11: Chapter 11 You guys aren't here to rob me, are you?

"Stinky tofu."

Li Yuan rolled his eyes, as if he had never eaten it before.

"Our Hongqi is just like stinky tofu right now—it smells bad, but it tastes amazing once you dig in!"

Wang Xiuming spoke with confidence.

Those people online were bashing Hongqi mercilessly, but Wang Xiuming didn't care at all.

He believed that Hongqi would surely rise!

Granted, this car had poor soundproofing, terrible shock absorption, and subpar features.

But!

It's a sweet deal to buy, and even sweeter to use!

Forty-five thousand bucks. Let me ask you, where else can you find an electric car with these specs at this price?

Forget about domestic automakers in Xia Country; even if you brought in every automaker from around the world...

...not a single one of them could produce a car like this!

Let them hate! Let them troll all they want!

He didn't believe that when the second day of the auto show arrived and those people saw the glaring numbers...

45,000!

Who could resist that!

This was Hongqi's price!

This was the source of Wang Xiuming's confidence!

"President Liu, Hongqi's booth is right here."

Outside Hongqi's booth, another group of people arrived.

At the very front was a middle-aged man who was slightly plump with dark, yellowish skin.

President Liu.

He was the boss of the Yagen New Energy Company.

This man could be considered an influential figure in Xinhu City.

He had been in the business world since his teens. Despite his impoverished family background, in just a few decades, he had carved out a place for himself in Xinhu City solely through his business acumen.

He had started with just a small auto repair shop, but managed to ride the wave of the electric vehicle era.

Back then, most people commuted by bicycle.

Cars were toys for the rich.

And he was among the first batch of bosses to manufacture electric scooters in Xinhu City!

He started with counterfeiting, and later founded his own brand: Yagen Electric Scooters!

He deeply understood the public's desires; his electric scooters were of good quality, had a sleek and simple design, and most importantly, were cheap.

It was from then on that he embarked on his legendary path.

But...

...man is never satisfied.

President Liu was now eager to transition into manufacturing cars!

To make a true Xia Country car!

Currently, Xia Country was heavily supporting new energy vehicles, which were only just beginning to gain popularity.

An opportunity!

President Liu knew this was his best opportunity to make the transition.

However, wanting to manufacture cars was no simple matter.

The car manufacturing license alone was enough to bar President Liu from entry.

Without it, his products would be considered counterfeit and shoddy, never able to make it to the mainstream market.

As for Xia Country, those that could legitimately manufacture new energy vehicles were all foreign enterprises.

These foreign companies chose to partner with domestic contract manufacturers for production.

The only domestic enterprise capable of independent research and development that could manufacture new energy vehicles was Hongqi!

As an ambitious automaker boss, President Liu naturally had his eyes on Hongqi.

If he could acquire Hongqi, he would be able to legitimately manufacture new energy vehicles.

He had long since thoroughly researched Hongqi.

Hongqi was on the verge of bankruptcy and liquidation.

This was his best chance. As long as he could get Hongqi from Wang Xiuming, it meant he could legitimately manufacture cars from then on!

At the very least, he had to acquire enough shares of Hongqi from Wang Xiuming to gain absolute controlling interest!

No matter what, he had to get his hands on Hongqi.

Back when Hongqi was first on the brink of collapse, President Liu had wanted to take over. Unfortunately, his methods and background were worlds apart from Wang Xiuming's father.

He simply couldn't compete.

Although he later thought about investing, Wang Xiuming was too stubborn and would never agree to President Liu's terms.

Thus, the matter had dragged on until now.

President Liu had also seen the public opinion online.

Now, the opportunity had arrived!

No matter how stubborn Wang Xiuming had been back then, it was because Hongqi still had a glimmer of hope.

But things were different now. Hongqi didn't even have a final chance to turn things around.

President Liu believed that as long as he had a proper talk with Wang Xiuming, he would definitely succeed.

After all, who would turn down money?

"Holy crap, this car... is just too cu— good-looking, isn't it?"

President Liu forced himself to swallow the word "cute." After all, as a middle-aged man and a company president, saying that word felt a bit out of character.

"President Liu, this is Hongqi's new car for this auto show, the xiaolong s21, a new energy vehicle."

President Liu frowned. With such a good-looking design, how could this car be getting trashed so badly online?

It didn't make sense!

With that in mind, he immediately told the secretary behind him to fetch a copy of the xiaolong s21's specifications.

A moment later, after reading through the specifications, President Liu's expression became even more bizarre.

Such perfect specs, plus an electronic control system...

...and it can't sell?

Is this a joke?

He couldn't believe it. If a car this good couldn't sell, what was the point of him getting into new energy vehicles? He might as well pack up and go home.

"Could it be for some other reason..."

President Liu muttered to himself, then asked, "How much does this car cost?"

As an executive who had run a company for many years, identifying the crux of a problem was a basic skill.

"The lowest trim is 45,000."

Crazy, absolutely crazy!

That was the only thought in President Liu's mind.

You're telling me a car this cheap can't sell?

Who wouldn't praise this thing upon seeing it?

Was he the one who was crazy, or was it the world?

President Liu looked at the comments online and fell into deep thought.

He was already starting to question his life.

"Also, I just asked the staff here. Their sales model this time is online. Customers can customize everything from the lowest to the highest trim."

"They've also partnered with some logistics companies to offer home delivery, so customers don't have to pick up the car themselves."

"This way, they've kept their costs well under control, which is why they can offer such a cheap price."

In the market, the reason new energy vehicles were so popular...

...was largely due to Xia Country's current purchasing restrictions on traditional cars, as well as the license plate lottery.

Winning that was basically like buying a lottery ticket.

The odds were just too low.

But new energy vehicles were different.

Restrictions on driving days and purchases simply didn't exist for them.

Because of this, the price of new energy vehicles remained around sixty thousand.

But Hongqi's move was nothing short of a game-changer!

Forty-five thousand!

What kind of insane price was that?

How could anyone resist that!

And online ordering!

This was equivalent to completely bypassing physical dealerships!

It directly saved a quarter of the costs!

"Did this kid suddenly see the light?"

"Or did his old man step in?"

Even President Liu couldn't figure out how Hongqi could produce such a good car.

Particularly when it came to pricing and marketing.

This was definitely not something Wang Xiuming could pull off!

Otherwise, Hongqi wouldn't have fallen to its current state!

As he thought about it, President Liu suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy.

If the son couldn't do it, the father stepped in. The father and son were teaming up to rake in the cash!