Chapter 2119

The few of them chatted heatedly, each one very excited, especially Zhang Hua and the others. Seeing others making piles of money by flipping scarce goods, they didn't envy them; instead, they found it very hard to stomach.

In the era of the material rationing system, gasoline, diesel, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers were extremely scarce for impoverished areas. As long as someone could get their hands on off-plan materials and send them there, even selling them at flat prices, they could make a fortune.

But those bastards, under the guise of supporting impoverished areas, would mark up the prices as soon as they got the off-plan materials. Local farmers couldn't buy the planned pesticides and fertilizers and had to pay high prices to buy them, adding new pressure to farmers who were already heavily burdened.

They were truly angry watching this, so they also got a batch of off-plan materials and sent them to impoverished areas to sell at flat prices, but they also thoroughly offended some people.

They were alone and weak, while the other side was numerous and powerful, and wealthy and influential. They had a fight once and lost. As Beijing men, sons of the compound, their word was their bond; since they lost the fight, they had to admit it. They gave up the off-plan materials and also became a joke in the capital.

These past few years, they had really been stifled. Now, being able to work with Zhou Andong, they were truly excited. What they cared about wasn't how much money they made, but face, and the breath they had been holding in their hearts.

Those bastards, don't look at how their pockets are bulging now; from riding bicycles to motorcycles, and now to Mercedes and Crowns, they are actually losing face in front of their elders.

It's just that they are all grown up without proper jobs. While the leaders are dissatisfied, they can only turn a blind eye; it's better than them causing trouble everywhere.

Therefore, Zhang Hua and the others were all holding back a surge of energy. If the car they invested in was really produced, that would be such a face-saving thing.

By then, they would be able to stand tall when speaking in front of their elders, and even more so, they could loudly mock those bastards who flipped goods.

This was also the reason why Liu Zongmin said that after the first car was produced, he wanted to drive it back and forth on Chang'an Street a few times. They had to show off; they had to let everyone know that this was a car they manufactured themselves.

"Brother Dong!" Right in the middle of the lively discussion, Zhang Hua suddenly said: "What should we name our car?"

After everyone was silent for a moment, Liu Zongmin was the first to speak: "Isn't the name Qiguan Automobile quite good? It already possesses a certain level of popularity and market share, no need to rename it, right?"

Shen Mingsheng echoed: "Indeed, Qiguan Automobile has high popularity in the southern regions, especially in Zhejiang Province, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It would be a real pity to abandon the Qiguan brand."

Zhou Andong said thoughtfully: "What you say makes sense. However, we will definitely produce pickup truck models in the future, and the Haining Automobile Factory made its fortune precisely with pickup trucks.

Therefore, the Qiguan brand can be retained specifically for producing pickup products. In this way, we can fully utilize the advantages of the Qiguan brand."

Feng Yuwei asked: "Does the sedan need a new name?"

"Yes!" Zhou Andong nodded, picking up an orange and peeling it: "Zhonghua Automobile. It's grand and has extraordinary significance."

"Zhonghua is a good name!" Young Master Pu was the first to make the call: "It's settled then. I'll go register it tomorrow."

Young Master Pu had decided, so naturally, others wouldn't object, and they also felt that the name Zhonghua was good.

"And the car logo!" Zhang Hua said: "The Qiguan logo is the Pinyin 'QIGUAN'. Should Zhonghua also use Pinyin?"

"No!" Zhou Andong shook his head: "We need to design a car logo, and we can't just slap something together, because the car logo is an important component of a car; it is the brand symbol of the car.

When consumers choose a car, most people are appearance-driven. They don't care about the car's performance; as long as the car is built beautifully and looks good, they have the desire to buy.

However, no matter how beautiful or good-looking the car is, if the car logo is very ugly, it might cause consumers to give up on buying."

Zhou Andong thought of his previous life, where such a good brand name as Zhonghua was eventually ruined by Brilliance Auto; just thinking about it made him feel helpless.

Besides the car logo, he really didn't understand: was there a problem with the aesthetics of those car factory designers, or was the leadership's aesthetic not on the same level as the common people?

From BAIC's "pig nose" to BYD, and then to Baojun, Great Wall, etc., there is no ugliest, only uglier. On the contrary, some internet geniuses later designed car logos for these brands as a joke, which were quite eye-catching.

As for the Zhonghua car logo, although it was also relatively ugly, compared to the "pig nose" and Baojun/Great Wall, it was still acceptable and didn't look so awkward.

(Collecting Zhonghua car logo designs! Whether you designed it yourself or found a picture online, feel free to post it in the comments section!)

Li Zhou, who had been eating the whole time, said: "Some imported car logos are also very ugly, but they seem to sell very well here."

Zhou Andong smiled: "We will join the World Trade Organization in the year 2000, and this time won't be too late. I estimate it will only be about five or six years.

Right now, our reform and opening up have entered the fast lane. The first batch of people to get rich is already quite large, and they are no longer satisfied with the status quo, both spiritually and materially.

Therefore, regarding spiritual needs, you have all seen it: karaoke bars, dance halls, video parlors, and other entertainment venues are springing up everywhere like mushrooms after rain.

And materially, let's talk about cars. President Shen, you have the most say. No matter how many cars you import, they all sell out, don't they?"

"Yes!" Shen Mingsheng nodded readily: "I do import car business and have seen that the domestic car market is huge in the future, which is why I invested in the car manufacturing field regardless of the cost."

Zhou Andong broke off two segments of the peeled orange in his hand and threw them into his mouth, then frowned—it was damn sour. He picked up the wine in front of him, took a sip, and continued.

"Nowadays, due to policy restrictions, many people have money in their hands but can't buy cars. So, as long as we build the car, as long as it can run, someone will definitely buy it. No one will care whether the car logo is ugly or not.

However, after we join the World Trade Organization, a large number of foreign car brands will flood into the domestic market. You should have an idea of what kind of impact this will have on the domestic automobile industry.

Our automobile industry foundation is too weak. Compared to mature foreign technology, what we can compete with is the appearance of the car.

And as an important identifier of the vehicle, the aesthetics of the car logo are crucial, because this is one of the key factors for consumers when choosing to buy."

Zhou Andong didn't know about others, but he had changed many cars himself, whether imported or domestic. No matter how good the performance was or how beautiful the appearance, if the car logo was ugly, he really wouldn't buy it.

Take the Great Wall Cannon when it first came out; seeing that the car logo had been changed, he thought about supporting a domestic car. Although the new logo still wasn't quite to his aesthetic taste, it was barely acceptable.

But when he saw that the old logo was still on the trunk and steering wheel, he really couldn't understand what the Great Wall leadership was thinking—insisting on putting the old logo there to annoy people. He then decisively gave up on it.