Nanshan Gearbox is the largest gearbox enterprise in China.

Even if it is placed in the world, it can be regarded as a top-ranked existence.

However, up to now, Nanshan gearbox products are supplied to passenger cars, and no products have been supplied to heavy trucks.

Even now, Nanshan Transmission has not yet started to develop gearboxes for heavy trucks.

Now that Nanshan Group and Yangcheng Automobile have established a joint venture Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd., it is natural to start thinking about the gearbox.

"Mr. Cao, AMT is the absolute mainstream of automatic transmissions on trucks, such as Volvo's I-Shift, Mercedes-Benz's PowerShift, and ZF's new generation of automatic transmissions."

"Even though it's an automatic transmission, we're used to distinguishing the AMT from a regular automatic transmission."

"Mechanically, the AMT is the same as the manual transmission, except that it replaces the manual shift with an electric control system."

"Large trucks have a lot of horsepower, a lot of engine torque, and a big shift impact, so there are a lot of gears, generally a dozen gears or more."

"If you use a CVT gearbox, the CVT gearbox can't handle that much torque at all."

"But if you change to an AT gearbox, it's not realistic, after all, there are more than ten or twenty gears, not only is it troublesome to change gears, but the design is also a big problem."

"As for manual transmission, it is too cumbersome to operate with so many gears, and it is unrealistic."

"So most of the trucks are currently using AMT transmissions."

After Ji Hua came to Cao Yang's office, he briefly understood Cao Yang's purpose, and began to introduce him to the matter of truck gearbox.

Obviously, gearboxes in this area are completely different from passenger cars.

More than a dozen gears, even the most advanced 10AT of Nanshan engine, is only 10 gears, and it is still under development.

There are more than a dozen gears of AT gearbox, no manufacturer in China can produce it, and there is no need.

"Isn't there any car company that uses an AT gearbox?"

Cao Yang couldn't help but ask a question that seemed a bit layman.

"It's not that it's not nothing, but it's very rare."

"There are only some imported fire trucks and mining machinery in China, and some passenger cars are used, which is difficult to maintain."

"AT and AMT have completely different structural principles, each has its own advantages, AT is more suitable for heavy load complex conditions that require frequent gear changes, and AMT is more suitable for long-distance standard load conditions that do not require frequent gear changes."

"In addition, AMT has an advantage that cannot be ignored is that the structure is simple and reliable, and the maintenance is simple and efficient."

"For the domestic situation, it is obvious that AMT with a simple structure and lower maintenance threshold is more suitable, and the automatic transmission models of major car companies are basically AMT gearboxes."

Although Nanshan Gearbox does not have AMT products, as a gearbox research expert, Ji Hua obviously has a good understanding of the AMT situation.

Even among his former colleagues at Imperial University of Technology, there were people who were specifically responsible for the research of AMT gearboxes.

"Which companies are producing gearboxes for various truck companies in China?"

"The situation with truck transmissions is much better than that of passenger car transmissions, and most of them have been localized. Such as Fast gearbox, Sinotruk gearbox, Hualing gearbox, Qijiang gearbox and so on. ”

"They are already supplying various domestic manufacturers, among which Fast is the best in this regard, which can basically meet most of the demand."

Ji Hua's answer made Cao Yang feel a little surprised.

The localization rate of domestic commercial vehicle gearboxes is so high?

He also thought that except for a few models, most of them were still purchased from foreign transmission giants.

Now it seems that the situation is a bit worse.

"In this case, is it necessary for us to study AMT on our own?"

Since the domestic truck market and gearboxes are mainly AMT, there is no need for Nanshan Group to be special.

Otherwise, it will be thankless at that time, there will be few people who use it, and the cost will be very high, and you may not even be able to recover the development costs.

That's a little embarrassing.

"Mr. Cao, in fact, the research threshold of AMT is not particularly high."

"Essentially, they are a manual transmission, and we can develop an AMT that meets the requirements in a short period of time."

"The most critical gears and bearings, as well as the transmission control system, are areas where our group excels."

"If the gearbox used in Yangcheng Nanshan commercial vehicles is purchased from Fast or other companies in the future, then it will be an invisible harm to our Nanshan gearbox."

"There may be many uncontrollable effects at that time."

"So I think we still need to do AMT on our own, even if it doesn't make money, we have to do it."

