The Youngest Son of Sunyang

Is the word "love" just a faded memory for older people?

"Even if it doesn't sell a lot, it's a company that creates unique, distinctive cars that people want to have. Cars with character. It's a company that also makes cars that make you fall in love at first sight, as well as those that slowly kindle your love."

"A car people want to have..."

"Was it in '96? Ajin Automobile acquired the production line and design from the UK's Lotus and started selling 2-seater open cars. It's a car designed for small-batch production, so it's not suitable for mass production."

Chairman Jo Dae-ho seemed to have recalled the car I was talking about, as he furrowed his brow.

With an annual production of 10,000 units, the production cost was 30 million won. Even if it was sold without profit, after adding taxes and special taxes, it became a 40 million won car.

You could buy a fully loaded midsize car for 15 million won, and even a flagship sedan was just in the 40 million won range.

Chairman Song of Ajin Automobile ultimately set the selling price at the late 20 million won range, including taxes, making it a massive loss with each sale.

"I know. I discontinued that car with my own hands."

"Yes, it's an impossible task when you consider profitability."

"So, are you saying we should produce such a sports car?"

He appeared to understand my intentions, which, given my relatively young age, might seem strange.

Perhaps Chairman Jo thought that I was still too young to understand.

"Why would we make a car that sells at a loss? And just in case, I still don't have a driver's license. I'm not even interested in sports cars. My favorite car is the BMW 7 Series. It's the car that saved my life."

"So, what do you mean by a distinctive car?"

"Cars that working women can buy on installment, Sedans that men in their 30s can pay off in three years, pickup trucks that middle-aged men want as their second cars. That's what I mean."

Chairman Jo still hadn't smoothed his furrowed brow.

"We already have plenty of small cars and coupes. Pickups don't sell well in South Korea."

"Cars that people don't want to have."

"What?"

"Small cars that look vintage and cheap, coupes that aren't attractive and lack style, pickup trucks that resemble commercial vehicles. Who would want to buy such cars?"

Finally, my grandfather and Chairman Jo understood what I meant, but they didn't hide their skepticism.

"Even if you make people want them, those cars won't sell many units. After all, family cars are what sell. Other cars will never cross the breakeven point. You know that by now, right? The automobile industry is a facility industry that needs mass production."

"What if we change the production line to a two-track system? Can we reach the breakeven point?"

"Family cars and beloved cars? Like this?"

"Yes."

"You don't care about making money."

"I'm fine with losses for the next 10 years. It will change after 10 years."

That's true now, and it will be in the future.

Toyota and Volkswagen will never surpass in terms of sales volume. If these two companies had only ever produced family sedans, they would never have ascended to the throne.

It's their corporate mindset of constantly developing diverse, distinctive, and challenging cars while not neglecting a small group of enthusiasts that has elevated their flagship models, Corolla and Golf, to the top.

Daehyun Automobile has announced its ambition to be among the top five global car manufacturers in the 21st century, and they will undoubtedly achieve it. However, Daehyun still can't escape its practical image, driven by value for money, besides the more aspirational one.

Cars should inspire dreams.

The moment you imagine yourself driving that car, it becomes beloved.

"Hehehe."

My grandfather, who had been listening, suddenly burst into laughter.

Seeing him, Chairman Jo Dae-ho also started laughing heartily, slapping his forehead.

Not knowing English and alternating between the two, my grandfather finally spoke.

"You're saying the same thing I said when I started Sunyang Automobile. Hehe."

"That's right. You said the same thing, Chairman. Even if we don't make money for ten years, even if we have to sell our pants, we'll give you money if needed."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. But just one year later, as soon as the financial statements were out, you told me. You said it was dangerous the way things were going. You told me to quickly cut the losses. Haha."

Darn it.

My true intentions are being distorted like this.

"It's okay. You believe that Do-Jun is different from Chairman, right? Heh."

"This guy! That was a joke. If it were true, would I have let you continue in that position?"

Continuing to listen to the two elders' reminiscences from the past was something I couldn't bear, so I gently intervened.

"Chairman, do you understand my intentions?"

"Considering that you have so much money, Chairman, you bragged so much... Can you handle it? The first condition for a beloved car is its design. Cars are just like women to men. Being a pretty beauty is a given."

"I will hire the best designers. I can bring in Chris Bangle or Peter Schreyer. Just tell me the designers you want."

When the names of BMW and Audi designers were mentioned, Chairman Jo looked at my grandfather and smiled again.

"Chairman, it seems like you're really serious about this. Thanks to you, I've had a worry-free paycheck for the past ten years."

After my grandfather lightly laughed, he asked seriously. "Don't be fooled. Whose bloodline is he from? Heh heh."

"It's hard to manage when a car company starts to squander money. You could lose all the money you've raised through investment."

"I have money to invest for about ten years, including China."

"What? China?"

Both of them were surprised again, but their reactions were slightly different. Chairman Jo, in particular, had a look as if he had seen a strange sight.

"Have you planted a spy in Daehyun Group?"

"What?"

"I heard Daehyun has been gradually turning its attention to China. They mentioned plans for local production around 2005, but there's still some disagreement, it seems."

"There may not be much time left. We need to hurry."

Volkswagen had already entered China in 1984. They established Shanghai Dazhong (上海大衆) in a joint venture with Shanghai Automotive and concentrated their efforts on the southern regions of China.