Chapter 142 – Security Testing

Not everyone was celebrating the news of the Audi A4's 400,000-unit sales milestone.

For the established automotive giants, it was nothing short of a disaster.

Those orders? They should've been their loyal customers, reclaimed upgrades, and default buyers. Instead, the Audi A4 had swooped in from nowhere and taken them all.

Now, across China, their own sales charts looked grim. Boardroom morale hit rock bottom.

And it was about to get worse.

At BMW Group, CEO Dieter Schopf slammed his hand on the table.

"Can anyone explain why the Audi A4 is dominating the market?! We've already lowered our prices—so why haven't we stopped their momentum?"

The room was silent.

He looked around at his executives, eyes sharp.

"I don't care how you do it. Raise our sales numbers in China—Crush Audi's growth. If we lose the Chinese market, we're finished."

The execs all looked down, thinking to themselves,

You know exactly why. You don't want to say it out loud.

Sure, BMW had cut prices. But they'd also let the dealership network spiral out of control.

"Service fees," "car pickup fees," "paperwork processing"—customers were being squeezed from every angle.

BMW had tried warnings, even threats, but the dealers didn't budge.

Why would they? Profit talks.

Cutting off those dealers wasn't an option either. Lose the network, and the whole system collapses.

BMW couldn't stop the bleeding. So, Schopf needed a new target—Audi.

He turned back to his team.

"Audi keeps bragging about performance and safety, right? Then let's hit them on safety."

He leaned forward, cold and deliberate.

"I want a public safety crash test. A big one. Televised. If they launched their car in front of everyone, we'll break it in front of everyone too."

"Start contacting other luxury brands—Porsche, Mercedes, whoever. If they're worried about Audi too, they'll join us. Let's turn this into a coalition."

Schopf didn't even bring up performance. They were already behind in that department. But safety? That was his battlefield.

He was betting everything on Audi failing the crash test.

Across the continent, invitations began to arrive.

At Porsche, CEO David Mason smiled.

"BMW's finally using their brain. This is a good move."

"Tell them we're in. We'll crush Audi—and everyone else while we're at it."

Even Mercedes-Benz agreed.

"We can fight among ourselves later. Right now, Audi's the real threat."

One by one, the old giants allied. They set aside rivalries and locked arms against a common enemy.

The luxury segment had been balanced, competitive, and stable for years. Each brand had its turf, its margins, its rhythm.

But now?

Audi had broken the balance.

In boardrooms across Europe, executives felt it in their bones. The A4 wasn't just a hot product but a market disruptor.

Their sales were sliding. Their strategies felt outdated.

And worst of all? Audi came from China, and their backyard turned into a battlefield.

This was supposed to be their "safe" market, where they cashed in comfortably, year after year.

Now, Lu Haifeng had lit a fire in that backyard. And they couldn't ignore the smoke any longer.

While European automakers schemed, something unexpected happened back in China.

Lu Haifeng was meeting a guest.

In the CS reception room, he looked up and blinked in surprise.

"President Ma? What brings you all the way here?"

It was Xiao Ma, head of Penguin Company.

Shenshi to Piaocheng was no short trip, and Xiao Ma rarely left his home turf unless it was serious.

Haifeng greeted him respectfully. Xiao Ma, always composed and refined, got right to the point:

"President Lu, I came here today with one request—I want to purchase some equity in China Star Technologies."

Haifeng's face didn't change, but his mind raced.

He'd seen this before. Old Ma had tried. State-owned companies, too. Everyone wanted a piece of CS.

But his answer had always been the same.

And it wouldn't change now.