The journey starts from the Titanic

"The market reaction was beyond our expectations. The designed annual output of this production line is 100,000. It seems that we will soon add two more production lines."

Walter said excitedly.

"Well. Find Robles and Wells Fargo, they will be very willing to lend you a loan." Situ Nan followed Walter's words.I thought: Chrysler's launch of the Airflow brand car ahead of schedule will have a great impact on other American car companies.

Ford's Model T cars have fallen behind, and GM's multi-brand strategy has not yet developed. Chrysler is likely to take the lead in the mid-range car market, squeezing out Ford, Buick, Chevrolet and other brands!

This car was born in time.With huge financial support, Situ Nan believes that Chrysler will not fail to maximize this advantage.

"Ford has produced 10 million Model T cars, and this number may increase by several million. But I think that although the Airflow series cars are more expensive, there are at least 5 million cars in the market. This is the most conservative estimate, why not Take your steps bigger?"

Situ Nan encouraged Walter and proposed to open a branch in Buffalo, New York or Harford, Connecticut to seize the eastern market.

In addition to this, it should also actively enter the international market and set up car sales companies in Europe or directly set up factories there.

Ford has gone to the Soviet Union to set up factories, and there is no reason Chrysler is still nesting in the United States.

"I am also interested in this. Prior to this, I had established the Canadian Chrysler Corporation in Canada, and the plan to enter Europe was also in my expectation."

Walter and Situ Nan smiled at each other and understood each other's meaning. He thought for a moment, and then said: "I think the Asian market cannot be underestimated. If possible, I hope to set up a factory in Nanhua directly and use it as Chrysler's company. Production base in Asia. What do you think?"

"Are you so confident in Nanhua?" Situ Nan asked rhetorically.

"Look at this." Walter pulled out an investigation document from the drawer and handed it to Situ Nan. It showed: Within two years of the establishment of South China, 2000 sedans were imported from the United States, most of which were Ford Model T cars. , And the number of imported trucks is even more, a full 10,000!Except for part of the supply to the army, the others are used for cargo transportation.

"The South China market can contribute a lot to our Dodge Truck Company. If such a large market is ignored, God will not forgive me. Think about the population of 30 million (this number is growing rapidly), rich oil resources, The fast-developing traffic, as well as our Mr. William’s crazy money going inside, I think five years, ten years later, there will be hundreds of thousands of car markets waiting for me."

At this point, Walter looked at Situ Nan with some expectation. If Situ Nan's support is given to this matter, it will be of great help for Chrysler to enter the new South China market.

According to information sent from South China, German companies such as Krupp and MAN are cooperating closely with South China. The German economy is sluggish. Krupp and other industrial giants are optimistic about South China’s potential and will soon invest in South China’s automobile industry. German companies are willing to move technical equipment to South China based on half of their shares.

If Chrysler does not make arrangements in advance, in a few years, it will face the embarrassing situation of a joint venture auto company between Germany and South China monopolizing the South China auto market.

"You know that South China is different from the United States. The auto industry has just started. If Chrysler wants to occupy the market first, it must first accept the conditions of the South China government. To cooperate with South China companies is to come up with real money.

Once the market is not as good as you expected, the money invested in it cannot be recovered for a while, which may affect Chrysler's investment in the United States and other regions."

Situ Nan warned.

It is normal for Water to take a fancy to the South China automobile market. The South China market has always been welcoming to the American business community. If it is changed to Japan, Chrysler will not easily enter the Japanese automobile market.

"I know. Chrysler's planned investment in South China will not be too much and will not affect the company's operations. Moreover, our Airflow brand cars will soon be selling well, and there will be little financial pressure."

Walter smiled confidently and told Situ Nan with a firm gaze that he did not want to give up the South China Automotive Market.Through South China, Chrysler's market share in China can also be expanded.

Although China generally lags behind, large coastal cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin are developing rapidly, with more and more wealthy people, and the auto market is not small.

"Okay! I can tell you clearly that the situation in South China is similar to that of the Soviet Union. In a few years, personal car consumption will be suppressed. They are more willing to produce trucks, trucks, tractors and other heavy transportation tools for industrial construction.

Therefore, in my plan, I will use my influence to promote more cost-effective diesel cars in South China. Cummins Power, Krupp, they are all willing to participate in the cooperation."

Situ Nan explained.

The large amount of diesel produced by Meihua Petroleum and Occidental Petroleum’s refineries in South China is not only used as fuel for ships and power generation, but also for the promotion of diesel-powered machinery. Gasoline products are exported to the United States and Europe, which saves money. .After all, the poor South China can't compare with the big-handed America.

"You are really picky!" Walter looked at Situ Nan amused.

"A little bit!" Situ Nan nodded. Although he tried to promote the oil company and power company in his hand to promote diesel engines, Americans easily obtained a large amount of cheap oil. The future automobile power will still be gasoline-based, and the three major automobile companies will produce The vast majority of cars are also fueled by gasoline.

In Situ Nan’s plan, the promotion of diesel engines should be the task of Cummins Power, and Chrysler is still the United States and two other auto giants.

