In the office, Director Li was stunned.
The reason why he was so surprised was that in his mind, an industrial unit like a machinery factory had nothing to do with any motorcycle race or TV station.
But then he thought about it, and Director Li seemed to have thought of something. He hesitated and asked:
"Wang Ye, are you planning to advertise?"
"Using motorcycle competitions, TV programs, and radio programs to advertise motorcycles to a wider group of people?"
Hearing what Director Li said, Wang Ye on the other end of the phone said with a smile:
"Yes, you are right, that's what I thought."
"So I hope you can help me say hello. Originally, I left this matter to Li Baojun to coordinate and organize, but he is not young, so I still feel uneasy, so I called you in advance to talk to you."
"What do you think? Are you having any difficulties?"
As soon as Wang Ye finished speaking, Director Li on the other end of the phone said without thinking:
"Yes, and it's a big difficulty."
"Our industrial system has no connection with the TV and radio stations!"
"The key thing I want to ask is, is it really necessary to make it so big?"
"Currently in Luqi Province, there is only one motorcycle manufacturer, Qingqi, in Quancheng City, and it can only produce Qingqi 15 light motorcycles. So as long as your motorcycle products are good enough, you will definitely have an advantage over foreign products. ?”
"When the time comes, you can use the advertising truck from before and shout along the streets and alleys."
“I feel like sales won’t be a problem!”
Obviously, Director Li felt that Wang Ye's operation was a bit redundant.
The Quancheng Qingqi mentioned by Director Li was founded in 1956. It was originally a state-owned factory engaged in bicycles and bicycle accessories. However, they were not satisfied with this, so they decided to transform in 1964 and imitated a 50cc bicycle from Czechoslovakia. To measure small engines, Qingqi 15 was born.
At the beginning, Quancheng Qingqi was still called the state-owned Quancheng Bicycle Parts Factory. Because they had no experience in producing motorcycles, they directly installed this 50cc displacement engine on the structurally strengthened bicycle structure, so it was called a "motorcycle."
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Quancheng Qingqi had only one car like this. The initial price was as high as 670 yuan, and it needed to be used with industrial coupons. It is now 82 years old, and its appearance has not changed much. It is nicknamed "The Black Madam" ".
After hearing what Director Li said, Wang Ye was silent for a few seconds, then explained with a smile:
"Actually, you are right. If I just want to sell motorcycles, it's not difficult. I can just use an advertising vehicle to shout. But I don't just want to sell motorcycles."
Regarding Wang Ye's tongue-twisting statement, Director Li did not ask any questions, but just lighted a cigarette and said:
"All ears."
Wang Ye on the other end of the phone coughed slightly and said:
"It can be summarized into three reasons."
"The first reason is the most direct. I want to advertise our motorcycles and increase sales."
"The second reason is that in fact this advertisement is not only for motorcycles, but also for our Red Star brand. I hope we can establish a brand of our own that is recognized by our compatriots, not a foreign brand, not Honda. Not Suzuki, but Red Star.”
“So in today’s motorcycle market atmosphere, it’s easy to sell, but if you want to really sell your brand, make it a well-known product that people talk about, and become the goal that young people aspire to, It's not easy."
"And in the future, our motorcycle products will be aimed at the national market. I think it is important to have a good start."
"The third reason is that in the business field, in my opinion, only demand can create a market, and more demand can create a larger market. I think you agree with this, Director Li."
"And only products that are fully in demand will get better and better, don't you think?"
Hearing what Wang Ye said, Director Li, who was smoking on the other end of the phone, said "hmm", and Wang Ye continued:
"So under this theoretical framework, where does the market demand for motorcycles come from?"
"Do we rely on those who need to ride motorcycles for transportation and use motorcycles to pull goods? Yes, they are needs, but they do not belong to more needs, and they are not high-end needs, which is not conducive to high-end and sophisticated products. change."
"In my opinion, more demand lies in enthusiasts! Those who have a need for use, but it is more of a need for love, will be the most important customers of motorcycles in the future!"
"More importantly, for people who only have usage needs, as long as their usage is met, the product can be used. It will never be better, and it will never be possible to enter the international market and compete with other brands. There are only more Only when people who love what is needed appear, can products become stronger and better.”
“Last and last, it’s much easier to earn money from people who love and need it than to earn money from people who use it.”
"I'll give you an example here."
"Look at the Honda King. It sells for 39,000 yuan. The average monthly income of a normal worker is only 40 or 50 yuan. Under such economic conditions, the Honda King is still so popular and the supply exceeds demand. We want to buy one for our work. After a comparison test, I couldn’t even buy one.”
"In the end, I spent an extra five hundred yuan and found a second dealer. Don't you think this is outrageous enough?"
