Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1265 It's so hard to choose (5k views)

Polar bears may be fat, but they are not very tall.

Therefore, the Beijing 315's length of less than 4 meters and its interior space and height are enough to satisfy the vast majority of Russians.

The Lada Niva, the predecessor of this car, could meet their space requirements in the 70s, so there's no reason why it couldn't in the 60s.

Another reason is quite poignant: less than 20 years have passed since Season 2, and the White Bears didn't have many fully developed adults. Almost an entire generation of young and strong men perished in Season 2.

The reason why the polar bear often appears fierce but is actually cowardly when dealing with international affairs is that it simply cannot afford to lose people.

But that's all in the past. Now, everyone gathered around this booth has their eyes shining.

"Hallelujah! This car is way prettier than our own." Hey, why are you saying such obvious things?

"Comrade, didn't you ask me why I didn't buy anything? This is the reason, I came here for these things." It seems that this Comrade is a rather honest type, he didn't even consider that he could make a lot of money back by reselling the car. Maybe he knew, but he just didn't want to.

"90 horsepower. This little car isn't very big, but its power is even higher than the GAZ-21. Is the Southern comrade exaggerating the power?" This is the first reaction of most Russians when they see the parameters of the Beijing 315.

They couldn't believe that we, in our poverty and backwardness, could actually build a more powerful engine in a smaller volume.

"I don't care if it has 90 horsepower, all I know is that it's a car I can buy right now!" This is the kind of person who's all about pragmatism.

Why think so much? This is a car! A car! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As for quality, our friends in the south have clearly stated that they provide a warranty.

Cars back then weren't complicated. Compared to later generations where repairs were called "car repairs" but mostly involved replacing parts, these were genuine repairs that weren't complicated. This provided the conditions for us to establish after-sales service capabilities there.

Moreover, these days, drivers are essentially mechanics themselves. If you can't fix a car, you can't even drive it out.

While marveling at the sights, the polar bears quickly joined the car-buying frenzy. What are you waiting for? Buy it!

This booth has been bustling ever since it opened. Even though our staff were prepared, the customers' enthusiasm for shopping kept them from having a chance to stop and take a break.

The process was prepared in advance and had been rehearsed, but it was difficult to input their names, addresses, and other information. Fortunately, Russian is still the main foreign language for learning these days, otherwise the sales registration process probably wouldn't have been able to proceed.

Some people were excitedly registering to buy, while others hesitated and sighed.

"Comrade, give me some advice, what should I buy?"

This northern comrade was torn between buying the Beijing 315 or the Beijing 520. As for the Beijing 720, a Mercedes-Benz replica, there was only a model; the actual vehicle didn't exist. Buying one was possible, but one would have to wait. However, vehicles of this class were simply too expensive, and few of the Russians present could afford them.

His friend looked back and forth between the two cars, then sighed, "Don't ask me for advice. If I keep looking, I'm afraid I won't be able to make a decision myself."

The hatchback 315 is cheaper and performs well, but compared to the sedan 520, it is clearly not in the same league in terms of comfort, size, prestige, and functionality.

"The 520 is bigger, can hold more things, has air conditioning, and also has a traction control system..."

While AMT and sunroof are available on both the 315 and 520, features like air conditioning, traction control, and other minor functionalities are exclusive to the 520.

"Comrade, do we need air conditioning where we are?" his colleague asked. Hot air from a gasoline car can be drawn from the engine cooling system, but cooling requires a compressor. However, at Polar Bear's latitude, cooling doesn't seem to be a very essential necessity.

"No, no, no, I can do without it, but I can't live without it, you understand? And don't forget, our summers aren't that cool either, and I'm fat, and my wife is even fatter!" This Russian man said with a hint of deep helplessness. Everyone knows that the probability of women gaining weight after marriage is not low in Russia.

In reality, the extreme summer temperatures in the capital of the polar bear are not so friendly, probably similar to those in Qianyang in the Guizhou Mountains, around 30 degrees Celsius or slightly above.

At this temperature, air conditioning is still a very useful feature, and more importantly, it looks good!

Compared to the White Bear domestic sedan, which struggles to even move itself, the Beijing 520's 120 horsepower provides enough power to drive an air conditioner, preventing it from becoming just a decoration.

Having an air conditioner and actually having an air conditioner that can cool are two different things.

"Then buy the 520, Comrade. It's a rare opportunity, and the important thing is to make yourself happy."

"But I really need money... or else..."

"No! Don't even think about it! I only have enough money left to buy a car!" His colleague realized his intention and shouted, clutching his pocket.

Although big-ticket items like cars don't require immediate payment, money is like water in a bottle; even if you don't drink it, you still know how much is left.

