The world's first automobile was born on September 5, 1885.

The car was tossed by the German inventor Carl Benz, the originator of Mercedes-Benz cars.

The car was actually a three-wheeled vehicle with a 0.785L, 0.85 horsepower horizontal single-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engine that could reach a top speed of 10 miles per hour.

Benz's car design was already very advanced at the time.

It uses lightweight materials such as aluminum, magnesium, and steel to minimize the weight of the vehicle.

It is also equipped with advanced equipment such as steering wheel, brakes, and exhaust system to make it easier for the driver to control the car.

Even this tricycle already has some of the characteristics of a modern car, spark ignition, steel tube frame, water-cooled cycle, rear-wheel drive, leaf spring suspension, front-wheel steering, etc.

But the performance of this car is average, imperfect, slow, poor loading capacity, insufficient climbing ability, and high failure rate.

The advent of automobiles has been around for more than a hundred years.

More than a hundred years have passed, and the car has changed very much.

Correspondingly, its development process, after more than 100 years of development, has also been very perfect.

Today's major global automakers, whether it's General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen and Toyota, have their own development processes.

But if you study it carefully, you will find that in fact, the ideas and processes of each car company to develop a new car are very similar.

Although the process of new models of different automobile companies is not exactly the same, it basically includes five stages: market research stage, concept design stage, engineering design stage, prototype testing stage and mass production stage.

In the market research stage, the main thing is to determine the model positioning.

Is your target model a scooter in the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of intermediate cars, whether the style is home or sports, and whether the target crowd is urban white-collar workers or rich and handsome......

This will affect the development of the model.

At this stage, it is also necessary to study the main competitors who are also positioned.

You need to forecast your sales and set profit margins and cost targets.

After all, the development of a model can cost as little as hundreds of millions and as much as billions of funds.

If it weren't for the market positioning, maybe it would have been cool at that time.

For Xingchen Automobile, although there is also a stage at this stage, basically Cao Yang alone gave it down.

To talk about science, it is certainly unscientific.

But what the boss says, everyone can only do what they do.

Today's Xingchen Automobile has entered the concept car design stage.

The concept is mainly divided into three stages: general layout, modeling design and production of clay model.

According to the positioning of the model, to determine the style of the appearance of the vehicle.

At this time, the normal situation is that the designers of each company are going to play.

The designer started from various sketch designs in the early stage, to the production of small clay models, and finally made a 1:1 clay model.

In the middle, the big leaders of the model team are constantly invited to review.

After passing the review, it is natural to start the development step by step.

This stage is the stage of Cao Yang's magnification moves.

"Mr. Cao, this ......"

"Is this really the exterior design for our Star 1?"

Huan Yongxiang can be regarded as well-informed.

As the vice president in charge of R&D, his main job during this period is actually to build the R&D team.

Now Cao Yang suddenly came over and told him that the exterior drawings of the new model had come out, which directly made people skip the stage of making small-scale clay models and began to prepare to make 1:1 clay models.

This operation made him feel a little confused.

The most critical thing in front of him made him a little confused.

Or a special surprise.

"How?"

"This car is eye-catching, isn't it?"

Cao Yang had already thought in his heart that he would regard the appearance of the Porsche Paramela in the future as the appearance of the first model of Xingchen Automobile.

If the classic look was unveiled in 2005, it would be absolutely stunning enough.

It's not surprising that there are even some awards.

"The body lines are rounded and smooth, without any edges and corners, and it is full of muscles."

"It looks like the car has a normal four-door design, with a large air intake on each side of the front face, and horizontal strip fog lamps running through it, giving it a unique shape."

"The side line is handled simply and softly, which is both elegant and dynamic."

"The huge five-spoke wheels and powerful yellow brake calipers hint at a sporty potential."

"The hatchback styling combined with a flat roofline also creates plenty of headroom."

"The roof and rear are connected by a smooth curve, complemented by a well-spaced rear window, while the rear is minimized with unnecessary frills."

"Mr. Cao, I look a little bit of a Porsche in this car?"

"It's quite different from the style of the BMW 7 Series."

Huan Yongxiang is worthy of being a professional, and it can be seen at a glance that this model has the taste of Porsche.

