After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

Lu Liang returned to the mainland three days ago and stayed at the Tianxing Auto Park in Su City during this period.

Tianshu was launched in early May and after four months of capacity increase in May, June, July, and August, it reached a peak in September.

The four main automobile production lines and three backup lines are fully operational, and so far, the daily output has stabilized at 800 vehicles.

However, despite the monthly delivery numbers nearly doubling, due to Lu Liang's recent actions and the added overseas brand effect, Tianshu's domestic pre-order quantities have not fallen below 100,000 units.

"Mr. Lu, this year's Tianshu production capacity is sold out." Wang Xiaofeng was both excited and a bit helpless, such a niche term appearing for their car manufacturer.

But this is indeed the case, with 25,500 cars projected for delivery in September. If production is not increased, the delivery numbers for October, November, and December will differ greatly, and there are still 101,500 undelivered orders, with capacity already scheduled for next year.

"Did you factor in the East Asian market?" Lu Liang asked. He had just spoken with Ota Ling yesterday.

Thanks to his reputation, Tianshu's market performance in countries like Neon, Korea, and Singapore has been quite good, with monthly sales of several hundred units in each.

Adding up these scattered numbers, monthly sales would increase by more than 2,000 units, but this quantity is still insufficient to open a separate right-hand drive production line.

Overseas fans should also get accustomed to left-hand drive.

Arrogance from an international brand. Hands-on-hips.jpg

Wang Xiaofeng smiled wryly and said, "I was just about to mention this. If production is not increased, these overseas orders might also have to be scheduled for delivery next spring."

He doesn't have any foreigner filters, treating all orders equally, first come first served, with no exceptions for overseas orders.

But increasing production is urgent.

After all, Tianxing Automobile will soon release Yao Guang, an SUV, a model that has always been a mainstream type domestically.

Buying a car domestically, although it doesn't require cleaning out six wallets like buying a house, the Chinese tend to consider their family's opinions when buying a car.

The kind who buys just because they like it,

are a minority, although they do exist.

Just like Tesla, the best-selling model is the Model Y, and among the new forces, the best-selling ones are all SUV models, such as Li Xiang's L9, BYD's Song, Shen Lan's 07, and Weima's EX5.

Though there are exceptions, like BYD's Qin, it's already perceived by the market as a ride-hailing car and isn't included in the statistics.

With the launch of Tianxing Yao Guang imminent, there's already a lot of test spy shots circulating online.

This car, like Tianshu, focuses on a fashionable and sporty style, with the online buzz remaining high.

It can be said that as long as the price is suitable, it can absolutely replicate Tianshu's sales miracle.

If it really comes to that time, they won't have any backup production lines to increase production.

"It seems the second-phase factory should also be put on the agenda."

Lu Liang looked thoughtful, planning to construct the second-phase production base and purchase ten more production lines.

The pure electric sedan is ready, the pure electric SUV is about to be launched, next they should start developing range extenders, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, and even internal combustion engines.

Wang Xiaofeng was amazed, "Do we also need to develop internal combustion engines?"

The current market trends include five major types of energy vehicles.

The first is purely oil-powered, traditional fuel vehicles.

The second is hybrids, oil-electric hybrids, with a large engine and small motor, represented by car companies like Honda, Toyota, and Lincoln.

The third is range extenders, range extender hybrids, with a small engine and large motor, represented by car companies Li Xiang, the newly emerged Shen Lan, and Ling Pao.

The fourth is plug-in hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, with large engines and large motors running dual systems, represented by BYD.

The fifth is pure electric, purely electric with large batteries and large motors, represented by Tesla and their own Tianxing.

He could understand developing a hybrid system, though domestic research in this area is relatively limited, the foreign market now is mainly hybrids.

But developing internal combustion engines...

Lu Liang is called the father of domestic new energy vehicles, though there's some controversy, it does signify his pivotal position within the industry.

Previously, the promotion was very good, now suddenly starting to develop internal combustion engines could be seen as going against the tide, it could potentially ruin his image.

Lu Liang couldn't help but smile, saying, "Just quietly develop this project, no rush, we can allocate a few hundred million in the budget annually."

He paused for a few seconds, softly saying, "The technology for internal combustion engines and gearboxes may not be fully utilized, but they are indispensable."

Lu Liang always believed,

Without ideologies, there is no business.

Holding high the banner of environmental protectionism, developing new energy is essentially for industrial upgrading and seizing the high-end manufacturing market.

Take Li Xiang's range extenders and BYD's plug-in hybrids for example, if the true aim were environmental protection, then the market would only have purely electric vehicles.

But that's not the case,

These two car companies still receive subsidies as they should, still get the support they deserve.

Because they have completed the national task of developing new energy, for instance, some who previously bought imported luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes have turned to Li Xiang, and some who used to buy Honda and Toyota have shifted to BYD.

As long as they meet these targets, they are proper new energy vehicle companies with strong roots.

Hence, the type of energy used has never been the key focus.

When one day, new energy vehicles penetrate 50% of the market or more, and electricity demand surges to the point they cancel the purchase tax exemption.

By that time, true oil and electrical parity will be reached, and companies that only develop electric vehicles are doomed to be walking on one leg.

Tianxing Automobile's valuation has reached 48 billion US Dollars, as long as they choose to raise funds, they can easily secure tens of billions of US Dollars in funding.

Currently, spending is primarily on the construction of the second-phase factory and parts procurement, and with the addition of production line purchases, the cost is no more than 3 billion US Dollars.

