395: Increase investment to meet the needs of netizens

“Oh my god, what’s wrong with the world? Mitsubishi, known for being stingy, is actually giving away windshield washer fluid?!”

“Wow, how generous! That bottle of windshield washer fluid must cost several yuan, right?!”

“Heh heh, and the discount is only for new users? So old users are worthless, huh?”

“Protest, protest! They must compensate every old user one yuan, or I won’t be done with them.”

“Ah, I just bought a new Mitsubishi car, and now they’re telling me they’re giving away windshield washer fluid? I lost out big time!”

“Has Mitsubishi, with its ‘bowing craftsman spirit,’ finally made a move? As expected, it’s earth-shattering, sweeping across all directions.”

“I suggest another wave of data fabrication. They should at least break a million in sales; that would be worthy of Mitsubishi’s conscience.”

“Mitsubishi, I’m rooting for you! You’re definitely going bankrupt!”

The comment section was full of sarcastic remarks.

Upon seeing this, Yamamoto Ichiro completely lost his composure.

He didn't expect netizens to have such good memories; after all this time, they still hadn't forgotten the fabrication incident.

...

The next morning, after Ren Yi finished washing up, he specifically sought out a breakfast stall and had a bowl of Old Beijing soy milk. The taste was incredibly authentic.

And when he arrived at the company grumbling, Zhang Kangyang and the R&D Department Head were already waiting.

“Good morning, boss!”

Before Ren Yi could even sit down, Zhang Kangyang excitedly said:

“Mr. Ren, yesterday, when we announced the launch of the autonomous taxis, several BBA brands and manufacturers like Mitsubishi mocked us, thinking they could smear us. But many netizens supported us, directly shutting down their comments.”

As the direct supervisors of this autonomous taxi project, he and the R&D Department Head were under immense pressure.

Seeing netizens actually support Fenglei and the autonomous taxis, he felt a surge of emotion, almost to the point of tears.

He truly hadn't anticipated the level of support the Chinese had for domestic products.

“Mr. Ren, information channels for domestic users are advanced now. Anything can be recorded and uploaded as a video or even live-streamed. On Doyyin, there are countless real-world usage scenarios of domestic cars.”

“Everyone has also realized that the previous notion of domestic cars being of poor quality and ‘industrial waste’ is now a thing of the past.”

“Especially with our recent launch of so many black technologies at Fenglei, it has greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese.”

“You know, even our most basic version of assisted driving costs 28,000 yuan with BBA, and theirs is still an old L2 level. It’s simply a product designed to fleece customers.”

“The public’s eyes are also sharp. In comparison, they naturally stand with domestic cars.”

Ren Yi nodded repeatedly:

“You two came so early to greet me, not just to report this gossip, right?”

“This…”

The R&D Department Head and Zhang Kangyang exchanged glances. He awkwardly scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, as he was a proper STEM guy, and coming out to greet Ren Yi was entirely Zhang Kangyang’s idea.

“Let Old Zhang speak then… I knew you wouldn’t come unless you wanted something!”

Ren Yi said, seeing their expressions, in a rather unamused tone.

“It’s like this, Mr. Ren. Initially, Radish Run wasn’t very confident about the autonomous taxi project, so they only planned to deploy a few hundred units at first.”

“But now, seeing that public opinion is so favorable towards us, and netizens also hope to experience domestic autonomous taxis as soon as possible, Radish Run wants to increase the deployment.”

Zhang Kangyang stated their idea.

“Oh, increase deployment? That’s good news. If they have an idea, just go for it; no need to consult me.”

Ren Yi nodded indifferently.

After all, if too few autonomous vehicles were deployed, the data wouldn't be accurate enough, which would hinder big data analysis.

Traffic conditions are incredibly varied, and if there isn't a massive sample size for analysis and coordination, the final solution will definitely have flaws.

This is a major issue concerning human safety, and there's no room for carelessness.

Hearing Radish Run voluntarily request a large deployment, Ren Yi was naturally very pleased.

“They said they hope… they can deploy five thousand vehicles.”

As one of the main supervisors, Zhang Kangyang was usually eloquent, able to catch a falling word, but now he began to stammer, which showed the immense pressure he was under.

After all, the autonomous taxis being deployed this time used Fenglei’s system.

If a large number of uncontrollable incidents occurred, it would be troublesome.

Moreover, the traffic conditions in Wu Du were notoriously complex throughout the country.

It was no exaggeration to say that the bus drivers and taxi drivers there reportedly had skills comparable to those who competed in Akina.

If autonomous taxis went to Wu Du, ordinary algorithms might not keep up with the intensity of the traffic there, and the probability of accidents would be higher.

“Five thousand vehicles? Don’t you have confidence in Fenglei’s algorithm?”

Ren Yi also knew the reason for their immense pressure.

However, he didn't care.

Because he knew better than anyone the level of his own system.

With the support of the super server and the Starlink System, even complex road conditions could be accurately analyzed.

Zhang Kangyang and the R&D Department Head exchanged glances and said in unison, “We’ll listen to Mr. Ren!”

“Uh… good heavens, you two are pushing responsibility onto me?!”

Ren Yi said with a laugh and a scolding tone.

“How about this, I’ll have the Starlink Department fully cooperate with you, putting as much effort as possible into autonomous taxis. We can analyze it in detail after the pilot is completed. That should work, right?”

“You should know what to do.”

“Okay, thank you, Mr. Ren!”

Upon hearing that Ren Yi had no objections, the two instantly seemed like different people, beaming with joy.

Currently, Fenglei was undoubtedly the leader among domestic brands, both in sales and reputation.

However, there was still a lack of publicity for its technology.

This autonomous taxi project was a perfect opportunity to heavily promote Fenglei’s Zhi Jia System and lay the groundwork for the future Starlink System.

“Mr. Ren is brilliant!”

Zhang Kangyang instantly understood Ren Yi’s thoughts.

So, that afternoon, Radish Run’s second round of publicity began.

Radish Run Official:

“In response to the enthusiasm of the vast number of netizens, our company has specially increased the initial deployment of autonomous taxis to five thousand vehicles, striving to let everyone experience the convenience brought by high technology…”

As soon as this news was released, the entire media and car review circle exploded.

...

Magic City.

Seven Days Chain Hotel.

A group of car review bloggers were gathered here for a party.

Yang Yang, as the second most influential person in the domestic car review industry, was also the organizer of this gathering.

This was something he did every year.

Firstly, to connect with friends in the industry, and secondly, to scout for new talent and invite them to join his company.

This was something every internet celebrity did after becoming successful.

However, at this moment, he was full of worry.

Because he had just received a big order from Mitsubishi to promote their new car.

Time was tight, and the price offered was high. He had revised the proposal three times overnight, but the other party was still not satisfied.

There was no other way; he could only drag his exhausted body to attend today’s gathering first.

...