Ji Hua's words are refreshing, but the logic is completely valid.

Cao Yang thought about it a little and felt that it made sense, so naturally he would not object.

"In the field of AMT, there are already many domestic manufacturers producing low-end products, and they are doing well."

"If we want to compete, it may not make much sense, and it may not necessarily be able to achieve lower costs."

"However, in terms of high-end products, there are still some gaps between domestic companies and ZF and other manufacturers."

"I think it's okay to choose a high-end AMT as the target of the breakthrough at that time?"

Cheng Tao also expressed his opinions on the side.

"Our 15L diesel engine has a power of 680 hp and a torque of up to 3,200 Nm, which requires a high-torque transmission product that can effectively match the high-horsepower engine."

"So far, even the best Fast in China has no AMT that can meet this torque demand."

"I'm considering having Nanshan Transmission work on a 16-speed high-torque AMT to match our 15L engine."

"In this way, this AMT can not only fill the gap of domestic high-torque gearbox, but also completely start our reputation."

"Downgrading to engines of other displacements will be even better."

"At that time, as long as we occupy the field of high-end heavy trucks, it will be enough for us to gain a foothold."

"Especially overseas, the market share of heavy trucks is not low, and the AMT price provided by ZF is very expensive, so we can go to ZF to compete for the market."

Ji Hua combined his own statement and Cheng Tao's suggestion just now, and quickly put forward his new insights.

In this regard, Cao Yang did not reply immediately, but found a 16-speed AMT from ZF in his mind, and quickly learned and understood.

Ji Hua and Cheng Tao next to them thought that Cao Yang was thinking about this matter, so they didn't urge.

After a long while, Cao Yang said: "No problem, just follow the direction you said, but there are a few precautions, everyone should plan in advance." ”

"It is estimated that domestic AMT is not as good as ZF and other manufacturers in terms of integration."

"Our new products need to work on that."

"The mechanical hardware and electronic control hardware are integrated as much as possible and placed inside the transmission, so that the integrated AMT has no air ducts and wiring connections outside, which can improve the systematization and reliability."

"When the time comes, let's discuss it together and see if we can make AMT a classic product."

"Produced by Nanshan, it must be a high-quality product."

"Our reputation can't be ruined by an AMT."

Cao Yang said this with a smile, but it gave Ji Hua a lot of pressure.

The products of Nanshan gearbox, now there is one that is considered one, and they are all more classic.

However, AMT is a completely new field, and he is still a little worried about whether it can surpass its domestic counterparts.

However, this time must not show weakness.

After all, Nanshan Group has such a strong technology accumulation, and there is no reason for the AMT produced to be inferior to its domestic counterparts.

However, for the Nanshan gearbox to do its own AMT, Yangcheng Automobile is somewhat worried.

"Mr. Zeng, according to the current plan, the Yangcheng Nanshan commercial vehicle factory will be completed by the end of next year, and the production of trucks will officially start in the first half of next year."

"But we're not ready for anything other than the engine right now."

"Now that Nanshan Group has said that it will develop its own gearbox, won't it be equivalent to the two core components of the engine and gearbox in their hands?"

Zhang Jiaqi said a little worriedly.

"Nanshan Gearbox, as the largest gearbox company in China, is now proposing to do it themselves, and we are not good at objecting."

"When we can't get it out then, we'll get in touch with Fast again."

Zeng Guangda obviously felt that now was not the time to dwell on this matter.

How to build the framework of the joint venture company and give the products to be used for reference.

That's all that matters.

Otherwise, I don't know when the product will come out.

"That's all there is to it."

Zhang Jiaqi knew that what Zeng Guangda said was also an objective fact.

I had to pinch my nose and admit it.

"In terms of vehicle design, Nanshan Group has dispatched a team of 100 people to prepare to set up a joint venture company's R&D team."

"I will also send a hundred people from the research institute to build the structure first."

"The design of heavy trucks is different from that of passenger cars, as long as the engine and gearbox are done, other designs are not so difficult."

"I don't think it should be delayed."

The domestic heavy truck industry is developing relatively fast, whether it is digging people or looking for suppliers to cooperate with the design, there are more options to do.

As long as the salary goes up, a large number of R&D personnel of heavy trucks are willing to join Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle.

"Yangcheng attaches great importance to this project, and the leaders have specially asked us to report in the past."

