ABT Chapter 0188: Sales on the Rise
With fifty million people watching the livestream, the promotional power was immense. The reputation and sales of the A4 began to skyrocket almost explosively. Since yesterday, the golden sales period before the Spring Festival had officially begun.
The order forms from Longsheng were coming in like snowflakes. In just three days since the livestream, the sales of the Audi A4 in Longsheng's physical stores had quadrupled. The online sales platform was even more explosive; in just three days, the sales had reached an astonishing five thousand units!
For the A4, what it had been lacking was just an opportunity. With the right momentum, its sales could shoot for the stars. And this incredibly popular livestream was undoubtedly a powerful booster!
Looking at the sales report in his hand, Li Fanyu nodded with satisfaction—this was exactly the result he wanted. At this rate, achieving monthly sales of over one hundred thousand units for the A4 would be no problem at all. One hundred thousand units per month, generating over a billion in revenue. After deducting operating costs and expenses, that's almost pure profit.
As more users bought the car, the positive reviews surged online, further boosting sales. Li Fanyu recalled that in the unaltered automotive history, the A4's scariest sales record was over half a million units in a single quarter. He was filled with anticipation for this achievement.
Don't forget, back then, the Audi A4, despite its legendary status, was priced at over two hundred thousand yuan. Now, due to purely domestic production, the price had dropped by nearly thirty percent! So, the potential for increased sales was still enormous.
While some were rejoicing, the A4's competitors were feeling the pressure.
In a Honda dealership somewhere, a couple about to get married was looking at cars. Buying a car was the second most important thing after a house for this soon-to-be-married couple. Both of them had only a superficial understanding of cars and had come to the dealership after seeing Honda's high sales ranking online.
After looking around, the couple was still undecided. So, the savvy bride-to-be called her brother to come and give them some advice. Her brother rushed to the 4S store and immediately started promoting the A4 on Honda's turf.
"Sis, brother-in-law, you might as well buy the A4! It has better performance, newer technology, and higher configurations! Let me tell you, this Accord you're looking at even has PU leather seats that contain formaldehyde! You're about to have a baby; you need a safer and more environmentally friendly car."
Hearing this, the couple didn't hesitate and immediately left.
The Honda salesperson felt the chill in the air, bewildered—our configuration list clearly states that the seat material is leather! Leather! Dude, you can't say our seats are all PU; at least the part under your butt is genuine leather!
In another city, at a Nissan dealership, a middle-aged man was stopped by his son.
"Dad! Let's go buy the Zhengxin Audi A4. I saw it online; the president of Zhengxin Audi disassembled the car, and the materials used are top-notch. For the same price, we shouldn't settle for this!"
The man tried to convince his son with brand and market share arguments, but he couldn't persuade him. Finally, unable to resist his son's persistence, he shook his head, "Fine, we'll go with your choice. But if the car doesn't drive well in the future, don't regret it."
"I'll only regret it if we don't buy this! Their connectors and relays are all cheap ones; they won't last! Do you know, Dad, if these parts aren't well-made, they can easily cause the car to catch fire!"
The man was shocked. Despite being a driver with over ten years of experience, he had never heard of this before. But seeing his son's serious expression, he nodded and turned to leave.
Watching them walk away, the salesperson felt a deep sadness—damn! How do you even know that? Does your family run a repair shop?
In another city, at a Chevrolet dealership...
"Your glass isn't even double-layered!"
In another city, at a Buick dealership...
"Your buttons are way inferior to those on the A4!"
Every day, salespeople encountered troublemakers, and every day, they heard the dreaded name Audi A4. Whenever that name came up, they could count on at least one or two waves of customers losing their desire to buy. The sales staff of these brands were on the verge of going insane!
Meanwhile, the crafty Li Fanyu was delighted. He chuckled to himself, "I'm not targeting any single one of you specifically. As the president, I'm equally mocking all of you!"
Not long ago, you had your fun messing with me, didn't you? Now you know what it feels like to be targeted! What's that saying? What goes around comes around!
So, the brands' operators began to nitpick the content of that livestream. But after consulting their legal advisors, they all received the same reply: the livestream did not mention specific brands or use trademarks without authorization. Even if they sued, it might not yield any results.
Consequently, these brands gritted their teeth and simultaneously ramped up their Chinese New Year car purchase promotions. Their goal was clear: to try and undermine Audi in the B-segment car market.
Honda offered free interior decoration worth ten thousand yuan with every car purchase, Nissan provided free maintenance, Chevrolet simply slashed prices, and Buick kept giving away toolkits.
As the year-end approached, the domestic B-segment car market was becoming increasingly competitive.
Seeing the competition preparing for a head-to-head confrontation, Li Fanyu swiftly responded. On the fifth day of the Spring Festival golden sales period, Zhengxin Audi launched its discount campaign across all channels.
Zhengxin Audi’s official website, Zhengxin Car Sales Platform, Pinche.com, Li Fanyu’s Weibo, and Longsheng Audi 4S stores all joined the fray.
"To celebrate A4's daily sales exceeding three thousand units, we are giving away a three thousand yuan fuel card with every purchase starting today."
"To celebrate A4's daily sales exceeding five thousand units, we are giving away a five thousand yuan fuel card with every purchase starting today."
...
Everyone understood the tricks behind the dealership giveaways. A hundred-yuan carpet could be marked up to fifteen hundred, a two-hundred-yuan seat cover could be claimed to be worth two thousand.
Everyone knew the schemes behind dealership discounts. The car price might drop, but the mandatory add-ons weren’t something you could opt out of.
Everyone was aware of the catch in free maintenance offers. The service might be free, but you’d need to use the best engine oil. "Buddy, how about a can of premium Mobil? Not expensive, just 988 yuan a bottle. Given your engine’s condition, two bottles should suffice..."
Dealership giveaways of toolkits seemed generous, but those were items that should have been included with the car in the first place!
But a fuel card was real money saved!
Amid a chorus of "Thank you, President," the A4's sales surged even higher.
A week later, amidst all the hustle and bustle, Pinche.com released its sales rankings. In the B-segment car market, Zhengxin Audi A4 had shot up from the bottom to the top five.
Moreover, in the monthly sales, it was now neck and neck with the fourth-ranked Nissan Teana, poised to overtake the third-ranked Chevrolet Malibu.
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