Old Men Were Overjoyed

"Good news, good news..."

Jiuzhou Mini drove along the streets, its loudspeaker on the roof blaring all the way.

At the end of 2008, even fifth-tier cities were nowhere near as prosperous as they would later become. Even at low speed, it took less than an hour to make a round of the main streets.

After circling the city twice, the convoy split up at the sales store on Da Qian Road.

Several salespeople brought two Jiuzhou Mini cars to the store, waiting for any customers who might arrive.

The rest of the convoy split up under the guidance of the other salespeople, traveling in pairs toward several parks, commercial streets, farmers' markets, and other densely populated areas around the city.

Naturally, they kept their loudspeakers switched on along the way, drawing the attention of pedestrians.

On the first day of sales, aside from driving along the roads during the morning, noon, and evening rushes to catch the attention of commuters,

they also needed to promote the cars in places with large crowds. The back seats of every vehicle were piled high with product brochures.

Dividing into several groups, Ji Shenghai's sales team headed to the city's sports plaza.

The plaza was not particularly large, but there were many residential communities nearby and the sports facilities were quite complete. Every morning, many elderly people from the neighborhood came here to exercise.

The elderly were also among this product's target users, so Ji Shenghai naturally would not miss this opportunity to reach such a concentrated group of potential customers.

The two Jiuzhou Minis pulled into an open space under the curious gazes of the elderly.

Several salespeople in formal attire then got out, holding stacks of brochures in their hands.

"Sir, would you like to learn about Jiuzhou Automobile? Our low-speed electric vehicle can be driven without a license!"

"Ma'am, would you like to take a look at the car?"

"Brother, interested in learning about our Jiuzhou Mini? For just 21,900 yuan, you can drive one home. The weather's getting colder and colder—riding in a car is much more comfortable!"

Brochures were handed out one after another. They contained information about the models, driving range, top speed, introductions to low-speed electric vehicles, prices for each model, and even photographs from the production line.

Low-speed electric vehicles were still quite a novelty at the time. With all their advantages, their strictly controlled quality, and the chance to actually see and sit in one,

some interested people quickly gathered around.

The salespeople stood beside the cars, explaining the Jiuzhou Mini's various features to the onlookers.

"Our low-speed electric vehicle uses traditional automobile manufacturing processes for its body. Other than the power system being changed to a three-electric system, it is built entirely to automobile standards."

"Affordable and durable!"

"It has entertainment equipment such as speakers inside. It can play the radio and songs from a USB drive.

The seats are specially designed too. The rear seats can fold down flat, so you can buy a lot when you go shopping and transport items very conveniently.

The front passenger seat can also fold flat. Together with the depth of the rear space, it gives you a full 1.7 meters. Just put a few boxes around the footwell, and you can fit in any large item under 1.7 meters..."

"This is an electric vehicle. As long as you have a power strip and electricity at home, you can charge it whenever you want. Everyone knows electric vehicles, right? Our car is especially convenient to use.

It uses high-quality steel, with first-rate manufacturing processes and design. We also offer warranty service, right at our factory.

Our sales store is on Da Qian Road, Jiuzhou Automobile. Anyone interested is welcome to come take a look."

"Auntie, would you like to buy one? It would be so convenient for visiting friends and relatives."

In those days, cars were still valuable major household purchases. Generally speaking, only middle-income or higher-income families could afford one.

Models such as the Volkswagen Santana, Toyota Vios, and Honda Fit cost around 100,000 yuan at minimum once everything was included.

Slightly better-selling models, such as the Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Buick Excelle, and Toyota Corolla, often cost over 150,000 yuan.

As for anything better, models costing two or three hundred thousand yuan were everywhere.

As for Domestic Brands, most people would rather buy a used Joint Venture car than trust Domestic Brands vehicles at this stage.

A family with a car was a symbol of prosperity.

Yet now, they could own a car for only around 20,000 yuan. Even if they did not buy one, it was fascinating just to look at!

Other car brands rarely came directly among the public to promote themselves like this.

As for unknown Domestic Brands and other small brands, when compared on price, plenty of people were still willing to give them a try. This was also the fundamental reason domestic cars could survive with such difficulty.

As the salespeople continued explaining, the crowd grew larger and larger.

The old men and aunties chatted with their exercise companions about this novel little car while examining it from all sides.

"This car looks pretty good. It only costs 20,000 yuan? Can we sit inside and try it out?"

"I know about these. I saw one in the provincial capital last year. It couldn't go very fast, but it was pretty good for getting around.

This one is far more refined than the one I saw. If the one I saw in the provincial capital looked like a domestic car, then this one looks like one of those Joint Venture cars. You can tell the difference just from the exterior."

"My kid has been looking recently and wants to buy a sedan, but they're so expensive—more than a hundred thousand yuan each. I think this car is pretty good too. If nothing else, we can just buy this one for him to drive."

"The weather has been getting colder lately. If we could drive when going out, it would definitely be much warmer than sitting on the back of a motorcycle.

And during the New Year, it would be nice to drive when visiting friends and relatives. It isn't about showing off—we'd at least be driving there."

"Old Li, I think this electric car would be perfect for fishing. I see the back seats can fold down too. Isn't that way bigger than any sedan trunk?"

"With the front passenger seat included, I think I could even sleep in there. No matter how many fish I catch, I won't have to worry."

"Why don't you buy one? Then I can hitch a ride with you when we go fishing."

"I need to learn more about it first. If it works out, I'll have to discuss it with my wife and kids."

"The base model is only 20,000 yuan. What's there to discuss? Don't you get three or four thousand a month in retirement? It'd be so convenient to take your wife out with you."

"It even has an automatic transmission! You said you couldn't drive a manual, but an automatic definitely won't be a problem. You don't even need a license—this car is practically tailor-made for us!"

"Life with a car and life without one are completely different!"

A 200,000-yuan C6 was old-fashioned, while a 120,000-yuan C6 was mature and steady!

Domestic cars costing tens of thousands were industrial garbage, while a 20,000-yuan Jiuzhou Mini was Old Man's Light!

Among the crowd, especially the old men, their eyes shone as they looked at the car, and they were utterly thrilled.