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In 2015, Jia Yueting's car-making took off. In foreign holdings Faraday - future (FF), the domestic establishment of "LeTV super car", at the same time, but also in the automotive industry chain upstream and downstream investment in more than 10 projects, Zhejiang car-making enterprises "electric curry car" is one of them.

In 2017, LeTV Auto's capital chain broke, Jia Yueting left for the United States, clearing the 35% stake held by LeTV in Dengjia, and the then CEO of LeTV Auto, Zhang Hailiang, "dished" down (later upgraded to Sky Auto), serving as chairman of the board. Later, LeTV's domestic team of about 800 people, more than 100 people followed Zhang Hailiang to the sky.

Before joining LeTV, Zhang Hailiang worked at SAIC for 20 years. From supply, logistics, planning, product engineering, administration, all the way to Shanghai Volkswagen Automotive general manager, director, vice president of SAIC Group. 2016, the wave of Internet car-making, Zhang Hailiang left SAIC, joined LeTV Automotive as COO. after the departure of the CEO of LeTV Automotive, Ding Lei, due to "health" reasons, Zhang Hailiang took over for Ding Lei. Zhang Hailiang replaced Ding Lei and briefly took charge of Le Vision Auto for a period of time. But by that time, LeTV had already lost its momentum, and Jia Yueting had shifted the battlefield to FF in the United States, and the domestic automotive program was gradually shut down, so Zhang Hailiang had to clean up the mess, and lead his men to seek their own way of life.

For Zhang Hailiang, Skyline Automotive is an adventure that has to continue. But this time, the success or failure falls on his shoulders.

Zhang Hailiang, Chairman of Sky Auto

After Zhang Hailiang took over Sky Auto, he reached a cooperation with the Zhejiang Provincial Government, and planned a vehicle factory in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, covering an area of 1,000 acres, with a total investment of 5.5 billion yuan in the project. Reorganization of the holding of Quanzhou Xihu Automobile, in Ningbo Cixi landed commercial vehicle production base. In addition, more importantly, pulled listed companies, government guidance funds and industry funds of 6.5 billion yuan financing.

Similar to Weimar, Zhang Hailiang also chose to build their own factories, he believes that the quality control of their own factories is far from OEM. With more than 20 years of dealing with the manufacturing industry, "the front workers installed the wrong, the back workers see also do not care, installed and then say" such a thing, he has seen a lot.

"Quality is first of all a quality culture. OEM factory is the employees of other companies, how do you do cultural exchanges with him?" Zhang Hailiang said.

The earliest positioning of electric curry low-end market, in November 2017, looking for Southeast Automotive OEM production of a NEDC range of 255km, priced at about 60,000 (after subsidies) pure electric sedan, according to the official, the car was later sold only more than 3,000 units. Zhang Hailiang started planning a mid- to high-end product line after the past. And in November last year, the brand upgraded, launched the "sky" car.

Brand positioning to master the balance, set too high to affect the initial sales, too low and will sacrifice the future of the brand premium, Zhang Hailiang believes that the domestic startups - Azure and Wilma went to two extremes. Sky's first production vehicle, the ME 7, is a mid-sized SUV with a range of 500 kilometers and a pre-subsidy price of 366,800-381,800 yuan, targeting the Azera ES8 and Tesla Model X.

The SUV, which was designed by former Porsche designer Hakan Saracoglu, attracted a lot of onlookers at the Shanghai Auto Show just past. In addition to the styling, another feature that attracted people to stop is that the car has five screens built-in: a 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel, a 15.6-inch center touch screen, a 12.3-inch co-pilot entertainment screen, and two optional 12.8-inch entertainment screens in the rear. The five screens can be interacted with each other.

Sky took over part of the original LeTV Telematics team and set up its office in Beijing. Zhang Hailiang believes that compared to the Internet, automotive electronics, hardware and software combination of smart phones, smart TVs and car networking system is closer. Many of the employees of the Sky Telematics team were first recruited from LeTV cell phones and LeTV TVs.

In Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, the sky car factory has completed the civil construction, is installing equipment. The plan is that in August or September of this year, the ME 7 will start production, and will be delivered to users by the end of the year or early next year. What can be expected is that in the future, in the 300,000 market, this car will meet head-on with Azera's two SUVs, as well as the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Zhang Hailiang doesn't think this is a bad thing.In 2018, China's passenger car sales were 28 million, and the new energy was only 1 million. If the new forces work together to make the total 10 million, then everyone can survive. Compared to competing with each other, they now need consumers to recognize that new energy vehicles are a big category with good products to buy . And the explosion is to the whole market endorsement.