"Speaking of which, motorcycles are just a means of transportation. Just like you said, can't our Quancheng Qingqi Qingqi 15 be used as a means of transportation? It only costs a few hundred yuan, so why buy a motorcycle that costs 40,000 yuan?"
After Wang Ye finished speaking, it was Director Li's turn to be silent this time, and Wang Ye on the other end of the phone sighed. In fact, there was one word that Wang Ye did not say, and that was car culture.
The American model has powerful flying bricks, the Japanese model has a one-car model that can be used by three generations, and the German model has excellent control. These are all people’s unique car culture.
Due to the late development of China's automobile industry and the role of the economy, in normal history, no automobile culture was formed in the next thirty years. Without the nurturing of automobile culture, the final result was that the market relied entirely on If joint ventures are driven by joint-venture cars and all they eat is the car culture exported by others, their own car technology and brands will not be able to develop and succeed. This is an inevitable iron law.
By the time China's automobile culture has truly begun to awaken, it has entered the era of electrification of vehicles.
It was in the era of hybrids and electric cars that China gave birth to car brands that are remarkable in the world, such as BYD, Great Wall, Chery, Geely, and even NIO and Xiaopeng Ideal. To a certain extent , refrigerators, color TVs, large sofas, and four-motor acceleration of 100 kilometers, which have indeed affected the development of the world's automobile trends. Although it does not seem to be as hard-core as engines and gearboxes, the fact is that it is an undeniable historical development trend and trend that makes automobiles Gradually returning to the ranks of "use experience products".
This is the trend of the times and China's automobile culture.
Just like the large-displacement American models, they benefited from the past era of oil dividends, while the low fuel consumption and reliability of the Japanese models are the dividends of the oil crisis. As for the German models, they are the ancestors of cars, and the inventor of the car is mentioned in history textbooks. Karl Benz, also known as Karl Benz, is naturally not lacking in culture. As for the Bavarian Engine Manufacturing Co., Ltd., before World War I, they were engaged in fighter propeller aero engines, Porsche made tanks, and Volkswagen Beetles could be seen everywhere on the supply lines of World War II. , Adolf sat in the public, isn’t this culture?
But now, the electrification of cars is still at least 20 to 30 years away. Could it be that Wang Ye can only wait? it's out of the question!
As for promoting the advent of the era of vehicle electrification, Wang Ye actually has no confidence at all. Nowadays, it is normal to have power outages at certain times of the day, seven days a week. If you are going to electrify, aren't you asking for death?
Under such circumstances, Wang Ye could only find a way to develop China's own automobile culture.
"I understand what you mean. Motorcycle racing must be very exciting and intense. It's easy to watch and get your blood pumping. Besides, there aren't many other interesting TV programs now."
"Your competition show will definitely gain a lot of viewers."
"In this way, more and more people will like motorcycles, especially children. When these children grow up, the motorcycle market will become bigger and bigger, just like when they were children, When I see a soldier with a gun, I want to be a soldier when I grow up. It’s the same truth.”
"Did I understand it correctly? Is that what it means?"
Finally, Director Li blew out a puff of smoke, put out the butt of the cigarette and said this. Wang Ye on the other end of the phone said with a smile:
"Yes, yes, you are right, that's what you meant."
"Only when more people like it, the market will get bigger, and we can get positive feedback. There will even be many young people who dream of becoming motorcycle engineers, and our country's motorcycles will become stronger and stronger."
"We are no longer limited to light motorcycles with a displacement of 50cc, and there will no longer be motorcycles priced at 40,000 RMB in Japan, and demand will exceed supply."
"Do you think this is true?"
When he heard this, Director Li couldn't help laughing and said:
"I've finally figured it out, so I can't let you talk, otherwise your fallacies will be like pollution. After listening to them, my mind will not be clean, and I will feel that you are right, so right!"
"Why can a small Japanese motorcycle sell for 40,000? We can only sell a few hundred?"
"I agree, fuck you!"
Although the relationship between China and Japan is not bad now, and there is even a lot of cooperation in all aspects, it does not affect Director Li from scolding Japan here at all.
After he couldn't help but curse a few words, Director Li coughed lightly and said:
"But our Industrial Bureau system really can't talk to that side."
"I have to pay a special visit to the top leader. Then explain your plan and fallacies to the top leader. As long as the top leader agrees, our TV and radio stations in Yuntai City will be taken down."
"As for if you want to expand the scale and join the provincial television and radio stations, you can only ask the top leader to write you a letter of introduction and you can run it yourself."
"Whether it will work out in the end, it's hard to say."
After hearing this, Wang Ye was very satisfied and said to Director Li with a smile:
"Okay, Director Li, I'm sorry to trouble you!"
