### Chapter 216: Bullying My China?
Xu Guangsheng indeed misunderstood; Zhengxin was up to something, but targeting Beiqi wasn’t on the agenda yet. Xue Yaoguo was handling that, but the higher-ups had some concerns about a company the size of Zhengxin handling government contracts.
So according to Li Fanyu’s plan, the A6 should be launched, and if they could get the orders, great, if not, it wouldn’t stop the sales.
Why did Li Fanyu choose to replicate the Audi brand initially? Matching the engines was one reason, and the outstanding performance of the models was another. In the previous timeline, Audi’s A4, A6, A8, and Q5 were market sweepers!
A4 achieved great results in this timeline, so there was no worry about A6, Audi’s flagship model.
Today, Li Fanyu posted on Weibo mainly to address the scoundrel Arnaud Reman. He was pained by the nearly one billion design fees!
According to Li Fanyu’s aesthetic standards, Shengshi C-Class’s appearance was unbearable.
If you talk about being sleek, like Mercedes’ kind of sleek, it’s gracefully robust. It’s like an old gentleman with a round hat and a crisp suit.
If you talk about edges, like those on a Recoin or a Dodge, it’s fierceness with tenderness. Like a muscular man carrying roses, showing tenderness inadvertently.
But Shengshi C-Class’s new look, if personified, would be like a balding middle-aged man with thick round glasses, an oily small section chief in an enterprise.
Rounded to the point of feeling... greasy.
So this result, in Li Fanyu’s view, was really poor. Yet Beiqi felt good about themselves, which was infuriating.
As a car company, your design skills can be lacking, but at least your aesthetic sense should be right!
Spending so much money to create such a thing. To Li Fanyu, it was like having more money than sense.
Spending the nation’s money so wastefully, what’s the saying?
Selling the grandfather’s land without a care!
So today’s post was purely to vent his frustration.
Of course, it also served to boost the A6’s reputation. Such a good contrast, such a good position, not kicking it would be a waste of this rare opportunity.
So as soon as the A6’s exterior image was released, it immediately sparked heated discussions among netizens.
Unlike the Shengshi C-Class, netizens overwhelmingly praised the A6’s appearance!
“Zhengxin is dropping a bomb! Fan Ge is launching a new car!”
“Fan Ge, what’s the price of the new car? Although I can’t afford it, my curiosity is killing me!”
“Exactly, what’s the deal with the new car?”
“Guys, this new car from Zhengxin seems to be targeting the Shengshi C-Class...”
“Is Zhengxin going to shake up the executive car market again?”
“This look, it’s similar to the A4, but with this faint aura of dominance, it’s irresistible...”
“Don’t tease us, show us the interior!”
Seeing the skyrocketing comments, Li Fanyu mischievously smiled and posted a corner of the dashboard.
The picture captured the moment the A6’s screen retracted into the dashboard when the engine was off.
This design had never appeared in this timeline. Seeing this full-of-tech interior, netizens exploded.
For a moment, the battery on Li Fanyu’s phone was rapidly draining due to the overwhelming positive feedback.
...
As the New Year approached, many reporters and editors had already gone on holiday. But such entertaining news about Beiqi and Zhengxin couldn’t be ignored.
Beiqi, this old military factory, had recently rejuvenated due to Xu Guangsheng’s efforts, making the entire company look vigorous and mission-driven.
Xu Guangsheng himself was also hailed by the media as a pillar of the Chinese automotive industry.
Zhengxin’s position in the Chinese market was unique; it was a private enterprise. In a market dominated by European, Japanese, and American brands, with the government heavily supporting the eight major state-owned enterprises, Zhengxin had carved out a path with its technology and R&D capabilities, gaining recognition.
This alone was very newsworthy.
Li Fanyu first made a mark in Germany, and after returning to China, he produced the country’s first engine and sports car, earning him the title of a superstar by the media.
Although recently embroiled in allegations of fraud involving Hongqi, Zhengxin was known for unexpected surprises. Every move grabbed people’s attention.
So within two hours of the A6’s exterior being revealed, Li Fanyu received calls from over a dozen reporters.
And the self-praising, masterful Arnaud Reman was also swarmed by reporters again.
North News, Beiqi’s old ally, naturally praised and asked questions.
But the current batch of reporters was purely there to dig for news. Some were annoyed by Arnaud’s previous arrogance.
Yes, your design for the Alfa Romeo SF sports car sold well in China. But this time, with such a high reward, you produced something so mediocre. Do you think you deserve our money?
Moreover, what was with that disdainful smirk when you commented on Chinese automotive design standards?
Bullying China for having no one?
So this time, the reporters’ questions were sharp.
“Mr. Arnaud, what do you think of Zhengxin’s president Li Fanyu’s evaluation of your design?”
“Mr. Arnaud, do you know about Zhengxin’s new car?”
“Mr. Arnaud, regarding Li Fanyu’s questioning of your salary, what do you have to say?”
Arnaud, having heard Li Fanyu’s comments through a translator, was already fuming. This damn, ignorant Chinese kid! Who did he think he was? Andy Warhol?
Facing the overwhelming questions, Arnaud intended to teach Li Fanyu a lesson, so he erupted: “That’s just the slander of a nobody! I’ve heard of him, but what I heard was that he was involved in plagiarism in a car design competition in Germany! For such a shameless bastard, I refuse to accept any of his evaluations. He’s not qualified. Moreover, about the car he released, my opinion is that it’s terrible!”
The reporters saw this; oh, this guy’s quite angry.
What makes news more interesting? Conflict!
So these professional word warriors immediately started to fan the flames.
“Sir, the plagiarism in the German car design competition was later proven to be groundless. Do you have any concrete evidence for your statement?”
“Mr. Arnaud, the model tentatively named A6 adopts a family design language similar to the previous A4. And the A4 was recently named Car of the Year. On what basis are you saying it’s terrible?”
The reporters were too cunning; these two questions were like slaps in Arnaud’s face, leaving him speechless.
He opened his mouth, tried to say something, but couldn’t form a rebuttal. In his anger, he felt his forehead’s capillaries were about to burst.
After holding it in for more than half a minute, he finally snorted heavily, turned around, and stormed off.
Leaving behind a group of reporters whose eyes were still shining with excitement, relentlessly chasing after him with more questions.