Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1350 The Big Brother Who Loves Learning (First Update, Please Subscribe)
The lights in the cabin of the night flight were dim.

Most of the passengers were sleeping there. Only a few were still energetic, turning on the lights and looking through something.

“I never thought we would introduce ‘Charites’!”

"Charites" is the famous work of NBC Volkswagen and is also the prototype of the sedan introduced by the Soviet Union.

The magazine that Kochenkov was holding at the time was a Soviet automobile magazine, and the cover of the magazine was Volkswagen's "Charites".

However, in the Soviet Union it was not called "Charites", but "Zhiguli", which was named after the mountain range near the factory.

Although the factory has just been built, it does not prevent the Soviet Union from showing people this "people's car" through magazines - every Soviet citizen can get it.

“It was the best-selling product in the U.S. market last year!”

Looking at the car on the cover of the magazine, Kochenkov said with emotion:

“I didn’t expect that NBC would transfer its technology to us.”

Kochenkov's words aroused the emotion of his colleagues.

"Yeah, I never thought they would transfer such an advanced car to us!"

"Charites is the three goddesses of beauty in ancient Greece, meaning "grace" or "elegance" or "charm". This car is the first sedan of NBC Volkswagen and an extremely advanced front-wheel drive car..."

As a senior official in the Ministry of Automobile Industry, Kochenkov was no stranger to this car, as his car was "Charites".

"Four years ago, when it was launched on the market, the American car market was still dominated by big cars. However, the designers of Volkswagen believed that housewives did not need to drive a two-ton car to buy groceries. Making the car smaller would not only save raw materials but also be more fuel-efficient. There would definitely be 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 most important reason is that this is indeed an extremely outstanding car.

"Although it was extremely short and exquisite compared to similar cars at the time, it was very beautiful in the eyes of many people. After its debut in the autumn of a few years ago, the magazine "Car and Driver" commented that it was "the best-looking foreign car since the war." The only complaint about it was its performance. It was said that it took 0 seconds to accelerate from 60 to 22 kilometers per hour. The test result of the British magazine "Car" was 18.5 seconds, but it was a car for general driving, not a car for fast driving."

Putting the car magazine aside, Kochenkov said:

"It achieved amazing success in its first year in the North American market, with sales reaching 535676 units. That year, the three major American automakers launched their small cars one after another, and its sales were extremely impressive even under fierce market competition. Only two years after its launch, the total sales of "Charites" exceeded one million."

Mikhail, who was sitting next to him, said:
"According to an American magazine, 'Charites' are the best to live on, right?"

"Yes, when it first arrived in the US market, its price was only $1800. At that time, the annual income of a middle-class American family was $5900. Although the price was low, its performance was extremely outstanding..."

When talking about its performance, Kochenkov said with some pride:
"My 'Charites' is the best car I have ever driven. Even a Ford or a GM car for a few thousand rubles cannot compare to it."

Mikhail said with some envy:
"You are a lucky fellow to have 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, and the car that was “eliminated” by the Automobile Research Institute was a “targeted elimination”.

Even if Khrushchev cracked down on privileges, some things could not be completely eliminated.

"It's just a little luck!"

Kochenkov laughed and said:

"And I only drove it a few days earlier. Soon, everyone will be able to drive the Soviet-made "Charites", which has a longer wheelbase and better performance..."

"How many rubles do you think it will sell for?"

Mikhail asked curiously:
"It's sold for $1800 in the United States. The current exchange rate is 0.9 rubles to 1 dollar, which is more than 1600 rubles. If we calculate it at this price, we can buy a car with our annual salary!"

Looking at the beautiful cars in the magazine, Mikhail couldn't help but yearn for them:

"By then, not only will every household have a car, but we can even have two cars like Americans do."

"Haha, maybe it will be cheaper. After all, the raw materials and labor in the Soviet Union are much cheaper than NBC. Maybe it will only cost one thousand rubles. Who knows?"

