237: Chapter 237 ESP's Supplies Cut Off

Meanwhile, on the other side at Geely headquarters.

"Are you sure?"

"Dean, we've checked. Their cars have indeed obtained the market launch permit. The large-scale testing that began in the third quarter of last year has also concluded."

"The testing time is so short; aren't they afraid the cars will have problems?"

Dean Wang was also somewhat skeptical. After all, this testing period was far too short and did not meet the standard testing criteria for a vehicle. Although they had increased the intensity, there might still be hidden dangers in the details.

Regardless, this was their opportunity. Transsion had poached so many engineers, causing several of their projects to grind to a halt. This time, they had to pay them back.

...

Liu Fang was in a meeting with the publicity department when she received the call.

There was one month left until the Transsion Auto launch event, and Li Qing and his team had already begun the online buildup.

All sorts of hype, parameter speculations, and price predictions were overwhelming.

The hottest topic, however, remained the photovoltaic roof.

After all, competitors had already proven this to be a useless feature—a pure tax on intelligence—and various mocking videos had already appeared online.

But the word from Transsion was that they would be using a self-developed photovoltaic charging dome, with a photovoltaic conversion efficiency boosted to 28.2%, which was double that of products currently on the market.

The trending topics online were filled with voices of doubt.

"The core patents for photovoltaic panels are all in the hands of foreign giants. What kind of tricks can Transsion pull?"

"It's only been a short while; it's probably just another 'PPT car'—once the launch event is over, there won't be any follow-up."

"I admit they're sincere about making phones, but cars? Forget it. Who would dare buy a car made by a phone manufacturer!"

Most people were skeptical about the photovoltaic panels. It was said that China was the world's largest photovoltaic industry nation, but the core patents for the industry were firmly held by foreign giants. This resulted in a strong industry but weak core patents...

Liu Fang and Li Qing were not surprised by the many voices of doubt online. It was normal for a new brand to be questioned when entering the car manufacturing business. Once the cars were actually released, these people would naturally shut up.

Then, just as they were preparing their promotional plans, the call came.

"General Manager Liu, we regret to inform you that due to production capacity issues, the ESP system cannot be delivered on schedule and will be postponed indefinitely."

Liu Fang's smile froze on her face.

ESP, the Electronic Stability Program. It was a core component of automotive active safety; without an ESP, the car could not be brought to market.

This wasn't a production issue; this was a stranglehold. Especially since they were being notified under these circumstances—someone was pulling strings again...

"What is the reason?"

Although she was furious, Liu Fang's voice remained steady.

"I'm sorry, but our production capacity is insufficient, and we are prioritizing our long-term customers. Your company's order cannot be processed at this time."

"Don't lie to me!"

After hanging up the phone, Liu Fang immediately had her secretary prepare the car, and she headed to the Bosch headquarters.

The Bosch China headquarters was in Hongqiao, Shanghai.

When Liu Fang arrived, the receptionist told her the president was in a meeting and asked her to wait.

This wait lasted for two hours.

Liu Fang sat on the sofa in the reception area, running through every possibility in her mind.

If the insufficient production capacity were true, Bosch would have notified them in advance, not waited until the delivery date was near to say so.

Furthermore, given how they usually operated, if there really were a production shortage, they would definitely raise prices. Additionally, Transsion's order had been placed six months ago, and the deposit had already been paid; Bosch had no reason to cancel the order at the last minute.

Unless... someone was applying pressure.

Two hours later, the president finally appeared.

Hans Müller, a German, had been in China for eight years and spoke fluent Chinese.

"General Manager Liu, I apologize for keeping you waiting."

Hans Müller was all smiles, but Liu Fang could tell the smile was fake.

"Mr. Muller, I need an explanation regarding the ESP."

Hans Müller's expression changed immediately, and he sighed.

"General Manager Liu, it really is a production issue. The impact of the earthquake in Japan hasn't fully dissipated, and the global supply chain is experiencing shortages. We are prioritizing orders from our old customers, so orders from new customers will have to be pushed back."

"Transsion's order was placed six months ago, and the deposit was paid. We are a new customer, not a temporary one."

Hans Müller felt a headache coming on; those car companies were really good at making trouble for him. "Liu the Blade" certainly lived up to her reputation—she was truly difficult to deal with.

"General Manager Liu, there are some things I'm not at liberty to say. But I suggest you look for other suppliers; try asking Continental or Denso."

Liu Fang stared at him for a few seconds.

"Mr. Muller, someone is applying pressure behind the scenes, aren't they?"

Muller did not answer, but his expression said it all.

As she was leaving, Liu Fang sneered. Since they didn't know how to seize the opportunity provided to them, she would just have to launch Plan B ahead of schedule.

Three days later, Liu Fang received the investigation results. Six domestic car companies had jointly pressured Bosch to prioritize their supply. These six car companies were all competitors that Transsion had poached from in the past.

Three of them had already jumped the gun, launching corresponding photovoltaic models and pure electric models...

This was blatant retaliation.

"They're afraid," Liu Fang said, slamming the report onto the table. "Or rather, they are deliberately retaliating for our previous actions. These people are truly so petty."

She looked over at her assistant. "Are there any other domestic suppliers?"

"Yes. But the technology is far behind." The assistant had immediately investigated the corresponding alternatives: Mando, JD.com Heavy Industry, and Asia Pacific Mechanical & Electronic.

These companies all had ESPs, but their performance was one or two generations behind Bosch. They could be installed and used, but the user experience would be significantly compromised, they were very difficult to tune, and they would also be targeted by other manufacturers.

After all, they were products from second-tier manufacturers; not only were they hard to tune, but their reputation wasn't good either!

She thought for a moment. "Check if there are any domestic startups making ESPs. It doesn't matter if the technology is a bit lacking; the key is the ability to supply."

The assistant thought for a moment and mentioned a name: Huachuang Chassis Control System Co., Ltd.

The company was located in Suzhou, had only been established for two years, and the team had all come out of Bosch.

The product had already been developed, but they had no experience in mass production. Several OEMs they had spoken to previously had rejected them due to issues with capacity and technology.

Liu Fang picked up the phone and called the founder of Huachuang.

The person's name was Chen Hao, 40 years old, a graduate of Peking University who had worked at Bosch for 10 years before choosing to resign and start his own business two years ago because he saw no hope of promotion. But now, the youthful spirit he once had was gone, replaced only by exhaustion.

"General Manager Liu, if you want to buy the company, we certainly welcome it. But you are the fifth party to come here; after talking with the previous few, there was no follow-up. They all complained that our technology wasn't mature enough."

"We are different," Liu Fang said. "We have orders, capital, and a vehicle platform. As long as your product is usable, we want it."

Chen Hao was stunned. This... he had been preparing to give up on his startup, and yet a competitor was giving him a chance?

"General Manager Liu, to be honest with you, our performance is about 80% that of the Bosch ESP 9.0. It can be used in cars, but it's not as stable as Bosch under extreme conditions. Furthermore, our production capacity is limited; we can only supply 5,000 sets per month. If you pay in full upfront, I can prioritize reserving that capacity for you."

"Full payment."

A burst of laughter came from Liu Fang on the other end of the line. "Mr. Chen, what I mean is... I want to acquire your company in its entirety."