Rebirth 99 to become a car giant

China's automobile market was in the midst of the most intense changes in 2009.

After the financial crisis broke out last year, sales began to weaken immediately, and everyone was very worried about the economic prospects.

However, it bottomed out in the first quarter of this year, and China Automobile sales immediately resumed rapid growth.

On July 1, 2009, a large number of car companies actively released sales data for the first half of the year.

Except for individual brands, most are experiencing year-on-year growth.

This situation is quite surprising globally.

"Mr. Cao, Xingchen Motors' sales in the first half of this year exceeded 150,000, a year-on-year increase of 38%. The growth rate is the highest among domestic mainstream luxury brands."

"Although Mercedes-Benz and BMW also increased, the increases were within 30%."

"In addition, Jaguar Land Rover also performed very well, and its sales in China reached a new high."

"The Jaguar brand's sales in the first half of the year reached 5,022 units, which has exceeded the sales volume for the whole of last year."

"Land Rover's performance is even more outstanding. Domestic sales have now reached 50,134 vehicles, and the full year is expected to exceed the 100,000-unit mark."

"Although Jaguar Land Rover's performance in markets outside China was not very satisfactory due to the impact of the financial crisis, thanks to the rapid growth of the Chinese market, it has successfully turned a loss into a profit in the first half of the year."

Zeng Tingting naturally wanted to report such good news immediately.

In the past few days, Cao Yang basically conducted on-site investigations around parts companies such as Nanshan Batteries and Nanshan Auto Parts. Zeng Tingting could not even find Cao Yang.

So today she came to Cao Yang's office early in the morning.

"Jaguar Land Rover's operating conditions are better than I expected."

"I don't know if people at Ford will regret it after seeing this data."

Cao Yang will study the data every month carefully.

Therefore, although the accurate data for the first half of the year is only known now, Cao Yang is aware of the general situation.

So after Zeng Tingting reported to him, his reaction was relatively calm.

"The U.S. market has not been particularly prosperous yet. It is estimated that the people at Ford are busy selling other brands now and do not have much time and energy to consider whether the things they sold in the past have sold at a loss."

"However, in the next few years, Ford will definitely pay more attention to the Chinese market, and a series of new models will be launched quickly. This is basically certain."

Zeng Tingting is quite concerned about Ford Motor, Nanshan Group's most important customer.

However, their performance in the United States is indeed not that good.

Otherwise life wouldn't be so difficult.

"Whether it's Ford or General Motors, or Volkswagen and Toyota, they will definitely launch more and more new models in China in the future."

"And their prices will most likely continue to drop, looking for a space they can accept."

"For example, Yangcheng Honda's Accord now basically costs 200,000 yuan to launch. But in the future, it is very normal for the entry-level Accord to have a lower launch price of 30,000 to 40,000 yuan."

"As a result, the pressure faced by independent brand car companies will also increase."

Originally, the next few years would be the busiest years for China's auto market.

Now with the promotion of Nanshan Group, this lively scene may become even more exciting.

Cao Yang is naturally confident that Nanshan Group will gain the maximum benefit from this wave of sales boom.

But it’s hard to say whether other car companies can keep up.

"With the rapid recovery of China's auto market, there is still no sign of growth in the United States. It is basically inevitable that various auto giants will increase the launch of new models in China."

"However, China's car sales are likely to rapidly increase from the current 10 million to around 20 million."

“The market space left for everyone is still very worth looking forward to.”

"After all, global car sales are right there. China can increase its sales by 10 million units, which is almost an additional American market. This is very scary and very attractive data."

"The automobile industry may not be considered a sunrise industry in some countries, but in China it is definitely very promising."

"At least in the next ten years, I think the automobile industry still has a bright future."

Facing competition, Zeng Tingting is full of confidence.

However, Cao Yang felt that some things still needed attention.

"As various automobile giants attach importance to the Chinese market, auto parts giants will also take various actions."

"Some parts and components that were previously concentrated overseas will also be produced domestically."

"The prices of related parts and components will also drop rapidly, which will put some pressure on Nanshan Group."

"In this regard, everyone also needs to be prepared to deal with it."

In Cao Yang's eyes, the automobile industry is definitely not just a car manufacturer.

The most critical thing behind this is the auto parts industry.