"The smell of Porsche?"

Cao Yang pretended to be innocent and said, "When you say this, it seems that this is really the case." When I was designing, I looked at the classic exterior styling of many car companies around the world, including Porsche's 911. ”

"Porsche has a fixed logic for the shape of the vehicle."

"For example, the front fenders on both sides of the individual models rise slightly above the hood and are connected in a smooth curve."

"The air intakes on the front of the car are concentrated below the center line."

"The sides of the car have a sleek waistline, and the side windows are slightly narrower than the waistline."

"However, Mr. Cao, the appearance you designed has the flavor of Porsche, which is actually a good thing."

"This is a better match for the positioning of our luxury cars."

"I even think this car is better looking and cooler than any of Porsche's cars right now."

"This high-end and atmospheric coupe style, equipped with our 3.0T twin-turbo engine and 8AT automatic transmission, I think the performance in all aspects will not be worse than the average sports car."

"There can even be a version equipped with a 6MT manual gearbox, giving some consumers who want to experience handling more options."

At this time, Yongxiang is more confident in the future of Xingchen Automobile.

In Huaxia, whether a car sells well or not, appearance is too important.

Obviously, this appearance in front of you is definitely very attractive.

It can even be said that there is any model on the market.

Relying on this alone, Wan Yongxiang felt that he could help Xingchen Automobile contribute 1,000 sales.

"Since Mr. Rao also thinks this appearance is good, then quickly arrange for someone to make a 1:1 clay model."

"Then arrange the designer as soon as possible to move the project forward."

"It's already September, and if our design can't be completed by January next year, it won't be in time to start production by the end of next year."

"It's a pity that such a good product is not given to consumers sooner."

Now that he has begun to enter the car-making industry, Cao Yang naturally hopes to launch new models as soon as possible.

He also wants to verify it and see if his positioning for Xingchen Automobile can be successfully realized.

Don't look at the fact that he already has a lot of ideas in his heart, but Xingchen Automobile's positioning is so high-end, whether it will be recognized or not, he has some confidence in his heart.

Sometimes, the influence of a brand logo is too great.

If you look at the various models pushed out by Zhonghua Automobile in the back, some of them are imitations of BMW, but what?

Let's take a look at some Volkswagen models, which are obviously developed on similar platforms to Porsche and Audi, but the logos are different, and the prices are very different.

Even in the later stage of development, some models of Volkswagen and Audi, except for the appearance and parts that can be seen by the naked eye, other chassis and bodies are exactly the same, and they are produced on the same production line and using the same suppliers.

But the price is much worse.

The influence of the brand Xingchen Automobile is obviously very weak now.

There is still a lot of work waiting for Cao Yang to do.

"I'll arrange it right away!"

"With such a clear appearance drawing, the clay model can be made very quickly!"

Huan Yongxiang is looking forward to what big repercussions it will bring to everyone when such a coupe with amazing appearance and amazing power is launched on the market.

rushed to this car, and he felt that he had jumped to Xingchen Automobile, and it was worth it!

……

The clay model is a car body model sculpted with clay in modern body design, and basically every car company designs a new car, and there is a stage of making clay model.

Of course, the design of the car is not always made of clay models.

Early car body models were mostly made of plaster and wood panels.

It's just that the wooden model is characterized by small deformation, which is more troublesome to process, even if it is not easy to be damaged and can be stored for a long time, it does not meet the requirements of the designer.

Although gypsum is relatively cheap, it has low strength and is not convenient for repeated modifications, so there is certainly no way to meet the requirements of designers.

In 1955, Dongying people used industrial clay for the first time to design and develop automobile models, which was regarded as a latecomer and opened up a design method that was loved by all car company designers.

The clay used in the body styling is similar to the general plasticine, but the requirements will be higher.

The main components of oil sludge are talcum powder 62%, petroleum jelly 30%, and industrial wax 8%.

Car stylists apply it to a wooden skeleton and use tools such as scrapers and scrapers to shape it.

Finally, the shape of the car is sculpted according to a certain proportion.

Xingchen 1 already has a clear shape of the vehicle, and the speed of making the clay model must be very fast.

Cao Yang personally took a few stylists and spent a week to get the 1:1 clay model done.

