Rebirth 99 to become a car giant.

Chapter 305 Setting a new benchmark for supercars

Cao Yang did not choose to develop a sports car based on the Bugatti Veyron, not because its price is too expensive.

Cao Yang did not agree to consider the Lamborghini Gallardo, not because it is an entry-level sports car, or because it has an all-aluminum body.

In fact, the most fundamental reason is that for sports cars, Cao Yang already has the answer in his heart.

Cao Yang knew it was unrealistic to count on Xingchen Automotive Research Institute to develop sports cars.

So he was preparing to "participate" himself, and directly set all the requirements for this car.

Then the research institute will complete part of the development tasks step by step.

Of course, let’s listen to Zeng Tingting’s and Rao Yongxiang’s reports first.

Instead, I want to have a comprehensive understanding of the sports car market in 2005, and compare it with some information in my mind in a timely manner.

In order to have a clearer pricing and publicity strategy in the next step.

"For a sports car to do well, power must be very important."

"We already have W12 engine under development, continue to expand to W16 engine development, the input-output ratio is very low."

"With this energy, we might as well consider the development of the powertrain from other angles."

"For example, is it possible to equip a hybrid system on the basis of the W12 engine and equip the front and rear wheels of the sports car with a motor, so that the acceleration performance can be more extreme?"

As soon as Cao Yang said this, both Zeng Tingting and Rao Yongxiang were stunned.

Hybrid system?

Using a hybrid system on a sports car?

This is something no one has ever done.

Isn't this something that Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor and Honda Motor that pursue low fuel consumption are doing?

It doesn't seem like something high-end.

"Mr. Cao, as far as I know, all the best-selling sports cars on the market use large-displacement engines."

"Whether it is the W16 engine, or the V12 and W12 engines, none of them have anything to do with the hybrid system."

"For example, the hybrid systems of Toyota and Honda are also developed in conjunction with 2.5L or 2.0L, or even 1.8L and 1.5L naturally aspirated engines, so as to have better fuel performance in economical vehicles."

"A system like this is used in a sports car..."

Obviously, Yongxiang Yong is not optimistic about the use of hybrid systems in sports cars.

In order to develop this sports car, he also made a lot of preparations.

I am also familiar with the situation in the market.

However, with Cao Yang, the boss with a God's perspective, in front of him, he obviously said that nothing could change Cao Yang's mind.

"Our W12 engine itself is already the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine era. Except that the parameters of the W16 engine are better than him, there is no rival."

"With the hybrid system, the electric motor can deliver high torque at low revs, which allows us to concentrate on optimizing the performance of the internal combustion engine at higher revs."

"The engine has excellent power performance throughout the speed range, and the peak torque exceeds 900Nm."

"To match or even exceed the performance of the W16 engine used in the Bugatti Veyron."

"The most important thing is that by taking this opportunity, we can start to enter the hybrid system and start producing hybrid batteries."

"In the future, these things will definitely have a broader application prospect."

In Cao Yang's mind, the LaFerrari launched by Ferrari in 2013 is obviously the best sports car.

This flagship supercar launched by Ferrari is used to replace the Ferrari Enzo model and is limited to 499 units.

With its extreme performance, aerodynamic efficiency and handling, it set a new benchmark for super sports cars.

The car's 0-100km/h acceleration time is less than 3 seconds.

The acceleration time of 0-200km/h is also less than 7 seconds.

0-300km/h only takes 15 seconds.

Regardless of the speed limit, its top speed is as high as 350km/h or more.

Although compared with the exaggerated speed of 407km/h of Bugatti Veyron, there is still a little gap.

But for consumers, or for practical use, this difference has no meaning at all.

Because ordinary consumers drive, how can it be possible to drive to 407km/h?

Even on the German Autobahn with no speed limit, this scene cannot be seen.

The limit speed of 350km/h is enough!

"Mr. Cao, in the long run, the development prospects of pure electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles are worth looking forward to."

"But I think the next ten years, or even 15 years, should still be dominated by fuel vehicles."

"Especially in the field of supercars, there is no surging engine, which always gives people a not-so-good feeling."

Although Zeng Tingting felt that what Cao Yang said seemed to make sense, it was obviously very difficult to change her inherent ideas immediately.

"Our Xingchen sports car will set a new benchmark for super sports cars."

"This sports car with better performance than Ferrari Enzo, even close to Bugatti Veyron, can provide us with sufficient pricing space."

