"Any customer can choose any car he likes, as long as it's black. ”
This is one of the famous hellish jokes told by car magnate Henry Ford after he produced the Model T on the assembly line. At that time, the USA was young, free and unrestrained, the electrical industry revolution was booming, and people's yearning for a better life was increasing day by day. The automobile, one of the greatest inventions of the 19th century, was naturally the focus of discussion. But at that time, the cars were basically the playthings of the rich people, and the two boys next door could have the whole car, and there was always a row.
At this time, Henry Ford had been practicing in the field of car manufacturing for more than ten years, built 19 cars, and even preliminarily pointed out the skills of exchanging parts and splitting processes between various models. Finally, in 1908, Henry Ford appeared in front of people with a Model T that was mainly cheap, durable and easy to maintain.
The price of $850 is less than half of the price of other cars, and the average worker can buy one for a year and a half's salary.
At that time, the Model T was in the United States, just like today's hamburgers, with a lot of money and a lot of fun, and the poor were happy. The car is not poor, and the car is not ugly, so by 1912, the annual sales of the T-type car were nearly 70,000 units, and a worker in the workshop was split in half.
Fortunately, in 1913, the assembly line of the first version of Ford finally appeared, and the production speed of automobiles increased exponentially, the production time of each car was shortened from 12 hours to 90 minutes, and the price was reduced to about $200.
In 1924, more than ninety percent of the world's automobiles came from Ford, and by the time production ceased production in 1927, the Model T had sold 15 million units, making it the world's best-selling car. Everything looks good, but after the production of the Model T, Ford's transition has been extremely difficult. In 19 years, the Model T has been updated for five generations without any evolution, and Henry Ford refuses to add any comfort features to the car, nor does he reject any outside opinions, and is focused on improving production efficiency.
Even all the Model T's only have one color: black, because black paint is cheap and dries quickly. As a result, the 1908 and 1927 Model T cars were almost indistinguishable except for the old and new.
But there were 200 small car companies in the United States at that time, and the competitors learned the essence of the assembly line, and continued to evolve, using a lower ** to produce a more comfortable and richer new car, Ford was defeated in its own stubbornness, and was soon cut by Chevrolet
Eleven years after the end of the Model T, a talented German engineer, Ferdinand Porsche, took over the sales crown and the Volkswagen Beetle was launched.
Many people will always think of the Beetle and the Model T as a product, which is also cheap and easy to repair, and everyone can afford it. In fact, in my opinion, they are completely opposite. Henry Ford wanted to sell more industrial products at the lowest cost, and this industrial product happened to be the Model T;And the Beetle, from the roots, was born to be a car that everyone can afford.
At that time, the German mustache was in power, and in his plan, two adults and children plus luggage should sit in the car, with a top speed of 100, fuel consumption of 7 liters, and a price of 990 marks, which is about the same as a motorcycle. And the factory responsible for the production of this model was named Volkswagen, the people's car, made for the people.
In 1938, the first generation of Beetle, still called KDF-Wagen, rolled off the assembly line, but it was not until World War II that this small car, known by Americans as the "shining golden beetle", began to enter thousands of homes. That's right, the name "beetle" was given by the Americans, and although the stubborn Germans didn't agree with it, they couldn't stand the consumer's liking, so they simply changed the name in 1967, and they were honest.
This name change coincided with the hippie pandemic, and this little bug that couldn't be broken suddenly became synonymous with rebellion.
Coupled with a series of classic advertisements, in 1972, the Beetle officially surpassed the Ford Model T in sales. In 1998 and 2011, the total sales of the beetle reached more than 21.5 million, and the reproductive capacity is comparable to that of the beetle.
But the real reason for the Beetle's hot sales is the word "people's car". In the 30 years since its birth, it has continued to adjust and evolve according to consumer needs, replacing tie rod brakes with hydraulic brakes from the earliest days, updating the gearbox shift mechanism, widening the wheels, adding gasoline gauges, changing the engine, and so on. Like the ad says, when you come home with a new Beetle, it won't be noticeable on the outside, but it's evolved on the inside. The evolution of constantly surpassing itself again and again has made the Beetle not only sell higher, but also go further and become a classic cultural symbol.
and the Beatles relay to rise, as well as the Japanese Corolla. After the oil crisis in 1973, the Japanese royal three Honda, Toyota, and Nissan, which were more adapted to the soaring oil prices and people's travel habits, all launched small cars with large economical and fuel-efficient space and durable leather, and the Corolla was a leader.
From 1966 to the present, 57 generations of 12 generations of models, various configurations have been changed countless times, and the middle has also evolved front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, as well as the sports version of Lei Ling and even the famous AE86, Corolla has become a household name around the world.
But no matter how much evolution there is, what remains unchanged is the foundation of the Corolla, which is fuel-efficient and durable. People choose Corolla because it is fuel-efficient and durable, and Corolla has evolved into a more valuable choice for consumers with a more fuel-efficient and durable self.
For more than 100 years, with the great evolution of countless classic models, the discourse power of automotive products has gradually shifted from the production end to the consumer side. This situation is especially evident in today's Chinese auto market, where if you want to get ahead, you must not only surpass your opponents, but also surpass yourself.
The words of the family are for reference only, I am Master Huang, and I want to hear those car stories, welcome to comment at one o'clock, if you think it is interesting, you are also welcome to ** to drive with friends, we will see you next time!