Kochenkov smiled and said:
"So, we have to go to Dongning as soon as possible to connect with Volkswagen and strive to put the car factory into production as early as possible so that we can drive our cars as early as possible."

When they said all this, they did not think there was anything abnormal. For Big Brother, learning seemed to have become the norm.

But now they don’t think there is anything strange about learning from a younger brother who is almost 30 years younger than the Big Brother. It seems that learning is what the Big Brother should do.

It would be abnormal if you don't study.

Just like that, in their expectation, the plane landed at Chang'an International Airport in the early morning. As soon as they left the airport,
Mikhail couldn't help but complain:
"Really? No one is here to receive us!"

As officials from the Ministry of Automobile Industry, they had always received a warm reception wherever they went, 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 in the car, Mikhail looked left and right, and even touched the seat, his eyes full of anticipation.

It was precisely 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 through the window at the city in the early morning. The city seemed to have just woken up, and the outlines of skyscrapers were looming in the morning glow, like a group of steel behemoths standing in the morning light, or like huge stone monuments, quietly standing on this prosperous land, witnessing the prosperity of this city.

Looking at the skyscraper, Kochenkov's heart beat faster involuntarily, and an indescribable shock surged in his heart.

Because it was early in the morning, there were almost no pedestrians on the wide street, and occasionally a few cars passed by.

However, at this moment, while quietly observing all this, Kochenkov could imagine the prosperity here during the day and feel the richness here. All of this made him feel a certain expectation in his heart, although it was a little strange, but he was extremely yearning for it.

Kochenkov sighed softly. He knew that everything here did not belong to him, or rather, 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 always kept the yearning and desire for all of this in his heart.

In the following day, they did not rest in the hotel, but strolled around Chang'an for a day, fully experiencing the "prosperity of capitalist society", of course, with a critical attitude.

However, for the two officials sent by the Ministry of Automobile Industry to NBC, Chang'an was just their transit station. After a short rest in Chang'an, they flew to Dongning on C717 the next day.

When Mikhail saw the engine at the tail of the C717, he couldn't help but say:
"Haha, this aircraft is very similar to our Tu-104. Could it be that we bought a Soviet aircraft? Hey, it seems that some places are not the same!"

The reason why Mikhail said this is because Tu-104 is the star of Soviet civil aviation, especially domestic routes, and even the star of the entire Eastern world. However, only a very few people know that the Tu-104 aircraft was developed by the Soviet aviation industry department based on the C717 after the C717 landed in Moscow in .

Although there are certain differences between the two, if we have to find a father, the C717 is definitely the father of the Tu-104. Even in terms of the tail engine layout, it is still 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 Figure 104?"

"no……"

"No, it looks very similar..."

In this way, the two walked and talked until the plane took off. Mikhail seemed to sense something and said:

"I seem to understand."

"what?"

Mikhail said in a very serious tone:

"Its cabin is a little quieter, much quieter than the Tu-104."

Kochenkov did not say anything about Mikhail's judgment. He certainly did not know that the engine of Tu-104 originated from NBC. Although it was a copy of NBC product, it had a shorter lifespan and higher fuel consumption. Of course, noise was just the most insignificant problem.

"Mikhail, when we get to Dongning, I'm going to meet an old friend first."

Mikhail asked curiously:
"Old friend? Someone from NBC?"

He was so curious because although there were engineers sent by the Soviet Union to study in Dongning, there was definitely no need to meet them first. After all, they would definitely meet at Volkswagen.

There was no need for individual visits at all, and if there were to be individual visits, it would definitely not be to the engineers, because there was no need - after all, they were the leaders of the department.

"Do not."

Kochenkov said:

"He is from the Soviet Union, a student sent here last year. I think..."

Looking out the window at the blue sky and sea, Kochenkov said:

"I want to learn about NBC from him!"

(End of this chapter)