"They sell for tens of millions. If we set a price of 300 million, it must be very cost-effective, right?"

"But for Star Motors, as long as consumers can accept that it can produce 300 million models, that's enough."

Cao Yang didn't intend to turn Star Motors into a Rolls-Royce-level existence.

That doesn't make much sense, and the difficulty is not ordinary.

As long as it can reach the level of Porsche, it is enough.

With the rapid development of China's economy, the market space for luxury cars is still very broad in the future.

The small target of an annual output of 100 million may be reached in five or six years.

It is not impossible to further challenge higher goals in the future.

At that time, even if Star Auto produced 200 million vehicles per year, its annual turnover would not be lower than that of other international giants with an annual production of 800 million vehicles.

After all, the unit price of each car is not at the same level.

"Mr. Cao, 300 million is actually quite high."

Zeng Tingting thought that she would have to sell a 300 million car to a consumer by then, and she would be under a lot of pressure.

So I couldn't help but interjected from the side.

"Yes, 300 million is indeed a very high price."

"However, our Star No. [-] sports car, the real benchmark model is the classic Ferrari Enzo in the sports car world."

"When the performance in all aspects surpasses that of Ferrari Enzo in all aspects, I believe it will be no problem to sell 999 units."

When Cao Yang said this, Zeng Tingting did not refute.

If the performance of Star No. 300 can really surpass that of Ferrari Enzo, and the shape is also very beautiful, then the price of [-] million is really not high.

After all, the parts used in sports cars are all produced in small batches, and the cost is very high.

The use of various new technology parts keeps the cost of parts high.

In this case, if the sale is too cheap, it will not only have no effect on sales, but will also lead to large-scale losses for the company.

This is obviously inappropriate.

"Mr. Cao, the design of various parts of this Xingchen [-] should be very different from that of ordinary cars."

"Can we consider recruiting some engineers from those European sports car companies to participate in the design work?"

Although Yongxiang knew that Cao Yang would definitely participate in the car design, he couldn't ask Cao Yang for any job, right?

So he still wants to find some engineers with sports car design experience to join the team, so that everyone will not be like a headless chicken, not knowing how to work hard.

"If you feel the need, recruit."

"However, the experience of those people can only be used as a reference."

"In fact, if you simply want to learn how to design a sports car, it may be more convenient to recruit relevant personnel from Japanese companies such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan."

"On the one hand, these people are easier to manage and are more willing to work in China."

"On the other hand, the cost will be much cheaper."

It's not that Cao Yang is reluctant to spend money, it's just that he doesn't want the situation of unequal pay for equal work to be too obvious.

At this time, you have to dig a few engineers from famous companies such as Ferrari or Porsche. Even if it is the most ordinary engineer, if the annual salary does not reach the level of one million, it is estimated that it will be difficult to find suitable people.

However, most of the domestic engineers are still at the level of annual salary of [-].

Now suddenly there is a job that is not very different from my own, but the salary is ten times that of my own.

So what do you think in your heart?

Relatively speaking, the cost of Dongying people will definitely be lower.

"Purely from a technical point of view, the performance of the sports cars of those car companies in Japan is pretty good."

"It's just that the brand power is a little bit worse."

"But it doesn't matter if it's used in the research and development field."

Rao Yongxiang immediately agreed.

The boss has spoken, and he has to agree if he disagrees.

Soon what Cao Yang said made sense, and he had no reason to refute.

"Mr. Cao, then our sales department will re-adjust the report materials of the kick-off meeting according to the direction you said?"

"Is it possible to properly release some news in the future, so that we can continue to maintain the popularity of our Xingchen car?"

"It can also further enhance the style of Ziweixing's coupe model."

Apart from cooperating with the research institute to develop new models, Zeng Tingting also needs to consider how to sell Ziwei Star, which is about to enter mass production.

After all, judging from the current situation, although the price has not been finalized, it must be more than 50.

This price is really not cheap.

"No problem, I will also provide some renderings at that time, and cooperate with the sales department to carry out some early publicity."

Constantly release various news and maintain the popularity of Xingchen Automobile, this is the general direction that Cao Yang has set himself.

So he naturally has no objection to Zeng Tingting's proposal.

Soon, the launch meeting of Xingchen No. [-] and Xingchen No. [-] was officially held inside Xingchen Automobile.

Although some people inside already know that Xingchen No. [-] is the large SUV Wenquxing, and Xingchen No. [-] is the sports car Leo.

