Chapter 376 Make a friend

Chapter 376 Make a friend

Chapter 376 Make a friend
This year's Shanghai Auto Show lasts a total of five days.

Yu Xing was there for two days and only saw some small bits of communication, which were really boring, so he didn't plan to continue browsing, as he had already seen all the cars on display anyway.

He reflected a little, but did not think he had gone too far. He had clearly praised BMW's correct direction of trial when answering reporters' questions, but when he pointed out the problem of battery life, Lu Yi pushed back with the arrogant attitude of "We are BMW". The subsequent communication naturally escalated.

As for Tan Yongze of GAC Mitsubishi, it is even more puzzling. Can it be regarded as an offense even if he does not want to make bad comments?

Yu Xing would rather believe that he had offended the deputy general manager in some way in the past, otherwise, he was not magnanimous enough.

Of course, it’s normal if it’s not big enough.

Yu Xing realized that the first thing he would do after ending his trip to the auto show was to re-read the short-selling research report on Mitsubishi, so he forgave Vice President Tan for his overreaction.

However, you still have to do what you want to do.

Yu Xing asked someone to greet Lingang, hoping to host a small event to evaluate cars for learning purposes.

Director Zhu Zehui learned about this and asked about the situation when he was asking about the latest progress of Carbon Silicon Group.

"We just want to study the advantages of our competitors' vehicles and learn from them. If we can promote the progress of the industry, that would be even better," Yu Xing explained. "But this kind of evaluation is better with official endorsement. Once we have organized it, we will also need a notary to notarize it."

Zhu Zehui subconsciously asked: "If you test it this way, different brands of cars must have advantages and disadvantages, and some companies must be dissatisfied."

"Yes, so we need notarization, full records and notarization, and with the endorsement of Lingang, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, it shouldn't be too bad." Yu Xing smiled, "We need to learn from everyone's experience in making cars. If there is any additional pressure, Director, can you handle it?"

Zhu Zehui thought about it and felt that there shouldn’t be too many problems.

Of course he could handle the pressure, but he didn't respond directly. He just said noncommittally: "You can't do anything too outrageous."

"It's nothing out of the ordinary. It's just the conventional standards such as 25% offset frontal collision and side collision. It may be slightly higher than the national standard. Let's see how different models perform." Yu Xing said his thoughts. "Bai Xiaosheng is a listed company. It has a column called 'Bai Test'. It has evaluated many electronic products before. This time, we can do one."

Zhu Zehui hesitated for a moment and said, "Then don't register it in Lingang, register it directly in the city, at the Transportation Bureau."

Yu Xing immediately thanked him: "That's even better, thank you Director."

Before Zhu Zehui even asked Yu Xing to handle the matter himself, the other party had already thanked him profusely.

He changed his mind and decided, never mind, it wasn't a big deal. The new energy projects of Carbon Silicon Group were progressing very steadily. Moreover, the mobile Internet project of Carbon Silicon Data Company, which he had not paid much attention to before, could actually be called a pleasant surprise.

Zhu Zehui hummed softly, and finally asked, "Mr. Yu, what's the status of your car?"

Yu Xing's voice became more serious: "In terms of body safety, we have just decided to use an integrated die-cast cage-type body and rear floor. We are now discussing whether to use double wishbones or McPherson for the front suspension. There are quite a lot of different opinions."

Zhu Zehui was not completely ignorant of cars, so he asked, "Isn't double wishbone better than McPherson?"

"Generally speaking, this is the case, but even a high-priced car like the Porsche 911 uses MacPherson, and chassis tuning is also very important." Yu Xing simply explained, "Although the cost of double wishbones is higher than that of MacPherson, we still want to use double wishbones, but it requires more space, which means that the engine must be placed longitudinally to free up lateral space, which will bring a series of requirements. If we use MacPherson, it will be much simpler, and we are still hesitating."

Zhu Zehui vaguely understood that Carbon Silicon Group needed to use good things, but good things would bring about continuous requirements for changes.

He gave a few words of encouragement, feeling that it was enough for him to know that Mr. Yu's electric car was progressing steadily.

Yu Xing ended the call with Director Zhu and turned his attention back to the document in front of him. This was a discussion within Carbon Silicon Group on different vehicle design options. One of the major disagreements was whether to use a double wishbone + multi-link or McPherson + multi-link suspension combination.

Judging from the products currently on the market, Highlander, Mercedes-Benz GLK, Volvo XC90, which are priced at three or five hundred thousand yuan, all have McPherson with lower operating costs, so there is no problem for Carbon Silicon Group to use it.

However, we still need to consider the market’s acceptance of the concept of “first model”.

Well, it is generally believed that a higher level of suspension is naturally a better choice, but if a double wishbone suspension is used in the front, the problem of cabin space must be solved, and more space needs to be left for the double wishbone.

The engine is transversely mounted + McPherson + multi-link, or the engine is longitudinally mounted + double wishbone + multi-link.

The problem is that the longitudinal placement of the engine will cause the cockpit to move backward, thereby reducing the longitudinal space in the car. Moreover, the output power of the longitudinal layout is longitudinal, which requires it to be matched with a rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive system.

