two or three hundred thousand yuan. But what you get in return is increased vehicle body strength that can directly change the outcome of an accident.

How can this be considered a cost?

This is a selling point that all car manufacturers would love to have.

"Ten thousand yuan to replace the core framework and increase its strength dozens of times?"

Lei leaned forward, tapping his index finger on the edge of the table.

"Even a single optional package for a high-end model costs more than that. As long as the crash test results meet the standards, consumers won't complain about the price; instead, they'll keep asking when the car will be delivered."

Old Wei has already entered the numbers into the calculator.

"A monthly production of 20,000 tons, right?"

"We can consistently achieve this number at present."

"The Great Wall will first require 10,000 tons."

Old Wei pushed the calculator in front of Li Yichen.

"Five hundred million. The deposit can be paid tonight; you can decide the percentage."

"etc."

Lei raised his hand to stop him.

"Monthly production is only 20,000 tons, and you're going to take half of it?"

Old Wei leaned back in his chair.

"I organized this meal, and I was the one who made the initial reservations."

"Is it too much for me to take half?"

"Trying to trade a car for 10,000 tons of superalloy?"

Mr. Lei pointed at him with his chopsticks.

"Don't you know how much your Tank 700 is worth?"

"It's not about the price of the car, but the sentiment behind it. Mr. Li likes it, and that's enough."

"I also took a seven-hour high-speed train ride."

"Who invited you?"

"The market opportunity is right here, why can't I take it?"

Old Wei pulled his phone away from him.

"Great Wall Motors makes hardcore off-road vehicles, which are heavy and used in complex environments. This material is the most suitable for us."

Mr. Lei refused to back down.

"How many SUVs are sold in a year? There are many more family car users."

"The same 5,000 tons of material, when used in our vehicles, can protect more families."

"High sales volume does not necessarily mean fast research and development."

Old Wei picked up his wine glass, but didn't drink it.

"Great Wall has a mature platform for rugged vehicles. Once the materials arrive, the body can be redesigned, prototypes manufactured, and crash tests conducted, all within three months."

"You've been here for three months?"

Mr. Lei chuckled.

"The rice can be ready for test vehicles in two months."

"Resolve the safety controversies surrounding your mass-produced vehicles before you start boasting."

This statement hit the nail on the head regarding what Mr. Lei least wanted to hear recently.

His smile vanished instantly.

"When an accident occurs, we acknowledge the problem and try to solve it. That's much better than some companies sticking to old platforms, changing the front end, and calling it a new car."

"Who are you asking about changing the front end?"

"Whoever gets impatient, I'll say it."

The dinner table quickly turned into a debate about the automotive industry.

The competition has shifted from user scale to R&D speed, and from vehicle structure to whose crash test lab is stronger.

Outside the private room, the waiter stood there for half a minute with the new dishes, but didn't dare to come in.

Li Yichen leaned back in his chair and watched the commotion for a while.

These two may be arguing about technology, but what they're really fighting for is the right to set the tone for the industry in the coming years.

Whoever puts super alloy into a mass-produced car first will be the first to claim that "safety standards have been improved by dozens of times".

This kind of first-mover advantage cannot be achieved even with billions of dollars in investment.

As Lao Wei began to look through the equipment list of the Great Wall Laboratory, Lei was about to call the technical head on the spot when Li Yichen finally tapped the table with his knuckles.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing."

Both of them shut up at the same time.

"When did I ever say that I sold all 20,000 tons to you?"

Old Wei stopped holding his phone.

Mr. Lei also straightened his posture a bit.

"Mr. Li, are there other clients for these materials?"

"Not a customer."

Li Yichen picked up his wine glass and swirled it.

"The main production capacity of superconducting tungsten-gold fusion alloy is currently occupied by other major projects."

"The automotive industry can only get a partial share."

Old Wei immediately pressed, "How much will you get?"

"The first batch is 5,000 tons of Great Wall steel."

"Can."

"Five thousand tons of rice."

Mr. Lei immediately replied, "That's great."

The two of them agreed faster than the other.

Five thousand tons, calculated at two hundred kilograms per vehicle, is enough for twenty-five thousand vehicles.

It's more than enough to cover the initial production run of the flagship model.

Old Wei pressed a few buttons on the calculator.

"Two hundred and fifty million. I'll pay fifty percent as a deposit now, and the rest will be settled upon delivery."

"Don't rush to give me the money."

Li Yichen flipped his phone back onto the table.

"We will not sign the contract at the dinner table tonight."

