Chapter 1168: Tiangong Motors is on fire!
After extensive publicity, car dealers or enthusiasts from all over the world have come to attend the Geneva International Motor Show. As for tourists from other European countries, there are even more. After all, in Europe, where railways are interconnected, it only takes a few hours for tourists from other countries to come to Switzerland.
Early in the morning, a large crowd of visitors gathered at the entrance of Palexpo, waiting to enter.
Perhaps knowing that everyone would become impatient after waiting for a long time, the main attraction was the cars in the exhibition hall.
Therefore, the opening ceremony of the Geneva International Motor Show did not take long, only half an hour.
This time, the Geneva International Motor Show was very grand, with all of the world's top ten car companies, including General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, and more, all in attendance.
According to statistics, this international auto show attracted 186 car companies from 37 countries around the world, with 716 cars on display, and all the figures were higher than the previous year.
After the opening ceremony, visitors queued up to go through security checks and enter the exhibition centre.
The first thing that caught the visitors' attention were the new cars from the top ten car companies, including Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen and General Motors. The stands of each car company were packed with people, admiring the cars and the beautiful car models.
At this time, in the H exhibition area, which was the furthest from the entrance,
Chen Caijun and the other 15 people, all dressed in smart formal attire, were waiting for the arrival of visitors with the best mental outlook.
The six cars brought by Tiangong Automobile Group were destined to attract attention.
Although the visitors had not yet arrived, their peers in the surrounding exhibition areas had already been attracted by Tiangong Automobile Group's cars.
Feeling the inquisitive gazes of his peers around him, Chen Caijun's mouth curled up a little.
He looked at the six brand new cars quietly displayed around him, and said to himself, 'Success definitely belongs to us! Tiangong Motors is shining in Geneva after all!'
'Mm-hm!'
He coughed lightly, attracting the attention of all the employees, and said in a serious voice, 'Everyone, cheer up. When the visitors come, don't panic, and carry out the division of labour according to yesterday's plan.'
'Yes!'
The employees subconsciously straightened their backs and shoulders, and answered in unison.
The first highlight is destined to belong to the large car companies in the centre, which are famous all over the world.
After a long wait, only a few visitors went to other exhibition areas, and these areas gradually became popular.
...
Paul Carr is an American who grew up in poverty and went to work as an apprentice at an auto repair shop at an early age. He was not lacking in entrepreneurial spirit, and started from scratch as an auto mechanic. He gradually accumulated capital and successfully opened an auto trading company five years ago, completing the magnificent transformation from worker to boss.
After five years of hard work, his Paul Car Trading Co., Ltd. has also become well-known in Illinois, selling more than 400 cars a year and generating annual turnover of more than 5 million US dollars!
He previously mainly sold American car brands such as GM and Ford.
However, in the past two years, due to the second oil crisis, the price of petrol has risen sharply, and the US economy has not improved.
The American people are living from hand to mouth. What's more, American cars are notorious for their high fuel consumption, and the American people can't even afford to refuel their cars.
At this time, Japanese car companies such as Toyota and Nissan formed a group to attack the North American market. Island cars are not as heavy as American cars, and their safety factor is not necessarily as high as that of American cars of the same class, but they have the biggest advantage, which is fuel efficiency!
As a result, the market share of island cars in the US market has been increasing.
The British Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Group, which has also undergone a transformation, has also changed its image. Many of its brands and models have played the fuel-saving card, and they are also making inroads in the US market.
Foreign cars are constantly squeezing the market of US domestic car companies and grabbing their share of the pie, making the lives of Paul Carr and other dealerships that sell domestic cars difficult.
However, Paul Carr is not a rigid person, nor does he have any national sentiments. In his eyes, the US dollar is the most important.
Therefore, with a strong sense of crisis, he plans to adjust his direction and see if he can find cars with the potential to become big hits to replace cars from General Motors and Ford.
Every year, the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland, known as the 'Mecca of new cars', becomes the best platform for him to find his target.
Walking around, he saw many new cars from various car companies, but none of them impressed him.
But when he reached Hall H and was about to turn around and go back, a red convertible sports car and three strangely shaped cars nearby piqued his interest.