Carbon Silicon Group's electric vehicles are positioned for families, so they naturally hope to ensure that the space inside the vehicle is guaranteed to give passengers a comfortable riding experience.

We want better double wishbones to provide stronger product power, but we also want the interior space not to be occupied by the longitudinally mounted engine, so...what should we do?
The first solution at present is to abandon the double wishbone and return to the transverse engine. This not only ensures space, but also the McPherson structure itself is acceptable. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo and other models all use this.

The second option is quite radical.

When you have to have both, you need innovation.

The longitudinal placement of the engine will take up space, but what the extended-range vehicle needs is a range extender. The jointly developed range extender can be miniaturized, and the front motor can be arranged in the front cabin. Instead of using a drive shaft, the rear-drive motor can be directly integrated into the rear axle.

In this way, the independent drive of the front and rear dual motors can not only improve the lateral space utilization of the front cabin, but also realize the decentralized layout of power, thus solving the situation of having both at one stroke.

According to the estimate submitted by the second proposal, this radical design can increase the utilization of horizontal space by 30%.

However, this brings up a new problem. The radical design will significantly increase costs. For example, if supplier Bosch wants to provide double wishbones for new models based on the Silicon Carbide Group, it will have to develop new molds, verify the design, and re-match material specifications with upstream suppliers.

One is a safe + transverse + McPherson + low-cost solution, and the other is a radical + longitudinal + double wishbone + high-cost solution.

Yu Xing was quite conflicted while thinking about it.

Hu Zhengnan was also struggling. After attending several project discussion meetings, he felt that there was nothing wrong with either option. But now he just had to decide how to choose. Moreover, such a choice was related to the subsequent market pricing, which was really not unimportant.

If the price of the first model is not accepted, the consequences will be very serious.

Before being asked by President Yu to meet him, Hu Zhengnan thought about it and almost supported the first safe option.

However, Adams from the engineering department came over to discuss the plan with his boss and expressed his confidence: "We can complete the longitudinal design. The independent drive of the front and rear dual motors is the best solution that electrification has given us to solve the problem. If it weren't for the electric car, we wouldn't have this opportunity. Hu, you should cherish it."

Hu Zhengnan immediately became conflicted again.

When he knocked on the office door, he felt that he was beginning to favor a radical plan, but... that still depended on whether General Branch Yu supported it.

"Sit down, Mr. Hu. I see you've been working overtime a lot recently for different projects. Please take care of your health. You look exhausted." Yu Xing gestured with his hand and turned his attention back to the documents as he spoke.

Hu Zhengnan let out a sigh of relief: "Well, everyone has clear reasons for different plans, so we need to talk more."

"The double wishbone is great, but the price from Bosch is really high. A set of aluminum alloy forgings will cost at least 1.2 yuan." Yu Xing circled the number with a pen. This was the quote for the double wishbone + multi-link suspension after the initial contact.

"The price quoted by Bosch is the most expensive because it includes an integrated electronic stability system. It also depends on the quantity. It is probably in the range of 1.2 to 1.5 yuan." Hu Zhengnan considered, "If it is replaced with ZF's high-strength steel and aluminum alloy, it is estimated to be 1 to 1.2 yuan. If it is imported from Japan, it is estimated to be as low as about 0.8 yuan."

Bosch is sold together and is the most expensive. The Japanese version has a steel double wishbone, only basic sensors, and is thinner.

Because it was just an initial contact, we couldn't decide on a price. Also, as it involved mold development, there were different payment plans. Either the mold money had to be paid extra, or it had to be spread over the suspension cost.

Yu Xing nodded slightly: "If it is a large-scale purchase, a 10% or 15% reduction in this set is not a small amount."

Hu Zhengnan said solemnly: "That depends on the market situation. Our pricing will definitely have a big impact." If the annual demand exceeds 5 sets, the cost can be reduced, but 4166 a year means at least units sold each month.

4166 vehicles...

Hu Zhengnan feels that the risk is still relatively high, after all, the selling price is aimed at the mid-to-high-end market.

When he thought about it, the villain in his mind started to support the first plan again.

If you use McPherson, a set of aluminum alloy McPherson + multi-link + electronic stability system ESP, the price of Bosch is about 0.8 yuan.

How much profit can a car make?

The difference between these two plans could be as much as 7000 yuan.

Yu Xing hesitated for a moment and asked, "What is the effect of domestic substitution?"

"Shencheng Huizhong has Magna's technology, but no aluminum alloy forging. Ningbo Huaxiang has done reverse research on Bosch, but it is difficult for them to meet our needs for longitudinal customization. The performance of their products is about 80% to 50% of Bosch's. Bosch's fatigue life is cycles, while theirs is about times, and the price is also about % to %." Hu Zhengnan gave a clear answer.

60% to 70% of the effect corresponds to 60% to 70% of the price.

However, Huaxiang certainly cannot do this. The longitudinal placement of the carbon silicon will occupy the middle space of the cabin, which forces the upper and lower arms of the double wishbone suspension to extend to both sides, resulting in customization of the installation position and arm length.

