Within a few days, orders for the Audi A4 soared past 100,000 units, pushing total pre-orders beyond half a million.
While Audi was lighting up the market, rival car brands were collapsing.
Customers who had already placed orders with other companies were canceling en masse.
Foot traffic at competitor dealerships dried up overnight.
The scenes were bleak.
One dealership head posted online:
"No one's walked through our doors all day. Feels like a funeral."
At the same time, international consumers were in chaos for an entirely different reason.
They were jealous.
They wanted the A4. Badly.
But outside China, the car hadn't been launched yet.
And no one knew when it would.
Frustration turned into outrage.
Social media swarmed Audi's official site with messages, petitions, and pleas:
"Why is China getting all the stock?"
"When will it be available in Europe?"
"Do you not want our money, or what?"
The site's message board was flooded. Haifeng was notified almost immediately.
He couldn't help but laugh.
"Foreign consumers used to be so proud," he said. "Now look at them—lining up to beg."
It was the first time he'd seen international buyers demand a launch so aggressively—not for hype, but for respect.
And he wasn't indifferent.
"They're still customers," he said to his team. "If they're happy, they'll pay. If they pay, they belong to us."
Haifeng acted immediately.
Audi announced it would begin recruiting overseas distribution partners.
"Why not?" he said. "Let them enjoy the ride early. It won't affect our timeline and'll make them ours."
The announcement hit foreign markets like lightning.
Buyers went wild. Forums exploded with celebration:
"Audi responded!"
"See? That petition worked."
"We did it. This is our win."
"They caved. Our voices mattered."
Some even bragged:
"I thought they'd ignore us. I was ready to boycott."
"Good thing they didn't. Otherwise, we'd make it hard for them in this market."
"We still have to wait a year, but at least we're on the map."
Back in China, the reaction was less joyful.
Netizens mocked the international crowd:
"Look at these guys, simping for a car."
"Shameless. You begged your way into our product line."
"Where was all that loyalty to your local brands, huh?"
But anger didn't change the facts: Domestic car companies had lost the initiative and the customers.
Now, they were watching their people celebrate a foreign win.
While public chatter burned, Haifeng was already moving.
The Audi Global Distributor Conference opened as scheduled.
Dozens of heavyweight foreign auto distributors flew in.
Some were old friends. Others were competitors. All of them had the same goal:
Secure the rights to sell the A4 abroad.
Before the event even started, the room was buzzing.
"Lars? Are you applying for Audi now?"
"Didn't you trash it at the last trade dinner?"
"Look who's talking. You were calling it overhyped last month."
"Business is business. Friends in life, enemies in deals."
"Let's compete fairly—and hope we're still on speaking terms after."
Amid the banter, Haifeng stepped onto the stage, smiling.
"Welcome, friends, to Audi."
"Thank you for your support. Seeing so many of you interested in working with us means a lot."
"Today's conference is about selecting our first round of overseas distribution partners."
"I didn't expect this level of enthusiasm—but it's a good problem to have."
"You're all serious players, so I won't waste time explaining the basics."
"You know our requirements. You know the value of the brand. Let's keep things direct and mutual."
"I want this to be a win-win, built on long-term cooperation."
Then he paused, letting the energy settle.
"However, resources are limited. So not everyone here will walk away with a partnership this round."
"Even so, I hope we stay friends. There will be more chances ahead."
"This time, we're opening up 100 global dealership slots."
Unlike China, where Audi carefully split territories by region, the international setup would be looser.
There were too many countries. Too many variables.
Haifeng's solution?
Let every primary market get a few distributors. Keep the pie big enough to be attractive, small enough to spark competition.
No monopolies. No handouts.
"Too few distributors, and no one wants to come."
"Too many, and no one makes money."
"But give them a real stake—and they'll fight to build the market for you."
That was the logic.
Audi wasn't expanding.
It was colonizing.