Rebirth 99 to become a car giant

This is not Mulally's first visit to China since he became president and CEO of Ford Motor Company in September 2006.

But the situation is very different every time I come here.

When he first came to China as president of Ford Motor Company in March 2007, China's annual automobile production at that time was only 7 million vehicles.

However, car sales in the United States are at a historical peak of 16.5 million, more than double that of China.

But by 2009, the situation was completely different.

There is a high probability that the annual sales volume in the United States will not reach 10 million vehicles, while China is expected to exceed 12 million vehicles.

The key is that the U.S. auto market is not yet seeing growth momentum, while China's growth is still continuing.

Due to the ebb and flow of one another, China's car sales are likely to be twice that of the United States by then.

Under such circumstances, Mulally's mood was different when he brought a group of senior executives to China.

Ford's attitude towards the Chinese market is also different.

"Mr. Cao, I have transferred your old partner Chris to the general manager of Ford China. I hope that our cooperation will be closer and smoother in the future."

In the first two days of the auto show media day, Mulally came to Yangcheng in advance.

Tomorrow he still needs to go to the exhibition site for rehearsal, and today he made an appointment to visit Nanshan Group for exchanges.

In this regard, Cao Yang naturally wanted to personally participate in the reception.

After all, Ford Motor is now Nanshan Group's largest customer, and they have close cooperation in terms of engines, gearboxes and auto parts.

Even the sales of Xingchen cars in the United States are still handed over to Ford Motors.

Although Ford's market in China will be relatively miserable in the future, in the next few years, thanks to the hot sales of Focus and other models, Changan Ford can continue to be popular in China for a few more years.

Therefore, Cao Yang has no reason to worry about the other party's cooperation.

Even if Ford's sales in China fail, as long as the relationship between the two parties is good, there will still be many opportunities to supply Ford globally.

"Chris knows the Chinese market very well. I believe that under his leadership, Ford's business in China will flourish."

The relationship between Cao Yang and Mulally cannot be said to be very familiar. They can only be regarded as acquaintances and they have met a few times.

On the contrary, the relationship with Chris, the purchasing director of Ford Motor Company, is that the familiar can no longer be familiar.

For Chris to be transferred to Ford Motor China as general manager, it is obviously not a bad thing.

Nanshan Group's main business is still with its own brands. If Ford Motor can further set an example and allow Nanshan Group to obtain more orders from the joint venture, its future development prospects will be even more worth looking forward to.

"After Chris took office, Ford's first big move in China was to promote the implementation of the One Ford Plan."

"Ford's operations used to be very complex. It had the most brands, each region operated independently, and it had many products."

"Our previous focus, especially in the United States, was on those big trucks and SUVs. Ford has indeed been operating for more than 100 years, but the world around us is experiencing rapid changes, and we are also affected by it. "

"A Ford plan affects every aspect of the business, from manufacturing and research and development to working with suppliers and serving customers. The best part of it is simplicity."

"The goal of our plan is to enable profitable growth for all stakeholders. The plan includes projects that significantly reduce planned costs. We will develop contracts with American Automotive Industry Alliance at the same time, which will save millions of dollars in costs."

"We need to develop products that consumers value, they need to be top-notch quality, economical, safe and intelligently designed, but also offer excellent value."

"The key to the 'One Ford' plan is to use assets in all markets around the world, including platforms, technologies and resources. The reason why we can do this is because we believe that consumers in different markets value quality and safety. , fuel economy and smart design.”

"The global automobile market can be divided into three parts, one-third in the Americas, one-third in Europe, and one-third in Asia-Pacific."

"Ford will accelerate the introduction of new products, offering large, medium and small cars, utility vehicles and trucks, all of which carry the full promise of the Ford brand."

"I believe that during this process, Ford Motor and Nanshan Group can cooperate more closely."

"Especially in the introduction of plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles, there is broad room for cooperation between the two parties."

"Ford believes that 15% will be new energy vehicles in 2020. In this market, we believe that FHEVs will account for 70%, plug-ins will account for 20% to 25%, and the rest will be pure electric vehicles."

I have to say that in 2009, Ford was able to predict the market in 2020 in this way, which was quite impressive.

Those international automobile giants, looking at 2023, seem to feel that they are lagging behind in the pace of electrification.

In fact, people have been paying attention to this market for a long time and have accumulated certain technologies.

But in the end, for one reason or another, there was no independent brand in the electrification market in China.

