Text | Karakush
Middle-aged men who don't build electric cars are not successful enough Chinese businessmen.
This seems to have become the standard for contemporary Chinese entrepreneurs to examine themselves. Two less wheels, two fewer brushes.
Yesterday, another new car company "Niu Innovative Energy" officially debuted in the world, and the founder was 51-year-old Li Yinan. His last project was the noble electric two-wheeled calf.
If this is the only point, it cannot be self-evident that Li Yinan has many heavy identities: Ren Zhengfei's legendary former successor, founder of Harbor Network, huawei's "Hit Hong Kong Office" beaten, One of the only three people in the world who deserves to be Baidu's CTO, a former trader of China Mobile 12580, a venture capitalist, and a prisoner in Guangdong Province.
Whether it is ups or downs, it is a cattle man. People naturally hope that he can lead what kind of company he can host, what kind of products he will make, and how he will subvert the car.
Don't ask, just don't ask yet.
"Three noes" to build cars
Feel the brand
The car brand launched by Niuchuang is called "Self-Traveling Home", which means to be free to drive and be at ease. Combined with Li Yinan's personal experience, the name's yearning for freedom is full of unbearable expressions of life, and it is almost time to stop scolding.
The first product, the Youjia NV, is a medium-sized high-end SUV with five large seats, providing pure electricity and extended range two kinds of power.
Designed according to the design concept of Urban Exploring, according to Li Yinan, it means that it is first of all an urban vehicle, not an outdoor off-road vehicle; first meet all needs, and at the same time have a certain ability to explore. This also "answers questions including performance aspects".
Probably enough, and there is no shortage of highlights. For example, through sex, it is said that "in the future, it will be better in the market, and customers can obviously see and perceive the parameters of its passivity."
However, no parameters are given, as in the case of the diagram.
What it looks like, only the distinguished media who went to the Changzhou factory to observe saw that there were two models on display after the early shape was frozen, and it was said that the mass production car was 100% restored. Based on the descriptions of each family, its appearance is square, similar to ford Bronco or Rivian R1S; the interior layout is similar to Xiaopeng, with a large vertical screen in the central control.
After all, it is a high-end car, which will use some embroidery processes, hanging processes, and some buttons, handles, switches and other components are also arranged "most luxury brands will use the black chrome plating process".
In terms of intelligent configuration, the intelligent cockpit is self-developed, and the intelligent driving is self-defined and developed by the supplier, and the ability is reported to be at the level of L2. So this car will not sometimes clamor for lidar hardware, defeat the inner coil with lying flat, and is the first person in the circle to reverse the inner roll.
"The arrival of new technologies must be based on improving user experience and absolute security as the basic prerequisite," Li Yinan said, "The reason for the lack of configuration is that there are many aspects, and I don't want to explain them one by one, but I just think that this stage is a better choice for us." ”
About the product itself, that is, these are the information. For the high expectations of the outside world, Niu Chuang temporarily presented an invisible and unique counter-climax, and there was no clear answer to many key questions.
First, there is no positioning. High-end is definitely the unquestionable high-end, but there is no price (there are legends of 200,000, there are legends of 300,000), nor does it define the target population, nor does it "want" to define the target population, which is the original words -
"I don't want to define our demographics, I don't want to define our age group, we don't want to compare ourselves to anyone. Most importantly, after buying our self-touring NV car, can you feel proud of yourself. In Li Yinan's view, whether it is a bachelor, a little lover, or a family of three or a family of four, it is quite suitable for self-visiting NV.
It's a good idea. Having one or two more children, you are still you, and some needs and tastes are constant. How can you use a label to frame people as middle-class, otaku or daddy, polite.
But if you have one more child, you're out. Li Yinan is also very straightforward, our car is only 5 seats, just such a personal size, want to give customers a more comfortable, calm feeling. If you must be a family with three babies, it may not be suitable for me, unless there are multiple cars, we will not be able to meet his requirements.
"We didn't want to try to meet all the people's demands."
This sentence is bluntly reflected in many levels, such as the laser radar mentioned earlier, Li Yinan also pointed out that if this is a necessary condition, Niu Chuang cannot meet his requirements.
Of course, this does not want to be unthinkable, it seems to be extremely attitudeive, the model is actually the greatest common divisor.
The second is that it is not competitive. At least from the perspective of the outstanding row, such as the launch of new cars in 2022 or this intelligent driving level, it seems that some villages are connected to the network. However, Li Yinan feels that "the least important thing is competitiveness, and the most important thing is what we can bring to our customers." ”
What is that thing? - Pride. "Whether we can make the vast majority of users proud to have this product or open this product, this is our biggest concern, we don't care who we compare."
"Pride is the starting point of everything we do."
It's kind of like magic. After all, according to popular understanding, pride must also be based on evidence, otherwise it is just a casual kowtow to the mirror.
However, the product does not seem to be very noble. "We want to give our customers a sense of luxury, but we're not actually luxury, because everyone knows that luxury needs history."