"So there can be no delay in the progress of the project, you can take it personally."

Liu Tianwu specifically asked Zhang Jiaqi about the joint venture, so Zhang Jiaqi also attached great importance to it.

For Yangcheng Automobile, in terms of passenger cars, independent brands have begun to develop.

But when it comes to commercial vehicles, there is nothing that can be done effectively.

Now everyone is looking forward to the cooperation with Nanshan Group.

However, if their actions are bigger, the attention of their peers in the industry will also increase.

Many people want to see their jokes, and think that the two newcomers in the field of commercial vehicles, what can they make a name for themselves?

Of course, there are also people who wonder if this is an opportunity.

An opportunity to grow your business.

"Lux, Nanshan Group and Yangcheng Automobile Group established Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle Co., Ltd."

"At the moment, their engines are still very competitive."

"Combined with the past performance of Nanshan engine, it is estimated that the cost performance of this 15L diesel engine will not be bad."

"When the time comes, their heavy trucks are likely to have good sales."

"However, to match the high-power, high-torque engine with 680 horsepower, the requirements for the gearbox are also very high."

"According to what we have learned so far, there should be no manufacturer in China whose products can meet the matching requirements of this engine."

"I think you should consider taking the initiative to come to the door to see if there are any opportunities for cooperation?"

Zhou Gang is the sales director of ZF's transmission division, and his life has not been good in recent years.

After all, there is a freak of Nanshan gearbox in China, whether it is Aisin or ZF, there is no good life to live.

However, as long as he can make money and expand his business, he doesn't mind cooperating with Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle.

"You've already said that Huaxia can't find a suitable gearbox to match their engine."

"In this case, it is basically difficult for them to find the right gearbox product except for us at ZF."

"We can wait for them to come to the door."

"When the time comes, even if a gearbox sells for 100,000 yuan, they can only pinch their noses and admit it."

As the general manager of ZF Huaxia, Lux naturally has a great opinion on Nanshan Group.

Now that he has finally found an opportunity to take advantage of the other party, he definitely doesn't want to miss the opportunity.

As for whether this would mess things up, he wasn't worried at all.

"The gearbox business of Nanshan Group is also relatively strong, and there are many technical talents."

"Although the gearbox in the passenger car field is completely different from the gearbox of heavy trucks, relatively speaking, the technical difficulty of the gearbox of heavy trucks is lower."

"If they can't find a suitable channel to buy a heavy-duty truck gearbox, they are likely to choose to develop it themselves."

"It's not a good thing for us, and it's not necessarily a good thing for Nanshan Group."

"A lose-lose situation, do I think we should try to avoid it?"

Zhou Gang was still thinking about whether to try harder and see if he could convince Lux to accept his point of view.

This time, though, he was going to miscalculate.

"No, you're wrong."

"There will be no lose-lose, it will only be Nanshan Group that will lose, and it will only be Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle!"

Lux is very confident in ZF's heavy-duty truck transmission technology.

Even the world-famous Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks use their gearboxes.

Where can a Chinese enterprise easily surpass this?

He simply didn't believe that Nanshan Gearbox would be able to produce products comparable to ZF in a short period of time.

In this way, ZF did not take the initiative to find Yangcheng Nanshan Commercial Vehicle in the end.

It seems that this matter is passing day by day.

However, just as Cao Yang was discussing the design of the AMT gearbox with Cheng Tao and Ji Hua, Chris from Ford Motor called him.

"Cao, you have been in contact with the purchase of Land Rover cars before, I want to confirm again, if Land Rover cars and Jaguar cars are packaged and sold together, are you interested?"

Nanshan Group has been dealing with Ford for more than a day or two, and it has been more than a year since the purchase of Land Rover cars was mentioned.

According to the original history, Ford Motor sold Jaguar and Land Rover together for a low price of $2.3 billion in March this year.

However, now due to the emergence of the Nanshan Group, Ford's situation has improved a lot.

For example, the engine and transmission, both in terms of technology and cost, have decreased, reducing the rate of bloodletting for Ford.

The emergence of Xingchen Automobile and the novel way of cooperation have also brought hundreds of millions of dollars in profits to Ford Motor.

As a result, Ford is a little less urgent to sell Jaguar and Land Rover.

But it only gave Jaguar and Land Rover a few more months.

In the end, Ford was determined to sell it.