"While waiting for the competition, we invite you to be the first spectator, hahaha!"
Afterwards, the two of them exchanged a few words and hung up the phone. Wang Ye, who was sitting in the office, breathed a long sigh of relief. It is not easy to be on a TV station nowadays, and with Director Li's words, plus A letter of introduction from the top leader would be much easier to handle.
In the following days, preparations for the rally officially began.
Li Baojun first went to Yuntai City and got good news from Director Li. Zhang Shuji appreciated Wang Ye's statement very much and happily agreed to the consortium's TV program application and ordered the TV station to connect.
Anyway, there aren't many programs on TV stations now. There are always "rustling" snowflakes or "buzzing" circular color patterns.
After returning from Yuntai City, Li Baojun selected a group of young people and began planning the rally routes, sites, and rules. In the process, Wang Ye made two requirements, one for helmets and one for racing suits.
After all, it is a competition and safety is the most important thing.
At the same time, the finalized production of motorcycles and tricycles also began. Not to mention modern production lines, there were not even local production lines. It was the most primitive and simple manual workshop assembly process. This was also the case for most state-owned factories in this era. It was not until the mid-to-late 1980s that, with the slight increase in foreign exchange and the introduction of foreign production lines, many state-owned factories had production lines. However, those state-owned factories that did not have foreign exchange to introduce production lines were basically dead, because pure handicrafts could not compete. But the speed and cost of the production line, not to mention the technology and quality.
Just like Quancheng Qingqi, it introduced Japanese motorcycle production lines in 1982 and began to produce "Mulan Pedal" motorcycles. Then Qingqi 15 was discontinued.
Moreover, due to transportation and supporting issues, the "factory independence rate" of motorcycles and tricycles is very high. Except for tires and a few parts, they are basically parts produced by the consortium. After all, the machinery factory and the steel factory are from the Fifth Machinery Department and As for the Ministry of National Defense, it has received a large number of technical workers and skilled workers of different categories from various third-tier factories. The labor cost is very low, so if you don't use it, it will be in vain, right?
Even this time, the aunts in the factory who could only work in the canteen now have jobs, that is, seats for motorcycles and tricycles.
They also formed a small group and chartered a workshop called the Women's Handicraft Alliance.
They used to be workers' vassals and factory workers, but they were not workers. Even after the union was established, they could not have work cards and could only move around in the living area and could not enter the production area.
But now, they are different. Those aunts are so excited, as if the value of life has been reflected.
As for motorcycles and tricycles with an autonomy rate of over 90%, Wang Ye said:
"Craftsmanship creates good products. Handmade products have the hard work of craftsmen poured into them."
"It is definitely not comparable to those mass-produced products on assembly lines!"
Wang Ye even made a batch of metal scraps and stamped them into nameplates, with the names of the technicians in the engine production workshop printed on them, one person per machine. After production, they were directly riveted to a conspicuous part of the engine.
After doing this, the technicians seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and they were so careful in their work!
September 23rd.
The preparations for the rally were nearing completion, and the first opening race was about to begin in two days. Just when Wang Ye began to envision the excitement of watching a motorcycle rally live in this era, another good news came.
"Has the prototype of the rocket launcher been produced? The eighty-kilometer version?"
"It doesn't matter. You can do it slowly if you want to extend the range!"
In the office, Wang Ye received a call from the rocket engine project team and suddenly became excited.
In today's era, the caliber of rocket launchers is mainly around 100 millimeters, such as 122 millimeters, and the maximum range is only twenty or thirty kilometers. A rocket launcher with a caliber of 300 millimeters and a range of 80 kilometers, such as Wang Ye's requirement, is completely The world has none yet!
In the field of rocket launchers, before the new century, development can basically be divided into three generations.
The first generation is the famous and well-known "Katyusha", and the typical representative of the second generation is the Soviet bm-21 rocket launcher with a caliber of 122 mm. The Type 81 rocket launcher currently being developed by China is also 122 mm and has not yet been developed. Finalize.
The third generation is the American m270, and its future iterations will be the famous "Haimas" and the Soviet bm-30 "tornado" rocket launcher.
To put it simply, Wang Ye's steel tube rocket can barely be called a second-generation rocket launcher, and this new product with a caliber of 300 mm can already be regarded as a third-generation product!
Of course, just because the design and manufacturing concepts are close, there is still a gap in actual performance, the most important one being the guidance level.
However, in Wang Ye's opinion, for users like Goudahu, the problem should not be too big. Anyway, problems that cannot be solved by one shot can be solved by two, three, five or ten rounds.
Besides, who are you looking down on? How could a big dog fire three or five rounds? Launching three or five sets at the same time is trivial!
By then, it will be entirely possible to directly carry out dozens or even dozens of sets of floor cleaning!
