Dong Qiangqiang's Story of Leaving Germany

By 2004, it will have been 20 years since Shanghai Volkswagen was founded. Twenty in ancient China represented growing up. With the support of the test track, Shanghai Volkswagen's new product iteration capabilities will surely be rapidly upgraded from a toddler to a stumbling independent walk. More of the latest technologies that meet the actual needs of Chinese consumers while carrying the classic craftsmanship of the Volkswagen Group will be launched in China one by one. , entering thousands of households who love popular brands.

All of this is certainly a good thing, but with Shanghai Volkswagen’s successful joint venture experience in front of them, many automobile giants are naturally unwilling to give up such a huge cake. They rush in crazily, and China’s automobile market has ushered in the world. Players: Toyota, Nissan, and Hyundai in the front, General Motors, and Jeep in the back, and German counterparts on the left and right are eyeing them. Compared with 20 years ago, the Chinese market in front of the Volkswagen Group is no longer a blue ocean, but a cold red ocean.

Although relying on its first-mover advantage and its many hot-selling models, such as Santana, Jetta, Audi, Passat, Polo, etc., Shanghai Volkswagen still ranks first in a market environment surrounded by many heroes, but the fact is that in many multinational car manufacturers With the support of enterprises, the past 2002 was an extremely hot year for China's car market. The growth rate of China's automobile market has remained above 3% for three consecutive years since China's accession to the WTO, and it was so hot that it was almost crazy. Not only Volkswagen, but also the sales of many car companies are showing rapid growth. New models are emerging one after another in the market, and a hundred flowers are blooming. At the same time, they are also beginning to enter a complex and changeable situation of price wars. If Volkswagen wants to stand out in such market competition, in addition to having bright products, its after-sales service must also keep up. Looking at it this way, Dong Qiangqiang thought that he should visit the local 50S store again to learn more about the purchase and after-sales service.

After taking enough photos, he took a taxi to visit the second and third factories, but instead of trying his luck at the door, he went directly to a nearby office building. Judging from the land area and layout, the three factories are similar. The first factory is relatively larger in scale and has more buildings.

Dong Qiangqiang went downstairs after taking photos and ran around all morning. Only then did he realize that he was very hungry.

On the way from the first factory to the second and third factories, he saw many 4S stores on both sides of the road, both Volkswagen and other brands. There were also various small restaurants next to the 4S stores. Generally, they were not big but they were still open for business. There were quite a lot of diners in many stores, which was completely different from the restaurant scene he saw in BJ.

He easily got a taxi and went straight to the nearest 4S store.

He did not call FAW-Volkswagen again. Unlike SAIC, FAW-Volkswagen has three shareholders, namely China FAW Group Corporation, Audi Automobile Co., Ltd. and Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd., but FAW-Volkswagen is not listed like Shanghai Volkswagen. Which shareholder should you call to make an appointment? None of them are suitable. FAW Car and FAW Xiali, affiliated to the FAW Group, are both on the market, but these two companies have nothing to do with FAW-Volkswagen, so when he arrives in Changchun, he should look for a property directly like he did here. However, after seeing the three factories in Anting Town, Dong Qiangqiang actually has a lot more confidence than before.

The taxi quickly took him to his place. He strolled along the street and walked to 10 4S stores. The sales in Volkswagen stores were beyond his imagination. Several Volkswagen 4S stores had the same scene: before entering the main entrance, there was a 4S store in front of the store. I saw more used cars in the parking lot than in front of other S stores. I guess they were all driving old cars to choose new cars. When he entered the main entrance, he saw a picture that confirmed his idea: a group of people holding materials and wearing masks, surrounded by sales people on three floors inside and outside, were constantly consulting. Dong Qiangqiang didn't know at this time whether the influence of the (military) love had not spread yet, or whether the influence was very small.

He looked carefully and found that such stores had first-class modern showrooms, billboards with drastically reduced prices, and salespeople who were too busy to talk to him. At this time, he could only grab other potential buyers to talk.

