NOVEL NEXT Chapter 782: Safety Is the Greatest Luxury
On the evening of September 17th, Tianxing Automobile announced its financing plan to the public.
The plan is to offer up 15% equity for a massive 7.2 billion US dollars financing.
This news not only caused a stir in the domestic and international investment banking sectors but also sparked heated discussions among netizens.
If 15% equity is worth 7.2 billion US dollars, that means Tianxing Automobile's valuation reaches 48 billion US dollars.
"It's not that I don't understand, it's just that this world is too topsy-turvy. It was valued at just 9 billion US dollars at the beginning of the year, and now it's over five times that."
"It's not incomprehensible either; Tesla's market value has returned to 200 billion US dollars, so Tianxing's 48 billion isn't too much."
"Tsk tsk, which means Lu Liang's wealth might experience a surge."
Once the news was announced, the voices resisting the Yao Guang press conference dwindled by 99% instantly.
After all, the main purpose of the financing is for the construction of the Phase II factory, essentially to improve production capacity, showing Tianxing is still the same as before, always listening to consumers seriously.
After all, according to last year's Forbes, Tianxing Auto had a valuation of 9 billion US dollars, and Lu Liang held 62.6% of the equity.
But now, if the financing is successful, it would indicate the capital market's recognition of Tianxing Auto's 48 billion US dollar valuation.
Although Lu Liang's shares would be diluted proportionally, after dilution, he would still hold 53.21%.
This means the value of Tianxing Auto's shares alone would be as high as 25.54 billion US dollars, equivalent to 176.2 billion RMB.
Additionally, considering Tianxing Finance and his holdings in Ningde Era, Douyin, DiDi, and Panda, it's very likely he could become the First Rich.
Tomorrow is the launch of the new Yao Guang car.
Little Wang and Old Meng, who partnered to establish Kunpeng Quick Charge, expanding nationwide, and are considered semi-new energy industry workers, were also invited to attend the new car launch.
Upon learning Lu Liang might become the First Rich, Little Wang jumped three feet high from his hotel bed, rushed to find Lu Liang, his face full of curiosity, "Are you really the First Rich now?"
He always regretted losing the title of the First Rich son, but becoming the First Rich's close friend didn't seem bad either.
"Are you so gullible as to believe everything people say?"
Lu Liang rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "Didn't you see how much Hengtai's market value rose recently?"
If Hengtai hadn't acquired New World and its market value hadn't soared, Lu Liang becoming the First Rich in the country wouldn't be met with any controversy.
But with Hengtai successfully acquiring New World, its market value soared continuously, reaching 650 billion Hong Kong Dollars by the last trading day.
The Xu Family directly or indirectly holds 70% equity, their family wealth already exceeding 58.3 billion US dollars, equivalent to over 400 billion RMB, widening the gap with the runner-up by more than 100 billion in assets.
Even though Lu Liang has both Tianxing Automobile and Tianxing Finance, he himself has no definite assessment of Tianxing Finance's value.
Said to be worth a lot, as it manages assets over 300 billion US dollars, but might also be worth little, since it comes largely from financing.
Little Wang thought for a moment and felt regretful, "If you hadn't helped Hengtai acquire New World, you'd definitely be the First Rich next year."
At this moment, Meng Changkun walked over, saying, "As an old saying goes, 'The bird that sticks out, gets shot first,' is Old Wang's fate any better?"
"After spending so much time with Mr. Kun, I've noticed you haven't learned a bit of his approach to life," said Lu Liang.
The East Country rich list is also known as the "pig slaughter list." The ones at the top are often the leading "pigs," and very few end well.
Not to mention that Lu Liang hasn't even reached the level of being the First Rich in East Country. Even if he had, he would refuse to make the list.
Anyway, as the valuation of Tianxing Finance isn't precisely quantified, with a nod, it can be excluded from official statistics.
Being in the second or third place is not bad at all. Lu Liang doesn't lack fame, and more would just be a burden and responsibility.
Little Wang pulled a sulky face, swallowing back words, looked just like a bullied young wife.
Meng Changkun chuckled and didn't make it hard for Little Wang. Little Wang's experiences were different from theirs, so his thoughts were bound to differ.
