Haifeng's wild performance from earlier—pleading for land and funding like a struggling founder—had stunned everyone.
Even Wang Cheng, the MIIT official who'd seen it live, was still in disbelief.
The six others who came with him, including a short-haired woman from the Ministry, stood frozen.
"Did the legendary President of Audi Motors just say he had an 80-year-old mother and a house full of concubines?"
Even Haifeng's people—Xu Zhilin, Zhao Jianhua, and Chen Changchun—were blushing.
Shameless didn't even begin to cover it.
"He asked the government for hundreds of billions and 100 square kilometers of land like a cup of tea!"
But Haifeng's delivery had been so genuine and theatrical that even these veteran officials were thrown off.
After a long pause, Wang Cheng cleared his throat and forced a diplomatic smile.
"Ahem… I'll report President Lu's response as it was.
In the meantime… would you mind giving us a tour of the production facilities?"
🏭 Factory Tour Begins
Haifeng personally guided the group in one of the company's sightseeing vehicles.
"This is our parts plant—the predecessor of what became China Star Auto."
"Although we've transitioned to full vehicle R&D and manufacturing, we've kept this legacy facility."
He pointed out key buildings:
Building 3: Engine production
Building 4: Gearbox production
When they entered the engine workshop, Wang Cheng's expression changed completely.
Though now an official, he had a strong technical background, which showed. The sight of the 2.0T four-cylinder turbocharged engine lit a spark in his eyes.
🔧 The HX888 Engine
Haifeng explained:
"This is our HX888 turbocharged engine."
"Mass-producible. Water-cooled turbocharging. Tuned to deliver:
→ Max power: 140 kW
→ Max torque: 320 Nm
→ Max horsepower: 190 HP"
"Completely distinct from anything currently on the market."
Turbocharged engines weren't standard here. Most cars still ran on naturally aspirated engines.
Haifeng continued:
"The power-to-weight ratio is far superior.
And you get that signature 'push-back' feeling when the turbo kicks in."
"Of course, it's not perfect. There's a delay before the turbo activates—typically around 2,000–2,500 RPM."
"But compared to naturally aspirated engines in today's market?
There's no competition."
Even with its drawbacks, the HX888 was a generational leap forward.
And best of all?
It was the world's first actual turbocharged engine on a mass-production platform.
That alone made it historic.
Haifeng moved on:
"This one here is our next project—a large-displacement six-cylinder engine.
Still finalizing the design, but it's targeted for high-end luxury models in our new series."
He then asked Xu Zhilin and the team to demonstrate the engines live. Haifeng leaned back casually, watching—but his focus drifted.
His eyes landed on the short-haired girl from the MIIT.
She was young, energetic—but also sharp. She hovered around Xu Zhilin and Tang San, peppering them with rapid-fire technical questions.
And they weren't basic.
"She's no bureaucrat," Haifeng thought.
"This one's a real engineer."
🔧 Assembly Workshop Preview
After touring the engine and gearbox areas, Haifeng pointed outside.
"That construction site you passed? That's our final assembly facility."
"Walls aren't down yet, but the equipment inside is world-class. Don't let the size fool you."
The group entered the semi-complete building.
Here, Haifeng introduced the full car manufacturing process:
Stamping
Welding
Painting
Final assembly
Testing
Each section had robotic arms already in place—dozens of them.
And not generic imports, either.
"All this equipment was delivered and installed by a special logistics team from the system," Haifeng thought.
"Each unit is tuned to the highest global precision standard."
Even now, hundreds of system-deployed workers continue calibration and testing.
"Automotive precision depends on your robots," he explained.
"One flaw in arm alignment—and your chassis is off by centimeters."
Wang Cheng and Chang Yaohui were stunned.
They'd toured factories at Volkswagen, Toyota, and General Motors.
But none of them—none—had seen robotic systems this advanced.
"This looks like something out of NASA," one whispered.
They tried to act composed—but their jaws nearly hit the floor.
It wasn't just the machinery.
The entire operation felt tight, clean, and precise—even before the full launch.
"This is smaller in scale than foreign car giants," Haifeng admitted,
"But in terms of tech?
We're not just comparable—we're ahead."