If the gap had been smaller, they could've fought back. But with a performance difference this huge?
There was no competition.
The car executives weren't angry with Audi anymore. Their frustration had turned inward—and toward each other.
Right now, the person they hated most was Dieter Schopf, CEO of BMW.
If they could, they'd drag him out back and beat him senseless.
After all, this mess? It had started with him.
If Schopf hadn't pushed the idea of a public safety showdown, none would be here.
If he hadn't insisted on setting up this test to "shame Audi," they could've skipped the humiliation.
Even if Audi outperformed them, they'd retain market share with thinner profit margins.
But now?
Now they weren't even sure they could keep that.
The brands that once reigned as high-end had become props—the backdrop for Audi's dominance.
But nobody wanted to take responsibility.
None seemed to remember how eager they were when Schopf pitched the test.
If he knew what they were thinking now, he'd explode.
"You think I did this alone? Without your support, I couldn't have pulled this off. We walked into this together. Now you want to play victim?"
Across the test field, Will, head of the Audi Group's European rival brand, turned to Haifeng.
His face was pale. His fists were clenched.
"Mr. Haifeng… I have to admit—your strategy is brilliant."
"We all underestimated you. I've never faced a more dangerous opponent."
Haifeng smiled calmly.
"You're too kind, Mr. Will. Coming from you, that's high praise."
Then he added, voice still light:
"Though I'm a little confused—didn't we lay everything out clearly from the start?"
"Audi's been playing fairly the whole way through. We're not hiding anything."
He looked straight at Will.
"Actually, isn't it your car's turn now? Maybe it'll blow us all away."
Will nearly choked.
He knew what that meant.
It wasn't a compliment—it was a knife, twisting slowly.
He forced out a cold snort, then went silent.
His product might hit four stars, but it was nowhere near the A4. No power advantage. No safety edge. Nothing worth showing off.
Any comeback now would only dig the hole deeper.
Suddenly, a voice rang out across the venue.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Schopf had finally snapped.
He stormed forward, pointing at the test car like it had betrayed him personally.
"There's no way the A4 scored that high. You must've tampered with the car!"
"That wasn't a standard unit. You rigged it. You're deceiving consumers!"
"This whole test is a farce!"
He looked like a cornered animal—loud, frantic, and desperate.
Haifeng didn't get angry. He didn't need to.
He looked at Schopf with cold disdain.
"Funny. You weren't complaining when the B250 hit four stars."
Then, unhurriedly:
"If you think the results are fake, we can retest."
"We'll do what I proposed before—pull real cars off the market randomly. No hand-built demos. No prep time. Just the cars your customers are already driving."
"Any A4 sold in China can be tested. Pick whichever one you like."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Though I'm not sure your B250 could handle that scrutiny."
Schopf's outburst vanished. His rage collapsed into cold sweat.
He wasn't an idiot.
His test car was reinforced in ways no customer version ever would be.
If they went forward with a market-pull retest, the B250 wouldn't hit four stars. Hell, it might not hit three.
He'd tank his brand—publicly.
The thought made him go silent. And pale.
The other executives were no better.
They glared daggers at Schopf.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"We already look bad, now you want to dig the hole deeper?"
"Even if Audi pulled the same stunt, could we prove it? And do we even want to?"
If Schopf dragged them into a market-based retest, it would wipe out everyone.
There'd be no coming back from that.
The "special test units" they'd built would be exposed for what they were: fake fronts.
So they rushed in to smooth things over.
"Mr. Haifeng, he's just joking. Don't mind it."
"Of course, we trust the results. Everything's been fair."
"No need to repeat the test. Everyone can see it was legitimate."
"We're not here to damage reputations—especially our own."
Schopf clenched his jaw but didn't say another word. He was already regretting everything.
But Haifeng didn't let it go.
"If we want this test to be taken seriously, we should retest."
He looked at the crowd, his voice loud and measured.
"Otherwise, people might not believe these results. Consumers will question how a test hosted by Audi could be objective."
"I wouldn't blame them. If this were your test, I'd be skeptical too."
He smiled coolly.
"So… why not reset the board? New rules. No excuses. What do you all think?"
The brand heads nearly cursed out loud.
"We already bowed. What more do you want?"
"You think we'd survive a market retest?"
"Hell no."