Meng talked about the recent situation in the charging pile industry, with the new energy market penetration reaching close to 20%, large amounts of capital are eyeing this lucrative sector.
If others are fast, they need to be faster. The initial registered capital of one hundred million is now almost used up, so their financing plan should be put on the agenda.
Lu Liang laughed and said, "This time, I called you over to discuss exactly this matter."
Each new energy vehicle manufacturer has its own supercharging stations and replacement stations, Tianxing Automobile should have those too.
This time, in the 7.2 billion US dollars of financing funds, only one-third is allocated for the construction of the Phase II factory.
Of the remaining two-thirds, half goes into research and development, and half of that half will go into the construction of supercharging stations, amounting to about 600 million US dollars.
"Would you like to accept investment from Tianxing Automobile for the joint construction of supercharging stations, or should I introduce a few investment banks to you so Kunpeng can develop independently?"
Lu Liang offered two choices, to which Little Wang immediately responded without thinking, "Of course we would accept investment from Tianxing Automobile, our partnership can only grow stronger that way."
"Shut up already."
Meng Changkun rolled his eyes, turned to Lu Liang, and asked, "What do you think?"
"I respect your opinion."
Lu Liang smiled lightly, obviously, between accepting investment and introducing investment banks, Old Meng chose the latter.
"We want to try ourselves first, after all, you're a shareholder of Kunpeng Quick Charge, which is an unchangeable fact."
Meng Changkun chuckled, like a hoodlum on the street, saying he wants it all.
Although Lu Liang is a shareholder of Kunpeng Quick Charge, the enterprise is the enterprise, and individuals are individuals.
Personal investments don't fall under the same restrictions as enterprises, while enterprise investments can breach some covenants.
After all, charging piles remain third-party; if given a choice, they'd prefer to welcome everyone with a smile, rather than being tied to a single company.
"Anything is fine, do as you please," Lu Liang chuckled.
"Not mad, right?" Old Meng asked.
"Not a chance."
Lu Liang rolled his eyes again, exasperated, "Do you take me for Little Wang?"
"…You shouldn't hurt even if you can't love," said Little Wang, full of resentment.
The two burst into laughter.
At ten in the morning on the 18th, the Yao Guang launch began, live-streamed across the internet.
The styling of Tianxing Yao Guang made its first appearance, noticeably using the family design features of the Beidou series, maintaining a consistent style with Tianshu.
Although the body borrows heavily from the Porsche Cayenne's swooping back, it abandons the trademark frog-like front of the Porsche in favor of extremely defined layered lines on the arched front.
It gives the feel of a soft SUV yet vibes like a rugged off-road vehicle, contradictory but not conflicting. In a word, 'handsome'!
"96-degree large battery…"
"Real-world range of 598 kilometers…"
"Integrated die-casting technology…"
"Tianxing 2.5 Assistive Intelligent Driving…"
"Safety is the greatest luxury…"
Unlike Tianshu which focuses on speed and ultimate experience, Lu Liang put forward the concept that safety is the ultimate luxury.
"Damn, can you stop already? I'm scared I can't afford it!!!"
In the live broadcast room where hundreds of thousands watched, the whole feed was spammed with 'hurry and announce the price'.
Even before, professional car reviewers estimated a rough cost based on already published data.
The figure made countless potential consumers lose heart instantly, and they knew right away that Yao Guang's price wouldn't be cheap.
But still, some hopeful people wanted to know the exact price of Yao Guang, hoping against hope that they might just afford it.
Sitting in the audience, a shrill voice suddenly broke through the hall, even catching the attention of Lu Liang on stage.
He heard the voice and couldn't help but chuckle, ordering the cameraman to stop filming her, "It's time to announce the price, don't record her."
He then turned to the audience and asked, smiling with satisfaction as the focus returned to him, "Okay, I'll announce it right away, are you all eager to know the price?"
"Can you just get straight to it?"
"Keep stalling and I'm going to come up there and confront you for real!"
Seeing the attention back on him, Lu Liang smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright, take a look at the big screen now~"
Just like Tianshu, there are only three price points, 37.99k, 39.99k, and 34.99k.