"I heard that the Japanese engines are fuel-efficient. Why don't we go over there and check it out?" Wei Laisong suggested.

"Forget it. When we decided to build cars, I ruled out engines from there. They won't give us the complete technology, nor will they let us copy them or manufacture them locally," Xing Baohua said.

After hearing Xing Baohua's words, Engineer Zhang and Engineer Chu nodded in agreement.

The Japanese are indeed very cunning in this regard. In any case, developing our own core technologies is the best way forward.

Unfortunately, we started late in this area, mainly due to insufficient investment.

Just finding the right material is enough to cause a lot of trouble; it requires repeated experiments to find the right material.

This one investment alone is enormous.

The research and development costs are disproportionate to the cost of directly purchasing finished products.

To put it another way, it's better to buy than to make.

It's so convenient to buy this! Just install it on the car and it'll run? Can the quality of our research and development be as advanced or better than theirs?

After listening to Xing Baohua's words, Wei Laisong said nothing more. Although he was in charge of the car factory, he actually followed Xing Baohua's suggestions the most. The key was that this guy was willing to spend money.

Moreover, his thinking, especially after seeing those renderings, has overturned his understanding of those cars.

Besides, they were able to hire people from a West German repair shop who specialized in modifying the Mercedes-Benz W140, and they also had engine technology.

If it were Wei Laisong who were in charge, he would probably build the car based on the same ideas as the Red Star minivan.

I just found out that the Red Star van uses a truck chassis. What were they thinking?

Around noon, Overchter came to Xing Baohua's office with some data and simple plots, and everyone was there at the same time.

"Overrecht, this Mr. Wei Laisong is the major shareholder representative of our future car factory. The department he represents will hold 50% of the shares."

"There are some things we can discuss now, or draft relevant contracts," Xing Baohua said, pointing to Wei Laisong.

Wei Laisong was still drunk this morning, and Xing Baohua was too embarrassed to introduce him for fear of losing face, but it's not too late to say it now.

Overchite nodded, indicating that there was no problem. He held the majority stake in AMG and had the final say on decisions.

When it comes to serious matters, Wei Laisong becomes more alert; this kind of thing cannot be taken lightly.

AMG Technology holds a 19% stake, which includes R&D on related technologies in West Germany and domestically, and provides support for technological improvements. Related patents are jointly held.

Xing Baohua's 31% stake is responsible for providing financial support for related sales and R&D. In short, all the hard work and financial burdens fall on Xing Baohua.

As for Wei Laisong? Forget it, let him continue to be a big shot.

Of course, the land, factory buildings, workers, and so on that were built in the early stages all belonged to this old man.

The tripartite agreement covered so many things that we missed lunch.

Fortunately, both sides recommended Xing Baohua to serve as the chairman of the car factory.

Even if Wei Laisong wanted to take over as chairman, Xing Baohua would have to snatch it away, otherwise all the things he had painstakingly arranged could be misled by those who didn't know the business.

After proposing Xing Baohua as chairman, this guy told Wei Laisong the first exercise of power: you only need to take 50% of the shares, and you can't interfere with production, sales, or management.

Moreover, Xing Baohua's desire to hire a professional manager was also supported by Ofrecht.

Wei Laisong thought for a moment and said, "We'll get a response to this at the party. Even if I agree, the higher-ups might not agree. Should we put this on hold for now?"

Xing Baohua waved his hand and said, "No matter what method you use, you have to get the higher-ups to agree not to interfere. Too many intermediaries will make things difficult, otherwise I, as the chairman, will just be a figurehead."

Wei Laisong tilted his head and thought for a moment, then agreed. He nodded slightly and said, "I'll try my best."

"Don't try your best. If it really doesn't work, I can still cut my losses now. You know how you got to Luzhong. My rice business was resisted because some people wanted to get involved and interfere. My own ideas developed very quickly. Really."

"The same goes for cars. Following my plan, it won't take more than a few years to develop into a large enterprise. Look at the Volkswagen Santana, how many times did we talk back and forth, how much time did we waste? Unlike us, we just sit down, close the door, and we've solved everything—the plan, the contract, the technology, and so on." Xing Baohua explained to Wei Laisong, counting on his fingers.

Wei Laisong also agreed that Xing Baohua's words made a lot of sense.

He was figuring out how to withstand the pressure from above. He actually regretted bringing Xing Baohua in somewhat; his initial plan was to revive a car company, not only to generate revenue but also to bring him recognition.

Why did they bring Xing Baohua in? This kid insists on building luxury cars? And he even insists on making them export-oriented cars? What was originally a low-difficulty task has been turned into a high-level task by this kid. No, for them, it's a hellish task.

Now that Xing Baohua has gone through so much trouble, we really need to find a way to support him.

If Xing Baohua succeeds, it will greatly improve Wei Laisong's performance.

Xing Baohua personally drafted the tripartite agreement, made copies, and had everyone take it back for a detailed review. He added conditions only if needed.

That evening, Xing Baohua treated both sides to seafood.

What Australian lobster, Australian abalone?

That's really eye-opening.

Over the next two days, Wei Laisong led his team on a tour of Hong Kong, while the AMG team continued their research on the DMC chassis.

Meanwhile, Xing Baohua received a message from Sequoia Capital that Aguo and Baguo could now visit the production line.

Sequoia Capital directly had them send a letter, and everyone's visas were changed to business visas.

It was much easier to handle things in Hong Kong; all the procedures were completed in a week. The plane tickets were also booked, and Citibank even helped with the processing.

While waiting for a flight, Xing Baohua asked Wei Laisong, "I spoke with the city before about building a cargo airport in central Shandong. Are you aware of this?"

“I know. The feasibility report is still being prepared. When I get back this time, I’ll help you with the process. I have an uncle who works at the Civil Aviation Administration. I’ll ask him about the specifics and see if we can cut some steps and get it approved,” Wei Laisong said.

What exactly does your family do?

"you guess?"

"Fine, don't tell me then. I don't have the energy to guess. I need to hurry up and get the paperwork done so I can buy a plane. Buying tickets requires finding someone, which is quite a hassle." Xing Baohua really intended to buy one, and he flew to various places every few days.

Sometimes you can't even get a first-class ticket; when you go out, at least a dozen people follow you.

This time when I go to Pakistan, I'm bringing more guards. Once we get there, I'll also need to hire local guards, since the country is notoriously chaotic, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

When Wei Laisong heard Xing Baohua say he wanted to buy an airplane, he was first surprised, but then he smiled and said, "If I have an emergency, I can borrow it."

"Sure, you'll have to pay for your own gas?"

"Can I afford it? Let me take it!"