This is also the first time that Cao Yang has heard a relatively clear understanding of new energy vehicles from an international automobile giant, and it will also play a certain role in the next layout of Nanshan Group.

Mulally was once the president of Boeing and is now the president of Ford. His level and vision are worthy of reference.

"Thanks to President Mulally for his wonderful sharing. The Chinese market is the most exciting automotive market in the world. As the industry develops to a new stage, we are indeed facing an unprecedented opportunity."

"Nanshan Group is very willing to work hand in hand with Ford Motor, both parties..."

The two big guys had a relatively down-to-earth meeting, and then it was up to the teams on both sides to implement these spirits.

"Mr. Cao, when I come to China this time, I will immediately discuss the localization of Lincoln with Changan Group. After the goods arrive, we will consider purchasing a 10AT automatic transmission directly from Nanshan Transmission."

"Even for the new Mondeo, we are considering whether to equip high-end models with an 8AT gearbox. These gearboxes will also be purchased directly from Nanshan Transmission."

Chris came to China as the general manager this time, and he obviously wanted to do something big.

As long as he achieves results and is transferred back to the headquarters, a vice president position will be waiting for him.

Therefore, Chris will support anything that is conducive to his achievements in China.

The gearbox jointly developed by Ford Motor and General Motors has not yet been developed. Now it is naturally the best choice to cooperate with Nanshan Transmission.

"No problem. There are more and more wealthy people in China now, and there are many more people buying luxury cars."

"In the next ten years, I predict that the growth rate of luxury cars will be higher than the growth rate of the overall automobile market."

"BMW is now preparing to build a new factory and expand production capacity."

"As a world-renowned luxury brand, Lincoln's presence in China has never been particularly high. It is indeed necessary to increase its influence through localization."

Although the addition of Lincoln will have more or less impact on Xingchen Motors.

But there are so many luxury car brands. Except for Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche, Cao Yang is not very worried about how much competitive pressure the localization of other brands will bring to him.

In particular, Chris also promised to use Nanshan transmission products for domestic Lincolns, which is even more worthy of support.

Even the gearbox is from Nanshan Group, so it is normal for other parts to be purchased from Nanshan Group, right?

If Nanshan Group's global cooperation with Lincoln can be further expanded through cooperation on the localized Lincoln project, then the prospects will be worth looking forward to.

With this background, the communication between the two parties was naturally very smooth.

After meeting the Ford Motor Company, General Motors also came to visit various factories of the Nanshan Group.

Although the cooperation between Nanshan Group and General Motors is not as in-depth as Ford Motor, there are still many types of parts being supplied.

General Motors, which just went bankrupt and reorganized this year, pays more attention to the Chinese market than Ford.

Like Ford, they are not only vigorously promoting the localization of luxury cars, but also plan to launch a series of new models for the Buick and Chevrolet brands.

Parts from traditional European and American parts giants will always be more expensive than Nanshan Group.

Although China's automobile market is booming, competition will definitely become increasingly fierce.

Naturally, everyone hopes to reduce costs so that there can be more room for maneuver.

After meeting with two major clients in succession, Cao Yang arrived at the auto show accompanied by Rao Yongxiang, Zeng Tingting and others.

Tomorrow is media day, so I definitely want to go to the site to take a look first.

Fortunately, Xingchen Auto holds several auto shows every year, so it has a lot of experience in this area.

"Are BMW and Porsche still willing to share a showroom with us this time?"

After turning around in a circle, Cao Yang said playfully.

Xingchen Motors defeated BMW and Porsche at the auto show back then, and even climbed up by stepping on their shoulders.

So in the next two years, they were unwilling to share a showroom with Xingchen Motors.

"This year, our company's new models have all been launched. There are no heavyweight new models launched at the Yangcheng Auto Show, so they may feel that there is no need to worry."

"Besides, we have a good relationship with BMW now, and the other party shouldn't be so worried about us stepping on it."

"As for Porsche, they brought the Panamera this time and are planning to step on our Ziweixing. How can they be afraid of us?"

Lai Ping was not here, so Zeng Tingting spoke more casually when talking about Porsche.

In her opinion, Panamera copied the concept of Ziweixing.

Now she wants to climb up on Ziweixing, so she naturally has objections.

"Porsche's Cayenne and Panamera should be considered the most popular among their models."

"The sales department will keep a close eye on them to see how they respond in the domestic market."

