San Diego, California. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Qin Lang is admiring Henry. A gift from Ford to him was a Ford Motor Company "Ford-A" car, the only product of Ford Motor Company at the moment - but not an ordinary product on the market. As a gift, this car is a special model crafted by the best workers of the factory, and there are only two in the world.

But Qin Lang didn't like this gift at all. Not because it was too rudimentary, but because it was the result of Mr. Ford's interference with the normal production procedures of the factory in order to satisfy his personal preferences, a false response to his warning.

A two-seater racing car with a four-cylinder, four-stroke "high-horsepower" gasoline engine...... Roadster.

An expensive toy that costs $800 to produce.

"A regular Ford-A car sells for only $180 on the market, but even this week can only sell ten. Ford's expensive gift to you is simply not going to sell. "Rachel is as snarky as ever.

"He didn't plan to sell it, he just wanted to use it for car racing." Qin Lang shook his head. Racing is a sport of power and beauty, but now is not the time to get involved in it, the company must first recoup all of its investment, but it is clear that Ford has not been able to get this into the right sense.

This was a big reason why he couldn't get along with any investor in the early days of Ford's auto business, and why his first auto factory didn't last long.

It's a shame – Ford was a business and management genius.

"What are you going to do with this?" Rachel asked.

"I'm looking for the better." Qin Lang shrugged. At this time, it is not yet possible to break with Ford, and it is necessary to rely on his intelligence, although one day it will sweep him aside.

"You know," he added, "it's so hard to find a qualified car designer these days, and it's even harder to find a car designer who knows how to build engines." ”

"So you decided to tolerate his mistakes?"

"I said it, I'm thinking about the bright side."

"So, what is the outcome of your consideration?" Rachel wondered.

"A new product." To put it simply, since Ford made a sports car, the company added a sports car to its catalog – and of course it had to be improved, and while there were plenty of convertible models in the car, no one would like it if they didn't even have doors or a windshield. "An open-top two-seater." Qin Lang made a gesture, "That's it." ”

Rachel looked at him very seriously, as if trying to see if he was joking, but she was eventually disappointed. "Are you sure there will be enough people to sell this kind of thing...... A convertible two-seater? ”

She felt that this was rather unrealistic: the sales of the Ford-A were bad enough. Apparently the American people were not ready for a new type of transportation, and newspapers and magazines were full of ridicule, criticism, and distrust of cars, and the vast majority of people refused to buy cars, and some customers who did use them as horse-drawn carriages. Launching a new car at such a time, where is the market for it?

Rachel now felt that she should actually oppose Qin Lang's idea of building a car factory—and when he proposed it, she didn't, because at the time she was deluded by the heavy truck, which was comfortable, fast, and capable of carrying many things, and thought that Ford was supposed to be developing something the same or similar, but in fact this perception was ridiculously wrong.

But Qin Lang definitely knew this, and as a result, he didn't say anything.

"On the issue of cars, I was misled by you once, Qin." She complained, "This time ......"

"I thought you would love to see me make mistakes, Rachel." Qin Lang smiled, but the perceptive expression he showed made Rachel feel extremely uncomfortable. But she is also a stubborn and strong person, who only hesitated for a while before returning to normal. "Indeed, I want you to make a mistake and it would be better if I was watching from the sidelines, so have you given me a chance?"

"In fact, you've missed the opportunity."

Just now, when he decided to produce sports cars, Qin Lang realized that he had made a mistake: he had always used the car as a means of transportation, but the problem was that it was not a means of transportation yet. Now, the car is just a toy, a fresh toy for the entertainment of the adrenaline-minded and trendy upper-class aristocratic youth, so Ford Motor Company's marketing direction has deviated from the right trajectory from the beginning.

Therefore, the company's marketing direction should be adjusted, and production and new product development should also be adjusted.

"The company needs to reduce the production of the usual 'Ford-A' and focus on the production of roadsters, while the sales department needs to turn its attention to the adrenaline-seeking younger generation, while the product development department needs to increase its efforts to develop more powerful engines and new, faster sports cars – and of course styling and interior trim are equally important." Qin Lang continued to think for a while, and then said: "The company can appropriately participate in or organize some car competitions. ”

"It's very much to our Mr. Ford's liking," Rachel said in a tone that wasn't just sarcastic, "but do you really think anyone would buy a toy that costs eight hundred dollars?" ”

"Two points." Qin Lang replied with a smile while holding up a finger, "First, if you don't have to process it as carefully as this gift and put it into mass production, the cost can be greatly reduced, and second," he raised his second finger, "Young and rich boys don't mind how much money they spend on a toy, and this toy is not only fast enough for them to show off, but also allows them to take their female companions for a ride." ”

Rachel said no more. She knew the young, rich, self-righteous fools who could do anything to show off themselves and please women, so it was so easy to rip out hundreds or even thousands of dollars from them that it would take little effort - except that this would be the future of the car companies?

It seems too stupid.

But Qin Lang never had such an idea, he just adjusted the company's business expansion steps, and completely reversed the initial order: first, it was a fashion sports car for the young generation of wealthy aristocrats; Then, when the more powerful engine was born, a luxury car for the upper class was developed; Finally, there is the cheap and popular Volkswagen. He had wanted to repeat Ford's success with the famous Model T, but now, he wasn't going to do it.