As for car loans, they don't exist these days, especially not international ones. For manufacturers, there are plenty of people waiting to buy; car loans? What kind of car loans?
The Russian man, torn between 315 and 520, scrunched up his face.

Fortunately, large items like cars cannot be delivered on-site; the on-site staff only register them, so at least there's no need to worry about them being sold out.

In reality, although Russians are the main buyers of cars, it's not that people from other countries don't want to buy them. You have to understand that even the big brother of the Economic Partnership Organization (EPO) is lame in the automotive industry, and other EPO countries can produce even less.

Even if there are occasional production opportunities, under the economic aid system, a country doesn't really have much say in what it produces. Guess who mainly gets allocated to produce high-tech, high-return products like cars? It's just that they themselves are incompetent, and after all that effort, they're all looking at the bigger picture but not being able to handle the bigger picture, fighting until they can't even get enough.

To some extent, this is one reason why we did not directly join the Economic Aid Association.

Why should I have to depend on your whims and orders regarding what I produce? What's the fundamental difference between this and decades later when Citibank wants us to keep producing shirts for them, and only shirts forever?
Children make choices; adults want it all!
So other countries are actually quite enthusiastic. If you don't let me produce, fine, I'll just buy from others, that's none of your business, right? But there's one country in this system that's outside of it and that you can't control.

More importantly, all indications suggest that the cars produced by Comrade Dongfang are far superior to those of their elder brother! Powerful engines and rich features are visible features. But what's unseen is the steel grade that Comrade Dongfang uses in load-bearing components. Not to mention other countries, even people from the White Bear, if they know anything about cars, are secretly amazed.

That's too extravagant! There's an old saying in the East: "Good steel should be used on the blade." But it seems they don't take that saying seriously at all. Such good steel, and they're using it on cars?
Although they were secretly alarmed by the extravagant behavior of Easterners, this was undoubtedly good news for those who wanted to buy a car. Since the Easterners dared to say such things, they must have done them. When it came to keeping their word, they were relatively trustworthy.

Some customers even had another thought that they were reluctant to say aloud—could it be any worse than Polar Bear's?

Even setting aside the technology and considering only the quality, they still have many complaints about it.

In the 21st century, when their leaders inspected the factory, it's hard to say how high the quality of a car is when the door handle is pulled off with just a simple opening action.

Among these people, some want to buy for themselves, while others are considering importing a batch to sell domestically. This is called introducing competition.

When it comes to competition, our Beijing-based auto factory is not afraid at all. They have already done the comparison and know that our cars are the best! At least in the countries of the Economic Development Council, even if we were placed in the West, we could compete with established automakers on equal footing and even slightly win.

Of course, brand premium is an exception; that takes time to accumulate, and even the best methods won't produce results.

For these reasons, two long queues quickly formed in front of the car showroom, one for private customers and one for public customers.

Those comrades still caught in the dilemma between March 315th and May 520th moved slowly forward in the queue, carrying with them this conflicted feeling. Meanwhile, some less affluent countries had different goals; they were more interested in the chubby-looking minivan next to them!

For them, the 520 and 315 are both good cars, but they can't afford them. Importing some at the national level is an option, but even if they are imported at the national level, they are not the best choice. It's enough to import some of these cars so that those who are qualified can use them.

However, the car that can truly shoulder the main responsibility is the cheapest, has the fewest peripheral functions, the simplest structure, and the worst power parameters.

And it can hold a lot! The meme of "a carload of bread people" is almost universally known among netizens decades later.

"This is the kind of car we want! Comrade Dongfang is truly building cars for ordinary people and working people!" Someone's words elevated the matter to a new level.

While this assessment may be merely a spontaneous expression of feeling, it should not be underestimated, as it is also an integral part of a nation's reputation. The US and Russia's extravagant spending on international affairs from the 60s to the 80s was precisely to prove this point.

"Yes, it has a simple structure, is cheap, easy to maintain, and has good off-road capability. In our area, it will definitely be more popular than a sedan, as the use of a sedan is too restricted."

"We need to import a batch. In my opinion, this type of vehicle is suitable for our official vehicles. It has excellent versatility." Although it doesn't have many peripheral functions, the characteristics of a microvan make it a versatile vehicle in its core function of transportation.

Although it looked rustic, the number of people surrounding the minivan was no less than, and perhaps even more than, those around the 315 and 520 shopping malls in Beijing.

After all, the price of those two cars was quite high compared to this minivan, and there were even quite a few Russians among them. Putting money aside, the main reason was that they felt this vehicle was more capable of doing the work.

“Comrade, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to buy two small multi-purpose vehicles so I can sell one of them, you know…” Well, maybe it’s not entirely because they’re more capable of working.

