After listening to Nakamura Takao's report, Shirakawa Kaede probably already knows the problems that Subaru is facing now.

"Because the North rice market, which Subaru has relied on for a long time, has been hit hard, and other markets and the local market have been neglected to maintain it.

So now Subaru is facing a global sales crisis, and the factory's capacity is less than 40%? ”

Although the situation of "Hai" is ugly, Nakamura Takao also has to admit that this is the case.

"Tell me about your short-term plans." Shirakawa Kaede did not give his opinion directly, but was ready to listen to Subaru's own plans first.

Before buying Fuji Heavy Industries, he knew that some people within Fuji Heavy Industries had come up with short-term plans.

For example, the Nakamura-san in front of him, he advocates using the local neon market as a fulcrum to improve the operation of Fuji Heavy Industries in a short period of time.

It is precisely because of this plan of his that Shirakawa Kaede chose him as the current president of Subaru.

When the club is in trouble, we need a strong person with a clear goal to lead everyone forward.

Hearing Shirakawa Kaede's words at this moment, Nakamura Takao also sat up straight and began to elaborate on his short-term reform plan.

"Because the situation in North America is related to the appreciation of the yen, and the appreciation of the yen is an uncontrollable factor.

Therefore, the contemptible suggestion is that instead of expecting the North Rice market to return to normal, it is better to deepen the local market of neon.

Although Fuji Heavy Industries initially shifted its main operating market to North America, it also has its own cooperative distributors in Subaru in Neon Local. ”

After all, it is a neon car company, even if it relies on the sales of North Rice, but before the 80s, Fuji Heavy Industries also invested a lot of resources in the local area.

Today, among the 43 prefectures of Neon, there are 48 dealers that cooperate with Subaru.

Among them, Subaru participated in 34 stores, which is also one of its current assets.

As a relatively niche car company, there are so many dealers, that is, 4S stores, which is actually not a few.

Therefore, Nakamura Takao believes that if these local resources are deeply cultivated, Subaru may not have the possibility of turning losses into profits.

"According to the market research we have done, the demand for mid-to-high-end models has increased significantly.

Nissan's CIMA luxury model is expected to sell more than 35,000 units this year, and Honda's third-generation coupe, the Prelude, is also being developed for this market, and this year it will sell more than 100,000 units.

Toyota is also rumored to be developing the Celsior luxury sedan, and Mazda's Cosmo is also rumored to be developing.

A series of actions made by these major car companies is the best proof of the market trend. ”

Now neon is at the peak of the bubble era, and people are not short of money at all.

As a result, luxury sedans, which used to cost more than 3 million yen, are now affordable for the general public.

Didn't you see the Nissan CIMA with a minimum allocation of 4.5 million yen and a high allocation of 5.6 million yen that is still sold in Neon?

Once everyone's desire to consume is aroused, this market frenzy will continue until the edifice collapses.

The actions of friends and the huge amount of money they have made on luxury models, how can Subaru not be impressed, especially at the critical juncture of the current business crisis.

"So what preparations has Subaru made now, and has it been developing for this market in advance?"

Neon's crazy Shirakawa Kaede at this time also has a personal feeling, and he personally agrees with Nakamura Takao who wants to enter the neon local luxury car market.

If you don't take advantage of these times to sell some high-profit luxury goods, you won't have such opportunities in the future.

Hearing Shirakawa Kaede ask about the specific plan, Nakamura Takao's eyes lit up.

It seems that Shirakawa-san is also inclined to this plan, and I have to say that this is good news for him.

"We also have our own luxury model program for the high-end market of neon, which is internally codenamed 44B.

This model has abandoned all of Subaru's previous design fundamentals and replaced it with a completely new platform.

In terms of styling, the 4BB is based on the current fashion, adopting a simple wedge-shaped body and a low waistline design.

At the same time, in order to highlight Subaru Industries' background in the aircraft industry, the A/B/C pillars have been as slender as possible while ensuring the rigidity of the body.

Moreover, the shell is designed in full color, emphasizing the sense of wholeness, trying to make the user feel like they are in the cockpit of the aircraft.

However, the 4BB is an internal codename, and we plan to call it the model that will be released to the public: Legacy. ”

Legacy, English means legacy, bequest. There is no doubt that the name carries a certain tragic connotation.

Prior to his tenure as president, Fuji Heavy Industries introduced a full responsibility system for the development director in response to the crisis.

At that time, Takao Nakamura, who was in charge of emergency response, was in charge of the planning department and was also in charge of the development of new models.

Named this car Legacy, I have to say that he is holding it, and this is Fuji Heavy Industries' determination to be the last model.

If Legacy fails, then there is a high probability that Fuji Heavy Industries will go bankrupt.

Although the entry of Shirakawa Holdings has now solved the crisis of Fuji Heavy Industries' bankruptcy, Takao Nakamura still retains the name.

Legacy (legacy, bequest), I have to say that Oufan is full of flavor.

It can also be understood as "a gift worthy of being passed on to future generations", and it can be regarded as the spirit of the Subaru brand.

“Legacy？” Shirakawa Kaede muttered, feeling okay.

The photo of this car is in front of Shirakawa Kaede, it is a prototype car made before, and the proportions are really harmonious just by looking at the shape.

As for Legacy, it is also very suitable as a name for luxury cars, and it can be used directly in North Mi.

"So where is Legacy now, and when is it expected to be available?"

