The car giant started by marrying the daughter of the king

"BMW Group to develop the world's fastest supercar!"

《The Automobile Powerhouse Begins with the W16 Engine》

"Exclusive Interview with Hu Shuiwen, General Manager of Nanshan Engine: The Future of China's Leading Automobile Engine Company"

《Chinese people can also produce super sports cars! 》

……

Soon, various media began to report that BMW Group was preparing to produce a supercar, the fastest sports car in the world.

The 1990s was the least confident period for Chinese people.

After opening the country's doors, we found that there was a huge gap between many areas and the international level.

Some people have completely lost confidence.

Therefore, when we are able to surpass developed countries, we feel that we are bringing glory to our country.

In the past, people had the impression that things like supercars could only be produced by European countries.

Even Japan and Korea are not good in this regard.

Now the BMW Group has announced that it will produce the fastest supercar in the world, which means it will surpass the car-making capabilities of European countries.

This matter naturally has a very different meaning.

That’s why so many media outlets are reporting on it.

In other words, the Internet is not so developed now, otherwise this matter would have become a bigger issue.

Even so, the BMW Group has become famous.

Even Europe's old sports car companies have paid attention to this matter.

"Paul, BMW Group has announced that it will build the fastest supercar in the world."

“The development plan for the W16 engine was also announced.”

"Do you think this is just a propaganda trick, or is it really possible to become a reality?"

As the president of Ferrari, Cordero must have heard of the name of BMW Group.

After all, the exterior designs of many models in the automotive industry in recent years have been influenced by the new products of the BMW Group.

In particular, Chitu Automobile's previous launch of the Panamera four-door coupe has attracted Ferrari's high attention.

Originally they only paid attention to the BMW Group and were surprised by this rising dark horse.

But now that the other party has announced that it will produce a supercar, the situation is different.

You know, when people talk about sports cars, the first thing they think of is Ferrari.

BMW Group is doing this to become a competitor to Ferrari.

“I saw the news, too.”

"From the past practices of the BMW Group, what they publicized eventually became reality."

"This time the slogans are shouted loudly, but they may not be fully implemented in the end."

"But I think it's true that they are going to produce supercars."

As the head of sales for Ferrari, Paul is very concerned about changes in the world automobile market.

Even though BMW Group was not a competitor of Ferrari before, he would keep an eye on the other party's movements from time to time.

There's no way, the automotive world car market looks huge.

But there aren't actually that many players on the table.

There are even fewer companies that are creative and can bring changes to the automotive industry.

"The W16 engine, if they really develop it and install it on a sports car, the performance of this sports car will definitely be very exaggerated."

"After all, up to now, no car company has successfully developed a W16 engine."

After hearing what Kodlo said, Paul couldn't help but add something.

"Although no car company has successfully developed a W16 engine, I heard that Volkswagen is developing a W12 engine."

"And the V16 engine, which is somewhat similar to the W16 engine, was developed by car companies many years ago."

"As early as 1930, General Motors' Cadillac Series 452 was mass-produced with a V16 engine."

"This 7.4L naturally aspirated, 165-horsepower V16 engine is used in GM's top luxury cars, and about 4000 units were produced."

"At the same time, Alfa Romeo also developed a V16 engine and wanted to use it in racing cars, but it was only used for testing and not for competition."

"BMW also designed a V16 engine in the s, but development was interrupted due to the war."

"Rolls-Royce and Dodge also designed V16 engines, but they were not mass-produced for various reasons."

After hearing what Paul said, Kodlo had a more intuitive understanding of W16.

In the past, so many car companies chose V16 engines instead of W16 engines.

This shows that the V16 engine is relatively easier to design.

Now that BMW Group has chosen the W16 engine, it is estimated that it will not be able to be mass-produced in the end.

This is a good thing for Ferrari.

After all, up to now, Ferrari has only developed and designed V12 engines and has no production plans for V16 or W16 engines.

If the BMW Group really develops the W16 engine, then Ferrari's engine development plan will definitely change in the future.

This is not the situation that Cordero wants to see.

As an old car company, it hates being led by the nose the most.

"Why do you think BMW chose the W16 instead of developing a V16 engine?"

Having doubts in his mind, Cordero asked them.

"From the information released by BMW Group, their W16 engine is composed of two V8 engines combined at a certain angle."

"This makes it shorter than a traditional V16 and suitable for a horizontal layout."

"Compared to the V16, the W16's cylinder structure is more integrated, reducing some redundant materials, and has advantages in terms of lightweight."

"But with these advantages, the shortcomings of W16 are also very obvious."

"The two V8 engines share a common crankshaft, and the valve train, lubrication and cooling systems are more complicated, resulting in extremely high maintenance costs."

“And the vibration suppression of the W-type layout is more difficult than that of the V-type, requiring additional balance shaft technology.”

"I doubt whether BMW can successfully develop such an engine."

After Paul's analysis, Cordero felt more relieved.

Even if the other party is really serious about developing the W16 engine, it is estimated that there will be no results without ten or eight years.

Ferrari should just develop the V12 engine diligently so that it can produce sports cars with outstanding performance.

Unlike the situation at Ferrari, Bugatti attaches great importance to the W16 engine project and super sports car project of the BMW Group.

Bugatti, which plays an important role in the history of world sports cars and racing cars, just produced the EB 1 sports car to compete with the McLaren F110 a few months ago.

