Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon

  Chapter 54 Ya 蠛 Butterfly (recommendation ticket required)

Obviously, the Foreign Trade Bureau of Jinmen City often receives foreign guests. Suits and leather shoes are readily available. Although they are not brand new, they are cleaned and ironed smoothly.

   "Mr. Li, I will help you tie a tie." Xiao Zhang in the office took a tie and tied it around Li Weidong's neck.

  Li Weidong looked in the mirror and said helplessly: "Comrade Zhang, are you wearing a red scarf?"

   "Huh? Isn't wearing a tie the same as wearing a red scarf? This is how our chief plays." Xiao Zhang said.

  In that era, Chinese formal wear was still a tunic. Suits were worn only when they went to a photo studio to take wedding photos. Of course, ordinary people didn’t know how to wear a tie.

  In desperation, Li Weidong had to take off his tie and began to tie it himself.

Xiao Zhang went on to say: "Teacher Xiao Li, our bureau only prepared two suits for your height suit, so when you wear this suit, be careful not to wear it out. Otherwise, you will be back when you come back. , We have to ask the tailor to repair it."

  As soon as I heard that I had to return the suit after wearing it, Li Weidong felt that the 100 million rounded loss had gone back.

  While trying on clothes, Li Weidong asked, "Comrade Zhang, what is the origin of the foreign guest I am going to receive, can you tell me about it?"

"This foreign guest is an engineer from Tianfeng Automobile, whose name is Masao Kato. He is mainly here to inspect Jinmen Automobile. I don't know what to inspect specifically. I have to ask our leaders." Comrade Xiao Zhang is very honest. Replied.

   "Tian Feng? The inspection target is still Jinmen Automobile!" Li Weidong nodded thoughtfully. He had already guessed the real purpose of engineer Tian Feng's trip.

Volkswagen and SAIC jointly established a joint venture company, which means that China's auto industry has taken the first step in market-changing technology. Tianfeng Automobile will naturally not miss this opportunity, and it is also hoped that Tianfeng Automobile can enter the Chinese market through a joint venture model. .

  The founder of Tianfeng Automobile was born in Northeast China, where FAW is located, so Tianfeng hopes to cooperate with FAW to establish a joint venture.

  However, the FAW in the 1980s did not look down on Tian Feng.

At that time, the reputation of Japanese cars was not as good as that of European and American cars. Although Tianfeng is already the world’s top five automakers, in terms of brand value, the American and German giant brands, French Renault, Italian Fiat, British Land Rover, Sweden's Volvo is more famous than Tian Feng.

  European and American cars are better than Japanese cars, which was a common perception at the time.

Since SAIC can cooperate with Volkswagen, FAW, as the eldest son of the Republic, has to cooperate with General Motors, Ford or Mercedes. If it is a joint venture with Tianfeng, does it appear that FAW is inferior to SAIC, and it can’t help it. .

  However, Tianfeng has developed rapidly in the next ten years and soon became the world's number one car manufacturer. FAW eventually signed a joint venture agreement with Tianfeng to establish FAW Tianfeng Company.

  This is also the answer to that sentence, today you are ignorant of answering me, and tomorrow I will make you unaffordable.

  Tianfeng sought to cooperate with FAW to no avail, so he could only retreat to investigate other companies. In the end, Tianfeng locked in Jinmen Automobile.

In 1984, Jinmen Automobile cooperated with RB Daihatsu to produce the Daihatsu van, and Jinmen Automobile also has the willingness to continue to introduce other models. Tian Feng took a fancy to this point and sent someone to come. Investigation of Jinmen Automobile.

  However, in Li Weidong's mind, he was thinking about another thing.

  "It’s 1985, and the fifth generation of Carraro has been on the market for more than two years! Maybe I can take this opportunity to make a fortune!"

  ……

  Masao Kato looks about forty years old, wearing a suit and tie, and meticulously issuing, typical of an RB office worker.

  Teacher Xu brought Li Weidong to Masayuki Kato and said, "Mr. Kato, we just found a new translator for you."

  Li Weidong also stepped forward and said in Japanese: "Hello, Mr. Kato, my name is Li Weidong, I’m seeing you for the first time, please take care of me."

  Li Weidong said, bowing and bowing in accordance with the etiquette of RB people, expressing greetings.

  Masao Kato bowed instinctively, but the next moment, he suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was a Chinese.

  "When the Chinese met, didn't they shake hands?" Masayuki Kato was taken aback. He didn't expect to meet a Chinese who knows RB etiquette.

  The normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan was only in 1972, and there have been some official exchanges since then, with almost zero non-governmental exchanges. Even a teacher like Mr. Xu who specializes in teaching Japanese doesn't know much about Japanese etiquette.

  So before this, the Chinese people Kato Masayuki met had all greeted them by shaking hands, and no one had bowed in accordance with Japanese etiquette.