After all, it is 1897 and not 1914, and it is difficult to repeat the success story in a different environment: from a purely technical point of view, the Model A cars being produced today are completely different from the historical Model T, which is more advanced and practical, but the automobile industry today is not yet able to make a similar product.

So it's more appropriate to take a different approach.

Qin Lang's eyes narrowed, but then they opened them completely, and he turned around: O'Connor was walking over, followed by Desmond. Harrington and Claude, then he also saw Browning and Novotny, and finally, Elizabeth and her father also appeared.

"Let's see what you got a gift." O'Connor explained, and then made a comment: "But it looks like it's really very rudimentary, and it's ...... you."

He almost said "your heavy truck". But at the last minute, O'Connor swallowed the words back into his stomach and said again: "It's the same car you saw at Ford's house, except it's more sophisticated." ”

"Your Royal Highness, if you also order a gift in my jewelry store for eight hundred dollars, you will find that it is more exquisite than this one." Henry. Daubers wasted no time in soliciting business for his jewelry store, but no one paid attention to him. The old man was now the most discredited man in San Diego's high society, for he was always trying to belittle other people's jewelry and promote his own products that were in fact even more tasteless, and if it weren't for the fact that Qin Lang and Rachel were important figures, and Elizabeth was popular, he would have been kicked out of San Diego's high society long ago - and fatally, he pretended not to be aware of it.

So, even Claude, Browning and Novotny were reluctant to stay with him. They quickly distanced themselves from Daubers, and then began to carefully observe the car in front of them, occasionally reaching out to caress its shell and letting out a wave of admiration for the craftsmanship of the workmanship.

Of course, this kind of admiration is absolutely inappropriate. "If our factories could produce guns to the same level of craftsmanship...... "Gun designers always associate cars with firearms, despite the fact that cars are always associated with guns, but in a different way, and not with the manufacturing process."

But no one cares about their comments. Elizabeth was whispering to Rachel about topics that only they cared about, and O'Connor and Harrington were discussing the car itself with Qin Lang - but there were some differences. The lieutenant colonel was intrigued by how the car was driven and clearly expressed an urge to take the plunge, but O'Connor was more concerned with its use in the military field.

He has seen Qin Lang's truck, knows some of its performance and clearly realizes its great value in the military field, so do the cars produced by Ford also have such value?

"Can our mercenaries equip cars?"

"Of course there are no problems, but there is no practical tactical point." Qin Lang shrugged. If Ford were able to produce the Model T now, then he would find it have some tactical point, because the Model T can carry cargo, but now the Model A is a pure sedan, with low carrying capacity and no off-road ability, and even as a patrol car it has extremely limited value.

"Only when the technology develops further, when we can produce high-power engines, will car factories be able to produce light trucks that can carry cargo, and then mercenaries will be able to use it. And," he gestured, "it can also make combat weapons that can be put into battle." ”

"Throw it straight into battle?" Harrington thought it was incredible, even fantastic—would such a four-wheeled vehicle still be able to function on a battlefield with complex and rugged terrain? Moreover, as a rule of thumb, mechanical products are always prone to breakdowns - the lieutenant colonel felt that only two-legged infantry and four-legged military horses could be trusted.

His opinion is the unanimous opinion of almost all soldiers in this era, and it is also Qin Lang's opinion. Although he knew that tanks and armored vehicles were the way of the future, and although he could indeed facilitate their early creation, he did not intend to do so.

He didn't want to put immature heavy equipment on the battlefield, which was nothing for the country, but a disaster for a commercial mercenary army, which would greatly increase the cost of the mission. Of course, he can also sell armored vehicles to the US Army, but considering his current position, this idea is too early to appear and is still out of place.

Moreover, if the trajectory of history has not changed much, now there are still 17 years before the outbreak of the world war in 1914, and 20 years before the United States entered the war in 1917, he still has plenty of time to improve his position, while waiting for the gradual development of the various subsystems used by armored vehicles and tanks, and watching them become mature and reliable little by little...... Although not reliable enough, by that time they had developed enough for him to have that idea.

By then, more than a decade later.

As for now, Qin Lang only needs trucks, which can make the mercenaries move faster, provide logistics faster, and of course, allow him to finally start building Area 51 in full.

All he needs is a truck. Although he did mention "weapons of war...... Machine gun trucks that are not armored but armed with machine guns are also combat weapons, and armored trucks with a small amount of armor and machine guns are also combat weapons, which are sufficient for the tasks performed by mercenaries.

Of course, all this is premised on Ford being able to come up with an engine with enough horsepower for a truck.

Hope is in him......

"Boss, Mr. Ford's telegram."

Qin Lang looked at his secretary and was a little surprised: as soon as he thought of Ford, she brought Ford's telegram. At the same time, another question is, dear Mr. Ford has just sent a gift, why did he immediately send another telegram?

With a hint of doubt, he turned on the telegram and began to read it. Immediately, he began to smile.

"Qin, what did you say in the telegram?" O'Connor asked curiously.

"Two pieces of good news."

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Note: Armed trucks with armor and machine guns temporarily converted from trucks can actually be counted as armored vehicles, especially in the early days of the birth of armored vehicles (to be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )