Chapter 928
Borrowing Fire to Burn the Forest
Three days later.
Yuezhou City.
"What's going on? What does this mean?" Xu Jia asked, pointing to the documents on the table in the office.
The assistant stood to the side and explained in a low voice, "It means that compared to the original standards, higher requirements are placed on the vehicle's safety equipment and structural safety..."
"Don't I understand what you're saying? I'm asking what exactly this Environmental Protection Association means!" Xu Jia glared.
"They mean they want us to adjust the new standards for the car and invite us to become members..." the assistant realized.
"Is this an invitation? This is a blatant threat! He comes up here and hits me with a stick first, then smiles and tells me to be friends. Does he think the Xu family is a pushover? Who is this Duan Yixiong? He should take a good look at himself in the mirror. He doesn't even know who he's dealing with!" The Xu family member slammed his fist on the table in anger, picked up a cigar, and took a deep drag.
Two days ago, Hengxiao Car Manufacturing suddenly received a document specifically requesting them to comply with the new national standards.
In principle, such mandatory national standards, which have the legal nature of technical regulations, must be followed.
However, the specific requirements for this new national standard have not yet been finalized.
You, some environmental protection industry promotion association that appeared out of nowhere, are demanding that they change the standards as if it were an imperial edict, and you're acting all high and mighty.
This is something that would upset anyone.
The Xu family didn't actually know much about car manufacturing, but he could ask Jia Riting.
Although Jia Riting was only a novice in this area, he still knew more than the other party.
After listening to this, Jia Riting consulted with industry professionals in China and immediately learned the details.
This means someone is trying to frame them, or you could say they're demanding protection money.
Joining the association means paying money. And this isn't a one-time fee, but a continuous stream of protection money.
In fact, this amount of money was just a drop in the ocean for the Xu family, but the other party's method made him very unhappy.
After all, he is one of the top businessmen in the country. If you slap him in the face without even discussing it, he won't be willing to pay even a penny.
"Boss, I've inquired a bit. Several other well-known car companies are members, so I think joining wouldn't be a bad thing. For a little money, I can learn about future standards; it's like paying for inside information..." The assistant wasn't just sitting idly by; he didn't neglect his duties.
"Do you think I'm afraid of losing face and don't want to pay this money? I used to be penniless, and I've never lost face before. Even now that I'm rolling in money, I still bow and scrape to the leaders. You don't understand the problem here. If you join them, you have to integrate into this circle. How do you integrate into this circle? It's by discussing and setting standards together to meet the average needs, which means everyone can benefit. Our Hengxiao uses American technology to build cars. The performance of these cars is many times better than their junk. They're upgraded Teslas! Look at how they treated Tesla before. Did Musk align himself with them? Besides, when Hengxiao was building buildings, we set the standards. A small environmental protection association thinks it can ride on my head and shit on me? Bah!" Xu Jia became more and more angry as he spoke.
"Boss, please calm down first." The assistant immediately handed over some herbal tea.
Xu Jia took the herbal tea, opened it, took a big gulp, and then put it back on the table.
Seeing that the boss seemed much calmer after finishing the herbal tea, the assistant secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Time passed second by second, and the assistant, seeing Xu Jia standing motionless in thought, suddenly laughed, leaving him with a head full of questions.
He was so angry just a moment ago, but now he's suddenly laughing so strangely; anyone would feel a chill down their spine.
"Haha, these guys are trying to mess with me and stop me from building cars. Well, I'll kill them all!" Xu Jia picked up the soda can and examined it closely.
"Boss..." The assistant was puzzled. He looked at it for a long time, but there didn't seem to be anything special about the can.
"Look what brand this herbal tea is," Xu Jia pointed to the three large characters on the can.
“Young Master! If you’re worried about getting a sore throat, just drink this…” the assistant replied instinctively.
This is a beverage from Guangdong Province, and it can be said that it has long been popular throughout the country.
