The Industrial Giant Reborn.

Chapter 509 Test drive: Wuling’s strengths
"If the power is not strong enough, how do you optimize and ensure passability?" Chen Zhiwen asked again.

Fuel consumption, displacement and power are two issues that are always in opposition. You can only choose one of the two. This is the consensus of everyone. Unless the engine technology is incredible and the combustion efficiency is very high, but it is obviously impossible to use a fuel vehicle. After decades of development, almost a hundred years later, although the thermal efficiency of engines continues to improve, the rate of progress is very slow. Any car company that wants to develop in this field will need to invest tens or tens of billions. funds for research and development.

Moreover, even if there was, how could Honda sell it to itself? Chen Zhiwen also knew that the acquisition of this technology was by North American AMC, who went to Japan to talk in the name of an American company. The purchase was also the general technology in Honda's hands. Compared with the current Japanese engines The technology is two levels behind, and this technology can only be used in small engines. In the 70s, it was a small car technology launched by Honda in the Japanese domestic market. Subsequent technology updates and iterations, and small engines are not suitable for the United States. The market will gradually become unnecessary.

AMC sent people to Japan and found several companies to discuss purchasing this technology. Finally, it bought an old production line and all related technology patents for US$1300 million. Some of the technology patents can also be used in other AMC models.

Wuling's models must be fuel-efficient, otherwise there will be absolutely no market, because its main market is commercial, and transporting goods to many people is a basic need. It can be said that it is a small truck that is enclosed and rainproof.

"Taking into account that Wuling's future is mainly for commercial use and has little demand for high speed, we have adjusted the low-speed torque to make the power output strong at low speeds. With the high chassis, the passability will be very strong. But it is relatively weak at high speeds, and the impact on fuel consumption is not great." Director Qian explained.

"These models haven't gone through various tests, right?" Tian Xuecheng asked at the side.

"Yes, it has only gone through some simple in-factory tests, high and low temperature static tests, and it will take a while for the road test. The government procedures have not been completed yet, and it can only be done at our test site at the moment. Conduct a simple road test." Director Qian replied.

"Where are you planning to go for a road test?" Chen Zhiwen asked.

"If you go to the north, you will go to Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia and other areas in the far north. If you go to the south, it will be the Guangdong and Guangxi areas. The main consideration is to test high and low temperatures. There will also be some in the western region. The low-end Gobi is very good for testing chassis tires. Other places , it is a normal test, but in order to save costs, we are also considering sending some cars directly to some local governments that often use the cars, which is good for both of us." Director Qian said.

"Does that also require the consent of the local government?" Chen Zhiwen asked. Let people who need cars use them and then test the performance of Xianghe. This is naturally also very good for car companies, but the premise is that the vehicle must be qualified to go on the road. Otherwise, it will not be able to go on the road. Selling is illegal.

"Yes, we will also communicate with the government in this regard. It should not be a problem. In addition, we are also following the normal process to apply for a road test. Also, if a traffic accident occurs due to vehicle failure, we will also need to bear the responsibility, but this It may be a bit difficult to explain clearly." Director Qian said.

"Well, just follow the process. We don't have to admit that the responsibility should be ours. The automobile industry itself has risks." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.Although it sounds a bit unpleasant to say it, many technologies do require a lot of trial and error to grow. The automotive industry is a little better, and good control can minimize losses. The pharmaceutical industry is the big one.

"Okay." Director Qian said.

"How long does the road test take?" Tian Xuecheng asked again.

"It takes about a year. For a normal road test, you can speed it up by adding more people and spending more money. But in the severe cold and hot weather in winter and summer, you have to wait." Director Qian said.

"Okay, the testing must be done well. Wuling can be said to be our first self-developed product, and we must ensure it is launched in the best condition." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.

The best condition does not mean the best. Compared with other cars, Wuling's price is very cheap, so it is naturally impossible to do it perfectly, but it is necessary to find out various problems as much as possible to ensure quality, especially to avoid frequent failures.

In the future, Wuling will need to be sold to all parts of the country, especially when global warming is not very serious now. The winter in the entire mainland is still very cold, especially in the north. In extremely low temperature environments, the car can stop cooking. After all, the oil It may also freeze, but it still needs to be stable under normal low-temperature environments. If not, it will basically be insulated from the northern market.

In the same way, if Wuling wants to sell its products to Southeast Asia, it must have strong heat resistance and even corrosion resistance.

Of course, considering the cost issue, two special models can be set up for these two situations. For example, the north does not need refrigeration and air conditioning, but the southern models may be matched with high-end configurations. This is actually because we also have automotive air-conditioning parts. The company can reduce costs to a minimum, otherwise this model would not be equipped with air conditioning.

But most of the structures and materials are still the same, and they all need to be tested.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, all testing and acceptance are in accordance with the standards, and AMC will also test along with it." Factory Director Qian said.