When General Tianxing sets up a factory in Germany and subsequently lists it independently, the cash flow on the books will only increase.

With money, you must plan ahead and be prepared.

"The funds you can see are the real funds, Mr. Lu. Right now, the finances are in dire straits."

The finance director Liu Pei suddenly drifted to Lu Liang's side like a ghost and whispered in his ear.

Lu Liang took a step back, glared, and said, "That's why I came back this time, to solve the funding problem."

He continued, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Hu, let's make a public announcement: Tianxing Automobile will initiate a Series E financing round on the 20th of this month, aiming to raise 8 billion US Dollars for the construction of the second phase factory and some technology research and development."

On the afternoon of the 18th, the new car Yao Guang is released.

Two days is enough for the capital market to see that Tianshu's success is by no means accidental.

"Okay, I'll go prepare."

Liu Pei nodded in agreement and drifted away like a ghost, giving the feeling that his heels never touched the ground.

"Has he always been this scary?"

Lu Liang was amused and exasperated. Wang Xiaofeng and Hu Weiwei exchanged glances and chose to remain silent.

In fact, Liu Pei used to be very cheerful and talkative, but unfortunately, he encountered a disreputable person, and the boss was always making grand promises without following through.

Tianxing Automobile, unlike Tianxing Investment, doesn't have a lot of cash on the company's books to squander, so over time, he turned into this state.

"Let's leave it at that for now; everyone go about your business. I'll take a walk around myself." Lu Liang cleared his throat, knowing he was in the wrong, and waved to conclude the meeting.

Leaving the office building, Lu Liang took the internal park tour bus to the vehicle assembly workshop.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lu." "Mr. Lu, have you eaten?"

Along the way, he encountered many employees having lunch during their break, each with smiles on their faces, waving to greet him.

Although the production department generally operates in a 24-hour two-shift system, with a daily work duration of up to ten hours.

But just like the phrase at the entrance of the park, in front of the flower beds, someday, you will thank yourself for your hard work in the past.

Take the frontline employees as an example; it includes group leaders, excluding line leads and supervisors, with a total of 4,223 people.

The average monthly salary is 11,800 Yuan, with fourteen bonuses a year, including additional bonuses in the middle of the year and at the end.

For this reason, Lu Liang is often criticized by those old-timers for paying excessively high salaries, claiming it is detrimental to the industry's development.

But he doesn't find anything wrong with it.

One should earn more through hard work. It's a perfectly normal thing.

You can't just offer a salary of three or four thousand and blame today's young people for not being hardworking.

That's unreasonable.

"Mr. Lu, I'm over here."

Zhuo Yifan walked to the side of the road, waving to greet him.

After not seeing him for a few months, he got even tanner, but unlike last year's market-running sun and wind, his current complexion seemed more like the result of frequent late nights.

Lu Liang sighed, reached out to squeeze Zhuo Yifan's shoulder, and asked, "Have you had lunch?"

He suddenly felt a bit sentimental, as the originally clean and fair top student was now only a memory.

"Not yet." Zhuo Yifan smiled sheepishly, his stomach growling at the perfect moment, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Get in the car, let's find a place to eat, and chat while we eat." Lu Liang beckoned.

Zhuo Yifan nodded and hurriedly got on the tour bus, also making a call to the workshop supervisor to say he might be late for work in the afternoon.

"You must be tired of eating at the canteen every day; I'll take you out for some good food." Lu Liang instructed Xu Jiawei to call Fang Shiyu to prepare the car.

Half an hour later,

The group arrived at the Golden Chicken Lake Restaurant.

Lu Liang ordered a table full of dishes, eating while listening to Zhuo Yifan talk about his recent workshop experiences.

Lu Liang listened attentively, occasionally nodding in agreement, and added more food to Zhuo Yifan's bowl, "Eat first."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu." Zhuo Yifan buried his head in his food with a fierce intensity, clearly showing he was genuinely hungry.

After the meal, they drank tea and chatted.

Lu Liang softly asked, "Tell me about your plans for the future. Don't hold back; say where you think you can go. The opportunity is only once, so grasp it well."

Zhuo Yifan's innate ability isn't as strong as Wen Chao's, but he makes up for his lack of talent with hard work and dedication.

At first, he was sent to Edinburgh and stayed for several months, then went on to run the market without knowing anything, completing the 225-store plan.

The first-generation secretary, Wen Chao, has already become the hot new talent in the East Asian financial world. It's now time for Zhuo Yifan, the second-generation secretary, to take off.

Zhuo Yifan thought for a long time and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Lu, there are some things in the workshop I haven't figured out yet; I want to stay for a few more months."

"And after that?" Lu Liang nodded slightly.

Zhuo Yifan looked at Lu Liang, received encouragement, and showed a determined look: "Next spring, I want to go to the procurement department to engage with suppliers and understand specific procurement matters. In the second half of next year, I'll go to the marketing department... and ultimately to the administration department."

His plan is to advance step by step, rotating through various departments at Tianxing Automobile, understanding the operational rules, and eventually replacing Wang Xiaofeng to become the person in charge of Tianxing Automobile.

Lu Liang brewed tea with a satisfied smile, "It's good that you have a plan. Once you've had enough of the workshop, give me a call, and I'll have Wang Xiaofeng transfer you to the procurement department."

"Thank you, Mr. Lu." Zhuo Yifan responded with delight, quickly standing up and bowing deeply to Lu Liang.

Clearly, Lu Liang supports his plan and sees nothing inappropriate about his ambitions.