Under Xia Yu's order, the shell companies secretly controlled by the Bright Fund and the Galaxy Fund in the UK began to take action, shorting Sotheby's and Eskenazi Ltd.

Sotheby's is the top 10 auction house, narrowly overtaking Christie's.

Among the top 10 auction houses, only two auction houses are currently listed, namely Sotheby's in the first place and Christie's in the second.

The former was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1971, and it is remembered that it was privatized in 1986 in order to open up the US market, and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1988.

The latter was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1973.

In the fifties and sixties, Sotheby's auction house had an annual turnover of just over 6 million British capital, but the financial annual report disclosed in 1978 showed that in 1978 the total transaction value reached 230 million pounds, the annual revenue had reached 72 million pounds, and the annual net profit had reached 25 million pounds.

Today, Sotheby's has a market capitalization of £292 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.68 times.

Xia Yu still remembers that by 1980, Sotheby's became the first auction house in the world to exceed 100 million pounds in revenue.

The world's No. 1 throne will sit until 2012, when it was surpassed by Christie's auction house due to various problems.

Another target of Mr. Xia, Eskenazi Ltd., was listed on the London Stock Exchange last year and now has a market capitalisation of around £78 million.

Fortunately, these two companies are listed, and Xia Yu is better able to deal with them, otherwise he really can't say anything.

Sotheby's auction house will hold the global summer auction on August 10 of the solar calendar, not only in London, but also in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, France, etc.

There are basically two ways to obtain the qualifications to participate in the auction house, one is that Sotheby's auction house directly sent an invitation letter to invite the rich to participate, and there is no doubt that a big man like Xia Yu received an invitation letter.

On the other hand, there is a way to prove one's strength, such as offering a seller whose value has reached a certain level, or a buyer who has been verified by the asset, will get an invitation letter.

Sotheby's auction house Xiangjiang auction and London auction, Xia Yu can go, it just so happened that Elena called him a few days ago to tell him that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has designed two prototypes of new sedans according to the drawings.

In order to better grasp the actions of cleaning up the two companies, Xia Yu came to the UK again.

At the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Co., Ltd. factory, Xia Yu took Li Qian and Elena in a formal suit, under the leadership of general manager Rudolph Brooke, to a separate car design laboratory.

The first thing I saw was a new Rolls-Royce car, the new version of the Phantom, the classic model of the Phantom series, which would not come out for ten years, but now it was made out in advance by Xia Yu.

"This car looks so beautiful, and it doesn't lose its luxurious atmosphere! It feels better than any other car I bought at home. ”

Women undoubtedly like beautiful things, and they always like to look at the appearance at first sight, when they looked at the black and shiny car in front of them, Li Qian, who was holding Xia Yu, had beautiful eyes and exclaimed.

Elena's eyes were full of appreciation: "Although I have watched it several times, I still feel amazing when I look at it again, which gives me an excellent visual impact and enjoyment." ”

"If this car is on the market, I believe that not many nobles will be able to refuse. ”

Elena was the daughter of the Duke, and her views were undoubtedly representative of the young aristocracy to some extent.

Rudolf Brooke had a smile on his face, and his eyes were full of fascination and longing for this car, as if he had seen the image of the world shocked and sought after it came out.

People who can appreciate cars don't necessarily build cars, but people who can build cars must know how to appreciate cars.

Perhaps a car designer could not have been able to design a classic car due to ability or inspiration, but all the designers of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars agreed that this car was the second most perfect car of its time.

As for the other of the most perfect cars, it is, of course, the new Bentley.

Xia Yu stepped forward, stroked the cold and smooth body, opened the door and looked at the exquisite workmanship inside, with a satisfied smile on his face.

Regardless of the matching and adaptation of the car's parts, this car can definitely amaze the world in terms of the appearance of the model.

Maybe in the eyes of him, a person who has experienced countless classic models in later generations, this car is just so-so, but in this era, it definitely stands out from the crowd.

