#182 - Mouse

For example, regarding car body steel plates, if a certain car's required load-bearing capacity is one ton, and the minimum requirement for the steel plate is 2 centimeters, then Japanese companies would absolutely not make the steel plate 1.9 centimeters, but they would also absolutely not make it 2.01 centimeters—this is the model for many Japanese companies.

Another example is vehicle wear and tear. According to German and American standards, the goal is to maximize the vehicle's lifespan.

However, Japanese cars are different. According to their thinking, if the average replacement period for a family car is, for example, eight years, then all of their parts will be designed according to this eight-year lifespan.

They ensure that there are as few problems as possible in the first eight years, and when problems start to appear after eight years, it's time to replace the car.

It is this kind of thinking that determines the powerful control system of Japanese cars, and the cars they manufacture also perfectly meet the needs of the family economy car market.

Therefore, regardless of whether you admit it or not, Japanese cars in the Great Xia Country's automobile market have used sales to prove themselves and have already set the standard for this market.

And it is this standard that determines that companies that are too small or lack strong cost control capabilities cannot compete with them.

So, in Lu Haifeng's view, without cultivating one's internal strength to a certain level, just relying on technology to stubbornly compete will lead to a very miserable failure in this market.

It should be known that users of family economy cars actually don't care about power, handling, or technology.

As long as the car is fuel-efficient, doesn't break down, and is relatively comfortable to drive, it can already meet most of their needs.

Although he is not preparing to enter this market now, in the current sudden surge of car manufacturing, it does not prevent Lu Haifeng from testing the waters.

Of course, using Audi's resources to test the waters is not a cost-effective thing. Every production line of Audi is currently generating profits every minute.

And now, those newly emerging car companies holding a lot of hot money and wanting to get a piece of the pie in the automobile market are, in his opinion, the best guinea pigs.

So, in addition to meeting the equipment needs of these car companies, he also wants to support them.

Let them compete fiercely with Japanese car companies in the family economy car market, after all, Audi is not suitable for large-scale entry into this market.

The higher-ups have already inquired whether there are plans to make ordinary brands, whether to continue to make high-end brands, rush out of the country, and go to the world.

Or whether they want to get involved in ordinary brands and enter the low-end car market. After all, compared to luxury car models, low-end car models are the main force in sales. Although they are cheap, there are more people buying them, so they earn more.

What the higher-ups are worried about is whether Audi will still use high-tech, low-price methods to quickly gain the market if it wants to make ordinary automobile brands.

The Audi A4 is a lesson from the past. One model forced all car companies to lower prices.

This is like a butterfly effect. If a brand at the top of the pyramid suddenly experiences a sharp price drop, then car companies below with similar models in that price range.

The price must also be reduced, otherwise, with a luxury brand available, only a fool would spend the same money to buy your car.

Fortunately, this time the price reductions mainly affected B-class cars. As for the A-class cars below, although they also reduced prices slightly, the impact was not significant.

Because domestic cars are unable to compete with B-class cars, they only compete in the A-class car and compact SUV market, with prices generally below 130,000.

The higher-ups are worried that Audi will make ordinary brands. If that happens, with Lu Haifeng's nature, it is unknown whether he will stir up another bloody storm in the domestic low-end car market.

Causing the already struggling domestic cars to be completely plunged into the abyss. Lu Haifeng understood the meaning of the higher-ups after thinking for a while.

That is to leave a way out for domestic car companies, otherwise, if he enters the low-end car market.

Then a large number of domestic cars without core competitiveness will definitely die. So Lu Haifeng replied that he does not plan to enter the low-end car market for the time being, he wants to develop upwards.

Because from the beginning, he did not intend to get involved in the low-end market, because he knew that he would definitely fail miserably if he went in, because the cost could not be controlled.

Even if the cost could be controlled, he did not intend to touch this market himself, but not touching the low-end car market does not mean that he does not want the profits from this area.

This time, he will not sell low-end models, but will learn from Japanese car companies and sell powertrain assemblies. Currently, the powertrain assemblies of domestic car companies are almost all bought for assembly.

The reason why domestic cars are expensive is inseparable from the expensive powertrain assemblies. It is conceivable that those foreign car companies have also made a lot of money by selling powertrain assemblies. Now that they are raising prices and pushing them to him, he will not be polite.

How much money can you make by selling cars? You also have to build factories, build car 4S stores, and pay so much tax on complete vehicles.

Selling engines, selling gearboxes, and selling chassis technology is the most profitable.

After Lu Haifeng arrived at the laboratory, he was considering what kind of engine technology, gearbox, and chassis to use for the powertrains for those guinea pigs.

The engines currently used by Audi and the large-displacement engines being developed are obviously not suitable.

Because in terms of production costs alone, even the 1.8 THX888 turbocharged engine would have costs that they could not accept.

Lu Haifeng began to browse the products in the system mall and said to himself: "What model of engine and gearbox should I use after all?"

"As for the chassis technology, the front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension structure will do. It's cheap and stable, and the key is that the patent has already been made public."

So Lu Haifeng focused on looking at engine technology and gearbox technology.

In the future, those car companies will definitely produce different models and powertrain combinations, so a single engine and gearbox will definitely not be able to meet the needs of so many car companies.

After looking for a long time, Lu Haifeng saw a good powertrain combination, the Skyactiv Technology engine combination from Mazda in his previous life.

Accurately speaking, Skyactiv Technology is not an engine, but a technology specifically designed to comprehensively optimize powertrain and vehicle performance.

The biggest advantage of this technology is fuel efficiency, which is completely suitable for the low-end car market, and this technology does not yet exist in this world.

He spent 200 million points to purchase the Skyactiv Technology, and then purchased several engine technologies.

Displacements range from 1.2 liters to 3.0 liters, and both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions can be provided.

And if these car companies want to produce performance cars in the future, Lu Haifeng can also arrange for people to tune out abnormal data based on these engines.

All of this is because of the powerful manufacturing process. The production lines of these engines produced by the system can definitely reach the top level in the world in terms of precision.