700-Invitation Confidence Before Proof

“At that time, the car called “Pride” had obvious patchwork traces: the front looked somewhat like a Mercedes, the body and chassis somewhat like a Xiali, the engine was purchased from Xiali, and the gearbox came from Fiat’s hatchback car. In any case, the car was made, and Li Shufu was very excited, sending out over 700 invitations nationwide, arranging 100 banquet tables, and hanging banners saying “Manufacturing cars that the people can afford” and “Warmly welcome the leaders to inspect Geely” on the streets of Linhai, where Geely is located, anticipating the arrival of guests.”

““In 2000, I first met Li Shufu when we participated in the ‘Dialogue’ program. At that time, Li Shufu said he wanted to build cars in China, which drew scorn from the audience. They didn’t trust him because he was originally selling motorcycles and was a private entrepreneur, while there were so many large companies involved in car manufacturing in China. Li Shufu adamantly said he would build cars, earning the nickname ‘Car Madman’.” Liu Chuanzhi, a longtime friend of Li Shufu and a representative of Chinese enterprises moving overseas, said at the 2015 launch of the new Volvo XC90.”