"Mr. Cao, this is the coolest 1:1 clay model I've ever seen, but this clay model, if it is sold in the international market, I'm afraid many car companies are willing to spend tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of dollars to buy."

"As a stylist, I always have all sorts of fantasies."

But can fantasy be logical? Can it be logical? I've always had doubts. ”

"But Mr. Cao, the shape you designed makes me firmly believe that the more imaginative the initial fantasy, the more amazing the final result is often the same."

Zhang Feifan is a stylist recruited by Xingchen Automobile from the Pan Asia Design Center.

Although it is not yet well-known on the world stage, it is also a relatively powerful existence in Pan Asia.

He has participated in the exterior design of several models of Modu GM, especially in the production of clay models, and he seems very professional.

This kind of tool man is exactly what Cao Yang needs very much.

"We are like a layman who broke into the automobile industry, if there is no amazing performance, then it will be unknown to everyone, and no one can remember Xingchen Automobile."

"Therefore, the shape of Xingchen No. 1 must be stunning enough, attractive enough, and eye-catching enough."

"Now it seems that the cosmetic goal has been largely achieved."

"We can give the interior styling as soon as possible, and then we can arrange for people to start the engineering design stage."

In the first two stages of the development of the new model, with Cao Yang's "efforts", it can be quickly advanced without worrying about the design effect.

But when it comes to the engineering design stage, Cao Yang can't do it all alone.

At this stage, each designer needs to base the initial vehicle goals of the vehicle, such as cost, weight, performance targets, safety, acceleration, braking distance, and other requirements.

Implement these requirements into every system, every part.

The design leaders in several fields such as powertrain, chassis, body, interior, exterior, and electrical appliances need to bring back their respective mission goals, and then take engineers to develop each part.

After a version of the initial design, after several rounds of design review, various simulations are carried out on CATIA and other software, and the final product can be officially molded to make parts.

It doesn't seem to be particularly complicated, but the most important thing about the quality of a car is determined at this stage.

When domestic consumers talk about car design, they often think of the design of the car appearance and clay model.

I can't say that there is a problem with this statement, but it is certainly very one-sided.

The design of a car may be very important in terms of appearance, but it is very mysterious, it may be done quickly, it may just be important but it is not difficult or complicated.

However, the specific design of each system and each part is a test of the OEM's heritage.

Why do domestic independent brands have the title of "tape measure department" in the design department in the early stage of development?

It's because people don't understand design, so they can only copy it from others.

Disassemble one part by one, and then turn the physical object into a drawing, and then use this drawing to guide the supplier to produce the part, and the so-called design work is completed.

In this case, the designer knows the car but does not know why.

It's easy to have all sorts of problems.

After all, if you disassemble and develop other people's cars, the appearance of the parts can be made.

But you can't see the specific material requirements, process requirements, and testing requirements of each part.

Parts with the same appearance, maybe you use different materials and processes, and the performance of the parts is very different.

In this regard, Cao Yang can help with key parts, but it is impossible to personally participate in every part.

Otherwise, it is estimated that someone will be pulled to slice and study.

……

"Mr. Cao, after visiting the clay model of Xingchen No. 1 today, I feel that the confidence of the new model team has come up at once."

"A lot of people have a lot of smiles on their faces."

Cao Yang had a busy day, and when he was free from eating, he slumped on the boss's chair and tasted the black tea brought by Mi Ying.

"There's no way, when everyone in China looks at cars, what they care about most is their appearance."

"Only when the appearance is in place, will other things be considered."

Cao Yang couldn't help but complain.

It's not that appearance is not important, but many consumers in Huaxia completely ignore performance because of their appearance.

That's a bit of a mess.

Although Xingchen Automobile can handle the appearance part, but in terms of performance, he also hopes that everyone can pay attention to it.

Don't only pay attention to your performance when your peers don't care.

That's embarrassing.

There is no way to give full play to the advantages of Xingchen Automobile.

"This is also normal, if the appearance is not in place, who will consider other things?"

"It's the same as men looking at women, and women looking at men, it starts with appearance, and then there are other things."

"The so-called love at first sight is actually the intention at sight."