A sports car in Hall H?
This red convertible sports car was the first sports car he had seen in Hall H!
Which small car company was determined to enter the super-expensive sports car sector?
"Tiangong Motors?'
Paul Karl approached, looked at the name of the car company on the booth and read it out awkwardly.
It's unfamiliar!
Paul Karl is certain that this is a car company whose name he has never heard of. Judging from the yellow skin of these employees, it can be seen that this is a car company from Asia, and it must be a small brand.
He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
'Sir, welcome to visit our Tiangong Motors. I am the president of Tiangong Motors. Here is our company business card.'
Paul Karl's aura of a successful person attracted Chen Caijun's attention, and he walked over directly and handed over the business card with a smile.
It turned out to be the president of a company!
Paul Karl was taken aback, but he smiled and took the card.
Regardless of whether it was a new car enterprise or not, the fact that it was qualified to exhibit here meant that this Tiangong Automobile Group was definitely far superior to his Paul Karl Automobile Trading Company, and as the president, Chen Caijun was definitely more capable than him.
He looked at the card and then slipped it into his pocket, smiling and inquiring, 'President Chen, my name is Paul Karl, from an automobile trading company in the United States. Could you tell me about your new car?'
'Of course, it would be my pleasure!'
Chen Caijun's eyes lit up slightly when he learned that Paul Carr was from an automobile trading company, and his smile grew even wider as he led him directly to the red sports car.
'Mr. Paul Carr, this car is called the Aeolus I, and it is the first sports car designed and produced by our company. The body dimensions are 3960×1650×1230 (mm), the wheelbase is 2275mm, and the kerb weight is 950kg. The power unit is equipped with a Rolls-Royce 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 115 horsepower and a maximum torque of 135 Nm, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With a front-engine rear-wheel-drive layout, it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds and has a top speed of 202 km/h...'
As Chen Caijun kept on introducing the parameters of the Aeolus Generation, the smile on Paul Karl's face, who was very familiar with cars, disappeared. He was greatly disappointed and his impression of Tiangong Motors had dropped three points.
Although the Aeolus Generation had a very eye-catching appearance and would definitely turn heads when driven out, with these performance capabilities, it was destined to be rubbish in the sports car world.
It really was a small car company that didn't know its place in the world!
Paul Karl's facial expression changes were seen by Chen Caijun, but as long as Paul Karl didn't leave, he wasn't in a hurry.
The company had specifically discussed marketing strategies for this Fengshen Generation, and the summary was one sentence—first suppress, then boost, using a huge contrast to make the deepest impression on customers.
As long as there is an impression, the most crucial step towards success has been taken!
"President Chen, I'm afraid your company's sports car will not be well received in the market,'
Paul Karl said in a joking tone, not wanting to offend anyone but feeling compelled to speak his mind.
'That's not necessarily the case!'
Chen Caijun shook his head confidently.
'Because the retail price of our Aeolus sports car is set at 16,800 US dollars!'
Paul Karl thought he had heard the price wrong.
He blinked, looked at Chen Caijun and asked again, 'How much?'
Chen Caijun said with a smile, '16,800 US dollars!'
This time, Paul Karl heard clearly. His eyes widened in surprise, and he said, 'A sports car for 16,800 US dollars?'
'This price is too cheap!'
'This is the cheapest sports car I've ever heard of!'
'Yes, you heard right. Our Aeolus I is positioned as a cheap sports car, and it is also the world's first cheap sports car!'
'My goodness!'
After receiving Chen Caijun's affirmative reply, Paul Karl was a little incredulous. He had just happened to wander in and found the world's first cheap sports car.
'Mr. Paul Carr, although the performance of our sports car is far inferior to that of top sports cars, it is still higher than that of cars in the same class. And most importantly, it is a cool-looking sports car!'
'Do you think that the Aeolus Generation, with its cool sports car appearance but the price of an ordinary car, can attract young people who are just starting out in society and are short of money but like to show off?'
'If you were young, would you buy it?'
Paul Carl thought for a moment, then nodded very affirmatively and said, 'I would buy it!'
Paul Carl had also been young before, and he knew the mentality of young Americans too well. American youths who like to go to parties would definitely be able to attract attention and win the hearts of girls if they drove a sports car to the party!
