After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future
Chapter 619 - 611: Short-lived Competitors Are Good Competitors

Chapter 619: Chapter 611: Short-lived Competitors Are Good Competitors

"Hello~"

Lu Liang smiled warmly, revealing a neat set of white teeth, greeting both Liu Qing and her father from the Liu family.

The father snorted coldly, while Liu Qing’s face showed a hint of bitterness. Old Ma, sitting nearby, sighed helplessly.

As Liu Qing took the stage to make a speech, Lu Liang, out of courtesy, put away his phone and focused his attention on the car on stage.

The Emeya, compared to the Dubhe, looks more like a sports car.

Its front resembles the Lamborghini’s bull, with sharp edges full of a wild aura. The headlights are composed of four parts, which from afar, look like four eyebrows.

Even just looking at the exterior, Lu Liang had to admit that the Dubhe was a bit inferior. A designer from the 70-year-old aristocratic British car company definitely has some talent.

The standard version has a range of 650 kilometers, using BYD blade batteries, with a maximum power of 450, maximum torque of 710, and front and rear dual motor drive.

Based on appearance parameters alone, it leads the Dubhe in almost every way, but strangely, Liu Qing did not compare it to the Dubhe or Tesla.

Lu Liang’s lips curled slightly upwards, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face. Old Ma was curious, "Mr. Lu, have you noticed something?"

"This car, the price definitely won’t be cheap." Lu Liang squinted with a smile, not holding back.

In past new energy car launches, SUVs would always compare themselves to the Mao Dou Y, and sedans would compare to the Mao Dou 3.

Just like how mobile phones compare to Apple, essentially telling the audience that their flagship far exceeds Apple.

At Tianxing’s launch, Lu Liang did not mention Tesla because he wanted to surpass them, and therefore couldn’t treat Tianxing as the underdog.

He positioned Tianxing on equal footing with Tesla, just like Apple never compares itself to Huawei or Samsung.

Of course, it’s possible Liu Qing has the same thought, but Lu Liang has a feeling she has another reason.

The price!

A car costing five to six hundred thousand compared to a two to three hundred thousand car, if it wins, it’s normal, but if it loses, wouldn’t it be shameful?

Lu Liang has a feeling because he doesn’t think Liu Qing’s control over suppliers is stronger than his.

In the secondary market, he raised stakes in 17 companies, doubling their market value, and initiated a new energy industrial park project.

If Liu Qing had better control over suppliers than he did, then the one billion dollar bond was a wasted effort.

Considering all of the above, Lu Liang reasonably guessed that the price of the Emeya would not be less than five hundred thousand.

He suddenly turned his head to the other side, smiling brightly as he asked, "Old Liu, what do you think of my analysis?"

Old Liu’s face was as grim as water, and he said nothing, which was unsurprising as Lu Liang had probably guessed correctly.

Lotus was jointly acquired by Lenovo and Geely, with Lenovo investing 600 million dollars and Geely investing 400 million dollars and providing technical support.

Although Geely has a complete supplier system, Lotus does not fall under their management, and Geely has a slew of owned and affiliated firms, so why should they offer discounts to Lotus?

This has also led to Liu Qing’s control over suppliers being far inferior to Lu Liang’s. As costs rise, so would the pricing.

After all, this is the early to mid-stage of the development of new energy vehicle enterprises, with numerous past industry examples proving that, during the early to mid-stage of industry development, having sufficiently high gross margins is crucial to weathering the mid-to-late price wars to finally survive.

Old Ma gave a wry smile and no longer tried to persuade, as the grievances between these two families could no longer be resolved with a few words.

Seeing Old Liu remain silent, Lu Liang knew he had guessed right and waited contentedly for Liu Qing to announce the price.

Starting at 668,000 yuan, with Emeya L version, L+ version, L+ platinum version, and the top-tier custom version priced at 1.26 million.

The moment the prices were announced, the crowd erupted.

Some bought-off car reviewers were suddenly at a loss, uncomfortable in their seats.

What could they say now, with this price?

How should they compare against Tesla or against Tianxing?

If you’ve got sixty or seventy thousand and insist on a coupe, why not go for a basic Porsche 718?

The Porsche badge itself would speak to the owner’s strength.

If buying a Lotus, you’d have to explain yourself, and you might be viewed as a fool.

Indeed, money is hard to earn and difficult to swallow; they could only put on a brave face to extol Lotus’s virtues with alternative comparison methods.

