Chapter 1350 Big Brother Who Loves Learning (First update, please subscribe)
In the cabin of the night flight, dim lights were on.
Most of the passengers were sleeping there. There were only a handful of passengers who were still full of energy, lighting some lights, and seemed to be looking at something.
“I didn’t expect that we actually introduced “Charites”!”
“Charites” is the famous work of NBC Volkswagen, and it is also the prototype of the car introduced by the Soviet Union.
The magazine Kochenkov was holding in his hands at this time was a Soviet car magazine. The cover of the magazine was clearly Volkswagen's "Charites".
However, in the Soviet Union it was not called "Charites", but "Zhiguli", which was named after the mountains near the factory.
Although the factory has only just been built, it does not prevent the Soviet Union from showing people this "people's car" through magazines - every Soviet can get it.
“It was the sales champion in the US market last year!”
Looking at the car on the cover of the magazine, Kochenkov said with emotion:
"Unexpectedly, NBC people actually transferred its technology to us."
Kochenkov's words aroused the emotion of colleagues in the industry.
“Yes, I never imagined that they would transfer such an advanced car to us!”
“Charites” are the three goddesses of grace in ancient Greece, which means “ "Favor" or "Elegance", "Charm", this car is NBC Volkswagen's first sedan and an extremely advanced front-wheel drive car..."
As a senior official of the Ministry of Automobile Industry, Kotchenko My husband is no stranger to this car because his car is "Charites".
"Four years ago, when it was put on the market, the American car market still regarded big cars as beautiful, but the designers of Volkswagen believed that housewives did not need to drive a two-ton car to go shopping and make the car smaller. It not only saves raw materials, but is also more fuel-efficient. There is definitely a market for such a car, so they designed this car. Unlike the Beetle, Wuling, Fiat and other cars, it is a four-door car.”
Although he is not an automotive engineer, Kochenkov knows this car very well because of his work, and not just because he owns a 61 model "Charites". The core reason is that this is indeed an extremely good car.
“Although its body was extremely short and exquisite compared to similar cars of the time, in the eyes of many people, it was very beautiful. After its debut in the fall of a few years ago, Car and Driver magazine Comments “It’s the best-looking foreign car since the war. ". The only complaint about it is its performance. It is said that it takes 22 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 kilometers per hour. The test result of the British magazine "Car" was 18.5 seconds, but it is a car used for general driving. But it's not a car that goes fast."
Putting the car magazine aside, Kochenkov said:
"It won the first year after it entered the North American market. It was an astonishing success, with sales reaching 535,676 units. That year, the three major American automobile giants launched their small cars. Even in the fierce competition in the market, its sales were extremely impressive. Only two years after its launch, "Charites" "The total sales volume exceeded one million."
Mikhail, who was sitting next to him, said:
“According to the evaluation of American magazines, “Charites” is the most suitable for life, right?”
“Yes, it arrived for the first time. In the U.S. market, its price was only US$1,800. At that time, the annual income of middle-class families in the United States was US$5,900. Although the price was low, its performance was extremely outstanding..."
Mentioning its performance At that time, Kochenkov said with some pride:
"My "Charites" is the best car I have ever driven. Even a Ford or GM car with a few thousand rubles cannot compare with it. Than.”
Mikhail said with some envy:
"You are such a lucky guy, you actually bought that "Charites"."
Is it the car that he envies?
Of course not. What he envied was the other person's family. His father was a senior official in the Ministry of Railways. The car that was "eliminated" by the Automobile Research Institute was "targeted".
Even if Khrushchev cracks down on privileges, some things cannot be completely eliminated.
"It's just a little bit of luck!"
Kochenkov laughed and said:
"And I only drove it a few days early. Soon, everyone will be able to drive it. The "Charites" produced in the Soviet Union has a longer wheelbase and better performance..."
"How many rubles do you think it will sell for by then?"
Mihai? I asked curiously:
"It sells for 1,800 US dollars in the United States. The current exchange rate is 0.9 rubles to 1 US dollar, which is more than 1,600 rubles. If calculated according to this price, we can buy a car with one year's salary!"
Looking at the beautiful cars in the magazine, Mikhail couldn’t help but admire:
“By then, not only will every household have a car, but we will even be like Americans, with two cars in every household. Car."
"Haha, maybe it will be cheaper. After all, the raw materials and labor in the Soviet Union are much cheaper than NBC, maybe only a thousand rubles, who knows?"
Ke? Chenkov smiled and said:
"So, we have to go to Dongning as soon as possible to connect with Volkswagen and strive to put the car plant into production one day earlier and we can drive our cars one day earlier."