  Li Weidong then said: "Mr. Kato, from now on, I will be your translator. If you have any needs, you can tell me. I will report to my superiors and try my best to meet your requirements."

  If it's just self-introduction, Li Weidong and Teacher Xu are almost the same, but when they talk a lot, Li Weidong's oral advantage is instantly reflected.

  Hearing Li Weidong’s spoken language, Masayuki Kato suddenly looked excited, and finally someone could speak normally!

  According to Chinese standards, Mr. Xu's spoken Japanese is pretty good, and he can communicate with foreign guests normally, but in the eyes of Masayuki Kato, Mr. Xu's spoken English is simply daunting.

  Teacher Xu is a native of Jinmen. The same Japanese vocabulary came out of Mr. Xu’s mouth with a taste of Jinmen dialect. The intonation and rhythm are like talking stand-up comedy.

  Said you spend two hundred dollars to buy a little pig, squeak water, quack, eat beans, break the wall and throw it over, squeak, guess what? died! Teacher Xu's Japanese is roughly this feeling.

  Masao Kato felt that this is not normal speaking! He is here to investigate, not to listen to cross talk!

What's more, this teacher Xu doesn’t know anything about automotive terminology. Once he mentions automotive terminology, Mr. Xu puts on an expression that can be a duck, and asks me three questions like a philosopher’s soul. where? who I am? What am i doing?

  Masayuki Kato forcibly endured his dissatisfaction with Teacher Xu. Although he wanted to change to a translator, as an RB person, the notion of not causing others trouble has long been ingrained.

  Fortunately, Li Weidong appeared, a pure RB Kanto dialect, which made Masao Kato feel at home. For Masayuki Kato, it doesn't matter whether Li Weidong knows the technical terminology of automobiles, as long as he doesn't let him hear the Japanese "Gabagaba Bean".

  ……

  In the mid-1980s, any investment attraction was very fragrant. If it can attract a world-class company like Tianfeng Motor, it will not only promote local economic development, but also the political achievements of local officials.

  The previous cooperation between SAIC and Volkswagen was supported by the state, and Shanghai City has therefore received a lot of policy inclination. Jinmen, which is also a municipality and a coastal port city, certainly does not want to lag behind.

  Therefore, the foreign trade department of Jinmen attaches great importance to Masayuki Kato, and they really want to keep Tianfeng Motor in Jinmen.

  The foreign trade department arranged for Masayuki Kato to stay in the Astor Hotel. As the hotel where the President of the United States was once hosted, the conditions there are obviously much better than other guest houses, and it is very suitable for foreign guests.

  As a translator, Li Weidong had to provide translation services for Masao Kato at any time, so he naturally also stayed in the Assay Hotel, which was regarded as the light of Masao Kato.

  Li Shunde Hotel, there are Chinese and Western food, milk bread for breakfast, and half-cooked steak for dinner. Li Weidong also enjoyed the treatment of foreign guests.

  In terms of automobiles, Li Weidong is regarded as an insider. With insiders as translators, Masayuki Kato's inspection progress is obviously much faster.

  ……

  As a RB person, Masayuki Kato is keen to have a dinner after work. Whenever a banquet is held by the Foreign Trade Bureau, Masayuki Kato always refuses to come.

  Compared with RB sake, China's Moutai is really fragrant. Masayuki Kato can't resist the temptation at all. He doesn't get drunk every day.

  The next morning, Masayuki Kato appeared in the restaurant with a hangover, and Li Weidong was already waiting there.

   Today’s Li Weidong is different from the past. Although he is here for breakfast, he carries a briefcase in his hand.

   "Mr. Kato, I think you need a cup of coffee to refresh your mind." Li Weidong said, sending a cup of coffee that had been prepared long ago to Masayuki Kato.

  "Thank you, Li Sang, I really need to wake up now." Masayo Kato took a sip of coffee. The bitter taste of the coffee stimulated his taste buds and made him wake up a lot in an instant.

   "Li Sang, thank you very much for your translation. After having you, I feel that my daily work no longer scares me." Kato said.

   "Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Kato." Li Weidong said neither humble nor arrogant.

Masayuki Kato continued: "Li Sang, if Tianfeng Motors wants to set up a branch in Jinmen in the future, I will definitely invite you to join. People like you who are proficient in Japanese and proficient in automotive are exactly what we do. The talent you need."

  "Tianfeng Automobile is the world's top automobile manufacturer, and I have long been yearning for Tianfeng Automobile. Tianfeng's cars have also been studied for a long time, especially Tianfeng's most successful model Carraro." Li Weidong said with a smile.

   "Really? Unexpectedly, Li Sang still knows about Carraro!" Kato Masayuki said in surprise, but there was a wave of disdain in his eyes.

  In the view of Masao Kato, China is a closed country, and many people don’t even know about Tianfeng Motors, let alone one of Tianfeng’s models. A Chinese, even if he can say Carraro's name is good, and dare to say that he has studied Carraro, that is definitely bragging!

