novelraw #413 - All three VW products are available in one place
#413 - All three VW products are available in one place
Baolai Company.
Ren Zhong looked at the full-size blue clay model of the Golf, feeling that it was almost identical to the photos he had provided.
He couldn't help but nod slightly.
"Do you currently have any technical obstacles in producing this car?" Ren Zhong turned to Geng Pusheng, the general manager of Baolai Automobile Company, and asked.
"Mr. Ren, currently, for the chassis suspension of this car, we plan to use a combination of front A-arm (MacPherson) independent suspension + rear torsion beam non-independent suspension. This is the first time we've applied such a combination, and we don't have much experience yet. Previously, we mostly used double wishbone suspension, and we also used A-arm (MacPherson) independent suspension separately. Compared to those, the current chassis structure is more complex.
However, after testing by our engineers, the experimental prototype of this latest chassis suspension provided by the Automotive Research Center has been produced and is undergoing rigorous testing. From the current testing results, it is indeed much smoother than the original suspension mode. We believe this new chassis suspension is another major advancement in automotive chassis.
In the future, our Golf model equipped with this new suspension chassis will have very excellent performance."
Geng Pusheng didn't hide his praise for the new chassis. The performance of a car largely depends on key components such as the chassis, engine, and transmission.
"Another problem we face is the transmission. Our new engine is said to be very powerful. If the transmission can cooperate better, then in terms of power, our small car will be very excellent."
"According to the design data provided to us, the future small car will be equipped with three types of engines: 1.2L, 1.5L, and 1.8L, with power outputs of 62 horsepower, 80 horsepower, and 110 horsepower respectively. If paired with an excellent 5-speed transmission, our small car equipped with the 1.8L engine will have race car-like performance."
Geng Pusheng is an automotive expert who returned from overseas. Although his own innovation ability is average, his expertise is without any problems. He immediately saw the performance potential of the Golf car configuration provided by Ren Zhong.
"Mr. Geng is right. In the future, this car will be positioned as a compact sports car." Ren Zhong didn't expect Geng Pusheng to see so many details himself, and felt that he had made the right choice in hiring this general manager. "We not only have a large output power, but also save more fuel than the current gasoline engines. Therefore, we are targeting young people's first family sports car. Young and unrestrained hearts always need strong performance to vent. The high performance of 0 to 100 kilometers in just 9 seconds and a top speed of over 185 kilometers per hour is enough to compete for medals in car rallies."
The first-generation Golf chosen by Ren Zhong had a total global production of approximately 6.8 million vehicles. Historically, it has launched several classic models such as the three-door hatchback, five-door hatchback, and convertible version. The initial transmission used a 4-speed manual transmission, which was later upgraded to a 5-speed manual transmission.
The original three-door hatchback was a pioneer. As a family car, it was like a breath of fresh air in the era of muscle cars in the 70s. It was quickly successful upon its launch. Of course, if that was all, the Golf would only be a short-term hit and would not be able to last for half a century.
After achieving initial success, the manufacturer further enhanced the concept of its performance car, improved the power of this car, created the GTI high-performance version, and even sent it to the track to participate in production car rallies!
Step by step, the Golf was promoted from a hit to the position of a historical legendary car!
"Mr. Ren, I have a hunch that this Golf will shine brightly in automotive history. After the clay model came out, we applied for more than twenty design patents and more than ten chassis and transmission patents to ensure that we have a revolutionary new car in the compact car field!" Geng Pusheng couldn't suppress his excitement.
Ren Zhong put the transmission and chassis into Baolai Company, this complete vehicle manufacturer, to strengthen Baolai's uniqueness. More considerations were to enhance its technical content. In the future, car manufacturers without thousands of patents would be embarrassed to deal with others. Although this era doesn't have so many patent races and fancy things, Ren Zhong must consider preparing some gimmicks for each main car factory to tell "stories".
The engine is a high-threshold item, and it is temporarily not suitable to distribute it to complete vehicle manufacturers, dispersing the limited technical personnel's energy. Therefore, Ren Zhong placed the engine in Northern United Power for unified research and development and production.
