Chapter 54

The Foreign Trade Bureau of Jinmen City obviously often receives foreign guests. Suits and leather shoes are ready-made. Although they are not brand new, they are cleaned and ironed.

Mr. Li, I'll help you tie a tie. Xiao Zhang in the office took a tie and knotted it around Li Weidong's neck.

Li Weidong looked at the mirror and said helplessly, Comrade Zhang, are you wearing a red scarf?

Ah? Isn't wearing a tie the same as wearing a red scarf? That's what our director does. Xiao Zhang said.

At that time, the Chinese dress was still the tunic suit, and the suit was only worn when going to the photo studio to take wedding photos. Of course, ordinary people did not know how to tie a tie.

In desperation, Li Weidong had to take off his tie and start to tie it himself.

Xiao Zhang then said: Mr. Li, our bureau only prepared two suits for your height, so when you wear this suit, be a little careful, and don't wear it out. Otherwise, wait until you return. , we have to ask the tailor to repair it.

As soon as he heard that the suit had to be returned after wearing it, Li Weidong felt that the 100 million rounded up was a loss.

While trying on clothes, Li Weidong asked, Comrade Zhang, what is the origin of the foreign guest I want to receive, can you tell me about it?

This foreign guest is an engineer from Tianfeng Motor, and his name is Masahiro Kato. This time he mainly came to inspect Jinmen Motors. I don't know what to inspect. I have to ask our leader. Comrade Xiao Zhang is very honest. 's answer.

Tian Feng? The target of the inspection is still Tianjin Automobile! Li Weidong nodded thoughtfully. He had already guessed the real purpose of Tian Feng engineer's trip.

The establishment of a joint venture company between Volkswagen and SAIC means that the Chinese auto industry has taken the first step of changing technology in the market. Tianfeng Motor will naturally not miss this opportunity. It also hopes that Tianfeng Motor can enter the Chinese market through the model of the joint venture company. .

The founder of Tianfeng Motor was born in Northeast China, where FAW is also located, so Tianfeng hopes to cooperate with FAW to establish a joint venture company.

However, FAW in the 1980s looked down on Tianfeng.

At that time, the reputation of Japanese cars was not as good as that of European and American cars. Although Tianfeng was already one of the top five car manufacturers in the world, in terms of brand value, the American and German giant brands, French Renault, Italian Fiat, British Land Rover, Sweden's Volvo is more famous than Tianfeng.

European and American cars were stronger than Japanese cars, which was a common perception at the time.

Since SAIC can cooperate with Volkswagen, FAW, the eldest son of the Republic, has to cooperate with GM, Ford or Mercedes. If it is a joint venture with Tianfeng, it will not seem that FAW is inferior to SAIC, and it can't hold on to face. .

However, Tianfeng developed rapidly in the next ten years and soon became the world's number one automaker. FAW finally signed a joint venture agreement with Tianfeng to establish FAW Tianfeng Company.

This is also the answer to that sentence, today you ignore my love, and tomorrow I will make you unable to climb high.

Tianfeng's search for cooperation with FAW failed, and it could only be the next best thing to investigate other companies. In the end, Tianfeng locked Jinmen Automobile.

In 1984, Jinmen Auto cooperated with RB Dafa to produce Dafa vans, and Jinmen Auto also has the will to continue to introduce other models. Tianjin Automobile Inspection.

However, Li Weidong's mind was thinking about another thing.

It's 1985, and the fifth-generation Carraro has been on the market for more than two years! Maybe I can take this opportunity to knock Tianfeng a fortune!

...

Masayoshi Kato looks like he is about forty years old, wearing a suit and tie, and meticulously publishing, typical of an RB office worker.

Teacher Xu brought Li Weidong to Masakashi Kato and said, Mr. Kato,

We just found a new translator for you.

Li Weidong also stepped forward and said in Japanese, Hello, Mr. Kato, my name is Li Weidong, it's the first time we meet, please take care of me.

Li Weidong said, bowing his head and salute according to the etiquette of RB people, expressing his greetings.

Kato Masayoshi instinctively bowed in return, but the next moment, he suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was Chinese.

Isn't it a handshake when the Chinese meet? Kato Masayuki was slightly taken aback, he didn't expect to meet a Chinese who knew RB etiquette.

China and Japan only normalized their diplomatic relations in 1972, and since then there have been some official exchanges, with almost zero non-governmental exchanges. Even a teacher like Xu, who specializes in teaching Japanese, doesn't know much about Japanese etiquette.

Therefore, before this, the Chinese personnel Kato met, all greeted by shaking hands, and no one had ever bowed according to Japanese etiquette.