Cao Yang has always attached great importance to the rival Porsche.

This is also an opponent worthy of attention.

Especially the Cayenne and Panamera. The prices of these two cars are not low at all, but their sales are very good.

The MACAN at the back was modified for the Q5, and with the Porsche logo, it actually sold well.

"The same or lower configuration, but the price is higher. I will find a way to make everyone fully aware that buying Porsche's Cayenne and Panamera is worse than buying our Xingtu and Purple Star, otherwise you will be paying IQ tax."

Zeng Tingting is still very confident in controlling public opinion in China's automobile industry.

If Porsche regards Xingchen Automobile as its main competitor, then she must teach the other party how to behave.

…

November 23, 2009.

This day is the media day of the Yangcheng Auto Show.

There were more than 50 factory press conferences for various brands throughout the day, keeping the media busy.

The price of the Citroen C5, which was just released last month, was announced at the Yangcheng Auto Show. The domestic mid-to-high-end car market has another strong opponent.

Spring City Toyota's new Crown, which aims at the Audi A6, has also been officially launched. Whether it can succeed or not remains to be tested in the next market.

Mazda CX-7, a brand new imported medium-sized SUV, was also introduced by Spring City Mazda and officially launched in China, launching an impact on the medium-sized SUV market.

Shortly after the launch of the new Legacy, Subaru once again announced the launch of the new Outback model at the auto show in China.

In addition, the Great Wall Linao, Chery Riich G5, Changan Yuexiang hatchback, JAC Heyue sedan are all newly launched heavyweight models. The debut Southeast V3 Lingyue CVT model equipped with a CVT continuously variable transmission has also announced its pre-sale price.

Luxury brands from continental Europe such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc. feast the eyes of visitors.

Lexus, Infiniti and Acura, the three major Japanese luxury brands, also made a collective appearance.

Coupled with China's local luxury brand Xingchen Automobile, the luxurious, beautiful, dynamic and charming atmosphere created by the luxury brand booth is also unforgettable.

In addition, what attracts Cao Yang's attention more is electric vehicles.

Nissan's global concept car NUVU made its debut at the Yangcheng Auto Show.

This compact electric concept car tailor-made for future urban residents is known as a "mobile oasis" and has become Nissan's representative in new energy technology.

Toyota's three concept cars that combine dynamism, vitality and technology also made their debut, including the FT-EV electric car equipped with a new electric motor and lithium-ion battery, the Hi-CT using plug-in plug-in hybrid technology, and the advanced... The FT-HS, a sports car developed with hybrid technology, allows everyone to see Toyota's profound heritage in new energy.

Yangcheng Trumpchi's Trumpchi S, which is selling very well, has naturally attracted a lot of people's attention.

As for BYD, which is at the forefront of domestic electric vehicle research and development, this time it not only exhibited the F3DM that has been successfully launched, but also the F6DM and the pure electric vehicle e6 that are about to be mass-produced.

It can be said that BYD's ambitions in new energy have been initially revealed.

At this auto show, in addition to the car models that attracted countless people to take photos, many celebrities also came.

GM even invited the actor of "Prison Break" - "heartthrob" Miller - to the Chevrolet booth, which attracted a lot of "fans" to exclaim.

Different auto shows allow everyone to see a different China.

In the future, countries around the world will need to constantly update their impressions of China.

"Mr. Wang, this time Future Auto did not show off its concept car. It seems that Mr. Cao has hidden information about Future Auto very deeply."

For such an important event, Wu Hua Cake must accompany Wang Fu to attend.

As a car company that focuses on new energy vehicles, Wu Huabing pays most attention to the plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles displayed by various car companies.

In his view, these models are BYD's real rivals in the future.

The best-selling Trumpchi S on the market has been bought back by BYD and disassembled and analyzed countless times, so naturally there is nothing particularly attractive today.

Although Nissan and Toyota have also displayed technologies and products related to electric vehicles, they seem to know that they will not mass-produce them so quickly, let alone introduce them to China so quickly.

In this way, the threat to BYD can basically be ignored.

As for the future cars that BYD attaches most importance to, this auto show did not produce any substantial products.

It just occupied a small exhibition hall next to Xingchen Motors and Jaguar Land Rover to show its corporate philosophy and related information about Nanshan Batteries.

Naturally, what Wu Huabing wanted to see was not seen.

