Chapter 40: Is That Zhou Family Insane?
Shanghai Foreign Concession,
Mercedes-Benz Company.
On June 29, 1926, Daimler Company and Mercedes-Benz Company merged to form the renowned Mercedes-Benz Company in automotive history. Afterward, the cars they produced were uniformly called Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Founder Gottlieb Daimler, collaborator Karl Benz, and William Maybach were in the office, drinking coffee while flipping through newspapers about Zhou Wenhua’s domestic car.
“What do you two think about this Chinese man’s domestic car brand?”
“Should we take action to hit them and cut off their parts goods source?”
“Especially the import and export goods source for engines, we absolutely cannot continue supplying his automotive factory!”
After finishing the newspaper,
Collaborator Karl Benz was the first to propose.
“I think we should take a look at the situation!”
“A small Chinese car personal factory can’t make any waves at all, especially in this backward country’s heavy industry foundation, which is basically zero. All automotive parts and engines need to rely on us from various countries to provide!”
“So I don’t think highly of this Chinese car factory. I see they won’t last long before they go bankrupt!”
“We don’t even need to step in to stop their self-produced and self-sold behavior, nor do we need to immediately cut off their inbound channels for manufacturing automotive parts!”
William Maybach shook his head, very confidently saying.
Because he knew very well that in the Republic of China era, China’s industrial foundation was terribly weak and fundamentally unable to produce its own car brand. All cars were imported engines, chassis, gearboxes, and other car parts from abroad for assembly domestically.
Therefore, all the car brands seen on Chinese soil during the Republic of China era were imported car brands.
In other words, China’s automotive industry had already been monopolized by foreign countries.
Most of the money earned from car sales went to foreigners.
Even in later generations, it was still the same.
In 1935, the United States population was about 100 million people, but according to statistics, Americans could achieve nearly one car owner for every few dozen people.
So compared to the United States, China during the Republic of China era was terribly backward in the automotive industry, especially with so many poor people that many couldn’t even solve sufficient food and clothing, let alone cars—there were still many who had never seen a car.
Not to mention having money to buy cars.
Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Studebaker, Oldsmobile, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Renault, and other car brands were owned only by wealthy people in big cities. Rural areas and towns basically couldn’t afford to consume them, or even see one.
So William Maybach felt that Zhou Wenhua’s so-called self-produced and self-sold domestic brand car was just a joke, like a child’s game.
It wouldn’t amount to anything, especially since the parts for the cars assembled by Zhou Wenhua still needed to be purchased from foreign companies in their various countries?
In other words, the more so-called domestic cars Zhou Wenhua sold, the more money it made for them.
“William is right, but this Zhou Family’s ‘New Era’ car company, the so-called domestic cars they self-produced and self-sold actually have very nice exteriors. I think we can learn from their exteriors, though I don’t know about their performance?”
“So I plan to have someone buy two for me to research!”
“By the way, do you know how much these cars cost?”
Gottlieb Daimler, who had been silent and focused on the car photos published in the newspaper, suddenly changed the topic.
“Price, I haven’t looked into it? Because I’ve been busy these past few days, and I don’t think highly of these Chinese people’s so-called self-produced and self-sold car brands, so I haven’t paid attention to their car sales prices!”
“But I think they should be exactly the same as our car sales prices in China! Even more expensive!”
Regarding Gottlieb Daimler’s inquiry about Zhou Wenhua’s car prices, collaborator Karl Benz frankly said he didn’t know and wasn’t paying attention.
“I also haven’t paid attention to their sales prices, because I feel their cars won’t sell as hotly as our high-end brands with excellent driving performance!”
William Maybach also shrugged his shoulders, smiling as he said he didn’t know either.
“.”
Gottlieb Daimler.
Hearing his two partners speak so lightly, Gottlieb Daimler also felt very speechless.
So soon he had his secretary come in and instructed her to check Zhou Wenhua’s car prices and sales volume situation, then report back to him.
However, soon the secretary Mary Lydia, whom he had sent to collect information on Zhou Wenhua’s car company’s car prices, hurried back.
“Hm? What’s wrong? Why so anxious?”
“Mary!”
Seeing this, Gottlieb Daimler asked in surprise.
William Maybach and collaborator Karl Benz also curiously looked at her, waiting for her response.
“Bad news, that Zhou Family’s ‘New Era’ car company sells cars at exactly the same price as Ford Company’s cars!”
Secretary Mary Lydia quickly responded.
“Hahaha! I told you these Chinese people’s so-called car prices are exactly the same as ours, and the quality won’t be as good as ours, so they’re not worth our attention or treating as threatening rivals!”
“Same price as Ford cars, you know Ford and other American car companies’ cars are indeed cheap in their homeland, but once sold to China, this industrially backward country, the price at least triples!”
After hearing secretary Mary Lydia’s answer,
Collaborator Karl Benz was the first to burst into laughter, boasting to his two partners beside him that his guess about Zhou Wenhua’s car sales prices was correct.
Hearing this, Gottlieb Daimler and William Maybach also smiled at each other.
“But what I meant was that the Zhou Family’s car sales price is the same as Ford’s sales price in the United States homeland!”
“Extremely cheap!”
“And they’ve already published in newspaper today for a new round of promotion. Plus, they’ve launched an installment payment sales model, allowing Chinese people without enough money to buy cars with individual installment repayments!”
“They also allow people buying cars to test drive!”
“And a three-month free warranty promise!”
But secretary Mary Lydia, with a face full of bitterness, explained her meaning in detail.
“What!”
Shocked by this explosive bad news, Gottlieb Daimler, William Maybach, and collaborator Karl Benz immediately showed incredulous expressions and exclaimed.
Because they had never dreamed Zhou Wenhua would play so crazily,
This was simply a fierce battle to seize a piece of their car industry chain monopoly big cake.
“Is that Zhou Family crazy?”
“He’s destroying the unspoken rules of the car sales market. Does he want to be banned by all of us?”
“No way! I want to immediately summon representatives from all countries’ car companies to jointly ban this damn bastard. I want him to know what the consequences are for offending us!”
After the shock,
Collaborator Karl Benz was the first to rage, roaring out.
Gottlieb Daimler and William Maybach also gravely pondered how to respond next to Zhou Wenhua’s crazy price competition, after-sales service competition, and new sales model competition.
Because Zhou Wenhua’s three competitive advantages were completely sales competition strategies they had never encountered,
It suddenly made them restless.
They felt they must immediately stop Zhou Wenhua’s such crazy sales model and sales strategies.
