Gao Weimin flies away from Beiqi and still wants to contribute to his own brand

I just want to calm down and think about it. On December 7, Gao Weimin told reporters on the phone. Two days ago, Beijing Automotive Group chairman Xu Heyi had just announced that Wang Bei, vice president of Beiqi CO., Ltd., took over as dean of the Gao Weimin SUV Academy.

Gao Weimin, who was born in 1958, has become a veteran of the domestic automotive industry since the university. He joined SAIC Automobile from SAIC Motor two and a half years ago. Gao Weimin went away with the dream of building his own brand. However, the "Beiqi of Beijing Iron and Steel, the total flow of water" and the former general manager of Beijing Auto Holding Wang Dafang, who had quickly turned back from SAIC to join Beiqi and turned back, Gao Weimin chose to leave.

Where Gao Weimin stands next, there is still NO conclusive statement. At present, China’s own brand is still undergoing a weak turn. Gao Weimin told reporters: If possible, he still wants to do something for his own brand at the next stop.

Two and a half years Gao Weimin did something at BAIC?

In February of next year, the "Warriors" improved military vehicles developed by Gao Wei Democratic will be formally delivered. However, Gao Weimin will be absent from the delivery ceremony.

According to informed sources, Gao Weimin had already submitted a letter of resignation to Beiqi on Thursday and said at the internal meeting of the day that he would leave Beiqi, and Xu Heyi announced a new personnel appointment at the Beiqi SUV Academy just another day.

"I am still in Beijing," Gao Weimin told reporters on the phone. According to relevant regulations, the resignation report will take effect one month after it is submitted.

Although not a long time at BAIC, Gao Weimin has served as BAIC's chief engineer, BAIC's president, executive director, secretary of the party committee, and other positions at BAIC, and his resignation as a former BAIC engineer and BAIC Research Institute. Dean and Dean of Beiqi Off-Road Vehicle Research Institute are responsible for Beiqi off-road vehicle business and military vehicle projects.

Gao Weimin also upgraded his experience in his career to BAIC's R&D system. After SAIC reached Beiqi in 2012, Gao Weimin began to promote the integration of Beiqi Research Institute. The Beiqi Research Institute, which is in charge of the company, won the title of “National Enterprise Technology Center” in 2013. In October 2012, the BAIC R&D team was integrated, three independent teams were integrated into the research institute, platform management was implemented in the company's constitution, a platform for small and medium sized vehicles, a sedan platform for SAAB projects, a high-end vehicle platform and off-road vehicles were established. The platform and personally served as the VLE work for both platforms. The BJ40, developed and researched by Gao Wei-Demo, seems to be one of the few profitable products of Beiqi.

In September of last year, Gao Weimin set up the Beiqi Group off-road vehicle research institute, and re-sorted the product series of Beiqi off-road vehicles and military vehicles. He planned four product series of BJ20, BJ40, BJ80, and BJ100, and made a good preparation for BAIC's “off-road family”. Ready.

Xu Heyi Zeng Sangu Mao Mao

Prior to joining Beiqi, Gao Weimin was a deputy chief engineer of SAIC and an executive deputy general manager of Pan-Asia. Before that, Gao Weimin was the founder of SAIC's own brand technology center, and was deputy general manager and director of technical center of SAIC Passenger Vehicle. The professional talents represented by him and returned to the independent brand by the general public joint venture company are also internally referred to as "returning groups."

According to Gao Weimin's good friend, more than two years ago, it was at the time that BAIC hoped to make its own brand bigger and stronger, and the Beiqi Research Institute had been replaced by three or four presidents. Xu Heyi was not satisfied. As a result, Xu and his friendship went south and went to Shanghai to find Gao Weimin. Gao Weimin was touched by the sincerity of Xu Heyi and San Mao. Together with Xu Heyi and Beiqi's own brand plan, the aspiring Gao Weimin turned to join BAIC despite the retention of SAIC's old colleagues.

"As a chief engineer and a dean, I try to do everything well to meet the requirements of the leadership, but also to rationalize the research and development of various projects and avoid unnecessary risks." Gao Weimin once told a university classmate. In fact, Gao Weimin is very persistent and invested in BAIC, and he has always wanted to make some achievements and has always wanted to do a better job. However, Gao Weimin’s efforts did not receive much recognition from Beiqi. "More than 2 years of time is always suffering ---" Gao Weimin complained to the old classmates.

As a veteran of the self-owned brand automotive technology industry, like most intellectuals in monographs and technical fields, Gao Weimin has a sense of arrogance and arrogance, and this kind of temperament must be appreciated.

Beiqi lacks such soil. “Gao Weimin is a technical expert, including several returnees who came to Beiqi with Gao Weimin. They all have a lot of influence in the technology world. However, the culture and system of Beiqi simply do not give them a space suitable for their survival and development.” Inside Beiqi The people commented on Gao Weimin’s departure.

Compared with SAIC and other mature auto companies, BAIC has always shared the benefits of its subsidiaries as an investor. BAIC's two major joint ventures, Beiqi Mercedes-Benz and BAIC, have actually had no independent R&D system so far. Therefore, BAIC's R&D capability has not been comparable to its scale.