Even the in-vehicle electromechanical system was not delegated to the manufacturers by Ren Zhong, but was placed in the Automotive Electromechanical Application Research Laboratory of the Electronic Research Center, forming an overall one-stop solution for the electromechanical and instrument panel parts. This way, concentrating efforts to accomplish major tasks can form a unified suite for the electromechanical parts of several key models.
Of course, they are very different in appearance, but the internal things are basically the same.
Only through this method can Ren Zhong take out the planned four classic models in the short term under the limited R\u0026D resources!
"How long until the mass production of the chassis and transmission?" Ren Zhong asked.
"We are now waiting for the engine to arrive. The prototype car will be launched at the latest in three months." Geng Pusheng said very confidently, "The first-generation chassis has been produced, and current tests in all aspects show that it is very excellent. The stability of a small car is very good, and it can even be said to be comparable to some race car's dedicated chassis."
"Since you have so much confidence, then I will put some pressure on you. From now until the Geneva Motor Show, there are still nearly two and a half months. Can you produce two prototype cars by the end of February to participate in the Geneva Motor Show in early March? At that time, I will coordinate a C-54 transport plane to airlift them over!" Ren Zhong thought about the major auto shows this year, and the closest one was the auto show in Clockwork Country.
Moreover, this is one of the auto shows with the greatest impact on the entire Europe. Now showing the sword to the world, the historically long-standing ones include the North American International Auto Show (held in January every year), the Geneva Motor Show (held once a year, in early March), the Frankfurt Motor Show (i.e., the German International Motor Show (IAA), held every two years in September), and the Paris Motor Show (from the end of September to the beginning of October every year before 1976, and every two years after 1976).
The North American Auto Show in January will have to wait until next year, but Ren Zhong hopes to show off and hype up the three major auto shows in Europe next.
You need to know that in this era, in addition to advertising, the most persuasive thing is this kind of exhibition.
"We have no problem." Geng Pusheng patted his chest and said, "Most of our structural parts have already achieved trial production on the production line, and we are only one step away from mass production. In fact, even if the engine is delayed, we can use an old-fashioned engine to top it off first. Our first-generation prototype car only needs to be able to drive. We can use it as a display car and a light test drive car."
Geng Pusheng is a sea turtle. When he was hired as the general manager, his task was to achieve scaled exports for Baolai Automobile Company within five years. To achieve scale, the annual export volume must be at least 10,000 vehicles.
However, in terms of the engine, Ren Zhong doesn't plan to release it all at once. Even though the current sample engine's power has already reached the level of the late 1980s, Ren Zhong intends to lock the maximum power through program control.
Currently, the maximum horsepower provided by the 1.2L, 1.5L, and 1.8L engines already exceeds that of similar models in the main world by more than 20%. The power is already beyond what's expected.
There's still room for further improvements after certain optimizations in the future.
Ren Zhong needs to reserve development space for the future second and third-generation Golf engines.
At least this model of engine should be used for more than 10 years. Currently, it will mainly be naturally aspirated. When naturally aspirated engines can no longer be improved after more than a decade, turbocharging can be incorporated to continue squeezing out improvements. This way, two major engine modifications can support 30 years of development.
Maintaining a pace of one generation change every 5 years will create competition in this Bright Sword world, but not too much.
So, although this classic is being released almost 20 years late, Ren Zhong has only enhanced it in terms of specifications, without cutting corners. Therefore, he believes it can still create brilliance in this world!
The Golf is a car for young people.
The first-generation Jetta, with its four-door, boxy design, is a practical family car tailored for the masses.
This model's classic design has almost achieved the legend of being passed down through three generations!
In Dongda of the main world, it was imported and produced from 1991 to 2013 before being replaced! From 1991 to 2018, Dongda's domestic sales alone exceeded 4.4 million units, making it Dongda's undisputed 'Number One God Car'.
Therefore, this is also Ren Zhong's first choice for a family sedan.
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In terms of power, the original version had three options: 1272cc, 1457cc, and the electronically fuel-injected 1588cc engine. Similar to the Golf, the original intention of designing this car was to fill the market space for three-box models that the Golf couldn't cover.
