Haifeng stood before the Audi executive team and laid out his plan with clarity and confidence.
"Starting today, we're recruiting dealers nationwide."
He didn't just want any dealers—he wanted a sales army that could carry the Audi brand with dignity and strength.
The Structure
Tier 1 Cities: 4 distributors
Tier 2 Cities: 3 distributors
Tier 3 Cities: 2 distributors
Tier 4 Cities: 1 distributor
That was the initial layout—carefully calibrated.
Then, he dropped the actual conditions.
Dealer Requirements
A standard 4S store must be built to meet Audi's specifications.
Must have asset strength over 50 million RMB (≈ $6.88 million).
Must strictly abide by all Audi regulations—no exceptions.
Must pay a 5 million RMB agency fee (≈ $688,000) and a 10 million RMB deposit (≈ $1.38 million).
Total upfront cost: 15 million RMB (≈ $2.06 million)
"I'd rather have fewer dealers than compromise our standards."
The room fell silent.
Even some of the senior execs were stunned. These were some of the most challenging dealer requirements in the Chinese auto market—even more demanding than Benz, BMW, or Otto.
Someone finally spoke up.
"President Lu, with all due respect—this is steep.
Most luxury brands only ask for 1–3 million in agency fees.
Many don't even require a deposit."
Haifeng smiled.
"I don't think it's high at all."
"The 10 million RMB is refundable. It's just to guarantee commitment."
"We're building a brand, not selling clearance stock.
If a dealer won't invest upfront, how can we trust them to build our image?"
His reasoning was simple:
High standards attract high-caliber partners.
"Besides, we already have nearly 300 self-operated stores from our in-house network."
"If no one applies, that's fine. Even higher fees will be fought over when they see our profitability."
He quoted an old saying:
"50% profit makes people take risks.
100% makes them ignore laws.
300% makes them risk the gallows."
Though extreme, the logic was sound.
His words left the room thoughtful—maybe even inspired.
After the meeting, every department got moving.
Production. Recruitment. Supply chain.
Audi Auto was on fire.
Haifeng, meanwhile, returned to China Star HQ.
Zhang Yu had sent word:
"President, Huawei's Honor 3X launches tonight. 8 PM sharp."
Everyone gathered in the conference room.
The livestream began.
As the Honor 3X press conference started, the screen flashed its marketing tagline:
"4G Benchmark—One Step Better."
Zhang Yu and Liu Jianyu's faces went black.
"What the hell?"
"They just copied our slogan!"
The Xingchen Q1 had made waves with:
"4G Pioneer—One Step Ahead."
Now Honor was shamelessly piggybacking.
Liu Jianyu looked furious. As the person who wrote that original line, I felt it was plagiarism in broad daylight.
But Haifeng sipped his tea calmly.
"Relax. Business is war.
Are they playing dirty? Good.
That means they're feeling the pressure."
Zhang Yu and Liu Jianyu fell quiet.
They knew their boss was right.
This was only the beginning.