178: Chapter 178 The Red Flag's "Sweet Troubles"

February 1st, Morning

Hongqi Automobile Changchun Operations Center

At 9:07 AM, the data screen at the Changchun Red Flag Operations Center refreshed.

Red numbers flickered:

E-MINI cumulative orders: 512,387 units

H8 cumulative orders: 117,452 units

X1 SUV cumulative orders: 103,891 units

Total: 733,000 units.

Operations Director Chen Haitao, a forty-year-old middle-aged man with a receding hairline, stared at the screen with a wry smile.

On his desk sat three boxes of medicine: stomach medicine, blood pressure medication, and sleeping pills.

"Director Chen, we've received another 20,000 orders," 25-year-old data analyst Xiao Liu said in a low voice, "and..."

Chen Haitao rubbed his temples: "What's the situation with the production lines?"

Production Director Lao Zhang pulled up the real-time data:

Changchun Factory: Monthly capacity 40,000 units (E-MINI)

Chengdu Factory: Monthly capacity 30,000 units (under expansion)

Wuhan New Factory: Monthly capacity 0 (equipment installation in progress)

"Currently, the E-MINI order queue..." Lao Zhang calculated, "If we go by existing capacity, new orders will have to wait 8.2 months."

"8 months?!" Chen Haitao stood up, "Consumers will kill us!"

"And there are also scalpers." Marketing Director Wang Li pulled up monitoring data, "On second-hand platforms, E-MINI delivery slots are being clearly priced. The most outrageous one: a 'delivery this week' slot has been hyped up to 10,000 yuan."

She played a recording of a complaint received by customer service:

"I ordered three months ago! Why have people who ordered after me already taken delivery?!"

"Did you prioritize giving the cars to scalpers?!"

"Pay extra and it's fast, don't pay and you wait—is Red Flag playing this game too?"

Chen Haitao closed his eyes.

A year ago, Red Flag was still a fringe brand with monthly sales of less than 10,000. After Spark invested, they used electric powertrain technology, smart cockpits, and aggressive pricing to push Red Flag to the forefront.

Happiness came too suddenly, so suddenly that they couldn't handle it.

"Emergency meeting," Chen Haitao said, "Call all the executives here, now."

Red Flag Livestream Studio · Backstage

29-year-old Zhou Xiaowei was touching up her makeup in the mirror.

With ear-length short hair, a black suit, and a red bowtie—this was the "Red Flag Livestream" image she designed: professional yet approachable.

Three years ago, she was a top anchor for an MCN agency, with a record of 120 million in sales in a single night. Last year, she was headhunted by Red Flag at a high price to be responsible for the brand's digital marketing.

"Sister Wei, five minutes left," the assistant reminded her.

"How are the numbers?" Zhou Xiaowei asked.

"3.1 million pre-registered before the broadcast, and now there are 4.2 million waiting online..."

Zhou Xiaowei took a deep breath.

Today's livestream was originally planned to introduce the H8's new features. But after the emergency meeting in the early hours, the content was completely changed.

She had to face the most acute issue: delivery delays.

"Sister Wei, how about... we downplay the serious issues?" the assistant whispered, "Talk about the product highlights first, and briefly gloss over the delivery issue?"

Zhou Xiaowei shook her head: "Netizens aren't stupid. The more we avoid it, the harder they'll attack us."

She remembered Chen Haitao's words from last night: "Xiaowei, this livestream concerns Red Flag's brand reputation. What we need to do isn't make excuses, but be transparent—lay everything out for the consumers to see."

The clock pointed to 12:00 PM.

"Start the broadcast."

The camera lit up.

Zhou Xiaowei smiled: "Hello everyone, I am Xiaowei. Today's livestream is different from the past—we aren't selling cars, we are 'showing off' our cars."

The background switched to a real-time feed of the Changchun factory's assembly workshop.

Robotic arms were flying, car bodies were moving along the assembly line, and workers were busy at their respective stations.

"This is Red Flag's Changchun factory Assembly Line 3, specifically for producing the E-MINI." Zhou Xiaowei walked out of the studio, put on a hard hat, and entered the workshop.

The camera followed.

The noise rushed to meet them—welding sounds, motor sounds, conveyor belt sounds, workers' shouts.

"What you see is the welding station." Zhou Xiaowei walked up to a robot, "This robot is from Shenyang Siasun, domestic-made. Its job is to weld the car roof and body together—the precision error for each weld point is no more than 0.1 millimeters."

The robotic arm moved precisely, the welding torch spewed blue flames, and sparks flew everywhere.

The bullet comments started scrolling:

"Wow, so cool!"

"First time seeing a car production line"

"Those sparks look like fireworks"

Zhou Xiaowei continued walking and arrived at the painting workshop.

