Chapter 145 – Take a Crash Test
Lu Haifeng didn't need a translator to understand the foreign auto giants' intentions.
They weren't organizing a crash test for transparency. They were trying to sabotage Audi's public momentum—to embarrass CS and claw back the market they'd just lost.
It was obvious. Their tech had fallen behind, so now they were playing games.
He glanced at Liu Jianyu and said plainly:
"Our Audi A4 has taken a serious bite out of their market share. Of course, they'd try something."
"But this? This isn't a problem—it's an opportunity."
Jianyu nodded. Zhao Jianhua, standing nearby, smirked.
"A safety test? Please. The Audi A4's performance outclasses theirs completely. If they want to challenge us on safety… they're just digging their own grave."
"I don't know where they got the guts. If they'd just stayed quiet, we might've ignored them. But since they came knocking, we'll break their fingers so they don't come scratching again."
Haifeng and Zhao weren't bluffing. They'd seen the data firsthand.
Audi's crash safety ratings in internal tests had already surpassed many so-called "global leaders."
Some luxury models from Benz, BMW, and Porsche failed head-on collision tests, whereas the Audi A4 only suffered bumper deformation.
Haifeng leaned back and smiled.
"They think this is a trap for us? We'll flip it around—let the world see what real safety performance looks like."
The current crash test standards only ranked cars as "high," "medium," or "low." It was vague. Political. Easy to manipulate.
Haifeng had no interest in that.
He would bring his standard.
🔧 CS's Five-Star Crash Test Standard:
★★★★★ (5 stars): 33–40 points — ≤10% chance of serious injury
★★★★ (4 stars): 25–32 points — 11–20% injury chance
★★★ (3 stars): 17–24 points — 21–35% injury chance
★★ (2 stars): 9–16 points — 36–45% injury chance
★ (1 star): 1–8 points —> 46% injury chance
In this system, only cars scoring five stars were considered safe. Three stars? That was the current global max—and already subpar by CS's internal metrics.
The Audi A4?
It had already passed five-star tests repeatedly, and with excellent results.
Zhao Jianhua hesitated for a moment.
"Chairman Lu, if we make our test the new global benchmark… Won't that raise the bar for our future models, too?"
Haifeng didn't hesitate.
"Of course. That's the point."
"Every Audi we release from now on must pass five-star crash testing. That's our line. If we're unwilling to push ourselves, how can we claim we make reliable cars?"
Zhao exhaled and nodded. That kind of confidence was rare in the industry, which is precisely why CS had risen so fast.
Haifeng continued:
"Since they invited us, let's give them a proper reply."
"But we'll use our crash standard, not theirs. Let the world see how our cars hold up compared to theirs under a microscope."
"The old rating system? It's meaningless. It hides too much."
"If we're going to play this game, we play it our way—and we set the rules."
Zhao's eyes lit up.
"We'll expose their real safety performance on our terms. They won't be able to weasel out of the results."
"But will they even agree?"
Haifeng smiled coldly.
"They don't have a choice."
"They came to challenge us. That was their move. If they refuse our terms now, we'll walk away. And that makes them look weak."
"If they back out, the media will tear them apart."
"If they go forward? We'll crush them—and launch our new safety standard simultaneously."
Zhao Jianhua could only admire the strategy.
"It's brilliant. They can't win either way."
Haifeng stood.
"Tell them we'll participate. However, the test must be conducted in China. If they want to compete, they play on our turf."
"I'm not flying out to be judged by a system they built. That era is over."
"We have nothing to prove to them. They'll come here if they want to prove something to us."
His voice was calm, but carried the force of authority.
"We don't bend to their rules anymore."
"From now on, they adjust to us."