Li Weidong went on to say: Mr. Kato, from now on, I will be your translator. If you need anything, you can tell me, and I will report to my superiors and try my best to meet your requirements.

If it was just a self-introduction, Li Weidong and Teacher Xu were similar, but when he talked a lot, Li Weidong's oral advantage was instantly reflected.

Hearing Li Weidong's spoken language, Kato Masayuki suddenly became excited, and finally someone could speak normally!

According to Chinese standards, Mr. Xu's spoken Japanese is not bad, and he can communicate with foreign guests normally, but in the eyes of Masayuki Kato, Mr. Xu's spoken language is simply daunting.

Mr. Xu is from Tianjin. The same Japanese word comes out of Mr. Xu's mouth, and it has a taste of Tianjin dialect. The tone and the sense of rhythm are like a stand-up comedy.

Said to spend 200 dollars to buy a little pig, squeak to drink water, squeak and eat beans, threw it over the wall, squeak, guess what? died! Teacher Xu's Japanese is generally like this.

Masayuki Kato felt that this is normal speech! He came to investigate, not to listen to cross talk!

What's more, this teacher Xu doesn't know anything about the professional terminology of automobiles. Once the professional terminology of automobile is mentioned, Mr. Xu puts on a cute duck face, tilts his head to kill, and asks three questions with a philosopher-like soul. where? who I am? What am I going to do?

Masao Kato forcibly endured his dissatisfaction with Teacher Xu. Although he really wanted to change to another translator, as a RB person, the concept of not causing trouble to others has long been ingrained.

Fortunately, Li Weidong appeared, and with a pure RB Kanto accent, Kato Masayuki felt at home. For Kato Masayuki, it doesn't matter whether Li Weidong knows automotive jargon or not, as long as he doesn't hear the Japanese word Gaba, Gaba eating beans again.

...

In the mid-1980s, any investment attraction was very fragrant. If it could attract a world-class company like Tianfeng Motor, it would not only drive the local economic development, but also the political achievements of local officials.

The previous cooperation between SAIC and Volkswagen was supported by the state, and Shanghai City received a lot of policy inclinations. Jinmen City, which is also a municipality directly under the Central Government and a coastal port city, is of course unwilling to lag behind others.

Therefore, the foreign trade department in Tianjin attaches great importance to Kato Masakashi, and they really want to keep Tianfeng Motors in Tianjin.

The foreign trade department arranged for Kato Masako to stay at the Astor Hotel. As a hotel that once hosted the President of the United States, the conditions there are obviously much better than other hostels, which are very suitable for entertaining foreign guests.

As an interpreter, Li Weidong has to provide translation services for Kato Masayuki at any time, and naturally he also stayed at the Lishunde Hotel, which is regarded as the light of Kato Masayuki.

Li Shunde Hotel has both Chinese and Western food, milk bread for breakfast, medium-rare steak for dinner, and Li Weidong also enjoys the treatment of foreign guests.

In terms of automobiles, Li Weidong is an insider, and with an insider as an interpreter, Kato Masayuki's inspection progress has been significantly faster.

...

As an RB person, Kato Masayuki is very keen to have a dinner party after work. Whenever the Foreign Trade Bureau's banquet, Kato Masayuki always refuses to come.

Compared with RB sake, China's Moutai is really fragrant, and Kato Masayoshi can't resist the temptation at all, and he is not drunk every day.

The next morning, Masaru Kato appeared in the restaurant dragging his hangover body, and Li Weidong was already waiting there.

This year's Li Weidong was different from the past. Although he came to have breakfast, he was carrying a briefcase in his hand.

Mr. Kato, I think you need a cup of coffee to refresh yourself now. Li Weidong said, and brought a cup of coffee that had been prepared long ago to Zhengxing Kato.

Thank you, Li Sang, I really need to wake up now. Kato Masako took a sip of coffee, the bitter taste of the coffee stimulated his taste buds and made him instantly sober a lot.

Li Sang, thank you very much for your translation. After having you, I feel that my daily work no longer terrifies me. Kato Masayuki said.

Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Kato. Li Weidong said neither humble nor arrogant.

Masayuki Kato continued: Li Sang, if Tianfeng Motors wants to set up a branch in Jinmen in the future, I will definitely invite you to join. A person like you who is proficient in Japanese and proficient in the automotive industry is exactly what we are looking for. talent needed.”

Tianfeng Motor is the world's top car manufacturer. I have been longing for Tianfeng Motor for a long time. The cars produced by Tianfeng have also been studied for a long time, especially the Carraro, the most successful model of Tianfeng. Li Weidong said with a smile.

Really? I didn't expect Li Sang to know more about Carraro! Kato Masayuki said in surprise, but there was a look of disdain in his eyes.

