In “Bruce Almighty”, God (played by Morgan Freeman) gave a struggling media worker (played by Jim Carrey) all His almighty powers for a day. Jim Carrey, as usual, got into his beat-up car, but this Datsun 240Z was transformed into a Saleen S7.
“Italian Pope may drive a Ferrari once in a while, but God’s vehicle must be a Saleen S7.”
The Americans speak so passionately about it.
Entrance to the Chinese Market
“The protagonist loved mechanics since childhood, started racing when he grew up, and finally established an automotive brand named after himself.”
Almost every popular sports car brand has a similar story behind it.
However, that was the era of making cars in the past. Saleen was just on the border of the ‘transition period’ of the auto industry.
Saleen was founded by Steve Saleen in 1983. During this time, they made excellent achievements in the racing field and created this “God’s car” Saleen S7. But everything seems to have confined Saleen to the backyard of the rich.
It wasn’t until 2009 when Dr. Wang Xiaolin, a Chinese living in America, and Steve Saleen cooperated to establish Jiangsu Saleen Automotive Technology Co., Ltd., that Saleen’s “God’s view ” finally looked towards the eastern hemisphere. In 2014, it officially entered the Chinese market and established a factory in Rugao, Jiangsu in 2016. The investment scale of the entire Saleen automotive project was as high as 17.8 billion yuan, and it was listed as a major project in Jiangsu Province’s 13th Five-Year Plan and is currently the largest investment project in Nantong City.
Choosing the Chinese market is a double-edged sword of opportunities and risks. How will Saleen, as a well-funded latecomer, face this challenge?
Innovation at the Forefront
Saleen’s previous product line was relatively American, whether it was Saleen’s pickups, Saleen Mustangs, or the valuable Saleen S7, all of which were not suitable for Chinese audiences. This time, the first car produced in the Saleen Rugao factory will be the more affordable two-door sports car, the Saleen S1. Yes, the sports car is made in the Chinese factory.
When I saw this sports car design for the first time, it reminded me of the Tesla Roadster 2, that gadget capable of reaching 100 km/h in 2 seconds and even equipped with rocket thrusters.
“How do you view Tesla Roadster 2 and the upcoming autonomous driving?” I looked curiously at Mr. Steve Salen.
“Personally, I like the Tesla Roadster very much. It accelerates very fast, but I think the driving experience of Salen’s cars is even better. As for autonomous driving, I think it has not yet reached the stage of large-scale practical application. At present, many people in the United States who use Autopilot mainly do it to show off to friends. Its actual functions have not really met everyone’s expectations. I also believe that autonomous driving is the direction of future technological development.
But in terms of driving experience, I think driving myself is much more interesting than being driven by a machine. We manufacture cars mainly for users who have a strong passion for driving and are very passionate about it. For Salen cars, the models we will introduce in the next few years will bring you a very novel and unique driving experience. We are in a very exciting era now, and driving technology and transportation technology are constantly innovating. The future will definitely be better than today. The only thing that can limit us in the future is our imagination.”
We have written before about “Grabbing Impressions of Next-Generation Products: Sitting in a Tesla, Riding in a Byton,” which shows that Salen defines next-generation products with the driver as the core, regardless of whether it is the S1 sports car or the future sedan or SUV models that will be launched.
The conflict between driving and riding has always been the defining point of automotive products. “Drive a BMW, ride a Benz” may be the most profound impression that foreign luxury brands have brought us in the Chinese automotive market over the past few decades. However, newcomers such as Lincoln, Acura, and Jaguar that have not found a clear brand tone can easily cause deviations in the positioning and user understanding of their products, often resulting in market effects that fall short of expectations.Saleen is clear on driving, as Mr. Saleen said: “Of course, we will spread our racing culture. Unlike other brands, Saleen has its unique racing DNA and impressive track records.”
The price of Saleen S1 in North America is $100,000, while that of S7 is a million dollars. It seems that the saying “don’t compare” that our teacher taught us since childhood is true. S1 is much more affordable than S7. The factory located in Rugao, Jiangsu is expected to have production capacity at the beginning of next year. For a sports car, entering the Chinese market for the first time is undoubtedly a significant challenge.
When asked if Saleen will develop electrification in its future product line, Mr. Saleen resolutely told me: “Certainly. In fact, as early as 2014, we improved Model S in terms of lightweighting, braking, and ergonomics, which still has a lot of room for improvement.”
Landing in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen
“Before Apple and Tesla, we opened the Saleen Experience Store.”
This sentence is a little sour, and I don’t know how to respond…
As mentioned before, Saleen has considerable wealth, as seen in its experience stores in cities. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at the NIO House next to the Tesla store in any city.
Saleen will open the first batch of experience centers in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. The Centers in Shanghai and Beijing are expected to open for business this year.
If NIO House in Shanghai is located near Nanjing West Road with an annual rent of seven digits as a new urban landmark, Saleen’s gaze is set on The Bund, which is more crowded.
Soon, in the Roosevelt Mansion at No.27 The Bund, Saleen’s new owner will be seen.
“We will expand our product line and want to make an all-around product line. Welcome to visit our experience center,” said Mr. Saleen.
The journey of the first-generation Chinese legend of racing cars is about to begin.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.