Who doesn't know that classic advertising slogan?
"Is it because you're afraid of getting a sore throat that you drink Wang Youji? But the one I have is Jia Shao Bao! The packaging and taste are exactly the same!"
"Yes, that's right. The two brands have the same formula, and they were involved in a lawsuit before."
The assistant nodded after listening.
Jia Shaobao used to be Wang Youji, but a conflict arose between the two sides over contract renewal issues.
Ultimately, both Wang Youji and Jia Shaobao were available on the market.
Since they taste exactly the same, they can only compete on price.
Today it's either Jia Shao Bao having a promotion, tomorrow it'll be Wang You Ji lowering prices.
Anyway, people from Guangdong province are well aware of this, since it's a local beverage.
But what does this have to do with car manufacturing? The assistant still couldn't figure it out.
"What do you think of Hengxiao Car Manufacturing in the eyes of those established car companies? Aren't they market troublemakers? Now that another troublemaker has suddenly appeared, and is even competing with them in the low-end market, won't these people jump up in panic?" Xu Jia laughed even louder as he spoke.
"Boss, you mean to support a car company and compete with them? That seems too costly, it doesn't seem worthwhile. Besides, it doesn't seem necessary, since we haven't even established ourselves in this industry yet."
"Haha, they don't need my support at all. I just need to set the tone, and that person will come and cause trouble on their own." Xu Jia waved his hand.
"Boss, who is that?" The assistant was very curious; he had no idea who the Xu family was referring to.
"In the manufacturing industry, there's a guy that many bosses hate to death. Everyone calls him the industry troublemaker! This guy plays the supply chain game. As long as he sees something that can make money, he'll say he's going to drive down the price. From making mobile phones to making air conditioners, there's nothing he won't mess with..." Xu Jia started churning out a riddle.
The assistant, a long-time employee who had seen many outstanding individuals from various industries, immediately recognized the speaker upon hearing this: "Boss, you mean..."
“That’s right, it’s him!” Xu Jia snapped his fingers.
“But making cars requires technology, it’s not like making low-end things like home appliances.” The assistant scratched his head.
"That's easy, hehe. But we can't just let that association thing go. They've really come to my face. Shouldn't I teach them a lesson? Duan Yixiong, you've got some nerve!" Xu Jia chuckled and stroked his chin.
He needs someone to share the burden, but he can't let the person who bullied him get away with it so easily.
Huajing, Environmental Protection Industry Promotion Association.
Duan Yixiong was sitting at his desk processing documents; he was extremely busy.
They have to deal with issues related to new energy vehicles, Huahetong, and several other companies, including a waste treatment plant.
"President, the document has been sent out." The secretary placed a cup of tea on the table.
"Oh, what's Hengxiao's reaction?" Duan Yixiong took a sip of tea and continued reading the documents.
"I didn't say anything, but what I wrote was already very assertive!" The secretary was a girl who had just graduated.
The boss has been very busy lately, leaving her with a lot of tasks. Lacking experience, she often simply copies previous plans when drafting documents.
"After all, Hengxiao is backed by the Xu family, so how can the wording be too forceful? But a certain forcefulness is necessary, otherwise people won't take it seriously at all. Those guys want to use me as a pawn..." Duan Yixiong muttered to himself while reading the document, completely ignoring the matter.
He's a cunning old fox. Although he took money from those car company bosses last time, he knew exactly what was going on.
Duan Yixiong wanted to use this as an excuse to bring Heng Xiao into his circle, so that they could make progress together, wouldn't that be even better!
This way, you won't offend either side, and you can even make a profit.
Hearing her boss say that, the secretary didn't think much of it and went about her other business. Little did she know that her actions had earned her the wrath of the Xu family towards Duan Yixiong.
Tuao.
"Hahaha, we're going to make a fortune this time!" Norbert, his obese body spun around in his chair.
