On Day Three, the six-brand media squeeze aimed at Audi tore open on its own when a different headline landed. The one hundred Audi A8S that Heifeng Lu had pledged rolled into Beijing, were formally received by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, then transferred in a single batch to the Ministry of Education.
Heifeng had wanted to send the fleet straight to the ministry, but Chengming Liu and his superiors waved him off, not to slow the gift, but to stage it. If SASAC handled the transfer, they could make it a national moment, and it would reflect well on Chengming, who had shepherded the process from the first call.
That afternoon, as the transporters eased into the designated lot, Chengming was already on the phone. Camera crews arrived, banners went up, and a dais took shape under a line of microphones. The donation ceremony ran big, clean, and official. That same day, state media and several CCTV news programs ran the clip.
For sheer domestic reach, nothing beats the official channels, and with their push, the story traveled overnight. "Audi donates one hundred A8S to the Ministry of Education" was everywhere by morning, and the reaction online surged.
Back at Liji Motor's headquarters, Li Li watched the coverage and could not help grinning at the audacity. "I'm convinced," he said. "After the launch, buy a few for reception duty." It was precisely the kind of move only Audi, in this moment, could pull off.
Another manufacturer might struggle to donate even a handful of cars and get them accepted, much less have the handover turned into a prime-time headline. From this alone, Li Li could tell the higher-ups' attitude toward Heifeng was warmer than toward many of their own.
Day Four, two in the afternoon, Hall 1 of the Beijing Exhibition Center. Audi's A8 launch began on time. In parallel, in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai, rival events from several luxury marques kicked off, a synchronized wave meant to bury Audi's message under a stack of simultaneous "major new model" banners.
Heifeng had handed the show to Ming Huang and took an ordinary seat offstage. It was Ming's first time running a flagship launch end-to-end, but he did not miss. He kept the pacing tight, worked the room with confidence, and laid out the car's selling points with the right mix of restraint and punch.
When he announced the starting price, the room answered with spontaneous applause.
"Audi is doing right by buyers, a D-class luxury car starting at ¥760,000 (~$108,571)."
"I still can't afford one, but this is far more reasonable than those foreign car companies."
"Didn't expect ¥760,000, but it fits Audi's style."
Then came the line that drew a different kind of buzz, "The VIP long-wheelbase with a W12 is ¥2,660,000 (~$380,000)." That one carried its own weight, the configuration that telegraphed status from across a lobby, the kind officials choose for convoys.
The surprise came after the lights came up. The best seller at the venue was not the standard trim; it was the most expensive VIP long-wheelbase. By the end of the event, more than fifty W12 cars had been ordered. Only when Heifeng asked did the picture sharpen. The bulk of those orders came from domestic smartphone makers and automakers, stocking VIP A8S as business reception cars.
The extended model stood apart from the standard and high-end versions at a glance, not only in wheelbase, but with redesigned headlights. A gold-toned "VIP" script behind the C-pillar and a W12 badge on the nose made its intent plain. The cabin was a four-seat only, built around the rear passenger comfort. "Too much face," the buyers said, half joking and wholly serious.
Heifeng made a note to prepare thank-you gifts for the companies that had stepped up on day one.
Dozens of standard A8S were also sold at the venue, and the mood in the team was high as calls went out to 4S stores to mirror the beats locally. It felt like a clean start, the kind that sets the tone for a quarter.
Then the numbers from the field arrived, and the line dipped. Over the next two days, sales were unusually flat. Sitting in his family's courtyard, Heifeng listened as Ming reported in by phone. "President Lu, I've sent the two-day report to your computer. Today's sales were very weak. Across more than three hundred 4S stores nationwide, we sold fewer than thirty A8S."
After the launch, Ming and the marketing team flew back to base to run the post-launch work. Heifeng had stayed in Beijing because his uncle, Guohua Ye, said he could not leave until a blind date was arranged in a few days. The old lady and his mother had given the order, and he could only oblige.
He opened the laptop and worked through the spreadsheets. D-class sedans are not volume cars by any brand's definition, but the totals were still hard to look at. In two days, cumulative sales had not even cracked one hundred. He asked the obvious question. "Ming, how are the others doing?"
"I don't have a full picture for everyone," Ming said, "but BMW just released a two-day number. Their new 735 reportedly cleared 1,000 units."