Chapter 289: Automobile Expo

While Gao Da was inspecting the drought, the automobile company was also urgently expanding its workforce, making preparations for the automobile expo.

The Spanish automobile expo was expected to take place in three months, that is, in early December 1881.

Before then, the automobile company needed to produce at least 1, 00 automobiles as a reserve to be delivered once orders were placed.

If assembly line production technology were not adopted, it would be simply impossible to produce 1, 00 automobiles in a short span of three months.

But with the help of assembly line production, it was not impossible for the automobile company to attempt it.

At the same time, major newspapers were also vigorously promoting news regarding the automobile expo.

Thanks to the fame brought by the Madrid City That Never Sleeps and the tram expo, the moment Spain announced that an automobile expo would be held at the end of the year, it immediately attracted the attention of much foreign capital.

The automobile industry, like the electric power industry, was an industry that various countries were exploring but had yet to achieve any major results in.

Spain had already established its status as a powerhouse in the electric power industry through the Madrid City That Never Sleeps and the tram expo; if the automobile industry also had impressive achievements, would that not mean that the great powers of Europe were lagging behind Spain in both of these major industrial fields?

Regardless of what other countries thought, Spain was proceeding methodically with the preparations for its automobile expo.

During this period, no major events occurred, except for the death of the assassinated American President Garfield, who succumbed to his severe injuries due to the treatment of incompetent doctors, with Vice President Chester Alan Arthur taking over the presidential throne.

As time reached December 1881, the Spanish automobile expo held in Madrid began smoothly.

The expo was held on a large open space on the outskirts of Madrid, which, after simple renovations, could accommodate tens of thousands of participants to visit.

Of course, to ensure the smooth progress of the expo, not too many visitors would be let in while the expo was being held.

Apart from the more famous newspaper media of various countries, only some distinguished guests who had been invited, as well as a small number of the public who had obtained entry qualifications by purchasing tickets, were allowed to enter.

In the very center of the expo venue, five automobiles of different colors were parked. It is worth mentioning that on the front and back of the automobiles, there were quite conspicuous and unique automobile logos.

The logo came from the company that manufactured these automobiles, the Royal Spanish Benz Automobile Company. Under Gao Da's suggestion, the Benz automobile logo adopted the famous three-pointed star of later generations, though its meaning at this time was completely different from that of later generations.

The three-pointed star of Benz automobiles in later generations represented the development of mechanization on the sea, in the sky, and on land, while the three-pointed star logo of the Benz Automobile Company at this time represented the company's philosophy: quality, integrity, and service.

Gao Da still held high expectations for the Benz company. In the future, the Benz company would also create more sub-brands, striving to cover all types of automobiles.

At the automobile expo, the cameras of major newspapers almost never stopped. The magnesium flashes flickered, and the smoke emitted gathered together, unable to dissipate in a short time.

This could also prove how novel the automobiles displayed by Spain were to others. It was not as if prototypes of automobiles had not appeared in other European countries, but compared to the finished products that could already be called automobiles launched by Spain, those prototypes had a gap as vast as heaven and earth.

But this was not the climax of the expo. A straight road over one kilometer long had been temporarily built at the expo venue, which was also a place used to demonstrate the speed of the automobiles.

When two Benz automobiles drove over side-by-side from a distance, speeding past like the wind at nearly 36 kilometers per hour, the media present reached a climax.

They could not believe that the speed of this thing in front of them, which they had never seen before, could actually rival a train.

More importantly, this type of transportation did not need roads like tracks at all; it only needed to drive on relatively flat roads.

Seeing the amazed expressions of the onlookers, Benz and several technical experts walked down from the cars with smiles, beginning to introduce the Benz company's automobiles to the surrounding crowd.

When they heard that such an automobile could reach speeds of over 36 kilometers per hour, the surrounding crowd boiled over.

The magnesium flashes became even more incessant; some newspapers were already thinking about the headlines and content for tomorrow's news, while other newspapers raised their own questions.

"Mr. Benz, as far as I know, some companies in the German Empire are also conducting research related to engines. The engines they have developed cannot maintain long-term operation, let alone provide such great horsepower to keep the entire mechanical equipment at a driving speed of 36 kilometers per hour.

Are you sure the data you introduced is correct? If what you said is true, this fellow in front of us is enough to replace the role of a horse-drawn carriage; this will be another means of transportation that changes human history after the train." A German reporter stood up and raised his question.

As a superpower among the five great powers, Germany had been surpassed by Spain in the electric power industry and the automobile industry one after another, which made this German reporter somewhat unable to believe it.

Germany was also conducting research related to engines and automobiles domestically, but the progress made so far was minimal.

If it were really as Benz said, then Spain's automobile industry was no longer just leading Germany; it was directly crushing Germany and had already formed a huge gap.

"Language can be deceptive, but experimental results will not," Benz said with a smile: "Regarding the various data of this automobile, we have sufficient experimental data; if everyone is interested, you can also pick up a copy to look at.

