In a laboratory with the highest level of confidentiality in Baosteel Company, Han Hao and Xie Huaru, the lady of Baosteel, appeared here together.

A major breakthrough has been made in the special material project of automatic transmission jointly tackled by Zhonghua Group and Baosteel, and the quenching process of the materials used in the planetary gears of CVT transmissions has been basically completed.

The material development team led by Dong Qihai went directly to Baosteel's laboratory for on-site tests after using computers to calculate the proportion of materials. After repeated practical operation of the material mixing ratio and quenching method, the result was finally close to the 96% ratio of Japanese transmissions. Although the Japanese process technology has not been completely cracked, the material has been able to persist for a certain number of years in terms of use.

If the previous domestic material transmission can only last for half a year, then now it can be extended to 6-8 years, which has actually realized the process of quantitative change to qualitative change. As long as you continue to study, it is not a problem to create a reliable CVT automatic transmission made in China.

"Unexpectedly, this little finger-long product cost our two families nearly 50 million yuan of capital investment. ”

Xie Huaru picked up the sample and said to Han Hao.

"The astronaut who landed on the moon for the first time said it was just a small step for him, but a giant leap for humanity. Today's achievement is only a small step for automatic transmission, but it is no less significant for China's auto industry than a big step on the moon. ”

Han Hao couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart, and the breakthrough in material technology showed that Zhonghua Group's independent CVT project will usher in the harvest season in the near future.

In the era when domestic manufacturers are taking MT manual transmissions as the mainstream, Zhonghua Group can independently develop automatic transmissions, which is no less than two bombs and one star project in the automobile industry.

"The 50 million funds invested will earn back hundreds or thousands of times the return on income for our country in the future. This cooperation between our two sides has shown me Baosteel's strong technical research and development strength. In the future, we can continue to cooperate in high-tech fields such as engine blocks, new materials for transmissions, and high-strength alloy body materials. ”

Baosteel is indeed the most modern steel plant in China, with many talents and equipment in the steel field, and this breakthrough in transmission materials is inseparable from Baosteel's strong support.

When the automatic transmission project of Zhonghua Group made a breakthrough, the gear association, which spent three years and used more than 800 million national bond funds, jointly tackled the AT transmission project, but ushered in the end of dissolution on the spot.

The 8 shortlisted transmission companies have not made much progress in the AT project, and have used hundreds of experts to travel around the world to buy many samples for dismantling and reference, and the only result that can be obtained is to conclude that the technical content of the AT transmission is too high, and China cannot overcome this difficulty with the current technical conditions. And even if China comes up with an AT transmission, it is not competitive, the cost is too high, and the competition cannot be compared with foreign brands, so it is better to import.

In addition to spending a lot of manpower and financial resources, the national debt project of automatic transmissions has also come to a terrible conclusion, that is, foreign automatic transmissions have formed monopoly advantages in scale, technology and price, and there is no need for China to make large-scale investment here, and the risk is too great.

In short, it's better to build than to buy.

"We can't bypass the intellectual patents of foreign manufacturers, and even if we come up with the same product, we can't compete with each other's mature products. ”

There is such a sentence in the conclusion of the report submitted by the review committee to the central government.

Even if tens of billions of dollars are invested, China's automatic transmissions still cannot survive in the fierce market competition, and the national funds face the risk of wasting and not recovering costs. Therefore, the national effort to tackle the automatic transmission project was stopped.

"800 million is gone, and I don't know where to spend the money, so I made a few samples that couldn't be used, and came to an inexplicable conclusion. ”

Han Hao said after learning that the treasury bond project that he wanted to enter but could not enter was declared a failure.

While other transmission manufacturers in China announced that they would no longer invest in automatic transmissions, Han Hao insisted on continuing to increase investment in CVT projects.

If you can't come up with core technology products, don't blame foreign giants for monopolizing this market at high prices. Even if it is better to buy than to build, it can force the other party to sell at a lower price.

Since the listing of Zhonghua "Qin", as a domestic independent brand, Santana, which was previously high, has reduced its price by more than 20,000 yuan, an increase of up to 15%, and will continue to maintain a downward channel with the current trend.

This is the invisible benefit that the Chinese "Qin" has brought to Chinese consumers in another aspect.

If there is no persecution from domestic car brands, then Volkswagen can still rely on its monopoly advantage to pull unconventional profits.

When the national level gave up the catch-up plan in automatic transmissions after comprehensive consideration, Zhonghua Group, as a private enterprise, faced the difficulties and vowed to make a breakthrough in the high-tech field monopolized by international auto giants.

"Even if the quality is poor, we can rely on our own capacity to share the cost, and there is enough for the new project to survive. ”

Han Hao clearly expressed his opposition to the so-called experts' conclusion that it is better to buy than to buy, and that China's independent transmissions have no market competitiveness.

He has personally driven both manual and automatic transmissions and has no doubt that in the future automatic transmissions will take over the mainstream. When a car enters the home, especially when a female sibling drives, automatic transmission will be considered as a priority for car purchase.

It cost 800 million yuan and mobilized hundreds of technical experts to tackle the AT transmission, although it left a lot of chicken feathers, but there are still people who have worked hard to research and achieve some results.

"It's not a war crime, it's not a result that one or two people can reverse. ”

Ling Yunzhi, who came out of FAW, commented.