The model seems to be "still unable to answer", only to know that a user operation team has now been formed to do user content, points, and ratings.
In addition, it is also very unconventional to expose itself to be unreliable. "We can't guarantee that there are no problems with the car, no car without problems, and there will be such and such problems in such a complex industrial product in the production process, and there will be various recalls, although we try to do it well, but it will definitely come out."
How proud can be, to be further released product information and brand building.
The third is that there is no relationship between calves. The outside world always wants to tie Li Yinan and Maverick Electric together, and use one success to prove the success of another. Someone always asks what experience, team or technology can be migrated from the calf to the self-traveler.
Li Yinan is very honest, has no experience, completely different, the complexity of the automobile industry and two-wheelers are at least three orders of magnitude. "I wanted to borrow it too, but I couldn't borrow it."
The one who can benefit the most is probably good financing. Since Youjia has received institutional investment from IDG Capital, COATUE and other institutions, the total amount of Series A financing is 500 million US dollars. Li Yinan also said that he did not build cars before, because in 2014, he consciously raised less than 3 billion US dollars to do this thing; now when he builds cars, he also realizes that it is possible to raise this money with a high probability.
No matter how many adverbs, it is also self-confidence.
In addition to Zhang Luoqian, he also needs to participate in all aspects of the company, many of which do not understand and must also learn. The project started in November 2018.
In the past three years, Li Yinan said that not a day has been lazy, and not a single day has been short of money. People think we're slow, and I don't think it's fast enough, but I think the products are polished. The car has a large balance, and there are countless details, involving a lot of work, I think our time is quite tight, but maybe others are much better than us.
To say slow is indeed not slow. According to 36Kr's report in September 2020, the team size was only more than 100 people at that time, and the project was in the prototype stage. In one year, the core R & D personnel have developed to nearly 1,000 people, all of whom are said to be from mainstream first-line car companies at home and abroad, with an average of more than 10 years of work; the car has also been cumulatively carried out three rounds of engineering trial production, and the first round of winter and summer tests has been completed, and the second round of winter tests is currently being carried out.
They took over the original Zotye's Mahayana Automobile factory, which is undergoing renovation and calibration, with an annual production capacity of 180,000. It is expected to be ready for low-volume production by March 2022 and delivery for the first users in September.
Slow is indeed slow, depending on the timing of entry. In the eyes of many people, the smart electric vehicle battlefield in 2021 may be the same as the taxi software in 2016 and the shared bicycle in 2018, at least the retail competition is over, the fall is down, the national team and the traditional big guys have begun to go down, the scammers have cut a wave of leeks, and the subsidies are almost the same.
What dividends are there now, and what advantages do you have in self-travelers?
Beware of the creation of gods
There is a saying that the biggest or even only advantage now lies in Li Yinan. So even if this wave of external communication has no substantial information, everyone still encourages and praises. This treatment was also enjoyed when Lei Jun announced the construction of the car, and everyone else enjoyed the rotten eggs all the way.
He is rich in characteristics of the media: genius, ups and downs, ill-fated, and often makes low emotional intelligence statements. This can make people write a good story, but it may not prove that he has a good idea, can build a good car, a good car company.
In this regard, Li Yinan and Lei Jun are similar. They all longed for a grand success in their hearts. A month before the car was built, Li Yinan stood in the corner of the NASDAQ and watched the calf ring the bell to go public. After being released from prison for less than 5 years on suspicion of insider trading and unable to serve as a corporate executive, Li Yinan had to leave Maverick. This was supposed to be the last venture he had planned. Perhaps it was at this moment of observation that he decided to leap into the era again.
For them, entrepreneurship is a gamble of life and personal reputation. So the track should be good enough, the business should be big enough, otherwise it is better not to do it. There is really nothing he can do but cars. Before you exaggerate, you still have to calm down.
Compared with false praise, Li Yinan himself is relatively low-key. The last time he started a business, he also gave a very passionate speech; this time, he was silent and silent.
Some media asked, what new feelings do you have in this venture?
He replied: Actually, no, not really, sorry.
Of course, under humility, there is always some temper. For example, some people asked, how to look at the future of global car companies may only have 5-10 left? He said, I don't have an opinion, my car hasn't come out yet, I'm not qualified to say that – the 3rd place must say that there are only 3 left in this world, and the 5th place says that there are only 5 left in this world, and I don't want to discuss this matter.
In Li Yinan's view, China's unique supply chain environment provides the pre-existing conditions for any startup company. There are too many supply chain companies in China, local and international; state-owned and private; workshop, formal, and the number cannot be counted. Under such a rich supply chain system, enterprises like Niuchuang can be established, and even soon to 200,000 units, reaching a relative scale effect. It's impossible to put it anywhere in the world.
This is the opportunity of the times.
To paraphrase his last venture, "No matter how many things you are disappointed in, there is no reason to be disappointed in the best of times." ”
Although he is more than half a hundred years old, I wish him that if he is born, do something interesting and give traces to the years.