Once the total volume grows up, the consumption habits of Chinese users are generally emotional. Zhang Hailiang believes that the sky car must have the opportunity to compete in the wrong place.

"We are worried that people feel that new energy is not the direction, not willing to buy, or that 1 million units, no growth. Once this market is formed, the needs of people who buy cars are diverse, because this consumption is too decentralized." Zhang Hailiang said.

Sky ME 7

36 Krypton: ME 7 is positioned in the 300,000 mid-range and high-end market, how to see the competition in this market?

Zhang Hailiang: There is no competition in the market yet, they are all new entrants. Middle and high-end new energy vehicles, attracting people who buy traditional middle and high-end cars, it is a growing market. You have this spending power, interested in electric cars, new technology, (that) the traditional car noise, comfort is not as good as the electric car, (will buy new energy vehicles).

36 Krypton: 300,000-400,000 market, the future will meet Model 3/Model Y?

Zhang Hailiang: This is a good thing. You observe the consumer, if more people think that new energy is a right choice, it has to be based on, there are a lot of good brands in the market, there are good cars appeared, so that everyone can form **** knowledge. Instead of driving to the Third Ring Road and breaking down, you still have to push (by hand). Good cars are giving this market endorsement.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce made a pure electric car out, we immediately change the concept that pure electricity is also a reliable model, there will be more people to buy. China does not lack the total volume, 28 million sales, electric cars are now only more than 1 million. If we do 10 million, everyone will have a share.

Second, once this market is formed, the needs of people who buy cars are diverse. Tesla comfort is poor, if we do a good job of quality, staggered competition, Chinese consumption is still very emotional, the market will always be there. Because this consumption is too decentralized. We are worried that people feel that new energy is not the direction, not willing to buy, or 1 million units, no growth.

36 Krypton: How do you do brand and target user positioning?

Zhang Hailiang: Some people do a very luxurious forty, five hundred thousand, six hundred thousand, good for establishing the brand, but not good for the initial sales. If set at 200,000, mid-range, 2 meters 75 or so A-class SUV, the user volume is more, but your brand is set low, and then push the high-end in the future will be difficult. Weimar and Azalea have set two extremes.

36 Krypton: ME 7 has 5 screens, how do you do product definition?

Zhang Hailiang: We discussed that the car network, there should be a hardware carrier for users. 4 people sitting in the car, there is no way to interact. The hardware is good, the software can play a better role. Our screen is much better than Tesla's design. He is hanging a PAD on it, and the car network is not as good as we are.

Telematics is now done by three kinds of people: first, Internet people; second, those who do electronic appliances, braking systems; and third, smartphones, homes. Our team is to do smart phones and smart TV people, the system and car networking is the closest.

36 Krypton: How is the factory planned?

Zhang Hailiang: Our small car in the southeast automobile OEM. Large cars build their own factories. We began construction of the Shaoxing plant in April last year, the end of the civil construction was completed, now installing equipment, but also waiting for the acceptance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We have to rely on ourselves for quality control. (OEM) has never sat in such a good car. Quality is first of all a quality culture, the staff of other companies, how do you do cultural exchanges with him. For example, if the front workers installed the wrong one, the back workers don't care when they see it, they just install it and talk about it. Quality is not tested, but everyone assembled when a sense of responsibility, as a matter of their own home.

36 Krypton: a lot of new car companies, it is difficult to sustain commercially, how do you plan?

Zhang Hailiang: We do more than 40,000 units can (tie). Next year, we will sell 20,000 or 30,000 units, and the year after that we should be able to reach it.

36 Krypton: How do you control costs?

Zhang Hailiang: We work harder, but there are fewer people, so we don't need so many people. (Some companies) a person can do, looking for two people, coordination is not good, the top and then find a leader, responsible for the coordination of these two people, a person (the work) into three people. (Personnel costs) are too heavy.

36 Krypton: Azure, Peng recently launched a sedan, electric curry before doing sedan, sedan market how?

Zhang Hailiang: SUVs have a higher price premium. Because SUVs enter the Chinese market late, the same size SUVs are sold higher than the sedan, which is a benefit. Sedan, the same do, will be harder than SUV, more to reflect your level. Also, the differentiation of the SUV is easy to do, the differentiation of the sedan is more difficult to do. The total number of sedans is a little bigger than SUVs, but there is more competition.

36 Krypton: travel you and time-share companies have cooperation, is how to plan?

Zhang Hailiang: We and Gofun joint operation, take 200, 300 cars out, into this market to study how to do. We are moderately involved, not very heavy.