"Go to Future Technology tomorrow and find Ji Yanran. She will arrange someone to connect you with the technical team, legal department, and supply chain."

Mr. Lei picked up his cup.

"Given Future Technology's reputation, why would they need to go through such a complicated process?"

"I won't sell it to you unless you verify it."

Li Yichen raised the rim of his cup towards him.

"We'll send you a small batch of materials to make samples first. After you pass the crash tests, we'll begin the formal supply."

"So that no one will say later that I fooled two car company bosses with a meal."

Lei burst out laughing.

"If you're willing to deceive people, the line of people waiting to be fooled could stretch from the Bund all the way to Hongqiao Bridge."

Old Wei put away the calculator, his expression becoming much more serious.

"The verification process is necessary, and the standards need to be raised."

"I plan to test it on a tank first. Frontal, side, rollover, pole impact, and heavy-load off-road conditions."

"If the data really reaches the level you described, the core framework of the next generation of tanks will be completely replaced."

Li Yichen pointed at the two of them with his chopsticks.

"Increasing the body strength does not mean you can continue to add power without limit."

"Six hundred horsepower, eight hundred horsepower, one thousand horsepower—the spec sheets look impressive, but the average person might not be able to handle them."

"Driver monitoring, graded power release, and emergency avoidance—these features must be upgraded simultaneously."

Mr. Lei took out his phone and wrote it down.

"This idea is feasible."

"In normal mode, instantaneous torque is limited, and if the driver's condition is not good, the power response is actively reduced."

"When encountering complex road conditions, instruct the system to tighten permissions in advance."

He looked up at Li Yichen.

"Can Lingxi AI be involved in risk assessment?"

"Can."

"The photonic chip is responsible for real-time computing, the Lingxi analyzes the driver's state and road conditions, the Thor battery is responsible for energy, and the super alloy provides the last line of defense for safety."

After hearing this, Lao Wei drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"This is no longer just about changing the type of steel."

"This is about completely redesigning the next generation of cars, inside and out."

Lei raised his glass and waved it at Lao Wei.

"This high-speed rail ticket I bought today is probably the most rewarding ticket I've ever bought in my life."

Old Wei snorted.

"Don't get too excited yet. It's not decided who will receive the 5,000 tons first."

"Whoever completes the verification first gets the goods first; it's very fair."

"Then you're doomed to lose."

"We'll see how it goes in the lab tomorrow."

Li Yichen clinked glasses with the two men and added a sentence.

"Don't spread the news about what we discussed tonight."

"There's no surplus production capacity for materials. Don't go back and brag about it in industry groups, or you'll attract a bunch of people blocking the door to future technology."

"rest assured."

Old Wei answered very quickly.

"I keep my mouth shut."

Lei turned his head to the side.

"You'd better be that strict."

"I should be the one saying this to you."

"I chased after him from a great distance without telling anyone."

"Your company's Vice President Chen has already sold out my entire travel itinerary."

The two stared at each other, looking more like they were on guard against each other.

After dinner, the competition for production capacity that had lasted all night wasn't over yet, and a second round of bill-paying was started.

Mr. Lei first took out his bank card.

Old Wei grabbed his hand.

"You even had to force your way into this dinner party, and you still want to pay the bill?"

"Whoever pays is the host."

"Dream on. I prepaid this afternoon."

Old Wei gestured with his chin toward the front desk.

The waiter, holding the bill, said awkwardly yet politely, "Mr. Wei has indeed already paid in full."

Mr. Lei took back the card.

"Okay. Next time I'll invite Mr. Li alone, you don't need to come."

"If you dare to make a date, I dare to take the high-speed train and chase after you."

The three parted ways at the entrance of Wangjiang Pavilion.

Li Yichen had been drinking and called a designated driver. When the white Tank 700 returned to Tomson Riviera, the lights were still on in the villa's living room.

Ji Yanran sat on the sofa with her tablet in her arms. After listening to the preliminary order for 10,000 tons, her finger hovered over the screen.

"Superconducting tungsten-gold fusion alloy?"

"right."

"Fifty thousand per ton?"

Ji Yanran quickly calculated the amount.

Five hundred million yuan isn't much for Future Technology; what really interests her is the material itself.

She placed the tablet on her lap.

"You mentioned before that this alloy is being supplied to that big project that I can't tell you about."

"Won't selling 10,000 tons suddenly slow down the construction schedule?"

Li Yichen sat down opposite her and casually took the half-cup of warm water from the coffee table.

"Don't worry, it won't have any impact."

Ji Yanran stared at him.