Audi HQ – Night Before the Launch
"President Lu, rest assured," said Zhao Jianhua, general manager of Audi Auto.
"We've been preparing for this for months. Every detail—checked and double-checked."
"Now's not the time to slack off. It's the time to deliver."
He grinned as he addressed the late-night strategy meeting.
"If anyone's still tired, they can go home and sleep."
The room laughed, but the message was clear:
No mistakes are allowed.
This was the final stretch before launch. And no one wanted to be the one who tripped at the finish line.
Haifeng stood, calm but firm.
"Tomorrow's conference is more than just a product launch.
It's a message. A symbol."
"There will be press, a live broadcast, and customers watching in real-time."
"Every department must be prepared—not just for execution, but for the unexpected."
"If the live stream cuts out? Recover immediately.
If a mic dies? Switch.
If the feed lags? Fix it fast."
"You panic because you weren't ready.
So prepare."
He turned to the sales department.
"After the press conference ends, sales go live immediately.
Direct-sale stores and dealers need to move in sync."
"Most importantly—pricing."
"There will be no price hikes. No markup. No 'premium limited release' tricks."
"I don't care what other brands do. Some hike prices by 30,000, 50,000, even 100,000 on launch."
"But if any of our dealers do that, they lose their rights—on the spot."
The room went silent.
Haifeng wasn't done.
"Price cuts aren't allowed either.
We're building a luxury brand."
"Luxury brands don't bargain.
They hold value."
"If our cars drop in price right after launch, what does that tell our buyers?
That they got scammed."
"People should feel proud to own an Audi—today, tomorrow, next year."
"We're not here to sell cheap cars.
We're here to build a legend."
Kong Sheng, head of sales, stood up immediately.
"Understood. I'll personally make sure the market stays clean.
No price games."
The meeting wrapped close to 8:00 PM. Factory lights still blazed outside.
Even now, the production line runs nonstop—night shift teams are keeping the cars rolling.
"People can rest," Haifeng thought.
"But the brand doesn't sleep."
Meanwhile… on the Internet
What Haifeng didn't know was that the entire internet was buzzing.
The cause?
It was a surprise news broadcast.
The screen showed a serious anchor beside an engine graphic—the HX888 1.8T turbocharged engine.
"Recently, China's leading Audi Automobile Company successfully developed the HX888 turbo engine, fully independently and with proprietary intellectual property."
"This marks a breakthrough in domestic engine R&D—proof that Chinese companies have broken foreign tech monopolies."
The tone was calm. But beneath it?
National pride.
Weibo. Tieba. Forums. News apps. The post exploded everywhere.
"We finally built our engine!"
"No more foreign licensing?"
"Respect. Truly respect."
"Support Audi! I'm buying one just for this!"
China Star had already made waves in phones.
Now, with this engine…
They had cracked the auto industry, too.
And the whole country was watching.