Chapter 704 - 296: He Has Leverage Over Me (2)
But this money could have been made by domestic banks. What was the outcome?
A few days later, he invited Li Yang to a meal in Jiangbei, and they chatted about some of the minor issues facing Extreme Shadow Cars at the moment.
Initially, it was indeed a minor issue. A certain car blogger tested Extreme Shadow Cars, misleading quite a few viewers.
For example, one brand scored 73 on a moose test, which was surprisingly impressive, while Megrez scored 81 and was considered mediocre.
This incident was at most a trigger; two groups of people argued online.
In the end, someone captured a Shaking Light car spontaneously combusting.
It instantly made the front page headlines; this was the first self-combustion incident for Extreme Shadow Cars.
The car was stopped in the middle of the road, engulfed in flames, rendering it unrecognizable, surrounded by several cameras filming it. Videos from all angles could be found online.
Li Yang knew about this matter and came to Jiangbei.
The company has already arranged for an investigation, but gathering evidence takes time, and Li Yang currently has no definitive outcome.
He couldn’t guarantee it was deliberate, as the spontaneous combustion rate of electric vehicles is an objective reality.
Of course, fuel-powered cars also experience spontaneous combustion, and their rates are even slightly higher because the lead-acid batteries they use are prone to aging and line problems.
But fuel cars have only a small battery, which, even if it burns, is mostly controllable and at most burns the front of the car, rarely engulfing the entire vehicle.
Electric cars are different; their batteries are large, and once they combust, the whole vehicle is usually burned down, creating a greater visual impact. Thus, the concern over electric car combustion is higher among netizens.
There wasn’t much to conclude from this discussion. Ye Bingcheng just hoped Li Yang wouldn’t mind too much; in business, smooth sailing is rare.
Extreme Shadow Cars rose too quickly!
No one paid attention when they started two years ago.
Last year, they suddenly surged, and everyone didn’t react in time.
This year, bit by bit, they have captured market share, making others anxious.
Selling 30,000 units a month, that’s restricted by production capacity. If production could keep up, they could deliver 35,000 cars a month.
Globally, only a few car companies sell more than 400,000 units annually.
Especially since Extreme Shadow Cars are so expensive!
In the forty to sixty thousand range, which was originally BBA’s territory, because Extreme Shadow Cars made a dramatic entrance, BBA’s performance this year has experienced a certain decline.
Of course, those who intend to buy will still buy, but even affecting a few hundred or thousand units could lead to significant losses.
It’s necessary to cool down the hype surrounding Extreme Shadow Cars.
Upon returning to his residence, Li Yang watched some news reports.
The owner of the spontaneously combusting car accepted an internet interview, expressing strong indignation, explaining how much he trusted Li Yang, leading him to buy a car with zero brand power, spending tens of thousands.
In the end, it nearly burned his whole family alive in the car, spontaneously combusting without any warning while driving.
Now he’s fearful, demanding answers in front of the camera.
The emergency algorithm of Extreme Shadow Cars has been thoroughly tested.
In case of fire, dozens of sensors on the car will trigger alarms in advance, and as soon as the car stops, a backup small battery will allow the doors to unlock quickly.
Even in a collision leading to deformation, the safe positioning of the backup battery doesn’t prevent the doors from unlocking.
Unless every person inside the car is unconscious, or there is no one around to help, theoretically it’s impossible to be burned to death, as warnings and emergency services alerts would be issued promptly.
Early morning at three am, Li Yang woke up to the alarm and posted a blog.
"Thank you all for your attention to the Extreme Shadow Cars spontaneous combustion incident. After the occurrence yesterday, I immediately arranged for the relevant personnel to investigate, but even after working until now, there are no results yet. However, we have contacted the car owner and are communicating. We just need some time, and once we clear things up, we will report the findings.
Extreme Shadow Cars will be accountable for any product risks and will not let any car owners suffer undue losses.
First, I’d like to thank the relevant media for their positive reporting. It took us eight hours to contact the car owner, whereas you conducted dozens of interviews. It’s your dedication that allows Extreme Shadow Cars to strive for excellence.
But I hope you will treat this matter fairly. Once the investigation results are out, I hope to see every media outlet report them.
Whether it’s a problem with the car itself or another reason, Extreme Shadow Cars will invite law enforcement throughout to ensure a fair and impartial investigation, without any cover-ups.
If it’s a car quality issue, Extreme Shadow Cars will strictly adhere to the consumer association’s regulations, offering returns and compensation and fully covering the owner’s losses."
After posting the blog, Li Yang went straight to sleep.
He didn’t need to get worked up over this incident, having many other things to tend to.
But he wouldn’t let this matter slide.
Since the car owner stood up, it’s a bold provocation, and he couldn’t ignore it.
Typically, in such self-combustion marketing events, the car owners don’t stand up, or the ones who do aren’t the true owners.
Because once they stand, the car company has a clear target to pursue, otherwise they can’t turn to those media outlets.