You know, this Rolls-Royce Phantom, even after a decade of endless classic models, can still stand out from the crowd, let alone now.

"Rudolph, when will this car go into production?"

After reading it, Xia Yu asked the key question.

Rudolf Brooke confidently said: "Back to the chairman, this is now the original version, which is ready for the road, but the design team believes that there is still room for improvement, and the company initially planned to launch this car on January 1, 1980. ”

It was already August 1979, and there were still more than three months to go until January 1, 1980, and considering that mass production was still going on, the time was actually very tight.

Do the math, if it is really launched as scheduled, then the R&D and production cycle of this Rolls-Royce Phantom is only about half a year, compared with some cars, which is more than a year and two or three years, which is very short.

However, Xia Yu is not surprised, if he opens a hang for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, it is the same as the normal procedure, he can't afford to lose this person.

In the research and development process of a car, the appearance design is actually very time-consuming, and this problem was directly solved by Xia Yu.

As for the hardware matching, adjustment and other procedures, it depends on the actual situation.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Co., Ltd., as a luxury car manufacturer, has a top-level automotive laboratory and an amazing technical reserve, many of which can be directly used for now.

This heritage advantage is something that ordinary car companies and new companies cannot make up for, and it is also one of the main reasons why Xia Yu acquired Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

After all, technology is fundamental to building a car.

But it is a car that wants to sell explosively, and the model is a powerful booster.

In this world, there are only a few technical controls that understand cars, and Yan Control has occupied the mainstream of the world from beginning to end.

This is true for most industries!

Xia Yu instructed Rudolf Brook: "The general production line must be expanded, and the production personnel, especially manual technicians, must be complete, and try not to let the output become a constraint on sales." ”

Although Rolls-Royce has always claimed to be handmade, it is not really the case.

This hand-made is a refined assembly of sheet metal parts such as car bodies, interiors, and some parts.

As for those mechanical parts such as wheel hubs, axles, engines, gearboxes, electronic circuits, suspension systems, steering systems, braking systems and electrical circuits, they are all mechanical or chemical production.

This is not to deceive consumers, many consumers are aware and understand.

This is the case in the whole industry, like the kind of parts that are made by hand, it is not impossible to exist, but even if there is, it is definitely just a prototype car in the laboratory, or a car customized by a local tyrant at a super high price, and it is absolutely impossible to face the market for a production car!

Rudolf Brooke assured with a serious face: "Chairman rest assured, I will not make this mistake, and now two new production lines are being formed." ”

After seeing this Rolls-Royce Phantom, Xia Yu crossed most of the factory and walked to another design laboratory, where a new Bentley model was placed, but this model was not the model owned by the later Bentley.

If a later generation of automotive professionals looks at it, they will definitely be able to recognize it, this car is the classic Lexus LS400 of the 80s.

This island car, which can be called the most classic car in the 80s, this car of the Toyota Group, marks the successful transformation of the island car manufacturer after entering the European and American markets for 20 years, no longer spinning in cheap products, but directly facing the top luxury car brands in Europe, and it is an instant hit.

This car is not only popular in Europe, but also in the United States, the first year of the Lexus LS400's appearance, the sales of this single model in the United States in one year, more than the overall sales of any European luxury car brand in the United States, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Now this model has a new name - Bentley Continental.

That's right, Xia Yu didn't bother to name it, and directly took the name of Bentley's model that only appeared after the 21st century.

No one knows anyway, so it's decided.

This continental model will be Bentley's transformation model, because its price will no longer be the price of a top-of-the-line luxury car, but a benchmark for BMW.

The brand of the top luxury car with the high-end price, which is undoubtedly lowering the grade of Bentley, there are some old people in the company who are unwilling to Bentley, but they are directly suppressed, for the transformation of Bentley, Xia Yu has been set from the beginning of the acquisition, and no one can stop it.