"I estimate that they will not launch mass production products of future cars until the end of next year, so it is estimated that prototypes have not been produced yet."

"You can't just take out the clay model and show it, right?"

Wang Fu combined his knowledge of future cars and gave relevant speculations.

Now that Nanshan Group has independently established an electric vehicle brand like Future Auto, it will definitely make big moves.

There is no movement now, which means that related actions are still brewing.

Wang Fu is very clear about the time it takes to develop a new model, so with a little extrapolation, he can get some answers.

"The price difference between our e6 after subsidies and Trumpchi S is not particularly big. By then, their main rivals should still be them."

"According to Nanshan Group's past work style, Future Auto's electric vehicles should be mid-to-high-end. I estimate that the price after subsidies will be over 300,000."

"In this case, it is unlikely to be used to impact the taxi market."

Wu Huabing found that he didn't know how to continue the topic he raised, so he quickly changed the focus of the conversation.

After all, for BYD, in addition to the F6DM, the blockbuster product at this auto show is the E6.

As a pure electric crossover independently developed by BYD, the E6 is compatible with the design concepts of SUV and MPV and has a driving range of more than 300Km. Although it is not as good as the Trumpchi S, it is still excellent in the industry.

E6 can use 220V civilian power supply for slow charging, and fast charging for 3C charging, which can fully charge the battery to 80% in about 15 minutes.

If it weren't for the emergence of Nanshan Group, the E6 would definitely be considered a relatively high-mileage product in the Chinese automobile market.

In fact, at today's auto show, the E6 also attracted a lot of attention.

In addition to domestic audiences, even senior executives from Toyota, Nissan, BMW and other companies also visited.

No matter when it is, the concept of new energy vehicles is still relatively popular.

Even if the current new energy vehicles are far inferior to those of later generations, they are still the darling of the media.

"Nanshan Group's layout is wild and imaginative, but in the end it often produces results beyond everyone's imagination."

"They already have Xingchen Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, they have a joint venture with Spring City Automobile Group to establish Nanshan Hongqi, and they are also cooperating with Yangcheng Automobile Group to produce Trumpchi S and electric buses."

"This is not enough. I have set up a company called Future Automobile to specialize in the production of electric vehicles. This layout makes people a little confused about how to describe it."

"It stands to reason that if we build high-end electric vehicles directly on the platforms of Xingchen Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, the advantages will be even more obvious."

"If it is low-end, the products of Yangcheng Trumpchi and Nanshan Hongqi should be able to meet the requirements."

"Unless Mr. Cao wants to build a mid-to-high-end model that connects the past and the next, specifically to promote electric vehicles."

Wang Fu's analysis is basically closer to the truth of the matter.

However, until future car products are actually launched on the market, all analyzes are just speculation.

Even within Nanshan Group, many people are not very clear about the positioning of future cars.

"Nanshan Group now attaches very high importance to three-electronic products, and Nanshan Battery's production capacity planning has been geared towards being the first in the country from the beginning."

“Even the equipment for the battery production line is made by Nanshan Equipment itself.”

"Obviously, Mr. Cao should attach great importance to the battery industry."

"This also indirectly shows that our company's new energy strategy is very promising. Mr. Wang, you and Mr. Cao have the same vision."

As he talked, Wu Huabing couldn't help but flatter him.

In any company, if you don't know how to speak, it will be very difficult to climb high.

Unless you're really a technical genius, that's another story.

"Nanshan Group is developing so fast that we can hardly keep up."

"If I remember correctly, Jaguar Land Rover's Magic City factory will be put into production soon."

"Nanshan Semiconductor's wafer fab is almost completed."

"And Nanshan Carbon Fiber is starting to build a new carbon fiber factory in Chang'an City. Its production capacity is directly the first in the world."

"The sales of Xingchen Motors and Jaguar Land Rover are also rising this year. It is estimated that Nanshan Group's turnover can exceed the 500 billion yuan mark."

When Wang Fu said this, he couldn't help but show a hint of envy in his eyes.

A 500 billion industrial enterprise!

Can we find another one in the whole of China?

The most important thing is that everyone develops with high quality and is proficient in what they do.

In this regard, Wang Fu felt inferior.

It was also because he slowly realized the gap between everyone that Wang Fu's mentality became much more stable when facing the Nanshan Group.

It’s not stable!

And just when everyone is focusing on the Yangcheng Auto Show, Nanshan Group, a large and powerful company, is participating in another important event.