In Kato's view, China is a closed country, and many people don't even know about Tianfeng Motors, let alone one of Tianfeng's models. A Chinese who can say Carraro's name is not bad, but if he dares to say that he has researched Carraro, he must be bragging!

Li Weidong said slowly: In 1966, Tianfeng Motors launched the first-generation Carraro model, which used an inline 4-cylinder engine and hit the McPherson suspension system.

In 1970, Tianfeng Motors released the second-generation Carraro, and the second-generation Carraro introduced two new engines, the T-type engine and the 2T-type engine. In addition, the second-generation Carraro was also equipped with a 5-speed gearbox, which was rare at the time, and added a sound insulation layer, which greatly reduced the engine noise of this car.

In 1974, the three-generation Carraro enlarged the body and added a lot of luxury equipment. This car also won the global single-car sales championship for Tianfeng. Tianfeng also successfully entered the European and American markets with this car.

In 1979, the fourth-generation Carraro adopted the new 3A-U engine with better performance, better fuel consumption, and greatly reduced weight and volume. With this car, the Carraro model also completed a breakthrough in the total output of 10 million units. Before this, only Ford's Model T and Volkswagen's Beetle could achieve this.

In 1983, the fifth generation of Carraro was officially unveiled, and Tianfeng specially developed a dual-camshaft engine for this purpose, and introduced turbocharging in the performance version...

Li Weidong said here, paused deliberately, then picked up the coffee in front of him and took a sip.

Li Sang, I didn't expect you to really know Carraro of Tianfeng Motors. I'm very sorry, I thought you were bragging just now. Kato Masayuki said bluntly.

Thank you Mr. Kato for your compliment, but I haven't finished. Li Weidong put down the coffee cup and continued; The fifth-generation Carraro is a good model, but its accelerator pedal doesn't seem to be so perfect.

Hearing the accelerator pedal, a flash of strange color flashed in Kato Masako's eyes.

Li Sang, what do you mean by imperfect? Kato Masaaki asked.

Li Weidong smiled and said, I heard that the Carraro sold in the American market, as long as the accelerator pedal is gently stepped on, the engine speed will increase rapidly, and the car will rush out if you are not careful.

He knows what's going on in the United States! Kato Masayuki was shocked, but his face remained calm, and then he said, That's just the improper operation of individual users!

It turned out to be just improper operation by the user. I thought it was a gap in the pin part of the accelerator pedal, which caused adhesion! Li Weidong said with a smile.

Kato Masayuki's breathing became rapid, he picked up the coffee cup, took a sip, concealed his panic, and then said, Our accelerator pedal is produced by Denso Co., Ltd., and Denso Co., Ltd. is RB's top auto parts supplier, they produce accelerator pedals, there is absolutely no question of quality.

But Denso Co., Ltd. is not responsible for the design of the accelerator pedal! Li Weidong continued: Tianfeng Motor is definitely the world's top car in terms of the design ability of auto parts. For example, an accelerator pedal can be improved with a little improvement. A lot of cost savings.”

Li Weidong's implication is that Tianfeng has modified the design of the accelerator pedal in order to save costs, and this designer is defective, so it will cause vehicle failures.

Kato Masayuki naturally understood what Li Weidong meant. He was very guilty, and this guilty conscience made him want to be very strong. Seeing that Masayuki Kato's expression became severe, he said, Li Sang, I don't want to. If you hear any remarks that slander Tianfeng Motors, you must be responsible for your own words!

Mr. Kato, I'm complimenting Tianfeng Motor's good design, how can it be considered a slander! I just want to discuss car technology with Mr. Kato, please don't think about it too much. Li Weidong said with a low profile.

Seeing Li Weidong lowered his posture, Kato Masayuki breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the next second, Li Weidong took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Masayuki Kato, then said, I have done some in-depth research on the accelerator pedal of the fifth-generation Carraro, and I also wrote I wrote an article, and I would like to ask Mr. Kato for more advice.”

Have you written it all down? Kato Masaaki hurriedly took the document and quickly flipped through it.

This document is in Japanese, and it is full of pictures and texts. Li Weidong drew the position of the glued pin part on it.

Kato Masayuki's face was already very ugly, and he knew that what Li Weidong wrote in the article was the truth. The failure of Carraro's accelerator pedal was indeed caused by the sticking of the pin parts.

At this moment, the opposite Li Weidong said calmly: I plan to translate this article into English, and then publish it to earn some royalties. Do you think it will be published in the British Car magazine, or the American CarandDrier Magazines, or Germany's Auto, Motorundspor magazine is better? Of course, RB's Coton magazine can also be, I don't even have to translate it into English.

Hearing that Li Weidong was about to publish this article, Kato shouted fiercely, Ya Butterfly!