The Failed New Model

Although this company is not large, it is still a legitimate automobile manufacturing company with very formal and strict systems in all aspects. The development of new models is an absolute secret, and specific design drawings and other information would never be stored on a computer connected to the external network.

Therefore, even J.A.R.V.I.S. was unable to obtain specific data and information about this new model.

Now that the boss had asked, Anderson, the head of the company's R&D and design department, immediately reported to Chen Mo on the development progress of the new model that had been underway.

As requested by their former boss, Little Taylor., after conducting market research and analysis, they determined that the new model indeed had strong market potential, and thus quickly began the development of the new model.

The overall layout sketches and styling designs for the automotive concept design phase were completed quickly, and the project smoothly transitioned to the engineering design phase.

The overall layout schemes for the engine, clutch and transmission, drive shaft, frame and monocoque chassis, front and rear suspension, braking system, fuel tank, spare tire and luggage compartment, and air conditioning unit, as well as the exterior and interior design schemes for the vehicle body, have been preliminarily completed.

However, problems arose during the engineering design phase, when the entire vehicle was being designed in detail.

Initially, the engineering design phase progressed smoothly, with the overall layout design, including detailed chassis layout drawings, interior layout drawings, exterior layout drawings, and electrical layout drawings, all completed quickly.

The generation of vehicle body styling data, interior and exterior engineering design, electrical engineering design, and chassis engineering design all proceeded very smoothly. In particular, the chassis design, which is the company's strongest area, saw the design of the transmission system, driving system, steering system, and braking system completed first.

However, regarding the most crucial aspect—the powertrain—although detailed layout diagrams of the engine compartment were provided, the specific engine engineering design was delayed. The heart that powers this new car, the engine that Little Taylor relied on to launch the new model development plan with a gamble—a powerful new engine that, according to Eddicott's promise, should have been developed quickly—was not completed on schedule as promised.

The vehicle's development was stuck in the engineering design stage, and it didn't even enter the prototype manufacturing and testing stage, let alone go into mass production.

Eddicott explained that the development of the new engine was basically complete, but its performance did not meet expectations, indicating that there must have been a problem they had overlooked.

This is quite normal, though. Engine systems are inherently very precise and complex, and even a small problem can lead to a significant drop in the overall engine performance. However, the current problem should not be too serious, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to identify and resolve it soon. The only issue is that the research and development funding is insufficient.

Little Taylor is now going all in. In order to develop a new model, he has not only mobilized most of the company's working capital, but also suspended all special vehicle modification business. As a result, car sales have begun to decline sharply. Successfully developing a new model is his only way out now.

Therefore, he had to squeeze out some of his already meager funds and allocate them to Eddicott's engine development team.

After securing more research and development funding, Eddicott successfully solved the problem of the new engine and successfully prototyped an engine with even stronger performance than the one originally purchased from Ford.

It must be said that although Eddicott was of very poor character, he was still very capable in terms of technology. However, he did not use this ability for engine development, but instead used it to manipulate the development progress and deceive his superiors.

This new engine was entirely developed by a small team of his engine research and development personnel, but they were only responsible for their respective parts of the work, and the final results were all compiled and submitted to Eddicott Cot.

Due to the principle of technical confidentiality, specific research and development progress and technological breakthroughs are not disclosed to the public. Therefore, apart from the parts they are responsible for, the other members of the team do not know the overall situation of engine development.

No one would have imagined that the "honest and dedicated" Eddicott would conceal the results and deliberately slow down the development process. Therefore, only Eddicott knew the true development status of the engine, and the entire development progress was entirely in his hands.

However, the story doesn't end there, otherwise Little Taylor. wouldn't have sold the company.

After the successful development of this new engine, the new model immediately entered the prototype manufacturing and testing phase.

But that's where the problem arises.

In order to dissuade Little Taylor from his conservative idea of closing the R&D department and resting on his laurels, Eddicott deliberately exaggerated the engine's performance, describing it as incredibly powerful.

Like everyone else in the company, Little Taylor was misled by the image of integrity, diligence, and hard work that Eddicott had been deliberately cultivating. He believed that the engine development team's years of hard work had finally yielded a great result.

Under Eddicott's influence, Little Taylor's originally pessimistic and conservative mindset quickly reversed. He was full of confidence and wanted to build a car that could be worthy of this "super engine", fully unleash its powerful performance, and crush other brands' "super cars"!

Taylor Motors originally manufactured pickup trucks and SUVs, so Little Taylor's first thought was naturally to stick to what he knew, where they had extensive experience and a wealth of technical expertise.

If they were to switch to making sedans and sports cars, which they had never made before, they would have no experience whatsoever. It would be extremely difficult and risky, so there was no need to even consider it.

Inspired by the upcoming "super engine," Little Taylor no longer intended to make low-end cars. Since the engine's performance was powerful enough to provide more power and support a larger and heavier body, using it on their existing models would be a complete waste. And developing a larger model would be unnecessary, not to mention the time and difficulty involved.

They originally made medium and large pickup trucks and SUVs; anything bigger would be trucks, which wouldn't fit their market positioning and customer needs for passenger vehicles.

After all, their large pickup trucks and SUVs, with a length of over five meters, are already among the largest sizes for normal passenger vehicles. Full-size SUVs are designed to be spacious and comfortable, and this size is sufficient to meet that need; anything larger would be completely meaningless.

Nobody wants to drive around in a huge truck every day; it's just too inconvenient.