Of course, we have also prepared simple experiments for everyone's reference. For this epoch-making automobile, we have quite sufficient confidence.

You are right; this is indeed a means of transportation that can completely replace horse-drawn carriages. Gentlemen, a new era regarding transportation is about to arrive.

By riding this automobile, we can shorten travel time by at least half. This will change our lives to a great extent, and this is also one of the purposes for which the Benz company was founded."

Hearing that there were experimental data and related experiments to watch, most of the onlookers believed the data Benz had stated.

After all, there was no need for Benz to lie. Although exaggerating data could indeed attract a lot of heat, once such automobiles were sold and the people who bought them found that the automobiles in their hands were not as wonderful as Benz had said, then the so-called Benz company would see its reputation collapse instantly.

The testing regarding the automobiles also began quickly. To let the onlookers personally feel the speed and stability of the automobiles, if they were interested, they could apply to ride in the automobiles personally to experience it.

Of course, such quotas were destined not to be too many. Apart from the reporters from those relatively famous newspapers, only a small number of distinguished guests could enjoy such an experience.

As for most ordinary people, they only had the qualification to watch.

Regarding personally riding in such a big fellow to experience it, most people were still very much looking forward to it.

Fortunately, the expo venue was wide enough, and with several automobiles driving together, it did not seem that crowded.

In order to directly demonstrate the speed of the automobiles, all the automobiles participating in the test were driven at maximum speed.

When these reporters sat in the automobiles and felt the speed of 36 kilometers per hour, their expressions were quite surprised.

Although the current automobiles were not as comfortable to sit in as the automobiles of later generations, just from the perspective of speed, they had already far surpassed the horse-drawn carriages that people usually rode in.

Even the trams that had become popular in Europe in recent years had speeds far inferior to horse-drawn carriages.

Taking Spain as an example, the speed of Spanish trams generally would not exceed 20 kilometers per hour, which was also to ensure safety when driving on city roads.

Except for trains running at full speed that could exceed 36 kilometers per hour, the speed of all other means of transportation could not reach the level of 36 kilometers per hour.

This was also the reason why the reporters were surprised; just in terms of speed, this so-called automobile had already surpassed the vast majority of means of transportation.

Because there were too many people who wanted to experience the automobiles, this resulted in the several automobiles participating in the test basically not being turned off; except for picking up and dropping off passengers, they were almost all in the process of driving at full speed.

Thanks to the stability of the engines, the automobiles did not encounter any problems during the long-term driving, and they only stopped when all the fuel was used up.

Of course, before they stopped, Benz had already introduced in detail the energy used by these engines and how far each automobile could travel after being filled with fuel.

Under the focused gaze of the reporters, after these automobiles were refilled with fuel, they soon started up again.

This also made the reporters begin to believe what Benz had said: the automobile in front of them was indeed an epoch-making means of transportation, and in terms of function, it was indeed superior to horse-drawn carriages.

Not to mention anything else, just the fact that it could drive continuously for over a hundred kilometers was something a horse-drawn carriage could not do.

Horses were animals after all, and they would always have the need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Automobiles were different; the fuel carried with them was what they needed to eat, and while running, the exhaust pipe would discharge the waste gas produced by combustion, without wasting any extra time at all.

"Mr. Benz, is your company considering selling such automobile technology?" While a large group of reporters was queuing up to experience the automobiles, foreign capital had already found Benz, wanting to purchase the Benz company's automobile technology.

The automobile technology currently displayed at the expo was at a level that automobile companies in other countries could not reach by a long shot.

Like the previous electric power and tram technology, these foreign capitals had the intention of acquisition. If they could master the Benz company's automobile technology through acquisition, they could also sell such automobiles to their own countries and then make a large sum of money.

"I am very sorry, but we are currently not considering selling technology related to automobiles," Benz shook his head and said with a slight apology.

Before that person could respond, Benz continued: "But in the future, we will consider establishing branch factories in more countries and are willing to carry out cooperation with more foreign capital."

Although Gao Da's goal was to sell Benz automobiles to the whole world, such a goal could not be achieved by the headquarters of one Benz Automobile Company alone.

Just the European market alone required several automobile companies to develop it together. Not to mention the American market; without establishing a few branch factories, it was impossible to control too much market scale.

If one wanted to establish branch factories in other countries, it was absolutely impossible to avoid cooperation with the capital of these countries.

It was impossible to control most of the automobile market by relying on the solo efforts of Spanish capital; this would arouse the vigilance of other countries and also make numerous foreign capitals hostile.

Only by carrying out cooperation with local capital could one obtain the acceptance of local capital. At the same time, one could also use the influence of local capital to make the expansion of the automobile company more rapid.

Anyway, the Royal Benz Company would hold a considerable portion of the shares of the branch factories, and the headquarters would also have a share of the money earned by these branches.

The headquarters earning money was equivalent to Gao Da earning money; although half or even more of the money earned by the branches would be taken away by local nobles, considering the benefits that cooperation with them brought to the branches, the profits taken away could almost be compensated for.