The economic base determines the superstructure, there is not enough market, those stubborn pride will only make people laugh in the end, how the top luxury cars in Britain fell collectively in the previous life, Xia Yu knows very well!

I believe that after the launch of this car, it will definitely shock the whole of the United Kingdom, and there will be many Bentley supporters who are dissatisfied, after all, it has lowered the brand grade of Bentley.

But Xia Yu didn't care about this pain, because he knew that more people would throw themselves into the arms of Bentley, and on the whole, it would definitely be a big profit.

For most people, Bentley used to be unattainable, but now it can be bought at the price of a BMW, how will most people choose?

Xia Yu is already mentally prepared for the explosion of this Bentley Continental.

"Rudolph, has the factory and production line for this car already been built?"

In the face of Xia Yu's inquiry, Rudolph Brooke decisively replied that it was already under construction, but after speaking, he hesitated for a moment and said with some worry: "Chairman, do we really want to build a production line with an annual output of 200,000 vehicles at the beginning? Won't it be too big?"

Xia Yu knew that Rudolph Brooke was worried, he smiled faintly and said: "It won't be big, I planned to build a production line of 300,000 vehicles at the beginning, are there many people in the company who are also worried about this?"

Rudolph Brooke nodded and said: "Yes, everyone is very satisfied with this model, and I believe that this model can sell well, but everyone is still a little worried about the production line of 200,000 units at one time, after all, before this, Bentley's annual production was only 5,000 units." ”

Xia Yu laughed: "Rudolph, you can tell everyone, don't worry about the company's problems, our company is a private company, the shareholders are only me and Duke Howard, we can bear this risk, your duty is to do your best to build the company, understand?"

Rudolph Brooke was silent for a moment, shrugged with a wry smile: "Chairman, I think I understand!"

Since the boss has made it clear that he is not afraid of losses and is willing to gamble, what else can they say about this group of workers?

Work hard!

"Another point, before the Bentley Continental listing, offline sales outlets must be laid, in strict accordance with the 4S standard construction, Bentley as a luxury car, must give customers the ultimate after-sales service experience. ”

Xia Yu thought about it and told Rudolph Brooke again before leaving.

The 4S standard for automobiles is also one of Xia Yu's trump cards to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

In this era, the automotive 4S standard has not come out, as long as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is launched, it will definitely cause a huge sensation and have an impact on the entire industry.

This "four-in-one" car franchise model includes vehicle sales (Sale), spare parts (Sparepart), after-sales service (Service), information feedback (Survey), etc.

In later generations, due to the various cheating performances of the mainland's automobile 4S stores, it was affectionately called "4 sons shop" by the masses.

But it is undeniable that although the 4S store is very cheating, it is also caused by the changes in the market, and when it first appeared, it was of great help to both customers and automobile companies.

When the car 4S standard has not yet undergone market inspection, car dealers will definitely wait and see, so in order to formulate the best standard, Xia Yu asked Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to personally take action, and can also make a lot of money in car retail.

Wait until the 4S standard of the car forms a trend, and then take the opportunity to authorize or join, with the help of this east wind to let the sales outlets of Rolls-Royce cars fission spread, will make Rolls-Royce and Bentley sales spurt growth.

At that time, the existing company's car direct stores will not only allow the company to grasp the market context more clearly, but also have a deterrent effect on car dealers and retain more initiative.

It can also make its own car sell well through the aura of the originator of the 4S standard of the car.

The benefits are many!

However, in order to eat the cake to the greatest extent, before the Bentley Continental was listed, the directly operated 4S store of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars would only sell cars, and would not release the 4S standard.

After calculation, Xia Yu gave Rolls-Royce Motor Cars three trump cards, namely, the new Rolls-Royce Car Phantom to increase the sales of the Rolls-Royce brand, Bentley's transformation implementation plan, and the 4S standard of the terminal.

Xia Yu is confident that as soon as these three trump cards come out and have strong financial support, it will be difficult for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to rise!

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