"Chris, I've always been interested in Jaguar cars and Land Rover cars."

"How? Have you finally decided that you want to sell them? ”

When Chris said Land Rover just now, Cao Yang was stunned for a moment.

I was so busy that I almost forgot about this stubble.

If Chris hadn't reminded himself, he might have been cut off by Tianzhu's Tata Motors.

"Yes, the board of directors has officially approved the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover in the next two months."

"Since we have been in contact with each other in the early days, the assets of Jaguar and Land Rover are relatively clear."

"So if it's fast enough, the relevant acquisition process can be completed within a month, and Nanshan Group will directly become the new owner of Jaguar and Land Rover."

Chris and Cao Yang not only have a working relationship, but also have some cooperation in other aspects.

So if he can, he must be willing to help Cao Yang.

In particular, he knew that Cao Yang was interested in Jaguar and Land Rover.

Anyway, the company has decided to sell these two brands.

So who is it not sold to?

Those Tianzhu people, but they didn't even invite themselves to a meal.

In this case, he must be on Cao Yang's side.

"I immediately arranged for a dedicated acquisition team to go to Detroit to discuss the details of the acquisition with Ford."

"Chris, apart from our Nanshan Group, are there any other companies that are in contact with Ford?"

Although Cao Yang knew that Tianzhu's Tata Motors must be thinking about the two brands of Jaguar Land Rover, after all, the world is not exactly the same.

It obviously doesn't hurt to ask Chris, a Ford executive.

"There are currently several potential acquirers interested in Jaguar Land Rover, and in addition to a Tianzhu company, several investment funds have also expressed interest."

"But the bids aren't very high, and they're not particularly suitable owners."

"Personally, I definitely want Nanshan Group to become the new owner of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands."

"I think in your hands, these two brands may burst out with new hope."

Chris's words can be described as half-truths.

Anyway, a lot of words in the workplace can't be completely believed.

"Now that the financial crisis is coming, those investment funds still have money to invest?"

Cao Yang's words ruined the tense competitive atmosphere created by Chris.

Although the situation of the financial crisis has not yet been completely formed, the news from all sides is already very bad.

The stock market in various places has also begun to enter a state of collapse, and people with more powerful vision have begun to consider a way out.

In this case, all kinds of investment funds will definitely desperately shrink their own strategies and will not invest easily.

So Chris said that there are several fund companies interested in Jaguar and Land Rover, and Cao Yang doesn't believe it.

Even if there were any of these competitors, their bids would have been low.

Jaguar and Land Rover are in the hands of Ford and are now in a state of loss.

And this year's automobile consumer market is obviously very sluggish.

In this case, there will definitely be fewer investment institutions willing to buy car companies.

That is, the situation between Tianzhu and Huaxia is a little different, so there will be real buyers.

"Cao, do you think there will be a financial crisis?"

"I think the bankers are saying it's just a little bit of a subprime mortgage scandal."

Chris immediately found his focus.

As the purchasing director of Ford Motor Company, his worth is not low at all.

In many areas in the United States, he has made investments.

If the financial crisis is coming, then he will definitely have to adjust some strategies.

For example, if you hold a stock in your hand, you used to think that it would rebound after it fell.

If there is a financial crisis, it will bounce back.

Just hurry up and sell it.

"Chris, if you believe me, then I suggest you sell off all your excess real estate, stocks, and funds."

"Don't worry about the price, just sell it."

"At this time, cash is king!"

"Wait until a year from now, see how things play out, and then you think about your next move."

For Cao Yang, sell it to Chris at this time, and by this time next year, the other party will definitely be grateful to him.

This is definitely good for the cooperation between Nanshan Group and Ford Motor.

After all, Nanshan Group now sells a lot of parts directly to Ford Motor.

"Cao, are you serious?"

Chris has known Cao Yang for many years, and he naturally has a very clear understanding of Cao Yang's ability.

However, what Cao Yang said just now is a bit too exaggerated.

So Chris also a little bit unsure whether to choose to believe Cao Yang.

"Chris, when did I tell you a lie?"

"But I just mentioned it casually, don't tell anyone else casually, or someone may want to trouble me at that time."

As soon as Cao Yang said this, Chris immediately chose to believe it.

Anyway, if he loses money at that time, he can also find an excuse to get wool out of the Nanshan Group.

So Chris quickly had a decision.

(End of chapter)