  Li Weidong slowly said: “In 1966, Tianfeng Motor launched the first-generation Carraro model. At that time, it used a 1100CC inline 4-cylinder engine and was used in the MacPherson suspension system.

  In 1970, Tianfeng Automobile released the second-generation Carraro. The second-generation Carraro introduced two new engines, namely a 1400CC T engine and a 1600CC 2T engine. In addition, the second-generation Carraro was also equipped with a rare 5-speed gearbox at the time, and added a sound insulation layer, which greatly reduced the engine noise of this car.

  In 1974, the third-generation Carraro enlarged the body and added a lot of luxury equipment. This car also won the global single-car sales championship for Tian Feng. With this car, Tian Feng successfully entered the European and American markets.

In 1979, the fourth generation of Carraro adopted a new 3A-U engine with better performance, better fuel consumption, and significantly reduced weight and volume. With this car, the Carraro model also completed a breakthrough in total production of 10 million vehicles. Prior to this, only Ford’s Model T and Volkswagen’s Beetle were able to achieve this result.

  In 1983, the fifth generation of Carraro was officially unveiled. Tian Feng specially developed a dual camshaft engine for this purpose, and introduced turbocharging in the performance version of the car..."

  Li Weidong said here, deliberately paused, then took the coffee in front of him and took a sip.

   "Li Sang, I didn't expect you to really know Carraro of Tianfeng Motors. I'm very sorry, I thought you were bragging." Masayuki Kato said straightforwardly.

   "Thank you, Mr. Kato, for the compliment, but I'm not finished yet." Li Weidong put down the coffee cup, and then said; "The fifth-generation Carraro is a good model, but its accelerator pedal does not seem to be perfect."

   Hearing the "accelerator pedal", a fleeting faint color flashed in Masayuki Kato's eyes.

   "Li Sang, what do you mean by imperfection?" Masayuki Kato asked.

  Li Weidong smiled slightly and said: “I heard that Carraro sold in the US market, as long as the accelerator pedal is pressed lightly, the engine speed will increase rapidly, and the car will rush out if you are not careful.”

  "He knows the situation in the U.S.!" Masayuki Kato was shocked, but his face remained calm, and then he said; "That's just an improper operation by an individual user!"

   "It turns out that it was just an improper operation by the user. I thought it was a gap in the pin part of the accelerator pedal, which caused adhesion!" Li Weidong said with a smile.

Masayuki Kato’s breathing became hurried. He picked up the coffee cup, took a big sip, and concealed the panic in his heart. Then he said, "Our accelerator pedal is produced by Denso Co., Ltd., and Denso Co., Ltd. is RB's top auto parts supplier, the accelerator pedals they produce will definitely not ask questions about the quality."

"But Denso is not responsible for the design of the accelerator pedal!" Li Weidong continued: "As far as the design capabilities of auto parts are concerned, Tianfeng Motors is definitely the world's top. Save a lot of costs."

  Li Weidong’s implication is that Tian Feng has modified the design of the accelerator pedal in order to save costs. This designer has defects, which will cause the vehicle to malfunction.

Kato Masayuki naturally understood Li Weidong’s meaning. He was very guilty, and this guilty conscience made him want to be very strong. I saw Kato Masayuki’s expression become severe, and he said, "Li Sang, I don’t want it. Hear any remarks that slander Tianfeng Automobile, you are responsible for your own words!"

  "Mr. Kato, I am praising Tianfeng Motor for its good design, how can it be considered slander! I just want to discuss automobile technology with Mr. Kato, Mr. Kato must not think too much." Li Weidong pretended to be low profile.

   Seeing Li Weidong lowered his posture, Masayuki Kato breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the next second, Li Weidong took out a document from his briefcase, handed it to Masayuki Kato, and then said: "I did some in-depth analysis of the accelerator pedal of Carraro in the fifth generation, and wrote I wrote an article, and I would like to ask Mr. Kato for advice."

   "Did you write it all out?" Masayuki Kato hurriedly took the document and turned it over quickly.

  This document is in Japanese, and it is full of pictures and texts. Li Weidong drew the location of the glued pin parts on it.

  Masao Kato’s face was already very ugly. He knew that what Li Weidong wrote in the article was all facts. The malfunction of Carraro's accelerator pedal was indeed caused by the adhesion of the pin parts.

At this time, the opposite Li Weidong said calmly: "I plan to translate this article into English and publish it to earn some manuscript fees. Do you think it will be published in the British "Car" magazine or the American "CarandDrier" Magazines, or the German "Auto, Motorundspor" magazine is better? Of course, RB’s "Coton" magazine can also be used. I don’t even have to translate it into English."

  Hearing that Li Weidong wanted to publish this article, Masayuki Kato yelled fiercely: "Ya Die!"

  　 Seeking recommendation votes for support! The malfunction of the accelerator pedal is purely fabricated, and the plot requires it. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

  (End of this chapter)