Yu Xing thought silently for a long time and asked, "Mr. Hu, which plan do you prefer?"

Hu Zhengnan suddenly felt his throat itchy. He drank three sips of tea in a row and his scalp began to feel tingling. He hesitated and couldn't say what he wanted.

"It's okay. Just tell me. I won't put the blame on you." Yu Xing noticed Mr. Hu's hesitation and nervousness. He said, "I think it would be good if we can be competitive in the overall framework first."

What is a competitive overall framework?

It means giving a higher level in terms of hardware first.

The cage-type body + integrated die-cast rear floor is the choice for safety.

Regardless of how it will be adjusted, at least the hardware should be stacked up first.

Seeing that General Manager Yu was standing in line, Hu Zhengnan couldn't help but say, "Double wishbones require more experienced adjustment, otherwise they will easily become loose."

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Poor adjustment is a problem of ability, and the choice of hardware is a problem of attitude. We should give what we deserve."

When Hu Zhengnan heard his boss say this, he did not feel relieved. He still didn't know whether this was right or wrong.

Yu Xing hesitated for two seconds and said, "Bosch is very active in the contact with new energy. Since we are discussing iBooster brake-by-wire with it, let's see if we can get a package price. We can save money where we can and spend money where we can."

He is quite impressed by the technological foresight shown by Bosch.

Hu Zhengnan asked with some difficulty: "Mr. Yu, are you sure you support this double wishbone solution?"

Although he wants to see whether Mr. Yu supports it today, the matter is of great importance. This is a decision related to a series of issues including car price, sales volume, interior design, etc.

Yu Xing did not answer immediately. The cost of this plan would indeed increase... However, the final price could be adjusted...

If it really doesn't work, should we sell it at a loss?
This thought flashed through his mind, and he focused on the money. Then he suddenly felt relieved. What would happen in the end would depend on whether Mitsubishi and Volkswagen would support him.

Do they support it?
No sound, silence means agreement.

Yu Xing closed the file and asked Hu Zhengnan seriously: "Mr. Hu, without considering the cost issue now, which of these two options do you think will produce a better car given our current situation?"

Hu Zhengnan sighed and said, "It must be the double wishbone system. It's not just the suspension, but also the front and rear motor design that is more suitable for electric vehicles."

Yu Xing nodded: "Okay, then let's discuss and verify this plan again, and talk to Bosch and the others. If everyone thinks it can be implemented, then we can finalize it."

Hu Zhengnan felt his lips dry: "I'm afraid the car I make will lose money."

Yu Xing smiled and said: "If we really lose money, then the money is lost to the users. Let's make friends and support sales."

Losing money like this is at least better than losing money on battery replacement.

Hu Zhengnan couldn't help but tilt his neck and said, "I hope our cars will sell well. If the sales volume increases, the cost can be reduced. No one can keep losing money."

Yu Xing felt the pressure from President Hu and said with a smile: "Only by making good cars can we increase sales, and only by increasing sales can we reduce costs. From this perspective, our move is correct."

Hu Zhengnan could only hope so.

He said goodbye to his boss and walked out of the office, feeling sweat all over his body.

After sorting out his thoughts, Hu Zhengnan met Adams from the engineering department again. Facing this talent poached from Fisker in the United States, Hu Zhengnan said in a deep voice: "We need to continue to verify the double wishbone solution. President Yu prefers this one."

Adams waved his fist in joy. Good, good, this is the better choice!

Hu Zhengnan continued to communicate with several employees about the selection and verification of the plans and held two consecutive small meetings. Although he didn't know which one was the right one, since he had chosen it, he would try his best to make the right choice.

He still worked overtime until late that day.

When I got home, the mental fatigue and excitement were still intertwined and attacking my brain.

"Hey, have you read Weibo?" Mrs. Hu, who was sitting on the sofa, asked this as soon as she saw Hu Zhengnan open the door.

Hu Zhengnan asked, "Huh? What's wrong? I didn't see it."

"It seems that the boss of your company has been criticized. Mitsubishi wants him to speak with his car." Mrs. Hu said with concern.

Hu Zhengnan was a little confused. He didn't know the little behind-the-scenes story about his boss going to the auto show two days ago.

When he opened Weibo, he saw Mitsubishi's comments in the media before he figured out the whole story. He was eagerly looking forward to Mr. Yu from Carbon Silicon Group to speak with cars. Not only Mitsubishi, but many other media in the automotive industry also held the same view.

Hu Zhengnan frowned and roughly understood what happened at the auto show. Before he could say anything, he heard new news from a car company.

BMW’s official Weibo account reposted Mitsubishi’s news, with the same four words: Let the car speak for itself.

Mrs. Hu saw her husband come back to his senses and asked, "What happened?"

Hu Zhengnan shook his head, thought for a moment and said, "It's nothing. The operation of this Weibo platform is all handled by the employees. It's nothing more than joining in the fun and stirring up trouble. President Yu won't take it seriously."

(End of this chapter)