"Yes." Tian Xuecheng also nodded and said that although AMC is not very large, it has a history of decades and the required process standard controls are still in place. "Okay, let's get in the car and experience this car." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

He wasn't too interested in test-driving a car made by Yanjing Jeep, because the difference between it and a model made in the United States is that some parts are made in China, and the assembly process may be a little different. This difference is actually reflected in the ride. Sometimes, I can’t experience any big difference.

Wuling is a new car, and it is also a small overtaking for its entry into the automobile industry. If this model is built, although it is a low-end model with low profits, as long as the volume is large, it can become a small overlord.

In the automobile industry, Chen Zhiwen never thought about reaching the current level of Red Bull or Midea. As long as he can achieve certain results, it is enough. This is a goal, and it is relatively difficult, but because of this, life has new meanings. The goal is just like Samsung's car manufacturing in the 90s. Although Samsung ultimately failed due to the Asian financial crisis, Chen Zhiwen still agreed with Li Jianxi's idea at the time. The super rich also need to have life goals. Some Western rich people even I will think about running for president or congressman, etc.

"This car has a manual transmission and is not easy to drive, so I'll drive it." Director Qian said with a smile.

"Okay, we just need to experience it." Chen Zhiwen nodded. Although the current mainstream in the international market is automatic transmission, manual transmission still occupies a large position. This is because the current automatic transmission technology cost is still too high. And the optimization is not enough. In many aspects, it is not as good as manual transmission, and even the fuel consumption is much higher, and it is easy to break. Therefore, there are still many manual transmissions in ordinary-priced models, even in developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan. The low-end route taken by Wuling is naturally a manual transmission.

However, they, this group of wealthy Hong Kong people, naturally focus on high-end automatic transmission cars, including Chen Zhiwen. Although he can drive, he used manual transmission when he learned to drive, but he forgot about it later and had no interest in learning again. After all, later on, He basically doesn't even drive a car.

"Boom" the engine sounded, and Chen Zhiwen, who was sitting in the back, immediately felt the vibration under the seat. The sound of the engine in front of the car was also loud. He was not sure how many decibels it was, but it was a bit difficult to whisper in the car. .

The Wuling Divine Car soon started to move. In front of where they were, there was a door to go out. Soon Wuling drove out, and the sunlight from the outside immediately hit everyone. Director Wang immediately shook his head I opened the window next to me and felt much more comfortable after the wind blew in, although the wind was also hot.

After walking around the entire Jeep factory for half a circle, they drove to the test track next door. There were simple gravel roads and some blue roads, all simulating various common environments. As soon as they reached the gravel road, Chen Zhiwen immediately felt that he was going to be strong. A vibration several times greater than before came from under the stool.

Although it didn't last long, he estimated that if this frequency lasted for a long time, it would definitely make people feel a little uncomfortable.

The car drove on different roads for about 20 minutes in total, and then returned to the place where it had just left. After everyone got off the car, Director Qian said with some embarrassment: "Sorry, Mr. Chen, Wuling's cars are in terms of comfort. It’s much worse.”

"This car doesn't need comfort. It's positioned like this. It just needs to be able to reduce costs." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

Modern cars have a very high level of technology, and it will even be even higher in a few decades, but in fact they are mainly used to improve comfort, because cars are made for people, and most of them are for rich people. Or it is made by the middle class. Anyone with some conditions cares about comfort.

On top of a mechanical structure that burns gasoline and weighs more than a ton, it also needs to travel at high speeds, including various road conditions, and has to cope with various climates such as high and low temperatures, heavy storms, and rain. Under these comprehensive internal and external environments, it is also necessary to combine comfort and comfort. Do it well, not to mention how advanced it is, but at least it can't make people uncomfortable. This is actually a very technical test.

Let’s just say that for the simplest engine, if you want to be comfortable, you must find ways to reduce vibrations, and the gearbox must also work perfectly, otherwise it will get stuck. To do these two things well requires hundreds of billions of research and development. , later generations of Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have not been able to fully complete various combinations after decades of research.

But if you don’t care about vibrations and lags, then a car brand with a little bit of ability can do this kind of engine technology well.In the same way, the same is true for various issues such as chassis vibration and interior noise. As long as you don't care about them, or don't consider them when developing new models, the entire research and development difficulty will decrease exponentially.

Of course, saying you don’t consider it is just a relative term, but it doesn’t mean you don’t care at all.

Wuling's strengths are these. It only requires good performance and low cost. It is not a product for enjoyment, but a means of production that can make money. This is a different idea from any other car company.

"Yes, the cost of this car is very low. We have estimated that the terminal price can be set at 3 yuan. If the output is high, it can continue to drop." Director Qian said with a smile.

"3 yuan?" Director Wang's face was filled with shock.

(End of this chapter)