HLM – Chapter 857 Mission Accomplished

This matter was temporarily settled, but there was no need to rush. Bartier had to first check out the market—only if someone showed interest in the Oceania car market could they proceed.

Wang Bo asked, “Doesn’t General Motors see this coming?”

Bartier replied, “How could they not? They’re not a bunch of idiots. They definitely understand the value of the Horton brand.”

“Then why would they rather cancel it or declare bankruptcy than sell it?”

“Let me give you an example. If Sunset Town had a batch of buildings for sale, would you sell them to other towns?”

Wang Bo replied matter-of-factly, “Of course. Whoever pays the most, you sell to them.”

“What if it were Tahiti Town asking to buy?”

“Dream on!”

“That’s exactly the point. Of course, that’s only one reason. General Motors would never hand over the Horton brand to another car company. Moreover, while reselling it could make money for us, the potential profit isn’t worth it for General Motors—they’d rather declare bankruptcy directly.”

Wang Bo clicked his tongue in admiration. Billionaires really were bold.

Bartier continued, “If Horton were to be sold, it would only be to a car brand from your country. Right now, very few have the strength or interest to take over such a mess. I don’t know much about China, so you can pay attention to the relevant information.”

As the saying goes, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Although Horton was heavily pressured by competing brands in Oceania, even a sinking ship still has a few pounds of iron left. After dominating Oceania for so many years, Horton still had significant technological and reputational capital.

Creating an independent brand is easy; building a successful one is hard. The difficulty lies in the lack of brand recognition, insufficient advanced manufacturing technology, and a lack of accumulated production management experience.

For domestic car manufacturers, entering foreign markets is much easier if they acquire a complete overseas car manufacturing and R&D process than trying to figure it out themselves. Over the years, acquiring foreign car brands has almost become a touchstone in the process of developing domestic brands. And so far, that touchstone has proven quite effective.

After discussing acquisition plans, Bartier was about to hang up when Wang Bo said, “One more thing, mate. Help me arrange a plane for Christmas—a super long-range plane!”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Classified. Also, I’ll need to borrow your helicopter.”

After talking to Bartier, Wang Bo got in touch with Kaplan to discuss the procurement of luxury buses.

Kaplan had thought the deal was dead, but when Wang Bo’s team returned and restarted negotiations, he immediately got excited.

But his hope was quickly extinguished when Wang Bo figuratively ‘took a piss on it’: “Sure, Sunset Town really needs luxury buses, but we don’t want to pay. Yes, we want to exchange promotional value for the vehicle cost.”

“So this is our new cooperation model?” Sure enough, Kidd guessed right. Kaplan almost cried hearing this.

Wang Bo smiled. “No, the new cooperation model isn’t finalized yet. I have friends who want to buy shares in your company.”

Horton issued stock via spin-offs. As a retail investor, Wang Bo could buy shares but not in large quantities—they’d need to acquire them from existing shareholders.

Kaplan, one of the shareholders, lit up upon hearing this. “How many shares are you planning to buy?”

Wang Bo said, “It’s too early to say, but we’re preparing at least five hundred million USD to acquire shares in your company.”

Kaplan asked cautiously, “When?”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Probably in about two months. Our funds are currently in the international market; once we liquidate, we can purchase your shares.”

Kaplan wanted to sell shares—the Horton brand seemed on the brink of collapse. Wang Bo couldn’t buy yet, but Kaplan, being a seasoned manager, didn’t overly focus on the issue. They shifted back to discussing vehicle needs for the town.

Kaplan scoffed at Wang Bo’s proposal. “Mayor Wang, forgive me for being frank, but the Horton brand is already famous in Oceania. You don’t need to promote it for us.”

Wang Bo smiled, “Yes, the Horton family car is well-known. But does anyone know you’re now producing agricultural vehicles and medium-to-large commercial vehicles?”

“Of course. Our brand is widely recognized, consumers accept our vehicles, and with proper advertising, they’ll quickly accept our new product line.”

Wang Bo said, “So you have to spend money on advertising. How much? Five million? Ten? Fifty?”

“And how much does it cost you to produce a single bus? Fifty thousand? Sixty? You know Sunset Town’s fame. Our potential hasn’t yet been converted into combat power, but our future reputation will be greater!”

Kaplan laughed. “I believe that, Mayor Wang. But don’t shift the argument—can Sunset Town’s publicity really match paid advertising?”

Wang Bo said, “That’s the purpose of my visit. I’m here to invite your company’s executives to inspect and vacation in Sunset Town. After the visit, you can make your conclusions.”

Kaplan shook his head. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Except for Queenstown, we’re not interested in sponsored advertising for other places’ transport systems.”

Wang Bo insisted, “Why refuse my offer? We were treated in Auckland; it’s only polite to reciprocate.”

For executives like them, market inspections were routine.

After some persuasion, Kaplan reluctantly agreed.

In reality, Horton had no pressing issues—no orders, production halted, the sales team resigned en masse. Not only did factory workers have nothing to do, but executives were equally idle.

Since Wang Bo was a client introduced by the Green Party leader, Kaplan wanted to maintain good relations. Even if a deal couldn’t be struck, having another such ally was valuable.

Moreover, he hoped Wang Bo would truly purchase Horton shares. Even if General Motors abandoned the New Zealand subsidiary, he could still live comfortably.

Kaplan agreed to visit Sunset Town before Christmas to inspect operations. If they believed Sunset Town had strong promotional capabilities, they might invest.

Trading publicity for value is common in New Zealand, a country heavily reliant on tourism.

Take Queenstown, for example—many things there are provided free. Public buses, old phone booths, trash bins, billboards, etc., are all invested in by companies.

This was also why Wang Bo wanted to steer Sunset Town toward the tertiary industry. Tourism is a cash-generating, renewable asset.