Behind the auto parts industry, there are equipment industries and materials industries that have received less attention.

Especially in the area of ​​equipment, there are many thresholds that everyone cannot see.

Even some equipment does not have opportunities simply because China's technology is not good, but because the market is too small. Everyone has become accustomed to the original equipment manufacturers and is not willing to bother anymore.

"No problem. I'll have a good chat with Mr. Dai later and see how to deal with the competition from international auto parts giants."

"This year, three companies in our group have entered the list of the top 100 global auto parts. They have definitely entered the field of vision of other parts giants."

"In the future, some of our quotation strategies will also be adjusted in a targeted manner to ensure that we can continue to obtain more orders."

Zeng Tingting's subjective initiative is still very strong.

She has already seen the problems Cao Yang mentioned, and has already started thinking about countermeasures in advance.

After hearing what Zeng Tingting said, Cao Yang felt relieved.

He still has confidence in Nanshan Group's technology.

While Cao Yang and Zeng Tingting were discussing the sales data for the first half of the year, other manufacturers were naturally not idle either.

On Weibo, the official accounts of various OEMs are becoming more and more active, publishing their own sales data.

Some soft articles have even been written and are just waiting for everyone to forward them.

This situation can be regarded as a lively scene that can be seen at the beginning of every month.

Especially early July and early January are basically the most active times when OEMs release various data.

"The sales of Chery, Geely, Great Wall, Changan and BYD are getting closer and closer."

"According to this development trend, all five of them can exceed 300,000 units today, or even reach 350,000 units."

"We need to continue to work hard, otherwise there may still be some gap from 300,000."

Yangcheng Trumpchi is a latecomer, but sales have begun to catch up.

Zhang Jiaqi naturally hopes to be on an equal footing with his predecessors.

Yangcheng Automobile Group is now the most successful among the state-owned enterprises affiliated to Yangcheng City.

Zhang Jiaqi's own social status has also risen.

Not to mention that he almost won the title of "Top Ten Economic Figures" before, the identities of various representatives alone are of great significance.

"If electric taxis can make a big impact, then it is possible for us to hit 300,000 annual sales."

"When our GS5 and GS3 are launched next year, it will be possible to challenge 400,000 yuan."

"Perhaps we can also enter the top ten in the sales list by then."

Zeng Guangda is still very confident in the future of Yangcheng Trumpchi.

Although it may be difficult to completely surpass the big brothers of the previous independent brands, there is still no problem in following closely.

In particular, Yangcheng Trumpchi has launched many new projects in the past two years, and they will continue to be launched starting next year.

The contribution to sales is definitely worth looking forward to.

"The sales volume of Xingchen Motors in the first half of the year exceeded 150,000 units, and it will definitely exceed 300,000 units this year, and even further challenge the higher number of units."

"In terms of production value, we will definitely never have a chance to match Xingchen Automobile. But in terms of sales, if we also fall behind, it will be very ugly sometimes."

"After all, someone else's luxury car costs more than one million yuan, and we basically have an economical car that costs more than one hundred thousand yuan."

"Although the city has not raised any questions about our group's performance, it will be difficult to say in the future."

Similar companies in the same city will inevitably be compared with each other.

Zhang Jiaqi also has a clear understanding of this.

Especially if the leadership is changed in the future and the rise of Nanshan Group has not been witnessed, there will definitely be more doubts about Yangcheng Motors' failure to compete with Xingchen Motors.

Just trying to explain this stuff can be exhausting.

That's why Zhang Jiaqi and Zeng Guangda agreed in the past two years to let the Yangcheng Automobile Research Institute conduct research on several models at the same time.

And, in addition to SUVs, they have also begun a comprehensive layout in sedans.

Even in terms of MPV, we have begun to consider it this year.

Such a large number of stalls are spread out, which means that Yangcheng Automobile Group is supported by two relatively profitable joint ventures, Yangcheng Honda and Yangcheng Toyota. Otherwise, the cash flow may dry up at some point.

It's not your own company. When everyone considers issues, their views will be somewhat different.

Sometimes making money is not even the most important thing, but the effect of scale is more valued.

There are also many cases where people suffered losses in the end.

"Nanshan Group is now not only valued by the city and Lingnan Province, but also at the national level. They have also received high attention."

