ABT Chapter 109 Thousand Waves

Chapter 109 Thousand Waves

The next day, Huagong Network's homepage published a lengthy review - the first sound of the national automotive industry, the Chinese Heart Series engine.

The headline of China Economic Daily - ZGX888, the self-developed cry of China.

The headline of Beifang Daily - Dare to say that our China lacks independence? Tiancheng fires the first shot of independent research and development of automotive engines.

The front-page headline of Tiancheng Urban News - The ignition of the national automotive industry.

Editor-in-chief's special commentary on Auto Review - A detailed explanation of our country's first self-developed engine, the Chinese Heart. We are closer to leading than we thought.

For a while, it caused a sensation throughout the entire domestic automotive industry.

The discerning eye immediately noticed: with the sixteen cutting-edge technologies applied to the ZGX888 and its unparalleled calibration parameters among engines of the same displacement. If it were mass-produced, it would undoubtedly cause a huge stir in the entire market.

The high-end engines of Japanese brands were in danger.

Sure enough, just an hour after the news conference, almost all engine suppliers in the Chinese market simultaneously held emergency meetings.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' China Division seemed to have the sky falling down. Several heads of the China Market Research Department received direct reprimands from the top management; such a threatening competitive product, why wasn't there even a hint of this earlier! Are they all sleeping?

Furious, the other side spoke in Japanese. Speaking very fast with explosive emotions, the head of the research department, with only mediocre Japanese proficiency, didn't fully understand. However, the repeated "baga" (blame) was perfectly clear.

The Chinese nation has a long history and has passed down thousands of virtues, but it also has some inherent vices that we can't seem to shake off. Like jealousy, and the inability to tolerate others being better than oneself.

Upon learning that the engine developed by Tiancheng Zhengxin Automotive Laboratory had entered the calibration stage, South Motors Group immediately came out to point out; they had not obtained approval from the National Development and Reform Commission, making it an illegal research institution. They also questioned the so-called advancedness and authenticity of the ZGX888.

The media loves drama. Soon after, Beihai Livelihood Network published an article on its homepage, digging up the recent unveiling ceremony of Nanhe Group's Automotive Research Center. It conducted a comprehensive comparison between Nanhe and Tiancheng's two automotive laboratories.

Comparison is the mother of understanding. And in this case, it was quite shocking; whether in terms of research results, equipment, or management systems. Nanhe's so-called automotive research center seemed too low-grade.

Take the climate simulation test bench for example; professionals identified that Nan Motors Group's research center used the American-made Alpha II-8. This equipment was officially released in '89 and put into use in '91. Yet, it was now 2016. The powertrain durability test bench used the Italian-made Sorme 500 series, which could be traced back to the 1960s.

And their management system was a mess; from the photos posted online, it could be seen that when journalists were taking pictures, they were actually wearing shoes and entering the laboratory directly, and some on-site staff even had thermos cups.

Bro, laboratories require dust and waterproofing! Can your so-called largest automotive laboratory in Asia be any more amateurish?

In contrast, Tiancheng Zhengxin Automotive Laboratory boasted a full set of German DPL-IV series equipment, a scientifically laid out laboratory, and a comprehensive management system. Even during the ZGX888 press conference, the laboratory staff wore full sets of dustproof suits.

It's not an exaggeration to say it's like the difference between heaven and earth.

No comparison, no harm. South Motors Group immediately wilted and never spoke up again.

However, the media didn't know that the equipment circulating online for South Motors was already the most advanced in the research center. Other equipment not seen in the light of day was almost as old as New China.

For a while, car enthusiasts and onlookers all entered a frenzy of commenting, collectively roasting Nan Motors' research center.

Actually, you can't blame the netizens. Who asked your Nan Motors Group to raise such big flags in the first place?

This logic is similar to the completely different word-of-mouth for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" and "Big Fish & Begonia" a while back.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" hardly had any large-scale promotion and was released quietly. But when the audience saw it; damn, such an excellent and conscientious domestic animation, why isn't anyone promoting it or watching it? No, we must support it.

So the word-of-mouth began to rise.

"What about 'Big Fish & Begonia'? The director raised the big flag from the beginning, it was a labor of love for twelve years, it was a struggle without funding, relying on supporters' crowdfunding, and it wasn't easy, and it relied on intensive exposure on major websites like Meituan to emotionally manipulate the audience. But when people went to the theaters; damn, what the heck is this? Except for the nice art style that kinda resembles that old guy's from the Ghibli Studio, the plot was completely incomprehensible!"

So the initially high praise started to decline rapidly.

In plain words, it's a matter of expectations.

Especially in the industrial field, claiming to be the first in the country and the largest in Asia. If you can't produce results, all your talk is useless.

Now seeing others achieve results, they still have the audacity to act like a shrew. What, according to the unwritten rules, the first domestic engine must be reserved for you? Wait fifteen or sixteen years until you get your act together, even the wild vegetables will grow mold.

Furthermore, your research center has already burned over three billion in the first phase, and there are still no research teams joining. Is this messing around or squandering taxpayers' money? You know, your South Motors is a state-owned enterprise.

According to rumors from insiders at South Motors, after reading online comments, General Manager Zhang smashed his most beloved tea set into pieces. It's said that the tea set was quite valuable, but as for how valuable, that's confidential.

On the other hand, after the press conference, both Anning and Lao Zhang of Zhengxin were extremely busy. Interviews and meetings flooded towards them, making it impossible to handle. If they accepted all of them, they probably wouldn't be able to do anything else for the next six months.

Anning politely declined most of them, only accepting interviews from several representative media outlets in the industrial field. Even so, the following week was still relentless.

As for Lao Zhang, he was besieged by various universities in the country, desperately promoting his school's design team, all wanting to send their top talents over. The situation was like famine victims encountering a philanthropist during the famine years.

Even Tiancheng Engineering University couldn't sit still. The president personally visited, bringing good tea and wine, and talked for over an hour. Then he took Lao Zhang out for a meal, where the school leaders and Lao Zhang's colleagues and friends gathered around the table, expressing their mutual appreciation and trust, allowing Lao Zhang to extensively utilize the laboratory's current technological accumulation to guide and cultivate student teams.

During the meal, Vice President Liu, under the repeated gaze of the president, apologized to Lao Zhang for his previous recklessness and offenses.

The rich Laobaigan at 42 degrees, clinked three cups as self-punishment, and then went straight to the restroom, never to return.

Meanwhile, the owner of the laboratory, Mr. Li Fanyu, the inventor of the Chinese Heart engine, felt like he was being sought after.

The reason? Someone came to offer money, and he wouldn't refuse it.

A venture capital company called Poplar requested to intervene in the ZGX888 project, offering 80 million in exchange for twenty percent of the company's shares.

Without hesitation, Li Fanyu shut the door and drove them away.

Then, another venture capital company named Sukula followed suit. They bluntly proposed: five billion for fifteen percent of the original shares.

But they demanded a say in project decisions.


NEXTNEXT