Maybe it's because his appearance doesn't offend anyone, so many people are willing to talk to him about their thoughts. After talking to dozens of people, Dong Qiangqiang concluded as follows: Although the (military) situation is indeed fierce, people are indeed more enthusiastic about buying cars. The first reason is that buying cars is becoming more and more important to the newly rich Chinese, and Volkswagen Whether it is exterior design, interior, or price, they are all closer to the aesthetics, needs, and spending power of the Chinese people. Among them, Passat and Audi have been repeatedly praised for their appearance. Second, there are more and more cars on sale with reduced prices. Many buyers believe that the (constitutional) situation will eventually pass. But if the price reduction also passes, wouldn’t they be the ones who suffer? Third, many people who come to buy cars are not locals in Shanghai, but from the Yangtze River Delta, mostly from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. After all, it is very close to Shanghai, and Shanghai is an international metropolis where everything is avant-garde and good. Among the best cars in Shanghai, there must be a Volkswagen.

After chatting with the buyers, Dong Qiangqiang used every opportunity to block one or two single salesmen at the door of the men's room and asked fiercely. The answers he received were close to the feedback from the buyers, which made him more confident.

Of course, he also knew that he couldn't believe everything 4S said. In order to avoid the suspicion that seeing is not believing or that Volkswagen sales are self-promoting, Dong Qiangqiang went to the 4S store of a competitor of Volkswagen and pretended to want to buy a car. In the end, he not only obtained the information, received a bunch of business cards, but also had a meal. I was stuffed with packages of free snacks and given a bunch of worthless gifts. Finally, I was respectfully delivered to the door by the 4S salesman who was the God of Wealth. After visiting 4S, Dong Qiangqiang increasingly realized the value of on-site visits, and he planned to visit some of the most prosperous districts in Shanghai. However, he was not there to visit historical sites or go shopping, but was curious to know how many Volkswagens could pass through the busy intersections in these areas in one hour. If Volkswagen cannot achieve a high proportion locally, it may be more difficult to achieve a national proportion.

He planned to start from JD District, where Anting Town is located, and then walk through the intersection of CN District, XH District, JA District, Huangpu District and Pudong New District in order.

The taxi slowly drove into the city. The rows of high-rise buildings did not make Dong Qiangqiang feel anything. On the contrary, the neat municipal roads left a deep impression on him.

On the roadside of some old streets, he could occasionally see stretched wire mesh. Inside the wire mesh were Chinese-style ancient buildings that were being repaired. This gave him the feeling of walking on a German street in a trance: a place full of people. Historical cities should not only demolish the old and build new ones, but also care for and regularly repair the country's historical cultural relics, so that these historical monuments will not be crushed into dust by the wheels of the times.

He deliberately observed the people on the street. Almost all of them were wearing masks. There were obviously more people wearing masks than on the streets of BJ. People's awareness of safety protection was extremely strong. There were almost no bicycles or electric scooters driving against traffic in the streets, which made him very depressed.

There were more billboards and notices on the street to prevent and control SARS than BJ's and they were neater. Several hospitals he passed were also in good order. Dong Qiangqiang paid special attention to the front rooms on both sides of the hospital. The onlookers didn't even look at any of them. Well, as for whether there are any merchants hoarding it, you can only know if you enter the store.

He picked a random intersection in each district, stood at each intersection for an hour, and calculated which kind of cars passed the intersection the most.

At five minutes to nine in the evening, it was completely dark, and all the data for the six districts were released: except for two intersections where Japanese cars passed the most, the remaining four intersections were dominated by Volkswagen cars.

While counting cars, he noticed a phenomenon that was inconsistent with his prediction: in addition to a lot of vehicles passing by on the streets in the six districts, the shopping malls were still crowded. Although people were wearing masks, the shops on the streets were still crowded. Whether it is a coffee shop, a flower shop, a bookstore or a snack bar, consumption is all orderly and there is no shortage of people.

Although his body was tired, Dong Qiangqiang's spirit became excited. His heart was filled with uncontrollable excitement. He realized that he might have been too pessimistic before.