"I don't think we need to worry about Yangcheng Trumpchi's sales being worse than Xingchen Motors. We are not competitors at the same level at all."

"In terms of turnover, Nanshan Group has reached more than 300 billion yuan last year. If Jaguar Land Rover's output value is also added this year, there will be no problem exceeding 500 billion yuan."

"But now we are working towards the long-term goal of '100 billion Yangcheng Motors', and the gap is not one or two points."

"The most important thing is that in the eyes of the superiors, we are not the same level of rivals as Nanshan Group. Even Spring City Automobile Group and Xifeng Automobile Group are not their rivals."

"So I don't think we need to worry about this aspect in particular. On the contrary, if our sales volume cannot match that of BYD next door in the future, we will be more likely to be asked by our leaders."

For Zeng Guangda, the current size of Nanshan Group is no longer something he can imagine surpassing.

In this way, after giving up the comparison, I actually figured it out.

Anyway, there is only one freak like Nanshan Group in the country.

No matter who it is, as long as they have a certain understanding of Nanshan Group, they will know that this is not an opponent that is easy to surpass.

Do you think that if someone sells luxury cars, their sales volume must be lower than yours?

Then look at the annual global sales of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Are they lower than those of independent brand car companies such as Chery, Geely and BYD?

"You are right. Now our cooperation with Nanshan Group has entered the honeymoon period. I think it is necessary to take this opportunity to improve our own competitiveness."

“We can even consider poaching some parts and components R\u0026D personnel from Nanshan Group.”

"Nanshan Group is now so large that it would be completely normal for hundreds of people to change jobs every month."

"As long as we don't go too far, there shouldn't be any impact."

Zhang Jiaqi boldly proposed a plan.

Recruit people from Nanshan Group!

Of course, Zhang Jiaqi certainly wouldn't dare to go too far.

I just want the R\u0026D strength of Yangcheng Automobile Group to be improved to a certain extent.

Otherwise, when compared with Nanshan Group in the future, the gap will be shocking and embarrassing.

Even worse, when the leader comes to inspect, his company must have several technologies that he can show off, right?

"I will personally explain this to the Human Resources Department. Don't touch other people's core sensitive personnel. For ordinary engineers, there should be no problem."

"However, Nanshan Group's treatment is very good. If we want to recruit people, the price we need to pay should not be low."

Zeng Guangda raised an issue that he was worried about.

Each company actually has its own compensation system.

This thing may not necessarily be very reasonable, but it certainly cannot be broken every two days.

Otherwise, it would be a complete mess.

Yangcheng Automobile Group is no exception. They have learned from Yangcheng Honda and Yangcheng Toyota to form their own salary system.

In this case, if you want to recruit people with high salaries, you have to make some changes.

"Whether it is Honda or Toyota, the treatment of R\u0026D personnel is the best in each department."

"It makes sense for our Yangcheng Automobile Group to follow the lead of Honda and Toyota and set the salary of R\u0026D personnel higher."

"Besides, we can also flexibly add some special subsidies based on the existing salary system."

“There are always more solutions than problems.”

For Zhang Jiaqi, the core task is to make Yangcheng Automobile Group bigger and stronger and have some technologies that can be used.

As for the final annual profit, it is actually not that important data.

As long as the profit situation can support the next expansion plan, the difference between making more money and making less money is not big.

Anyway, the company is not your own, so the difference between earning more and less is not that big.

Just don't end up losing money every year.

…

Regarding the sales situation in the first half of this year, not only people from Xingchen Motors and Yangcheng Trumpchi are paying attention, but other car companies are also analyzing the situation of their competitors.

For example, Mercedes-Benz and BMW analyze the sales changes of Xingchen Automobile, which is inevitable.

This time, they not only analyzed Xingchen Motors, but also paid rare attention to the changes in Jaguar Land Rover.

Before Nanshan Group acquired Jaguar Land Rover, the popularity of these two brands in China was relatively low.

Although some rich people choose to buy Jaguar Land Rover, the monthly sales of Jaguar models are only about 100 units, and the sales do not exceed 2,000 units in a year.

For such a number of brands, unless your brand reputation can be compared with car companies such as Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, otherwise, the sense of presence will be relatively low.

The changes in Jaguar are not what worries Mercedes-Benz and BMW the most, but the changes in Land Rover are.