Hearing Benz indicate that he would not sell automobile technology for the time being, the person who asked the question clearly showed a look of disappointment.

But when Benz mentioned that they would establish branch factories in various European countries and were willing to carry out cooperation with other foreign capital, that person's face regained its smile.

The conversation between the two was heard by more people, and many capitals were interested in such cooperation.

For capital, whoever could make them money was their friend. Currently, the function displayed by the automobile was even higher than that of a horse-drawn carriage, which also meant that the automobile market possessed huge business opportunities.

Capital had a keen sense of smell, and they naturally also sensed such business opportunities. Although it was not certain that cooperating with the Benz company would definitely make money, the chance of making money from such cooperation was definitely very high.

These capitals were naturally willing to take a gamble; even just looking at the function the automobile currently displayed, they had to invest some capital to get a share.

Of course, before cooperating with the Royal Benz Automobile Company, they did not mind purchasing a few automobiles to experience them.

Looking at the long line of people going to experience the automobiles, some people directly expressed to Benz their intention to purchase automobiles.

The Royal Benz Automobile Company had long been prepared; the 1, 00 automobiles produced in advance were prepared for these people who wanted to purchase automobiles.

In the three months of preparing for the automobile expo, the Royal Benz Automobile Company completed the assembly of the assembly line and successfully produced 1, 00 automobiles in three months.

Besides increasing production speed, another benefit of the assembly line was that it effectively reduced the cost of the automobiles.

Previously, the cost per Benz automobile that Benz reported to Gao Da was as high as 12, 00 Pesetas, which was clearly an extremely high figure.

After using the assembly line method to produce automobiles in large quantities, although not many automobiles had been produced yet, according to the automobile company's statistics, the average cost of the 1, 00 automobiles produced had already been reduced to about 12, 00 Pesetas; the reduction in the cost of each automobile was quite obvious.

It was precisely because of this that, after discussions with Gao Da, Benz decided to set the selling price of each Benz automobile at 15, 00 Pesetas, ensuring that each automobile had a profit of over 3, 00 Pesetas.

A selling price of 15, 00 Pesetas was relatively expensive, but for most capitalists and nobles, this was just a small amount of money.

The gap between rich and poor existed in any era; an astronomical expense for people at the bottom might just be a breakfast for people at the top.

Although the selling price of Benz automobiles was not that exaggerated, 15, 00 Pesetas was indeed not a big expense for most nobles and capitalists.

Of course, there were certainly many ordinary people who were interested in automobiles but were eventually discouraged by the price.

As the current mainstream means of transportation, although horse-drawn carriages were expensive, many ordinary people could still afford them.

After all, the composition of a horse-drawn carriage was, to put it plainly, just one or several horses plus a wooden carriage body; the cost was there, so how expensive could it be?

Automobiles were different; whether it was the engine or other parts, they were all fresh novelties.

Fresh novelties also meant higher costs, which also destined the price of automobiles to be a quite exaggerated figure.

The facts were indeed so. The price of a horse-drawn carriage ranged from several hundred to over a thousand Pesetas; one Benz automobile was enough to purchase at least 15 ordinary horse-drawn carriages.

Although the selling price of as high as 15, 00 Pesetas discouraged a considerable portion of the ordinary public, there were still many capitalists and nobles who placed orders.

The Benz company had the word "Royal" as a prefix, and this automobile expo was also held by the royal family.

Although the royal family did not come forward, Spanish nobles all understood that the biggest shareholder behind the Benz Automobile Company was Gao Da.

Regardless of whether they were truly interested in automobiles or just to show their support, in short, the Spanish nobles all needed to purchase a few automobiles.

Precisely because of the support of the nobles, coupled with the fact that there were indeed many capitalists interested in the automobiles in front of them,

it resulted in over a hundred people signing orders to purchase automobiles with the Benz Automobile Company on the very day of the automobile expo.

Most people purchased one automobile; they were also just interested and wanted to experience such an automobile.

There were also people who truly saw the corresponding business opportunities, purchasing several automobiles in a row, seemingly with the intention of forming an automobile company.

Of course, the automobile company here does not refer to an automobile factory, but rather those companies that use automobiles to transport passengers or cargo.

From the grand spectacle of the crowds experiencing the automobiles on the day of the exhibition, it could be seen that there were many people interested in this new type of transportation.

Although the selling price of an automobile is very expensive, the price for riding in an automobile over a short distance is not too costly.

Regardless of whether it is a genuine need to ride an automobile or just to experience a novel mode of transport, forming an automobile company now can still earn a profit.

Over a hundred automobiles were sold on the day of the exhibition, which is definitely good news for Benz and the automobile company.

Although 100 automobiles may not seem like much, considering that each automobile has a net profit of 3, 00 pesetas, the money earned from these 100 automobiles reaches as high as 300, 00 pesetas.

If the sales continue at this speed, it will only take a few days for Kaluo to fully recoup the costs invested in the automobile industry.

5, 00-word two-in-one chapter, seeking support!

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(End of chapter)