Coupled with the rigid system of state-owned enterprises, the result of today's failure was actually foreseeable from the beginning. For a high-tech project like AT, it is necessary to have a strong team to tackle it for a long time.

"Although we are mainly focusing on CVT, the AT project has been exploring. I have an idea, since the state is not organized, then we will come forward to recruit those who are interested in continuing to research AT transmissions and form a new R&D team, will it be from the perspective of our predecessors to relay forward? ”

AT is the most widely used automatic transmission product, and Han Hao has certainly been interested in it. From a strategic point of view, AT is a must-have technology, so now is the time to start preparing for it.

"As long as you're not afraid of money going down the drain, of course I'm in favor of it. ”

Of course, Ling Yunzhi strongly supports this.

Therefore, Han Hao entrusted him to come forward and began to lobby and select suitable talents among the technical experts who had participated in the national AT project to form the AT project research and development team under Zhonghua Group.

The AT project has been declared a death sentence by the state, and even if it is made, it will not be of much use, and the experience of the past three years has made me really tired. ”

Ling Yunzhi was the first to find his old acquaintance, Xu Hongbing, chief engineer of Jinqi Gear Factory, but he didn't expect to be pushed back as soon as he said his intentions.

Xu Hongbing was full of enthusiasm for the research and development of the AT project, but he didn't expect to step into the quagmire, and his hair turned gray in the past three years, and he did not harvest any decent results.

He concludes that he is like a worm that has inadvertently crashed into a spider's web, trapped by the invisible shortcomings of the system, and has no strength to move. The whole project was leaderless, like a swarm of flies buzzing around, and as a result, no one could convince anyone, and a lot of money was spent but no results came out.

"Lao Xu, we have known each other for many years, so don't talk nonsense. I just want to ask you, do you think we Chinese can make a decent AT? I want to hear you tell the truth. ”

Compared with the haggard Xu Hongbing, Ling Yunzhi was full of energy, and after coming out of FAW, he found a platform for him to display his talents in Zhonghua Group.

"Hydraulic 3AT should be achievable, I dare not guarantee the AT of electronic control technology, after all, hydraulics is a mature technology decades ago. ”

Hydraulic technology has been eliminated in foreign countries, and the AT transmission has long used electronic control technology, and the transmission is more scientific and smooth to control through the computer.

Xu Hongbing has a certain research on hydraulic technology, but in terms of electronic control, Chinese are basically a blank, and he is naturally no exception.

Originally, it was promising to make a prototype of hydraulic 3AT, but with the order of the state, the entire research group was disbanded on the spot, and the prototype could not be continued.

"Foreign manufacturers have used electronically controlled 6AT, but we can't get the antique hydraulic 3AT decades ago, so it's desperate to think about it. ”

With a wry smile on his face, Xu Hongbing said the most unacceptable thing for him.

"Okay! That's all you need. Hydraulic AT is also a breakthrough for our Chinese, and it is possible to further overcome electronic control by making hydraulics. Lao Xu, since you are not happy in your original position, just come to me, if you want someone to ask for money and money, you only have one task except to eat, drink, and sleep, that is, to make an AT transmission. Well, that's interesting enough, right? My old Ling never cheats old friends. ”

Han Hao gave himself the right to decide, so Ling Yunzhi immediately cashed out and used it. In his opinion, the hydraulic AT is also better than the MT, and it will be of great help to the Zhonghua Group if it is really made.

"Alas, the problem is that it is useless to make it, and it is in vain. Now the market is full of electronic control products, and hydraulic technology has been eliminated. Lao Ling, I'm old, I don't want to toss, and I plan to stay with peace of mind until retirement. ”

It seems that this AT treasury bond project has dealt a big blow to Xu Hongbing, and he has temporarily lost his self-confidence.

"Who said it's useless, you come up with it, our Zhonghua Group has a lot of products that can be assembled and used. Lao Xu, where people fall, they have to stand up, if you don't succeed here, it doesn't mean that the China Group will repeat the mistakes of the past. Are you willing to carry the reputation of defeat on your back and be a deserter who is defeated on the battlefield without a fight?"

Without saving face for the other party at all, Ling Yunzhi's words made Xu Hongbing's face hot. The term deserter is a label that any dignified person would reject, especially for an aspiring person like Xu Hongbing.

"There are some things that I don't say alone! Lao Ling, you have been in FAW for so many years, don't you know how small the power of the individual is compared to the organization? If I am a deserter, then I will first throw this hat back to wear to the adults in the capital, they are more qualified!"

In desperation, Xu Hongbing revealed his dissatisfaction with the termination of the project, but in fact he still hoped to continue. But there is really no hope for the national bond project, and he understands to a certain extent that the project was cut.

"I'll just say, where would San Lang Lao Xu give up so easily. While we still have the strength to walk, we must seize the tail of the years and work hard to contribute to China's automobile industry. Even if we fail, it will be a valuable asset for those who come after us. ”

"Alas, compared to you, my pattern is too low, and I always care about personal gains and losses. Listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten years, and it is really a word to wake up a dreamer. ”

Under Ling Yunzhi's personal persuasion, Xu Hongbing, who is the chief engineer of Jinqi Gear Factory, finally agreed to join the AT project team of Zhonghua Group and continue his unfinished AT business here.