But in the follow-up, it is necessary to send out pictures and quotes. In order to keep it as confidential as possible, codes must still be used in various communications.

It's just that the code of Xingchen Automobile is relatively straightforward.

……

"Brother, you are still amazing!"

"A hot stamping production line and a four-door and two-lid stamping line are specially invested for Xingchen Automobile next to the Nanshan Industrial Park."

"Now it seems that when Xingchen [-] and Xingchen [-] are mass-produced, our production line will be at full capacity, and we need to consider adding a hot stamping forming production line."

The new model has been officially launched. As the procurement department, it is necessary to grasp the production capacity of key components.

After all, it takes a certain amount of time to invest in new production lines or factories.

If the notice is too late, it will not be able to catch up.

So although the number of hot-stamped parts that will be used in Star II and Star III has not yet been determined.

However, the number of hot stamped parts in each car will not be less than that of Xingchen No. [-], which is certain.

Even the launch meeting of Star No. [-] in Shanghai specifically mentioned the integrated hot stamping forming technology of the door knocker.

This means that the reinforcements around the entire cockpit will be hot-stamped.

At that time, it will definitely be possible to increase the capacity load of Yangcheng Huaqiang Factory to a satisfactory level.

"President Cao never treats people badly."

"Since they arranged for someone to notify us to build a new factory, it shows that Nanshan Group already has a relatively comprehensive plan."

"It's just that some news people may not necessarily speed us up in advance."

Guo Shuyin's mentality is relatively stable.

When Xingchen Auto Purchasing Department asked them to confirm the production capacity, he just breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now BYD is also preparing to use some hot stamping parts on next year's S6 facelift."

"Geely and Chery also have needs in this area. Brother, is it almost finalized that we will invest in a new hot stamping production line near Shanghai?"

In the current Yangcheng Huaqiang Factory, the hot stamping technology is already well-known in China.

In addition to the models of Great Wall Motors and Xingchen Motors, several other factories have basically confirmed the use of their hot stamping parts.

That's definitely a very good sign.

"There should be a conclusion this month."

"If the orders of Shanghai Volkswagen and Shanghai General Motors cannot be confirmed, we will go directly to buy land and build a hot stamping factory. The risk is still relatively high."

"It's better to directly add a production line here in Yangcheng."

Guo Shuyin is not such a radical person.

Although hot stamping technology is very popular now, except for Great Wall Motors, none of them have been mass-produced yet.

Huaqiang Factory did not make much money in this field.

Even most of the investment in plant equipment has not been recovered yet.

To continue to expand the factory, it means that we need to continue to find bank loans.

This made Guo Shuyin feel a little pressure.

"I will go to various customers next week to finalize orders for new models."

Guo Shufu didn't worry about it anymore, and was going to go out to fulfill the order himself.

……

"Mr. Cheng, can your W12 engine be successfully developed this year?"

Although if the engine loses the chain, the responsibility is not on Yongxiang.

But this will definitely affect the development schedule of Star [-] and Star [-].

It will even affect everyone's development confidence.

So after the kick-off meeting, Yongxiang Yong soon came to Nanshan Engine alone to confirm the development progress of the W12 engine.

"The prototype has been produced, and the parameters in all aspects are very good."

"This engine is definitely not inferior to Volkswagen's W12, and it is not weak at all compared to other manufacturers' V12."

"But now it is the development of the crankshaft parts of this engine, and there are still some details that need to be improved."

"Otherwise, the noise and durability of the engine will not meet the design requirements."

Cheng Tao naturally has nothing to hide from Rao Yongxiang.

The W12 engine is a product spliced ​​together using two Nanshan 3.0T turbocharged engines.

As the crankshaft shared by two 3.0Ts, it is even the most critical component in W12.

However, for parts such as the crankshaft, the processing technology requirements are also very high.

There is a little difference in accuracy, which will affect the life span.

"Our Star 12 and Star [-] will only need to use the W[-] engine in the second half of next year."

"However, Cao always wants to launch the high-performance version of Star One in the first half of next year."

"You have to hurry up."

After hearing Cheng Tao's words, Yao Yongxiang had some confidence in his heart.

Although the development of the W12 engine has not been completed, the overall progress is still good.

There should also be a chance to solve the remaining difficulties in half a year.

Then he is not very worried.

"Let's try to use the latest five-axis CNC lathe developed by Nanshan Equipment to process the crankshaft. At the same time, we will discuss with Nanshan Special Steel to improve the composition of the crankshaft special steel."

"There should be hope that these issues will be resolved within this year."