SAIC set up its own brand and seized a large number of “homecoming groups” from Shanghai GM and Shanghai Volkswagen. These people quickly brought the experience of the joint venture to SAIC's own brand and built SAIC's system competitiveness.

“As an example, SAIC only manages personnel, and at BAIC, personnel also have responsibility for finance, performance, etc.” The aforementioned Beiqi automaker believes. Compared with SAIC Motor, most of the middle-level cadres of SAIC have exercised in joint ventures and have strong personal capabilities. The major players of BAIC are high-level leaders. This not only facilitates the “dictatorship” of high-level companies, but also leads to high-level among various subsidiaries. Who does not accept who is, it is also very easy to cause foreign talents to be disgruntled and unable to do their best.

Taking Gao Weimin as an example, his most important experience is in cars. At Beiqi, he is responsible for the development of off-road vehicles. Although he has also achieved certain results, he has clearly not fully used his expertise.

In fact, as early as last August, there were rumors that Gao Weimin had left Beiqi, and Gao Weimin’s own Weibo also reflected his not very excited attitude at BAIC at that time. "Because of one side of the news on the Internet, many people have expressed concern for me. Thank you very much. The R&D of Chinese cars is like Shanghai's flights to and from Beijing. I have experienced a lot but I still insist on it. , do your best."

Independent brands need Gao Weimin

Two and a half years ago, when I turned to Beiqi, Gao Weimin told reporters on the phone: “I just wanted to do something for my own brand.” Two and a half years later, although leaving Beiqi with regrets, Gao Weimin’s heart has not changed.

Gao Weimin graduated from Tongji University in 1984 with a major in thermal energy and stayed in school. After receiving a doctor's degree from Tongji University, he went to Germany to work for a period of time at the German Institute for Research in Burundauk and the German public. During the 17 years of teaching at Tongji University, he served as Deputy Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering of Tongji University and Associate Dean of the Automotive Research Institute of VW-Tongji University.

He started working at SAIC in 2001 and entered the Pan-Asian Automotive Technology Center in 2003, becoming the executive vice president of Pan Asia. Although he is in the research and development center of the joint venture, Gao Weimin has been actively promoting local research and development. Gao Weimin has practiced the development of Pan Asia in research and development capabilities.

It is understood that in order to allow GM to recognize the imported products that need to be localized, Gao Weimin asked people to produce a short film that reflects the Chinese concept culture. From Zhang Yimou, Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon to calligraphy and Tai Chi, everything is included. The film was broadcast exclusively to U.S. carmakers including Wagner, CEO of Wagner, and was called "brainwashing film" within Pan-Asian.

Initially, the determination of Pan-Asian decision-making, practices, and technical solutions was entirely dominated by foreign parties. After Gao Weimin took over, the Engineering Committee was established and he was the director himself. In this group, the Chinese and foreign parties can have different opinions, but the decision is made by Gao Weimin. In 2003, Bob Lutz, Vice President of GM’s main product group, came to China to see the Pan-Asian engineer's own “Regal”. He was happy to have one of them returned and put it in the lobby of the General Motors headquarters. The current Pan Asia has already had the vehicle development capability and has also fully integrated into the universal global R&D system. He has made a due contribution.

Gao Weimin once carried out management reforms for Pan-Asia, and promoted the dual-track system. In other words, the promotion of managerial talents to a certain level requires understanding of technology, and technical talents also have ample room for promotion.

Since 2005, with the establishment of the SAIC Institute and the establishment of an R&D center established by SAIC for its own brand, Gao Weimin has become the first core leader to be recalled.

SAIC Motor has invested more than 4 billion yuan in Jiading’s 500,000 square meters independent research and development center, which is currently one of the largest R&D centers for domestic vehicle manufacturers. R&D resources from China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Italy will be combined here, with SAIC Design. The complementary R&D bases overseas. Gao Weimin is the actual executor of this structure.

However, afterwards, due to SAIC's demand for technological development, Gao Weimin was transferred back to Pan-Asia by a paper order. While returning to Pan-Asia, Gao Weimin also assumed the position of deputy general manager of SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicles and director of the Technical Center, and was promoted to Deputy Chief Engineer of SAIC and concurrently Executive Deputy General Manager of Pan-Asia.

“Gao Weimin has always wanted to do something for its own brand, but the current research and development departments of SAIC's own brands are all part of the major business sector, and SAIC is equivalent to the passenger car technology center. Gao Weimin finds it difficult to find a new space under this system. According to insiders from SAIC, this is the main reason why Gao Weimin turned away after working at SAIC for 12 years.

"I haven't thought about where to go now," Gao Weimin said. In Beiqi's two and a half years, his white hair has increased a lot. Gao Weimin, born in 1958, can also choose to stop and enjoy life at leisure. However, just like his stubborn and arrogant, he is not a person. Those who wish to lose, China's own brand has not yet been successful, Gao Weimin will not be willing to give up. At present, self-owned brands are generally building brands, and whether independent brands can be branded for 100 years, products are the basis, and Gao Weimin’s experience is very valuable.