This model is equipped with a mid-mounted 3.5L V12 quad-turbo engine with an output power of 553 horsepower.

It is definitely a land monster.

It can be said that everyone at Bugatti is counting on this car to restore its former glory.

"Theoretically, the design of the W16 engine announced by BMW Group is feasible."

"Of course, there are definitely many details that are not so easy to handle."

“And the production precision requirements for many parts are very high.”

"I don't think it can be done so quickly." Gandini is the design director of Bugatti Automobile, so naturally he needs to give President Artioli a thorough analysis of the changes in the industry.

BMW Group has unprecedentedly publicized its plan to develop the W16 engine, something that no other car company in the world has ever done.

Bugatti must take this news seriously.

If an ordinary Chinese car company announced this news, he would definitely not want to pay any attention to it.

Watching it for one more minute is a waste of time.

But the BMW Group is different.

In the past decade, it has risen rapidly like a dark horse and has made a huge name for itself in the world automobile market.

In particular, the Land Rover Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedans equipped with V8 engines are enjoying great popularity during this period.

Normally, after the V8 engine is completed, the next step is to develop the V12 engine or the W12 engine.

However, the other party did not follow the usual path and directly developed the W16 engine, which made everyone a little puzzled.

"If we also develop the W16 engine, when do you think it will be developed?"

Artioli asked a question that troubled Gandini.

Bugatti's situation in recent years has not been good.

There simply isn't enough money to develop the W16 engine.

The key is that he has no confidence that he can develop such a product in a short period of time.

If we insist on doing it, we don’t know when we will get any results.

Don’t let this project drag down the company.

Then you are a sinner.

"Artioli, according to my estimation, the development of such an engine would require a budget of at least $3 million."

“And it will take more than five years. I think it is difficult for the company to carry out such a project under its current circumstances.”

Gandini felt that the issue still needed to be made clear.

Otherwise the situation will be bad.

"I know what it looks like now, but once BMW develops the W16 engine, with their extraordinary exterior design level."

"There will be a strong competitor in the super sports car market in the future."

“We don’t think there is necessarily an advantage.”

Artioli didn't want the Bugatti to be destroyed in his hands.

Since Ettore Bugatti founded Bugatti Automobiles in 1909, the company has received a variety of honors.

Now it has a history of 92 years and will soon become a century-old enterprise.

He hopes that by the time of the company's centenary celebration, it can become the most famous sports car company in the industry, rather than falling into development difficulties.

"If the W16 engine is really developed, then the other party's claim to produce the world's fastest supercar may really become a reality."

"After all, the W16 engine has its own unique advantages in terms of output power."

"Our V12 engine is unmatched."

Gandini explained the situation from a relatively objective standpoint.

For those who work in technology, one is one and two is two.

There is no way to fake this kind of thing.

"First, arrange for someone to come up with a design for the W16 engine."

“We’ll see when we have the opportunity to develop it later.”

Although the conditions for developing the W16 engine are not in place now, Bugatti obviously still wants to make preparations for both scenarios.

When conditions are ripe, the W16 engine project can be launched quickly.

Gandini did not say anything more about this.

After all, if you just carry out some preliminary design, the cost will be relatively low.

It's nothing more than some labor costs.

The most expensive part of developing an engine is the production and testing of various samples.

Many samples require separate molds to be produced.

But if a set of molds only produces a few parts, the cost will be very high.

……

"Verdi, we at SEAT have successfully acquired Skoda this year."

"But we still lack a sufficiently influential sports car brand."

"What do you recommend?"

As the president of Volkswagen, Hahn has made considerable achievements over the years.

Volkswagen developed rapidly under his leadership.

With this development, Hahn's ambitions naturally increased.

"There are many companies in Europe that produce sports cars, including Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lotus, and Aston Martin."

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy to acquire.”

"These car companies have always insisted on producing sports cars, and their route is different from ours."

As the sales director of Volkswagen, Verdi has a relatively good understanding of the various situations in the market.

Acquiring a sports car company will be beneficial to enhancing Volkswagen's brand influence.

But running a sports car company is a bit difficult.

He had little confidence that he could do it well.

"My idea is a little different from yours."

"Nothing in this world is not for sale. As long as the price is right, everything can be negotiated."

"Please arrange for someone to investigate and see which car companies' positioning is more in line with our needs."

"In the next few years, I think the company needs to take some action in this regard."

Hahn is definitely not someone who is easily persuaded.

Otherwise, he would not be able to hold on to his position as chairman of Volkswagen.

He felt it necessary to acquire a sports car business, and that was a must.

If the people below don’t understand, it means they haven’t realized what I mean.

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to investigate and give you a report when the time comes."

Whether you like it or not, you have to do something when the boss gives the order.

Otherwise, you can go home and sleep without coming to work.

"I see that BMW Group has been very active recently. You need to assign someone to keep an eye on their movements."

"Don't let the time come when we keep our eyes on General Motors and Toyota, as they will definitely be surpassed by BMW Group."

After Hahn said this, Verdi immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, we have a special team in our branch in China to take charge of this matter. Any new information will be reported to the headquarters in a timely manner."

BMW Group has transformed from a dispensable car company into a giant.

The number of opponents paying attention to him has naturally increased. (End of this chapter)