It's better to make money early, and the bubble is not a few years away. If you don't take advantage of the last chance to make a profit, Subaru's problem will be more difficult to solve.

Hearing Shirakawa Kaede ask like this, not only Nakamura Takao, but even Kiyoshi Sugimoto, who has been in charge of technical explanations by his side, was overjoyed.

Why? Because Shirakawa Kaede asked like this, doesn't that mean that Legacy can be mass-produced?

Don't look at Takao Nakamura, they have already completed the design of the Legacy, but in fact, there is still a little disagreement within Fuji Heavy Industries about the previous model.

After all, it is a luxury model, and once the extremely high cost is put into production, the amount of money required is not small.

At that time, Fuji Heavy Industries was already facing a huge financial deficit, and if Legacy failed, it could indeed be devastated.

Therefore, although the car was designed, Fuji Heavy Industries has been arguing about whether to mass produce it.

But now listening to what Shirakawa Kaede means, it seems that this doesn't need to be considered at all?

With an expectant look on his face, Nakamura replied busily, "Legacy has already made three prototypes, and they are currently undergoing a 100,000-kilometer endurance test at the Arizona test center in the United States. ”

"When can I expect the verification to be completed?"

"Probably in November."

"If it goes on a large scale, when will the factory in Gunma Prefecture be able to deliver at the earliest?"

"In January and February next year," Nakamura replied fluently, obviously he had already considered these questions.

"January or February next year?" Shirakawa Kaede frowned slightly, if he remembered correctly, this was not a good time.

"Huh? Shirakawa-san: Do you have any other instructions? ”

Seeing Shirakawa Kaede frowning, Nakamura Takao and the technical team behind him became nervous again.

Could it be that there are twists and turns in the production of Legacy?

However, Shirakawa Kaede's reopening surprised and delighted them.

"Starting next month, Legacy's announcement can be moved in advance.

Horizontally opposed engine, full-time four-wheel drive, and extremely high safety design, these three points are the three-plate axe announced by Legacy.

Of course, there are not so many technical terms, and it is best to be concise and clear. As long as people are aware of Subaru's car, it is easy to drive, safe and luxurious.

The publicity is mainly neon first, followed by North Rice. The total publicity cost is set at 50 million US dollars, 20 million for neon, and 30 million overseas. ”

Shirakawa Kaede's series of words, Nakamura Takao who listened to them were shocked.

5,000 USD, 6 billion yen~! When did Subaru fight such a rich battle in terms of promotion?

In the past, if you could make an advertisement for tens of millions of yen on a neon TV station, it would already be a big battle.

20 million US dollars, 2.4 billion yen, Takao Nakamura They don't even know how to spend so much money.

"Shirakawa-san, isn't this publicity budget too high?" Although a lot of money is a good thing, but in a responsible attitude, Nakamura Takao still secretly reminded him.

Shirakawa Kaede smiled indifferently at his caution, "Nakamura-san, if Subaru wants to become a popular brand, it is far from enough to just study the design.

If you want to change the fate of Subaru's minority, publicity is also the top priority. Don't worry about that.

In the follow-up promotion of Legacy, Shirakawa Holdings will deploy a special publicity team here to support the promotion of Subaru. ”

In this regard, Shirakawa Holdings is an expert, and the advertisements of so many of its clubs have not been done in vain over the years, and there are relevant talents.

"But instead of worrying about the excessive cost of publicity, Nakamura-san is still concerned about the next issue."

"Huh?" Nakamura Tadao looked puzzled.

"Legacy's release is not scheduled for January or February next year, we will bring it forward to early December this year."

Why did Kaede Shirakawa want to release earlier? Because if he remembers correctly, Akihito's Laozi was going to see his Amaterasu at that time.

According to the tradition of small days, in terms of entertainment and advertising at that time, the neon government will most likely make relatively large restrictions.

So in order to avoid this pitfall, Shirakawa Kaede decided to bring forward the release date of Legacy.

However, two months earlier than the original plan to go public, the pressure came to Nakamura Takao.

"Shirakawa-san, can you take the liberty of asking why Legacy is ahead of schedule?"

This is also where everyone here at Subaru is confused, I haven't heard of a competitor releasing a similar model at the same time.

"As far as I know, the one in the palace may not be in a good situation, as Nissan's advertising suffered from some time ago."

As soon as Bai Chuanfeng explained this, everyone showed a sudden expression.

It is a well-known fact that the body of the Licking Emperor is not good, and Nissan has created a joyful atmosphere on TV in order to advertise its own cars.

As a result, the news of the worsening of the Licking Emperor's condition happened to come, so Nissan's advertisement was stopped before it was released for two days.

With this experience, everyone understands why Shirakawa Kaede wants to release Legacy early.

If Subaru's Legacy goes on sale, it just hits into this thing. Whether there is an impact is not known, but certainly not a good sign.

So for the early release, Nakamura Takao and they thought about it for a while and nodded and agreed.

"In that case, we don't have to wait for the results of the Arizona test, and the factory in Gunma has started to prepare materials in advance and commission the production line."

For the design of his own department, Nakamura Takao is still a little confident, and there is absolutely no problem in terms of reliability.

Moreover, one of the three test cars has completed the test, with an average speed of 223.345km/h and no problem at all for 100,000 km/h.

This is Subaru's housekeeping skill, and at this point, the technical team has endorsed Nakamura's decision.

However, Legacy is only a short-term plan for Subaru, and if you want to reform it, you can't do it without making a big move.

(End of chapter)