At a private apartment in Beijing, the heads of BMW, Volkswagen Group, and Mercedes-Benz met quietly with Paul Xinke, glasses raised and calendars open, to plan a media squeeze.
"The Audi A8 has announced a launch at the Beijing Exhibition Center in four days," Volkswagen's Greater China chief said with a smile as he clinked glasses with Paul.
"Perfect," Paul replied. "Our activities are almost ready." He flicked through a schedule. "We'll blanket Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen with simultaneous unveilings and side events. With six luxury marques moving at once, the A8 headline gets pushed to the bottom."
He did not pretend it was noble. "It isn't elegant and it wastes resources," he said, still smiling, "but it will hit Audi where it hurts." They toasted once more, then broke up the meeting with tight, satisfied expressions.
As soon as Audi's date went public, 4S dealerships nationwide received the notice and started dressing their show floors. Local big spenders who had been waiting on the flagship were already pinging sales reps.
"Finally, the A8 is launching. I just saw one at the store."
"Fit and finish are top-tier. Audi clearly took the D-class seriously."
"Have you seen it in person yet? Those headlights and the through-line taillights are wild."
"Audi is called the lighting factory for a reason."
"My old 7 Series doesn't do it for me anymore. Once they announce the price, I'm trading up."
Hype was the easy part. The number everyone wanted sat elsewhere. BMW, Volkswagen Group, and Mercedes-Benz had entry D-class sedans starting around ¥1,200,000 (≈ $171,429). Reporters who knew Audi's pricing habits were already betting the A8 would open lower.
Heifeng Lu decided on pricing. He split the lineup into three trims and set the ladder cleanly.
• Standard model, 3.0-liter V6 turbo, starting at ¥760,000 (≈ $108,571), with options pushing to about ¥1,060,000 (≈ $151,429).
• High-end model, 4.0-liter V8 turbo, starting at ¥980,000 (≈ $140,000), up to roughly ¥1,690,000 (≈ $241,429).
• VIP long-wheelbase, W12 engine with a more opulent rear cabin, priced at ¥2,660,000 (≈ $380,000), built as much for stature as for volume.
The morning after Audi locked its date, the counter-programming landed. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and three of their high-end sister brands announced "major new-car activities" three days out, a choreographed move to trample Audi's ramp-up.
It hit like a string of small detonations across the auto press. Seven luxury marques on the same day was unheard of, and it worked exactly as intended. On the homepages of car portals and aggregators, Audi's launch card sank beneath a wave of "simultaneous new model" banners.
Online, reactions split fast.
"Shameless. They're clearly teaming up to squeeze Audi."
"They could've picked any other date. Choosing the same day is really beneath them."
"Audi's in trouble. Look at the auto sites, their launch news is basically drowned out."
"What can you do? Those brands carry weight, and rich buyers like their badges."
"If I weren't broke, I'd buy an Audi just to support the home team."
For a first salvo, Paul's plan worked. Attention is a finite resource, and money spent this way buys the top of the page. Their media teams had pre-booked placements and primed friendly outlets for a blitz. The rest was momentum.
In dozens of cities, outdoor billboards went up overnight to mirror the online push, so the question "What about the A8?" wouldn't get oxygen.
At his grandmother's home, Heifeng Lu scrolled through the wall of ads and gave the tactic its due. Used this way, money moves needles. It also burns hot and fast. He was not particularly worried. If he wanted to buy back the week with sheer spending, he could.
It simply wasn't the game he intended to play. Business is not decided by a single news cycle, he thought, but by product, delivery, and a story that holds beyond opening day.
If he really wanted to smother the others with advertising, it would be simple enough. As long as you are willing to spend, there is little that cannot be done.