"It's the same with buying a car, the model that falls in love at first sight, isn't it just the appearance of other people."

Mi Ying has been with Cao Yang for a long time, and she knows the character of her boss better.

In the absence of outsiders, it naturally doesn't matter if you're joking or something.

Besides, she is also keenly aware of some recent changes in her boss, and she will have some other thoughts in her heart.

"You're right, as a new entrant, if you can't even look amazing, then there's no point in talking about anything else."

"If we want to make high-end models and gain consumer recognition, we must be ahead of competitors in all aspects to have any hope of success."

Cao Yang couldn't help but sigh.

The high-end route, it's too difficult to walk.

In particular, Huaxia's own brands give people the impression that they are low-end bargains.

Now Xingchen Automobile wants to do the opposite, and the difficulty can be imagined.

"Mr. Cao, in fact, according to the preliminary estimate of the Finance Department, the production cost of our Xingchen No. 1 can actually be controlled within 200,000."

"If the price is set at less than 300,000 yuan, it is not hopeless."

"After all, in this price range, there is really no model that can compare to us."

Mi Ying tried to come up with her own suggestion.

She knew that Cao Yang planned to sell Xingchen No. 1 to the level of 500,000, or even more expensive.

But she felt that it seemed a bit expensive.

"300,000 is actually very embarrassing."

"This level of models, now not to talk about luxury cars, our Xingchen No. 1 configuration is so high, just sell at this price, after all, it is still a kind of relying on configuration stacking to compete with other manufacturers, there is no sense of luxury at all."

In later generations, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi have all launched models within 300,000.

But now in Huaxia, a car of 300,000 yuan is really not a luxury car.

You must know that in the first two years, a mid-level car like the Accord will be sold for 300,000 yuan.

Of course, if you look at the problem from a different angle, you may feel that the 300,000 cars of this era are already very luxurious.

After all, that's the price of a house.

"Mr. Cao, there is obviously an easier path to take, why do you choose a path full of challenges?"

In Mi Ying's view, if Xingchen Automobile is the same as BYD, then it will definitely be easy to succeed.

It is not impossible to become the car company with the highest sales volume in China in a few years.

But the road we are taking now is destined to be bumpy.

High-end models, but they care very much about brand power.

A car logo will cost you hundreds of thousands.

"The ordinary road has already been walked, and if we go again, it doesn't make much sense."

"So I'm going to take a different path from everyone else."

"Although this road is difficult, after walking through, the front suddenly opens up, and it is more full of imagination."

"At that time, our models give a high-end impression, but our cost control is very good."

"Whether you continue to produce high-end models or start to enter the mid-range models, you can stir up the storm in the market."

When he said this, Cao Yang inexplicably thought of Tesla.

This is a special car company, although it is only shining in the new energy era.

But at the beginning, people took the high-end route and produced supercars.

The height of the brand was there, and it slowly produced some models with relatively affordable prices.

The end result, everyone has seen.

Although Xingchen Automobile cannot completely copy the development path of others, some ideas can obviously be used for reference.

If everyone can accept five or six hundred thousand Xingchen cars, then when two or three hundred thousand models are produced in the future, won't they sell like crazy?

"Mr. Cao, what you said seems to be very reasonable."

"But then you have a lot more pressure on you."

"Now the Internet is a decline in our Xingchen Automobile, and few people are optimistic."

"Especially about our positioning as a high-end model, it has been sprayed by many so-called experts and scholars."

"Do we want someone to guide public opinion on this?"

One of Mi Ying's daily jobs now is to browse the news on various automotive websites, especially those related to Nanshan Group and Xingchen Automobile.

In this way, Cao Yang can be reminded of some things in a timely manner, and it can also keep up with the pace of development of the automotive industry.

She positions herself as a secretary for life, obviously not a lifelong secretary.

"No, it's still more than a year before our model goes into production."

"As long as there is a certain degree of topicality, it's fine."

"It doesn't matter if the discussion is good or bad."

"After all, black and red are also red."

Cao Yang spread his hands out, looking indifferent.

For the current Xingchen Automobile, the top priority is to draw the drawings of each part and design the parts.

Everything else can be waited.

Keep asking for a commuter pass

(End of chapter)