"If this is the case, Chrysler should also make adjustments and invest in South China according to local conditions. I will send Dodge to South China to investigate. The diesel-powered Dodge Truck Company is not difficult. We can purchase engines directly from Cummins Power."

Walter laughed. Last time, Xu Zhouyang, president of Cummins Power, recommended him to Cummins Power’s newly developed diesel engine, but he refused. He did not expect that the two sides would cooperate in South China, thousands of miles away.

"It's up to you!" Situ Nan said indifferently.He knew that the reason why Chrysler was so determined to enter the South China market was more or less because of the huge investment plan of the William Consortium in South China in recent years.

Eliminating the aftereffects of the Dutch colonial plunder, South China's development is somewhat like the United States in the process of industrialization in the last century. It is rich in resources, has a large population, and is politically stable. Through the construction of large-scale infrastructure such as railways, highways, and steel, the national economy is boosted. development of.

Many people see the potential in it. How can an international company like Chrysler not be tempted?

For Situ Nan's consideration, Walter felt a little disapproving.I thought: "With the improvement of Nanhua's transportation, the car market must be promising, and it will still burn gasoline. The market will not be fundamentally changed because of Situ Nan's promotion of cheaper diesel cars.

If it goes well, Chrysler's Airstream sedan will be put into production in South China within three to five years, and it will win that emerging auto market in one fell swoop.Let Dodge Truck Company go to South China to try the water now!"

After several capital adjustments, Chrysler became a company jointly controlled by the William Consortium and the Mellon Consortium. The success of the new car also attracted Richard?Mellon came over from Pittsburgh.

Given Water?After discussing the outstanding performance of Chrysler and other managements, Situ Nan and Richard unanimously agreed to provide equity incentives to the management of the automobile company and award 5% of the shares to the management of the company.

At the same time, the wages of workers were greatly increased to match Ford's salary with a daily wage of five dollars, and at the same time, working hours were reduced to eight hours a day, six days a week.

The news broke and caused a sensation in Detroit.In the case of Ford, the salary of $5 a day is not excessive, but the eight-hour work day is too tempting for the nine-hour workers in Detroit.

It coincided with the opening of Chrysler's production line. Suddenly, Detroit auto workers switched jobs from other companies to Chrysler, and many of them were skilled workers from Ford.

"Such conditions are too generous, much better than the steel workers in Pittsburgh." Richard looked at Situ Nan with some heartache.Had it not been for Situ Nan's tough attitude, he would never indulge those workers so much.

"Don't worry! High return means high effort. Managers who are familiar with the assembly line will definitely try their best to squeeze out the potential of the workers. Otherwise, how could our Qiqihar cars achieve an annual output of 1 million vehicles."

Situ Nan smiled confidently.

In fact, the potential of Qiqihar cars is far more than 5 million. As long as they are sold cheaper to give workers more benefits, plus some promotional methods, Stuart was optimistic about Chrysler’s goal of selling 10 million cars 29 years ago. of.

"You are always reasonable!" Richard shrugged, thinking that the new car would be a big seller, grabbing the fattest piece of meat from the multi-billion dollar auto market.

Chapter 6 Tires

"Master, can the air flow brand sell 10 million cars?" He Yongyuan asked Situ Nan in private when returning to the hotel at night.

"Of course." Situ Nan shook the newspaper and smiled confidently. The Detroit Auto Industry News published a large number of pages of pictures of Chrysler's new cars. The eye-catching headline reads-civilian cars, Chrysler Airflow replaced the Model T and became the new favorite of Americans!

The sales of a car depends on the people it is positioned for. The Ford Model T is a great encouragement to Stuart. The Chrysler brand airflow car is designed for ordinary American families. When people are getting tired of simple Model T cars. , The fashionable, high-quality and inexpensive Airflow brand cars have gradually become the first choice for American families.

"Although the price is a bit more expensive, even two or three times that of Model T cars, the U.S. economy will usher in great prosperity, more and more families will become wealthy, and their purchasing power will increase.

Chrysler also took advantage of Ford’s product upgrades to take the lead. When Ford came back to life, our cars had firmly occupied the market."

Situ Nan smiled.

In the next few days, the Qiqihar car continued to be popular and became the headlines of major newspapers. The streamlined car body spread to major cities in the United States, stimulating Americans' attention severely, and people were looking forward to it.

The radio station’s promotion of the Qiqihar car is not weak. The eloquent host’s praise of the new car made listeners in California also pay attention to the new car launched by Chrysler. They immediately flipped through the newspaper and saw the Qiqihu car. Style.

Chrysler held a huge celebration banquet, inviting Detroit parts manufacturers and distributors from all over.

In addition, there is a heavyweight guest-Secretary of Commerce Herbert?Hoover, under the promotion of the Department of Commerce, hundreds of US automakers, led by the three major automakers of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, have reached automotive manufacturing industry standards, which are compatible with US highway traffic regulations and highway construction standards.

"Uniform industry standards promote the development of the American automobile industry, which is also of great benefit to Chrysler. Good things have allowed us to catch up."