Although Legacy means inheritance and bequest in English, it was actually introduced to Huaxia later, translated as Legis.

But this is a later story, and Shirakawa Kaede hasn't thought of this at this time.

"Now that the new model has been decided, what is the difference between the neon version sold in Japan and overseas?"

New cars are sold in different countries, and most of them will have some subtle differences, which is normal operation.

Regarding this point, Nakamura Takao and they have also thought about it for a long time, "Legacy, we are going to release the standard version in Neon, and add a travel version in addition to the standard version in North America. ”

Because of different regions and different cultures, the people of Neon and Beimi also have obvious differences in the choice of car preferences.

The biggest difference is the displacement, in the past, neon here was full of light cars under 600cc, but in the north meters below 1600cc is estimated that no one looks at it.

Neon has a narrow area, a large population in large cities, and a lack of resources, so light vehicles are more popular.

But North Mi is just the opposite, the vast territory and the rice soldiers who are ready to grab oil at any time have created an application market for large-displacement models.

However, because Subaru is a high-end luxury model, the displacement of Legacy is basically above 1800cc in order to ensure power at the beginning of the design.

Converted to 1.8L, this power is not neon, even in North Mi is not a void.

coincided with the boom in the neon domestic auto market during the bubble period, and at this time, people rarely considered fuel consumption when buying a car.

86 years ago, light vehicles accounted for 37.5% of the demand in the neon car market, but now that share has dropped to less than 10%.

On the other hand, the market share of luxury models with a displacement of around 2000cc began to rise significantly.

This is also the reason why Nakamura and they dared to design the Legacy series models, in the final analysis, because there is a market and demand.

After hearing Takao Nakamura say that there will be two versions on sale, and there is a difference between domestic and foreign travel versions, Shirakawa Kaede feels that there is no need for this.

"In the future, you can also try to release the travel version in Neon, and the minimum displacement should be more than 2000cc, and it is best if you can reach 3000cc.

Don't underestimate the demand for the market outside of Tokyo, but Tokyo has the fewest neon cars per capita. ”

As soon as Shirakawa Kaede's words fell, everyone laughed, this was not a joke, but a fact.

Last year, according to the Ministry of Transport's "Japan Automated Vehicle Inspection Registration Information" statistical report, which covers 1,741 municipalities nationwide, household car ownership data.

Isn't it surprising that the bottom 10 of the rankings are all members of Tokyo's 23 wards, and that the most developed areas have the least number of cars?

However, it's not surprising when you think about it, after all, public transportation in Tokyo is very well-developed.

Because of the crowding and the fact that car fuel, parking fees, and various taxes and fees are not cost-effective, everyone is more accustomed to taking the tram and subway.

It is also the reason for the advent of the bubble in the past two years, and the number of people driving has gradually increased.

Even so, Tokyo still has the lowest number of cars per capita, and the most are in remote areas.

For example, Fukushima on the coast, Gunma and Akita, which have many mountains and hills, are all in the top 10 of the statistical table.

The reason why families own more cars in these places is also related to public transportation. Due to the terrain constraints, the railway network and other main lines are very scarce.

People in Tohoku, Kyushu and other places can only rely on cars when they travel. Therefore, the number of cars per capita in remote areas is much higher than in Tokyo.

This is where Kaede Shirakawa wants to release a travel version of Neon as well, and he is targeting the area around Neon.

In the past, people might have hesitated to buy a luxury car like the Legacy, but at least it will not be the threshold for a few years.

After a little consideration, Nakamura Takao they also agreed with this opinion, first use the ordinary version to test the water, the market feedback is good, then add the travel version.

However, this is only a short-term plan, a contingency measure to improve Subaru's financial problems.

If you want to cure the root cause, you can't just sell a new car.

"Then Nakamura-san, the Legacy series will be handed over to you. Other than these, are there any other development plans for Subaru? ”

"We are ready to add another SVX model to the ALCYONE platform.

It is an upgraded version of the former, and it is still aimed at the wealthy class in Neon China. ”

If the Legacy series is a mid-size luxury car with a focus on handling and space, then the Alcyone SVX is a sci-fi supercoupe.

The two face different customer groups, and the former pays more attention to practicality and performance.

The latter may be preferred by young people, just looking at the concept art, Shirakawa Kaede feels that its appearance is very flamboyant.

"The Alcyone SVX went ahead with the plan, but in addition to launching a new model, Subaru had to change its marketing strategy."

Shirakawa Kaede's simple words lifted everyone's spirits in the conference room.

They knew that this Shirakawa-san was going to have major surgery on Subaru.

"In the past, Fuji Heavy Industries, which is now Subaru, paid too much attention to the words horizontal opposition and full-time four-wheel drive."

Seeing Nakamura Takao's face suddenly became heavy, Shirakawa Kaede hurriedly smiled and waved his hand.

"Of course, this is not a criticism, Subaru has its own unique technology, and that's a good thing.

Your achievements have also become the business card of Subaru to the world today. ”

Shirakawa Kaede's face was slightly relieved when he said this, but they knew that this was not the point.

"However, from the perspective of the whole company, the market is the first thing to consider.