This was an untapped market!
It was promising!
Thinking about this, Paul Carl began to get excited, as if he could see a gold mine beckoning to him.
'President Chen, could you please give me a detailed introduction to this Fengshen Generation?'
'Of course!'
Chen Caijun beamed, and then patiently introduced Paul Karl.
If the Fengshen Generation just surprised Paul Karl,
then the following Shenyu Generation and Rongyi Generation gave him a first-hand understanding of the research and development capabilities of the Tiangong Automobile Group.
When he learned about Tiangong Automobile's urban SUV series later, Paul Karl was struck by multiple blows and was so excited that he went crazy!
This Tiangong Automobile is some kind of magical car company!
The creativity is off the charts!
With his more than twenty years of experience and intuition in the automotive industry, he can say with certainty that Tiangong Automobile's urban SUV is definitely a major innovation in the automotive field and will definitely attract middle-class men who have already started a family but like big cars.
The Jeep Cherokee series will have its biggest rival!
The Tiangong X-series urban SUV is simply too attractive for a family!
After reading all of this, Paul Carr made a decision on the spot.
GM and Ford can all stand aside, he wants to be an agent for the Tiangong Automobile Group and make money!
However, he still had some key information to confirm.
'President Chen, have you already mass-produced all six of your cars?'
Paul Carr asked impatiently.
Chen Caixun nodded with a smile and said, 'Yes, mass production has already started. Before April, we will be able to increase production capacity to 300,000 vehicles per year, and before October, we will be able to increase production capacity to 1 million vehicles per year!'
Paul Carr was once again surprised by this efficiency and generosity.
But after the shock, Paul Carr was full of joy. He hurriedly said, 'President Chen, let me introduce myself again. I am the owner of an American automobile trading company. This is my business card. I hope to become your company's automobile agent in North America!'
'OK, let's go and talk in private!'
Chen Caijun led Paul Carr directly to the Tiangong Automobile Group's lounge area and began talking with him.
Paul Carr had already brought all the materials that could prove his strength when he arrived here.
He had wanted to take a chance and asked for the lion's share, wanting to become the sole agent of Tiangong Automobile Group in the United States, but Chen Caijun firmly refused.
Not only that, he refused to even give him the sole agent in the eastern United States, citing the weak strength of Paul Carr Motors.
In the end, Chen Caijun decided to give Paul Carr the sole dealership in Illinois for a period of two years, as Paul Carr was the first agent to approach him.
Paul Carr was also a ruthless man, determined to take a gamble on Tiangong Motors Group. He invited Tiangong Motors Group to invest in his Paul Carr Motors Company, so as to avoid paying the agency fee and to gain the maximum support from Tiangong Motors Group.
How could Chen Caijun refuse such a pleasant surprise? He agreed without hesitation.
Of course, the specific details are not suitable for discussion here.
The two agreed to find a suitable place to discuss in detail after the museum closed tonight.
Afterwards, more and more people were attracted to the Tiangong Automobile Group exhibition area. Paul Karl did not waste Chen Caijun's valuable time, but he was also observing the surroundings.
When he saw that more and more dealers and automotive media from all over the world were interested in Tiangong Automobile Group's new cars, Paul Karl felt relieved, but also a sense of urgency and crisis.
In the morning, the influence of Tiangong Automobile Group was limited to the vicinity of exhibition area H.
But by the afternoon, the entire Paleisburg International Exhibition Center was surprised by the heat of Tiangong Automobile Group in the most remote exhibition area H.
The first affordable sports car in history!
The first urban SUV in history!
Each of these was breaking news!
The many media outlets that came to visit kept taking photos of the Tiangong Automobile Group's cars.
The Mirror Group and Jiuding Newspaper Company also got moving.
Both companies had extended their media tentacles into Switzerland through acquisitions.
On the morning of the second day of the Geneva International Motor Show, news of the Tiangong Automobile Group spread through the newspapers.
On this day, the popularity surrounding the Tiangong Automobile Group's exhibition area exploded, rivalling even the most central A exhibition area.
Tiangong Automobile Group is on fire!