Ward's 10 Best had grown far beyond its origins.
Once an industry-side recognition, it had evolved into a globally recognized, high-stakes competitive event for the entire automotive sector.
Now, it was a must-win arena for every top-tier manufacturer.
Categories at Ward's 10 Best
Best Engines
Best Interiors
Best Exteriors
Best Chassis Designs
To enter, companies had to submit either mass-production models or cars already on the market—no prototypes, no "lab data only" tricks.
Every submitted car was scrutinized by:
Real-world professional drivers
Expert engineers
Thousands of randomly selected consumer judges
It was open. It was brutal. And it was incorruptible.
If the organizers found your award-winning entry wasn't identical to your retail version?
You'd be banned from entry for five years and shamed by a public report.
Haifeng understood immediately:
This wasn't just a PR stunt.
It was a battlefield where only genuine products survived.
Zhao Jianhua, on the call from Audi Auto, suggested:
"President Lu, we could use the adjusted A4 production model for this year's entry."
"We only have ten months. That's too tight to design something new."
Zhao wasn't wrong.
Launching a brand-new model—from concept to road-ready—took at least two years in a traditional company.
But Haifeng?
He already had three complete vehicle designs downloaded from the system.
Yesterday.
New Audi Models Ready for Launch
Audi A6L – Executive sedan
Audi A8L – Luxury flagship
Audi TT – Compact sports coupe for female drivers
Each came with:
Complete exterior designs
Full engineering schematics
Tested performance specs from his previous life
Why Audi?
Because Haifeng loved the headlight tech.
The "Lighting Factory" nickname wasn't for show—Audi's matrix LED lights and iconic dual-structure DRLs had redefined modern automotive aesthetics.
In this world, however?
Almost no brand was investing in headlight design.
Most carmakers still treated headlights like afterthoughts—round bulbs slapped on outdated bodywork. Only a few German luxury brands had anything resembling modern design.
Haifeng noticed:
"No one's even come up with the dual-structure LED daytime running light."
"That's our edge. We'll dominate on first impression alone."
Because when consumers look at a car?
They don't start with the engine. They begin with the face.
First glance. First attraction. That's the hook.
Haifeng stood, collected the new blueprints, and prepared to take them to the lab for acceleration.
Then Xiao Ai stepped in.
"President Lu, President Ren, and President Xu from Huawei just arrived."
He paused for a beat, then nodded.
"Please escort them to the VIP room. I'll be there shortly."
He put the blueprints back in the safe.
Outside, he saw Zhang Yu waiting with a grin.
"President Ren and President Xu are here. Let's greet them."
Haifeng chuckled.
"Huawei dropping in without notice. Interesting."
He glanced toward the elevator.
"To be honest, we've learned a lot from Huawei.
I've always admired Mr. Ren."
"He's why China still has a foothold in information and communications tech."
"First in China's top 100 consumer electronics companies. Third in the world."
"At Huawei's current growth rate, they'll surpass Qualcomm in five years—unless suppressed."
He sighed.
"Mr. Ren published Huawei's Winter more than a decade ago.
And not long ago, he proposed the Extreme Survival Hypothesis."
"Everyone thought he was just being dramatic.
Short-sighted fools… they don't see even one-tenth of what he sees."