However, in Ren Zhong's hindsight, there's no need to live in the Golf's shadow completely. Instead, it should directly become a model of a three-box car independently.
Therefore, in terms of power selection, Ren Zhong didn't follow the historical path but instead offered three options: 1.5L, 1.8L, and 2.0L. The 1.5L and 1.8L are the same as the Golf's engines, except the 1.8L's power is locked at 100 horsepower, 10 horsepower less than the top-spec Golf GTI to differentiate it; while the top-spec version uses the 4G63 2.0L, with a maximum output of 110 horsepower.
In this way, the Jetta and Golf have different power levels, and the pricing will also be different from the Golf. Selecting the entry-level version of the 4G63 also allows the Jetta to launch a top-spec 'Jetta King' to reach for the entry-level position of the third best-selling business model, the Passat!
According to Ren Zhong's idea, the persona created for this car in the future is the first choice for family sedans.
First-generation Jetta
Judging from the preparations Ren Zhong saw at the Jetta Company, the overall progress is similar to that of the Golf. After all, the chassis and gearbox technology on both sides are almost the same, only the car size is different. The Jetta has a longer wheelbase, making the space larger and the ride more comfortable. It's just right for a family of five.
If the Golf and Jetta are developed for family use, then the Passat is typically built for business purposes.
It's just that the first-generation Passat didn't think so clearly back then. In terms of power, it lacked differentiation from family sedans in terms of grade and purpose. The first-generation Passat engine actually chose to be equipped with 1.3-liter, 1.5-liter, and 1.6-liter 4-cylinder overhead camshaft engines.
Although these water-cooled engines' performance was not too bad, they provided relatively sufficient power for the front-wheel-drive Passat, allowing the first-generation Passat to achieve great success in the European market, mainly targeting the mid-size sedan market.
However, these were widely recognized and achieved based on the car's design and manufacturing quality, but the power was a little bit far from a high-end business car, leading to a slightly large difference from BBA.
Of course, Ren Zhong also hesitated about this point, after all, this car was also the choice of many families in the historical timeline of the main world.
It won many awards such as the Best Car in Europe and the Best Family Car in {England}.
However, Ren Zhong didn't hesitate for long and decided to build this car closer to the BBA business car direction. After all, building a brand takes a long time. If the initial positioning is too low, then there is almost no possibility or it is very difficult to move upward.
Family sedans now have the Golf and Jetta, and there is even a top-spec Jetta King that can reach for the mid-to-high end of family sedans.
First-generation Passat
The Passat, which will be released in advance in this timeline, will shoulder the important task of breaking through the brand in the business car field.
After Ren Zhong determined this, the main power of the first-generation Passat model chose 2.0L and above, with a 5-speed manual transmission. The low-spec version chose the 4G63 2.0L (110 horsepower), the medium-spec version chose 2.4L (142 horsepower), and the top-spec version chose 2.8L (180 horsepower). In this way, the power is far ahead of the first-generation power in the original timeline of the main world!
In terms of main parameters, the first-generation Passat is benchmarked against the Big Ben 300. In terms of size, the first-generation Passat's body size is 4933mm in length, 1836mm in width, and 1469mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2871mm; the Big Ben 300's body length is 4950mm, width 1600mm, height 1838mm, and wheelbase 3050mm. The powertrain combination is a 3.0L inline 6-cylinder all-aluminum engine (maximum output 150 horsepower) and a 4-speed manual transmission with synchronizers.
In terms of power, the medium-spec Passat is close to the level of this generation of Big Ben 300, and the top-spec version is even more of a knockout!
In addition, the interior is filled with materials, and the luxury is directly installed on the seats and interior. Stories such as handmade calfskin, walnut armrests, and first-class cabin seats are full!
The standard, luxury, and top-spec versions have very visible differences! In this way, in terms of pricing, it can be anchored at a price range close to the Big Ben 300, with a space of about 10% lower.
Ren Zhong's move is equivalent to completing the road of Volkswagen's next 20 years.