BMW's CEO stood at the center of attention, riding high on the B250's four-star score.
Dieter Schopf's smile didn't leave his face as he addressed the room, hands spread like a magnanimous host:
"Seventy-four points. Barely hit the four-star line, but we'll take it."
"We're slightly ahead—for now."
"Still plenty of brands left to test. Maybe some of your cars will outperform us."
He gave a modest shrug, then looked around theatrically.
"No matter the scores, we're all here to serve the consumer, right?"
The heads of the other brands tried to nod along, but their expressions were stiff.
They weren't smiling. They were swallowing hard.
Four stars.
None of them were confident they could match that. Now that Porsche and BMW had been tested, it was clear that only Audi could still pull level or higher.
No one else in the room was even in the running.
In fact, most had quietly written Audi off. Even if the A4 scored three stars, it wouldn't matter now.
Three was no longer impressive.
Four was the new baseline.
And if Audi couldn't exceed that?
Their momentum would stall right when it mattered most.
This entire safety test was calculated to suppress Audi's rise.
But now, these brands were finding themselves suppressed by each other.
Porsche's CEO, David Mason, was especially bitter. His face had gone dark.
He and Schopf had always been fierce rivals.
Porsche could never quite catch up to BMW in the luxury rankings, and now, this public test had widened that gap.
Even knowing full well that every car in this test was rigged, the result still stung.
"The customer won't know this isn't a production model," Mason thought bitterly.
"All they'll see is a four-star badge and a three-star badge. That's enough to lose a sale."
He regretted not investing more in crash protection. He regretted showing up.
"Should've stayed home and avoided the slap to the face."
Across the track, Haifeng watched Schopf preen and chuckled quietly.
"Seventy-four points and he's putting on a parade?"
"He should be worried instead."
"Once Audi hits the track, let's see how long that smile lasts."
Everyone at the venue and watching the livestream knew the real focus wasn't on Porsche or BMW.
This entire test had been built around one unspoken goal:
Knock Audi down.
And because of that, the audience wasn't looking at the tested brands. They were waiting for the one that hadn't.
The atmosphere shifted as soon as the Audi A4 rolled into position.
Live viewers leaned in. Comments slowed. Even the bullet chat froze momentarily.
All eyes were locked on a single car.
Inside the venue, the mood turned heavy. The brand reps, so smug earlier, were suddenly quiet.
"Please fail," someone muttered under their breath. "Let them screw it up. Let the score tank."
No one said it aloud, but they all wanted the same thing:
For the A4 to crash badly.
Because if it didn't?
Everything they'd built would start to unravel.
The staff ran the standard prep, cameras locked in.
Then came the signal.
At 64 km/h, the A4 launched forward.
Bang.
The sound rang out across the venue.
The audience didn't blink. No one spoke.
And then… silence.
The A4 sat at the end of the track, having hit the same 40% offset barrier as every other car.
But the damage?
Minimal.
The front bumper had torn partially, but hadn't fallen off—no deformation in the frame.
No secondary failure points. "What the hell…" someone whispered.
This wasn't like the others.
Porsche's bumper had detached and exposed steel.
BMW's chassis had visibly crumpled.
But Audi?
It looked like the car had brushed a wall, not smashed into one.
The crowd erupted.
"WHAT?"
"Is this a joke?"
"Did they lower the speed?"
"Replay! We want a replay!"
The test was done using the book.
Same setup. Same speed. But the results were nowhere close.
Online, the comments exploded:
"Dude. That's a tank."
"I drive an A4, and I didn't expect this."
"This car just embarrassed every other brand in this field."
"Forget stars. Give them a crown."
"If anyone says domestic tech can't compete, show them this clip."
"B250? More like a Four-Star Hotel. Audi's in a different league."
At the venue, the brand execs stared at the screen, stunned.
They had expected Audi to score well. But not this well.
Suddenly, the three-star and four-star bragging rights looked shaky.
Haifeng didn't gloat. He didn't need to.
Everyone in that room already knew what was coming next.