When they said all this, they I didn't think there was anything unusual about this. For Big Brother, learning seems to have become the norm.
But now they don’t think it’s strange to learn from a young man who is almost 30 years younger than Big Brother. It seems that learning is what Big Brother should do.
It would be abnormal if you don’t study.
In this way, in their expectation, the plane landed at Chang'an International Airport in the early morning. As soon as it left the airport,
Mikhail couldn't help complaining:
"Really, no one received us!"
As officials of the Ministry of Automobile Industry, when they went to any other place in the past, Everyone will receive a warm reception, but what about here?
No one paid any attention to them. "Look, there's a taxi over there!"
As soon as Kochenkov finished speaking, a "Charites" stopped in front of them.
It's just a taxi. This car with excellent fuel performance and low price is naturally very suitable for use as a taxi.
As soon as he got into the car, Mikhail looked left and right, and even touched the seat of the car, his eyes full of anticipation.
It was even because of this expectation that he neglected to observe Chang'an. Unlike him, Kochenkov looked at the city with wide eyes.
Although I have seen Chang'an more than once in movies and magazines, I still couldn't help but be amazed when I was there for the first time.
Kochenkov sat in the back seat of the taxi, his eyes staring at the early morning city through the car window. This city seems to have just woken up. The outlines of skyscrapers are looming under the reflection of the morning glow, like a group of steel giants standing in the morning light, and like huge stone monuments, standing quietly in this prosperous land, witnessing with the prosperity of this city.
Staring at the skyscraper, Kochenkov's heartbeat involuntarily accelerated, and an indescribable shock surged into his heart.
Because it was early in the morning, there were no pedestrians on the spacious street. Occasionally, a few cars would drive by.
However, at this moment, while Kochenkov was quietly observing all this, he could imagine the prosperity here during the day and feel the wealth here. All of this created some kind of expectation in his heart. Although it was a bit strange, he was also extremely yearning for it.
Kochenkov sighed softly. He knew that everything here did not belong to him, or in other words, did not belong to the Soviet Union.
The taxi continued to move forward, Kochenkov withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.
But even if he closed his eyes, he still retained the longing and desire for all this in his heart.
In the next day, they did not rest in the hotel, but walked around Chang'an for a day, fully experiencing the "prosperity of capitalist society", which was of course critical. I felt it.
However, for the two officials sent to NBC by the Ministry of Automobile Industry, Chang'an was just their transit point. After taking a short rest in Chang'an, they took the C717 to Dongning the next day.
When he saw the engine at the tail of the C717 passenger plane, Mikhail couldn’t help but said:
“Haha, this aircraft is very similar to our Tu-104. Could it be? Let’s buy a Soviet aircraft... Hey, something seems different!”
The reason why Mikhail said this is because Tu 104 was a star of Soviet civil aviation, especially domestic routes, and even a star in the entire Eastern world. However, only a few people know that Tu 104 was a C717 that landed in 1952. After Moscow, the Soviet aviation industry, which was hit hard, developed an aircraft based on the C717.
Although there are certain differences between the two, if you have to find the father, the C717 is definitely the father of the Tu 104. Even in terms of the tail engine layout, it is the father of the four-engine Tu 114.
Kochenkov happened to know the inside story and said:
“This is the White Swan C717, the world’s first jet airliner...”
“ Isn’t it our picture 104? ”
"No..."
"No, they look very similar..."
In this way, the two of them walked and talked, until after the plane took off, Mikhail looked like As if feeling something, he said:
“I seem to understand.”
“What?”
Mikhail said in an extremely serious tone:
“Its cabin is quieter, quieter than Figure 104.”
As for Mikhail’s judgment, Kochenkov He didn’t say anything. Of course he didn’t know that the engine of Figure 104 was derived from NBC. Although it was an imitation NBC product, it had a shorter lifespan and higher fuel consumption. Of course, the noise was just the least of the minor problems. .
"Mikhail, after arriving in Dongning, I will go to see an old friend first."
Mikhail said curiously:
"Old friend? NBC person?"
The reason why he is so curious is because although there are engineers sent by the Soviet Union to study in Dongning, there is definitely no need to meet them first. After all, they will definitely work at Volkswagen Meeting at the company.
There is no need to visit alone. If it were to visit alone, it would definitely not be those engineers, because there is no need - after all, they are the leaders of the ministry.
“No.”
Kochenkov said:
"He is a Soviet, an overseas student sent here last year. I think..."
Looking out the window of the plane and looking at the blue sea and blue sky outside the window, Kochenkov said:
" I want to learn about NBC from him!”
(End of this chapter)