Hopefully, some sentimental fool would be willing to pay for nostalgia, given Lotus’s 70-year legacy as a top supercar group from the once The Sun Never Sets Empire.

Lu Liang’s lips curled into a smile, and he thought, not worthy of concern.

Tianxing’s only competitor is indeed Tesla.

Liu Qing observing Lu Liang, captured the disdain in his eyes, which deeply stung her heart.

Old Liu noticed this, frowning as he suddenly addressed Lu Liang, "Mr. Lu, do you find the pricing reasonable?"

"Quite good. The high-end market for domestic electric cars will depend on Lotus."

Lu Liang found it odd. Given Old Liu’s consistent hostility, why would he initiate conversation now?

But with the intention to fuel the fire, he unreservedly expressed admiration, showing strong agreement with the price.

The higher the price, the lower the sales, the quicker the death.

A short-lived competitor is a good friend in business.

Unbeknownst to him, Liu Qing, witnessing this, understood her father was giving her a reminder.

She took a deep breath, smiled, and redirected her focus away from Lu Liang.

With high Emeya pricing and low initial sales, these were expected.

Yet, due to the Lotus name, some consumers might pay for passion.

Brand temperament is hard to cultivate from bottom to top, but easy top-down.

Lotus’s first electric vehicle is not for volume, but to make a name.

Since their factory isn’t built yet, and supplier links can’t bypass Geely.

If these two issues aren’t resolved, clashing with Tianxing, which has a full supply chain and its own factories, is just like trying to stop a car with bare arms.

"Mr. Liu, I wish your new car great success."

At the end of the launch, Lu Liang went up to experience the driving feel, then bade farewell to Liu Qing.

He no longer cared to focus on Lotus, which was not yet qualified to be taken seriously by him.

"Build high walls, stockpile grains, delay claiming kingship."

Old Liu found Liu Qing, calm, contrasting his earlier demeanor with Lu Liang.

He could see Liu Qing’s unwillingness and urgency, eager to prove herself in front of Lu Liang.

But fighting on emotions is meaningless, as Lu Liang had spent three years planning in the new energy industry, now achieving success.

In contrast, Liu Qing and their family had never planned heavy investments in the new energy sector.

Liu Qing’s retreat from DiDi, coupled with Lenovo’s market being squeezed by Huawei and Xiaomi, left them with no choice.

They had invested less than half a year and less than 1 billion dollars in this industry, so it’s normal to fall short of Lu Liang.

Though one might look down on Lu Liang’s background, you can’t underestimate his extraordinary insight; Lotus is just in its infancy and can’t clash directly with Tianxing.

"I understand." Liu Qing nodded, willing to bury her resentment deep within, waiting for the right opportunity to release it.

Before that time, she would patiently wait, knowing that founding and succeeding in a business is never a blitzkrieg.

Old Liu showed a comforting smile, though a trace of worry couldn’t help but flash through his eyes.

Because while Lotus would grow, Tianxing Automobile wouldn’t remain stagnant, yet hopefully, it could catch up.

Leaving the venue, Lu Liang traveled an hour and a half away from the city to the Mitu Resort in the suburbs.

While Lotus held their new car launch, Tianxing Technology held a three-day, two-night team-building event.

Over a thousand people were there, renting twenty-five luxury buses and the entire Mitu Resort.

Except for a few staff who needed to stay on duty at the company, almost everyone who could come, came.

This included Wang Xiaofeng and Hu Weiwei, who were far away in Su City.

Lu Liang arrived at the resort by evening, away from the city center, joining the team-building event organized by Tianxing Technology.

A cheer erupted in the crowd upon seeing Lu Liang, and someone enthusiastically handed him a beer.

"Mr. Lu is here."

Lu Liang walked with a big smile, holding a beer in his left hand and a skewer in his right, eating as he approached Wang Xiaofeng, "What do you think of the Lotus launch?"

Wang Xiaofeng and Hu Weiwei, who were visiting from Su City, were also among the attendees, and Lu Liang asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

"Not much of a threat for now, at least this Emeya won’t be a threat to our Dubhe," replied Wang Xiaofeng. "Perhaps the only advantage is BYD’s blade batteries."

Lu Liang nodded, smile intact, agreeing with this statement.

He endorsed it with a nod. "Indeed, in terms of energy density, they’re slightly behind."