In just six months, Land Rover has sold more than 50,000 vehicles in China, which means there is no problem in exceeding 100,000 vehicles throughout the year.

After all, in China's auto market, sales in the second half of the year are much better than those in the first half. This is no secret.

As a result, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are even more nervous.

Even if it loses to the monster of Xingchen Motors, it would be embarrassing if it can't even compare with the sales of Jaguar Land Rover, which is sold off by Ford Motors.

"Auguste, we at Mercedes-Benz must speed up the pace of localization of SUV models, otherwise we will be crushed by Xingchen Motors in the future, and Jaguar Land Rover will also surpass us."

Yang Ming's mood is relatively heavy now.

Throughout 2009, Mercedes-Benz's performance was remarkable.

If you report it to the headquarters, it will definitely be an outstanding achievement.

That’s because I’m afraid of comparison in everything.

Compared with Land Rover's sales growth, Mercedes-Benz's data is not impressive enough.

The most important thing is that Jaguar Land Rover, a car company that even Ford Motor Company looks down upon, has surpassed Mercedes-Benz in sales in China after being acquired by Nanshan Group. This is definitely something that Yang Ming and others find difficult to accept.

"I have already communicated with the headquarters. In the future, we will focus on launching several SUV models in China so that we can keep up with the rapid growth of China's automobile market."

"Be it Jaguar Land Rover or Xingchen Motors, their publicity capabilities are really powerful."

"We need to invest more in publicity in the future."

"There are still many people in the Yangtze River Delta who like our brand very much."

"As long as we manage it properly, we can soon overtake Jaguar Land Rover and become one of the leaders of China's luxury cars."

Although August also felt a hint of crisis.

That is because Jaguar Land Rover's global business performance is quite different from that of Mercedes-Benz, so August subconsciously feels that Jaguar Land Rover is nothing to worry about.

Who would have known that this sick cat would no longer be what it used to be.

"If we have enough funds, I am quite confident that our sales can keep up with the growth of the Chinese market."

"The brand heritage of Mercedes-Benz is not comparable to that of ordinary car companies."

"In addition, I suggest that Mercedes-Benz's trident logos should be designed to be suspended as much as possible in the future, so that they look more noble and luxurious."

"All of Jaguar's current products are already doing this, and they are very recognized by consumers."

Yang Ming put forward a small suggestion of his own based on the market situation.

According to what he learned about the development situation at the German headquarters, it seems that most Mercedes-Benz cars in the future will cancel the design of suspended logos.

This is a bit mismatched with the market demand in China.

He naturally hopes to produce more products that meet the needs of the Chinese market.

"If all domestically produced cars need to be changed to floating roofs, we can work hard."

"But the view at the headquarters is different from ours. There will be no special adjustments to the design of imported cars."

August knew very well what the people at the German headquarters were thinking.

If you want them to make some adjustments specifically for the Chinese market, it is simply more difficult than reaching the sky.

The so-called pride of the brand is rather the arrogance of the Germans.

If you look at the situation in the American market, they will actively make adjustments as long as the market needs it.

It's not like China, where they are making other people's money while looking down on their consumers.

It’s simply a matter of wanting and wanting both.

"BMW now has a very close relationship with Nanshan Group. There is a lot more positive publicity about BMW on Autohome and Weibo than before."

"The rise of Nanshan Group is inevitable. I'm wondering if the company also needs to consider easing its relationship with Nanshan Group in the future?"

"Otherwise, the changes in BMW cars alone will put us under tremendous pressure."

"Especially the people at the headquarters don't understand the situation in the Chinese market at all. They will only compare the sales changes between us and BMW."

Yang Ming mentioned a very real problem.

This is also an issue that August, as a professional manager, must consider.

Otherwise, if you work hard but don't get recognition, that would be quite tragic.

In the workplace, similar things are not uncommon at all.

Yang Ming must have hoped that he could avoid this pit.

“To solve the problem of insufficient sales growth, we only need to continuously lower the prices of entry-level models.”

"When our C-class sedan gets a facelift, we can set a more competitive price."

August immediately came up with his own solution.

August still has a say in how the sales price of a model produced in China is determined.

At that time, the people at the headquarters will only have to look at the results.

As long as the results are good, everything is fine.

On the other hand, nothing you say will help.