ABT ### Chapter 0112: Just Make It First
Li Fanyu felt something was off. Despite the current hype surrounding the engine, a week had passed without a single car manufacturer reaching out. How could this be described?
It was like a family with a beautiful daughter moving into a village full of bachelors, but no one came to propose!
He couldn't help but wonder—weren't these car manufacturers eager? A domestic engine, and they weren't rushing over to kiss up!
When Anning returned from Beijing at noon, he couldn't wait to tell her about this.
Anning furrowed her brows slightly. After thinking for a moment, she relaxed her expression and smiled, "Silly brother, even if they wanted to reach out now, could you supply them? We haven't started mass production yet. It's normal for car companies to be cautious until they know the engine's performance in vehicles and the procurement price."
Li Fanyu thought about it and realized she had a point.
Seeing him silent, Anning continued, "But what you said reminded me. From this trip to Beijing, it's clear the government is quite supportive of us. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has given us the green light almost without any hurdles. I estimate everything will be settled in two weeks. We should start production now."
What? Two weeks? Did the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology get a shot of adrenaline? Registering a domain name takes ten days to half a month, and now the engine approval process is this fast?
Li Fanyu hadn't anticipated such rapid progress from the ministry. He thought it would take three to five months, so production hadn't been prioritized yet.
But he quickly realized a serious problem—money.
They had some, but just as Fang Hui had said, this amount wouldn't make a splash on the production line.
Seeing his troubled face, Anning chuckled, "Who was it that refused Mitsubishi's venture capital twice recently?"
Li Fanyu straightened his neck and glared, "Even if those bastards come now, I still won't take their dirty money. They're devious. If we relied on them, who knows when the project might be killed."
Anning quickly supported his shoulders, pushing him back into his chair, "Alright, alright, I know you have principles. I didn't want foreign investment in this project either, but since it's your project, I didn't think it was right to make the decision for you. Honestly, I was relieved when I heard you refused the venture capital."
"That's not fair, Sis. We should be able to talk about anything..."
Before Li Fanyu could finish, Anning stopped him with a finger.
"It's not about treating you as an outsider. I'll definitely help you to the best of my ability. But whether it's this project or future company matters, we need clear leadership. I can't overstep my bounds on things that are your call."
A team must have only one leader, especially a small team. If everyone had decision-making power, there would be conflicts when the team grows.
Even if not due to personal intentions, the resources each controls could cause misunderstandings among subordinates, which would hinder growth.
Although Anning hadn't explicitly discussed these issues with him, she had been subtly highlighting Li Fanyu's leadership role both inside and outside the company recently.
Li Fanyu understood that Anning was looking out for him, so he nodded to show he got it.
“Don’t worry about the money for now. The car industry has different ways of doing things depending on your resources. As long as we have the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's entry qualification, we can even buy a motorcycle engine factory and still create a Chinese engine. Besides, at the beginning, without knowing the demand, investing too much right away is risky.”
What? A motorcycle engine factory? Sis, are you sure you’re not joking with me? Someone as high-class as me using this method would be… Well, if it can save money, let's discuss how to make it work.
Seeing Li Fanyu’s eager expression, Anning smiled and said, “Don’t look at me like that. The complex part of the car industry is the technology. As for production, that’s relatively straightforward. Don’t forget that China has a complete industrial system. If we can control the quality and cost, we could even outsource all the parts manufacturing. Just an assembly workshop would be enough.”
“That works too?” Li Fanyu looked like he was in disbelief.
“Why not? It’s just a bit more costly. But at the project’s early stages, we can do it this way. It’s faster and doesn’t require too much investment in fixed assets. If the demand is high later, we can consider setting up our own production line. The most important thing now is to start mass production once we get approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We have to make it first, no matter what.”
With Anning's explanation, Li Fanyu suddenly saw the light.
Actually, it’s just that he’s an outsider. People in the industry all know that it’s impossible for a car to be entirely produced by its own factory. With over 30,000 parts in a car, having sixty percent of them designed in-house is already impressive. What he’s doing, designing and outsourcing production, is actually standing at the top of the food chain!
In that parallel universe, even major players like Audi and BMW needed support from their suppliers. As for some domestic car companies, it was even more apparent. Without sufficient in-house technology but still wanting to build cars, what could they do? Just buy it!
For instance, in that parallel universe, BAIC had a car called the Kunbao D70. Because they didn’t have their own technology reserves, they acquired the technology of the old Saab 9-5 from Sweden and used seventy percent imported parts.
The chassis was from the Saab 9-5, the engine was from the Saab 9-5, the transmission was from the Saab 9-5, the body structure was from the Saab 9-5, and even the vehicle calibration was done by MIRA, the same company and the same standards as used for the Saab 9-5...
Don’t laugh; the car they made was indeed called the BAIC Kunbao.
And then BAIC was quite proud, boasting everywhere that even Volkswagen and Audi didn't have such a high rate of imported parts, as if this was something very honorable.
So you see, whether it’s the way of the snake or the way of the mouse, as long as it gets you to the destination, it’s a good way.
NEXTNEXT