Only with enough market and enough sales will Subaru grow healthily. ”

Sure enough, in the end, it's still profitable.

Although Nakamura Takao understands them, as a science and engineering man, this is still a little incompatible with their philosophy.

"So in order to solve Subaru's similar problems in the long run, we may also need to lower our profile in terms of management."

In the past, Fuji Heavy Industries paid too much attention to the so-called safety, four-wheel drive, and horizontal reversal, and gradually went further and further on this niche road.

It is true that there is a craftsman spirit in making cars, but this is not in line with Shirakawa Kaede's identity as a capitalist, he just wants to maximize profits.

The niche Subaru may become the belief of some fans, but the Subaru that is so high above is destined not to explode.

Therefore, Shirakawa Kaede said that he should lower his posture and start to take the people-friendly route.

"There is no doubt that the Subaru brand has taken root in the hearts of the people, and the previous series of models has established its popularity and the image it has in people.

So I decided that in the passenger car market, Subaru would do brand grading. ”

"Brand rating?" Takao Nakamura subconsciously asked.

"That's right, brand rating." Shirakawa Kaede nodded in affirmation of everyone's thoughts.

"Subaru retains the brand, it still focuses on the mid-to-high-end market, and only makes mid-to-high-end models.

Your attainments in horizontally opposed, full-time four-wheel drive can be released on Subaru models in the future.

Of course, we need a more people-friendly brand for the corresponding, and Subaru has the advantages that it doesn't need.

Two-wheel drive, fuel economy, and cost performance are the first design elements we need to consider.

This people-friendly brand may be called SIKADE. ”

SIKADE, these letters are the abbreviation of the romanization of Shirakawa Kaede's name.

Originally, he wanted to use the romanization instead, but although Japanese is quite accustomed to reading, English is a bit awkward.

Therefore, in order to increase fluency and facilitate communication in the future, the abbreviation was simply changed.

"SIKADE will operate as a separate brand, and not only that, but we will also register related companies.

However, considering the current situation, SIKADE will be attached to Subaru first, and then segment it after it officially launches its own model in the future. ”

To put it bluntly, it is to establish a new brand first and take the route of being close to the people, while Subaru is still positioned in the high-end market.

As for the two-wheel drive technology that SIKADE (Shirakawa Automobile) will go on in the future, Shirakawa Kaede is not very worried.

Because Subaru did not use a four-wheel drive system at the beginning of the first few models.

It also slowly transitioned from two-wheel drive, so the accumulation of two-wheel drive technology is still retained by Subaru.

But after all, it has been out of generation for a few years, and at this time I will pick up the two-wheel drive technology.

"Shirakawa-san, Fuji Heavy Industries has not tried the people-friendly two-wheel drive car before, but the effect is not very ideal."

Nakamura Takao said it more tactfully, but the meaning is clear.

The reason why Subaru is taking the current route is not because it wants to, but because of the market's choice.

For those more economical two-wheel drive cars, why don't people choose Toyota, Nissan, Honda, which are more well-known car manufacturers, and choose a Shirakawa car with no roots?

Of course, Shirakawa Kaede understands this, but the place where he plans to promote the SIKADE brand is not neon.

"Nakamura-san, SIKADE will not be listed on Neon in the next three years, or Neon is not its main battlefield."

"Huh?" Everyone was confused, didn't they say that they would deepen the neon market?

"SIKADE, a model that takes the cost-effective route, I want to put its first stop in Huaxia."

"Huaxia?" Everyone subconsciously exclaimed, in the current era, it is not an ideal market for cars.

"I know that people think that Huaxia is not the main force in the automobile consumer market now, but we are investing in the future.

As a brand new brand, whether it's neon or overseas, it's hard to get recognized.

In that case, why don't we go to a completely new market, where there is almost no market related to automobiles, and it is just right for SIKADE to take root.

If we set up a joint venture car plant there, SIKADE will be the first Japanese car to enter China. ”

Yes, that's right, Shirakawa Kaede has always dared to be the first in the world.

Although nominally Toyota and Nissan entered China in the 70s. But that's mostly a dealership-style partnership, with the occasional technical support or two.

None of the Japanese automakers have invested in the real joint venture OEMs.

In addition to Volkswagen and Jeep, there seems to be no other brand with an OEM in the Celestial Empire at this time.

But if Shirakawa Motors goes, it will be the third joint venture and the first in the Japanese system.

Although the market of the Celestial Empire is limited, at least Shirakawa Automobile is not worried about its popularity.

No matter how bad it is, you can also hang out the Subaru sign and attract a wave of attention.

Moreover, Shirakawa Kaede is going the opposite way, directly developing the SIKADE brand in the Celestial Empire first, and then considering feeding back neon or overseas.

"Subaru's previous two-wheel drive models, the Subaru 1000, FF-1, R-2, and even the current LEONE series could be improved.

It was then transformed into the two-wheel drive model of Shirakawa Automobile and introduced to Huaxia. Their design concept is just like what I just said, cheap, fuel-efficient, and cost-effective as the first element. ”

Subaru has two-wheel drive technology, and what needs to be done now is to carry out technical iteration and local design of the Celestial Empire.

(End of chapter)