The depreciation of the Korean coin has made it extremely cheap for used car buyers to purchase Korean cars with US dollars. In just a few days, used car exports have reached a record high of nearly 300,000 units, and it's estimated that this number may exceed 500,000 in a few more days!
Due to nationalist sentiments triggered by the trade war, Sakura cars suffered a devastating blow in South Korea, with sales plummeting by more than 50% to 80%. Exports also decreased significantly, followed by a wave of major price cuts.
Norbert had previously acquired Kim Junsu's used car trading platform, allowing him to make early preparations and reap a great deal.
"Boss, should we modify these cars and ship them to other countries to sell?" the subordinate asked.
"No! Wait a minute. Used car prices are down now, but new car prices are drastically different. Some cars, like Genesis, rely heavily on the global supply chain for certain precision parts. Currency devaluation has increased the cost of imported parts, slowing down new car deliveries. I think we'll see used car prices rise later! Because buying new cars is more expensive and the waiting period is longer, many ordinary South Korean families will be forced to flock to the used car market to find alternatives. This will cause the previously devalued South Korean currency to actually rise in price when buying high-quality used cars in the country due to the surge in demand! How much would it cost to ship so many cars to other countries? It's better to resell them directly in South Korea. We also need to purchase a batch of new cars from Japan, shipping some to Australia and selling the rest to South Korea once the market returns to normal."
Norbert stroked his chin and grinned mischievously.
As a veteran in the used car business, he has a wealth of experience. If it weren't for Chen Xi, he would still be the undisputed industry leader.
"Boss, should we start the new project you requested now?" the subordinate asked, holding up a tablet.
The so-called new project was also rushed out in response to the current crisis in South Korea. It must be said that Norbert has some ideas about automobiles.
Being constantly outmatched by Real-Car made him realize his own shortcomings, namely, a lack of innovation!
In order to make money in South Korea, Norbert came up with a new plan.
That means no longer relying solely on selling advertising space to make money, but rather deeply engaging in the transaction chain.
His idea was to launch an Instant Offer.
Similar to the car auction model that emerged later in China, users directly sell their cars to platform partners.
He wants to use this model to amplify data and make it the standard for used car pricing in the Southern Hemisphere and even parts of Asia again!
“Yes, get started! How’s business in other countries?” Norbert nodded.
"With the increased stake in Webmotors, and our collaboration with Santander Bank, we successfully gained control of Webmotors' largest automotive portal. In the US market… the plan is to enter the North American market by acquiring leading non-passenger vehicle trading platforms, such as trucks, RVs, and motorcycles… to build a deeply integrated global vertical platform! Our early acquisition of iCar Asia didn't perform well in the Southeast Asian market. Southeast Asian car trading relies heavily on offline relationships and fragmented showrooms; the purely online Australian model is difficult to penetrate. Coupled with the strong rise of our new rival Carro and Malaysian competitor Carsome, as well as Real-Car, we realized Southeast Asia is a bottomless pit of cash, so it's better to exit and focus on deeper operations…"
"boom!"
"It's those Real-Car bastards again! I see them everywhere I go! That Chinese man's gone, but this bitch is even worse than him!"
Norbert slammed his fist on the table in anger after hearing this, his good mood instantly vanishing.
"Um... Real-Car's capital operation in cooperation with Tesla has been successful." The subordinate added another timely blow.
Norbert immediately covered his face with his hands.
"So, have you come up with any solutions?" Norbert asked after calming down for a moment and putting his hands down.
"The department's proposed solution is to acquire Stratton Finance and deeply penetrate the auto finance industry!"
Inside the building across the street, Liya, holding a cup of milk tea, looked through the floor-to-ceiling window at Norbert, who was gesturing wildly across the street, and a smile crept onto her face.
New mother-in-law.
Chen Xi, who had been posing as a gigolo for several days, was currently sitting at his computer desk. Today was the 3X platform's conference, and his long-awaited preparations were about to begin. (End of Chapter)