"If it really doesn't work, we will report to Mr. Cao again and seek support."

Cheng Tao naturally knew why Yongxiang Yong paid so much attention to the development progress of the W12 engine.

As the main engine of Star II and Star III, the importance of W12 is beyond doubt.

"If you need the cooperation of the research institute, you have to say it directly."

"As long as there is no problem with the powertrain and the appearance of the model, our new model will be more than half successful."

Yongxiang Yong's daily task is to confirm the supply and development of major components one by one.

As for the specific design tasks, he doesn't need to do it.

Can't let him be a vice president of research and development to draw pictures?

……

"Mr. Cao, these days Nanshan Transmission is discussing whether to start the development of 9AT or 10AT."

"Although the current plans for Star 8 and Star 9 are to use 10AT automatic transmissions, as a technical reserve, [-]AT or [-]AT may need to be involved sooner or later."

"Now the development of the 8AT automatic transmission has been basically completed, and the follow-up is just some targeted improvements."

"We have been able to free up part of the research and development personnel to carry out technical research on 9AT or 10AT."

Ji Hua struggled for a few days, and finally decided to talk to Cao Yang.

As a gearbox expert, he is actually aware of the research and development of 9AT and 10AT. From a practical point of view, it is actually of little significance.

Although in theory, multi-speed gearbox has many advantages.

They have better hardware conditions to obtain lower fuel consumption, faster acceleration and smoother shift quality.

However, a multi-gear gearbox will increase the number of internal components, and the requirements for oil pressure and electronic control systems are also higher.

In addition to higher manufacturing and R&D costs, there are also more points of failure.

In addition, the internal components are more complex, but the limitation of the housing size leads to the need to compress the volume of the internal components, and the smaller components such as gear sets and clutch plates will reduce the torque that the gearbox can withstand.

Therefore, when high torque is involved, the engine output power is often reduced due to the mechanism of protecting the gearbox.

The most important thing is whether it is 9AT or 10AT, in the actual driving process, there is almost no chance to use so many gears.

This is where Ji Hua struggles the most.

"There is actually no essential performance difference between 9AT and 10AT, but for some people who don't know much about cars, the more gears the better."

"Since we want to do research, we must do 10AT research directly."

"However, with the 8AT automatic transmission, the demand for 10AT is very weak in a short period of time. Even if we develop it, there is no need to put it into use so quickly."

"How about this, Nanshan Transmission can start the research of 10AT automatic transmission, and just aim to complete all technical research and development and mass production preparations before 2010."

What Ji Hua is struggling with, Cao Yang can see clearly at a glance.

However, because of this, he gave instructions very directly.

Whether a piece of equipment is actually useful is not the most important thing.

The most important thing is that consumers feel that it is useful and that consumers feel good.

That's enough.

At that time, the flagship model of Xingchen Motors will be equipped with a W12 engine and a 10AT automatic transmission. If this powertrain is thrown out, many people will be satisfied.

that's enough.

As for the actual working conditions under which 10AT can be used, it is not important anymore.

Just like building a house in the countryside, it is necessary to build four or five floors, or even five or six floors.

In fact, there may be only two layers that are often used.

The rest are built there for others to see.

If you talk to others from a practical point of view that it is not necessary to build it so high, it is estimated that few people will listen.

"If 2010 is the target, then there is definitely no problem."

"However, the cost of 8AT has doubled compared to 6AT. I estimate that the cost of 10AT may increase significantly on the basis of 8AT."

Cao Yang didn't really care about Ji Hua's reminder.

If you can afford a 10AT model, do you still care about the cost of [-] to [-]?

At least in the few years when 10AT just came out, everyone didn't care.

In the future, as more models will be equipped, the cost of 10AT will naturally be reduced.

"First develop the product, and then slowly improve the cost. We have enough time."

According to Cao Yang's memory, the Ford F2016 Raptor pickup, which debuted at the 150 North American Auto Show, is theoretically the earliest model equipped with 10AT.

The reason why I say it is theoretical is because on the same day, Lexus' LC model equipped with 10AT also debuted at the North American Auto Show.

That is to say, whether it is the 10AT provided by Aisin to Lexus or the 10AT developed by Ford itself, the normal situation is that it entered mass production in 2016.

Influenced by the butterfly Cao Yang, maybe their 10AT schedule will be advanced.

But at most it is two or three years in advance.

I have launched the mass-produced version of 2010AT with the goal of 10, and the time is enough.