"This is the water-based paint spraying line. The paint used by Red Flag is eco-friendly water-based paint, with VOC emissions 70% lower than the national standard." She pointed to the massive paint booth, "Every car needs to be sprayed with four layers: primer, base coat, effect coat, and clear coat. It's all robot-operated to ensure uniform thickness."

Camera close-up: the robotic arm moved at a constant speed, and the paint mist formed a rainbow-like halo under the lights.

More and more bullet comments:

"So healing"

"Gospel for the obsessive-compulsive"

"So car manufacturing is this precise"

Next was the assembly line.

A worker was installing seats. Zhou Xiaowei walked over: "Master, excuse me—how many sets of seats do you install a day?"

The Old Master Craftsman looked up, his face full of sweat: "About 120 sets. Each set requires tightening sixteen screws, and the torque for every screw must meet the standard."

He showed the electric wrench in his hand: "This wrench is connected to the system; if it's not tightened properly, it will sound an alarm. We can't be sloppy."

Zhou Xiaowei turned to the camera: "What you've heard is the heartfelt voice of Red Flag's frontline workers. They work in three shifts, eight hours a day, just to get the cars into your hands as quickly as possible."

She walked to the end of the production line.

Every 90 seconds, a brand-new E-MINI rolls off the line. The lights shone on the white car body, gleaming brilliantly.

"This is today's 487th E-MINI." Zhou Xiaowei stroked the car body, "It will undergo a final inspection and then be shipped all over the country."

She paused, her expression turning serious.

"But I know many people are still waiting. The orders are queued up to six months out, that is a fact. I am not avoiding this issue today—on the contrary, I want to tell everyone what Red Flag is doing."

The background switched to a data panel:

Transparent Delivery System launched (enabled at 12:00 today)

Feature 1: Enter order number on the official website to view vehicle status in real-time (Scheduled/Welding/Painting/Assembly/Offline/In-transit)

Feature 2: Display estimated delivery date (accurate to the week)

Feature 3: 24/7 production line livestream, watch the production process of your own vehicle

Capacity Expansion Plan

Chengdu Factory expansion completed ahead of schedule: production starts March 1st, monthly capacity increases by 20,000 units

Wuhan new production line 3 months ahead of schedule: production starts April 1st, monthly capacity 30,000 units

Changchun Factory process optimization: through lean production, monthly capacity increases by 10%

Measures to combat scalpers

Real-name order system + facial recognition: personal facial verification required when ordering, and the owner must present their ID card when taking delivery

Order transfer prohibited: once a transfer is discovered, the order is voided

Establish a reporting channel: if a scalper is reported and verified, reward with a 5,000 yuan car purchase voucher

Zhou Xiaowei looked at the camera, her eyes sincere: "I know these measures won't let everyone get their cars immediately. But I promise: Red Flag will not prioritize cars for those who pay extra, will not condone scalpers, and will not deceive consumers."

She walked back to the start of the production line and pointed to the first process.

"Every car starts here. Every weld, every coat of paint, every screw is made with care by Red Flag people. We will not lower quality just to rush work—because you trust Red Flag, we cannot betray that trust."

The bullet comments exploded:

"Crying, really"

"Won't rush anymore, I'll wait"

"This is what's called Huaxia Manufacturing"

"Red Flag, come on!"

The number of online viewers exceeded 8 million.

Gifts flooded the screen—not monetary tips, but "car," "Red Flag," and "come on" icons sent voluntarily by users.

Zhou Xiaowei's eyes were a little red.

She remembered when she first became an anchor, selling lipsticks, masks, and snacks. At that time, she thought that "bringing goods" just meant making fans impulse buy.

Today she finally understood that real "bringing goods" is making consumers believe in the values behind a brand.

In the last ten minutes of the livestream, she showed "Employee Daily Life."

In the cafeteria, workers were eating quickly; they had to change shifts in twenty minutes.

In the break room, someone had fallen asleep in a chair, still holding a photo of their family in their hand.

In the locker room, sweat-stained work uniforms hung in the lockers.

"They are also fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters," Zhou Xiaowei said softly, "They also want to get off work early, but for everyone's cars, they are persisting."

The livestream ended.

Peak online viewers: 11.2 million.

Cumulative views: 320 million.

Chinese microblogging platform hot search: #Red Flag Production Line Livestream#, #Worth Waiting For#, #The Warmth of Huaxia Manufacturing#.

Backend data: During the livestream, new orders actually slowed down—it wasn't that no one was ordering, it was that many people left comments: "I won't order for now, let those who have already ordered take delivery first."

Chen Haitao finished watching the livestream in the monitoring room and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Xiaowei has done a great service," he said to the executives beside him, "but she only solved the emotional issue. The substantial issue—capacity—still depends on us."