"Shh... Just keep this to yourself, don't say it out loud."

Just then, a commotion broke out around the booth.

People turned to look as a new car was placed on a mobile platform and pushed in through a side door by staff.

Just one glance was enough to make many people waver, especially those who were buying a car.

At first glance, this vehicle looks somewhat similar to the Beijing 315, both being hatchbacks with a slightly boxy appearance, but it is noticeably smaller. If the 315 is nearly 4 meters long, then this vehicle is only a little over 3 meters long.

The car looks beautiful, and most importantly, the sign on top is very attractive.

Price! This car is much cheaper than the 315 in Beijing.

For some people, this is very appealing.

Why do you need a bicycle? The 315 is a car, and so is this.

Although its power output is slightly lower, its light weight means its performance won't be bad.

Although the bus is shorter, the number of seats is the same, so squeezing in won't make you pregnant.

Although it only has hot air, 315 only has hot air. Besides, what would we Russians need for cooling?
Although this car doesn't have a sunroof, sunroofs are useless anyway, they get too hot in the sun, so it's better to just not have one.

……

The people currently struggling with this issue perfectly embody the saying, "There are no bad products, only bad prices."

Given the price of this car, even if it blows out on the road, people will still praise it for the loud bang!
Moreover, this car has some very special features. At least the front and rear suspensions look like new technology. Although it is small, it is new!

The most important point is that this car not only fulfills their desire to "own a sedan", but its price is also enough for them to easily buy two. Isn't that the opportunity?
Buy one for yourself, then sell it... no, it should be one towing another, the main point is to be rich.

Not to mention the Russians, even other people were immediately impressed.

Ultimately, the biggest reason individuals don't buy sedans is price. This car solves that problem perfectly, while also not being as primarily a utilitarian vehicle as a minivan.

The nameplate on the vehicle indicates that its main feature is "good comfort." After all, it has a front MacPherson strut and rear double wishbone suspension, which gives it some credibility compared to a minivan.

Since we're already here, what's wrong with treating ourselves? Besides, if we handle it well, we could even make a profit without spending a penny on the car, since cars are practically priceless in their country.

Tariffs? What tariffs? What are tariffs? For these people, they naturally had ways of solving this problem. This was in the 60s, when many countries that had just gained independence from the colonial system were still largely unorganized.

The only problem is that we have to wait for this car.

Regardless, this popular model from Jiuan Shang, which is "under development," garnered a lot of attention as soon as it was exhibited, so it can be said that it was born with a silver spoon in its mouth.

The long queues for car purchase registration have added to the number of people who are struggling to make a decision, making it really too difficult to choose.

The procession moved slowly forward, with several Gauls watching from the sidelines.

They have no interest in importing cars from the East. The Gauls have their own car companies. Even disregarding issues like quality and maintenance, importing cars from the East would only create trouble for them and introduce competitors. They're not that foolish.

When it comes to car chassis tuning, the Gauls really have something special; they have their own pride in it.

Furthermore, the Gauls, in terms of emotional intelligence, have their own understanding of cars; in terms of low emotional intelligence, they have many unconventional designs. People outside of Gaul may not be able to adapt to Gaulish cars, while they themselves may not be able to adapt to foreign cars, which is a case of going against the grain.

One of them turned to the person next to him and said, "I have to say, this ancient Eastern country has given me a big surprise in the emerging automotive industry. They have entered the world of small cars with almost the fastest speed and the most ruthless methods, and they have made quite a few achievements. I have learned a lot from these cars."

These cars have a lot of advanced technology and details, so it's not surprising that he can learn something from them.

"They may be our future competitors, but there's no need to rush now; we live in two different worlds."

"Although I'm not interested in bulk importing and selling them, I think their last little car is very interesting. As an individual, I'd like to buy one to play with." It must be admitted that the French have good taste; this smallest car, in terms of its personality, is probably the most unique.

"Ha, your hobbies haven't changed. I do have an idea, though, that we can consider."

"Tell us your ideas; you always see things we don't." In China, this kind of person is commonly known as an "idea king."

"While I'm not interested in their cars, I am very interested in their engines," the idea genius chuckled.

"Are you crazy? Engines are the core technology of automobiles. If we import their engines, we'll be killing our own engine industry." Those who come here are the leaders of their automotive industry; they're not stupid.

In fact, by the 21st century, Gallic cars had fallen into a quagmire of having no engines available. While BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) had large-displacement, high-performance engines of 3.0T or even 4.5T and above for their top product lines, their high-end brand DS faced the predicament of only having 2.0T engines available. As a result, it was completely unable to project a high-end image and was even jokingly called "loser" by Chinese car owners because of a pun, which made them very sad.

(End of this chapter)