Sports cars symbolize the highest level of car manufacturing for a car company or even a country. Although China is already the world's largest automobile consumer, due to the slow start of the automobile industry, it still lacks a good grasp of the three major components. The sports cars built in the early days were more like "semi-finished products." However, with the advent of new energy, many domestic car companies have been given the opportunity to "overtake in corners."
Although sports cars with "playfulness" as the core account for a small proportion of the market, sports cars that embody the essence of research and development of car companies and are regarded as the "Mount Everest" in the field of car manufacturing are a car company or even a sports car. The symbol of a country's hard power in manufacturing and soft power in design also determines the upper limit of car manufacturing. On the road to climbing "Mount Everest", a number of domestic car companies can be described as "stumbling".
The emergence of Beauty Leopard marks my country's zero breakthrough in the field of sports cars. At the same time, Beauty Leopard is also a pure domestic sports car with completely independent intellectual property rights. It is true that if you look at the beautiful leopard with the current eyes, you may see shortcomings. The appearance has obvious traces of copycat Toyota Supra. The engine uses Toyota 8A-FE series, with a displacement of only 1.3L. It explodes with a maximum power of 85 horsepower at 6000rpm. The acceleration time of 14 seconds to 100 kilometers seems to have gone through a century. Coupled with front disc and rear drum brakes, and a front-wheel drive layout. One can't help but wonder, is this really something done by a sports car?
If you are afraid of failure and refuse to take the first step, you will always be able to stand still and live in your own comfort zone. It's hard to say that Beauty Leopard, who has the appearance of a sports car but no soul of a sports car, is satisfied, but how many people can achieve success in one go? We can't say that the beautiful leopard is awesome, but we can at least praise it for its courage to pioneer!
Following that in 2007, Brilliance Automobile teamed up with world-renowned companies such as German FEV, Pininfarina, and Porsche to create a sports car called China Kubao, and announced that the car quoted The world's leading technology, a product developed with reference to the F1 racing concept and the joint efforts of 100 development engineers.
The Chinese Kubao, which is loved by thousands of people, has indeed been upgraded to a higher level than the Beauty Leopard in terms of performance and appearance. Brilliance's independently developed 1.8T engine and ZF's independently developed 4HP-20 automatic transmission + front double wishbone and rear multi-link suspension settings, with an acceleration time of 9.3 seconds to 100 kilometers, finally have a bit of a sports car in terms of performance. , and thanks to the uncanny workmanship of Pininfarina Design Company, the smooth body shape also has the charm of a sports car. Unfortunately, the high price makes most people choose to stay away.
In 2009, BYD, unable to bear the loneliness, launched the first domestic folding hard-top sports car - BYD S8. The emergence of BYD S8 will be the first wave of domestic sports cars led by Meirenbao. push to the highest peak. The SLK-like appearance and the two-stage folding hardtop that can be opened and closed automatically are very attractive.
Only the lack of core competitiveness is exposed at the power level. The 2.0L naturally aspirated L4 engine has a maximum horsepower of only 140 horsepower. Coupled with the front-wheel drive layout, the acceleration time to 100 kilometers is as beautiful as the beauty. The same as the leopard, the same 14 seconds.
So how difficult is it to build a perfect sports car that is known as the "Mount Everest" of car manufacturing? What obstacles will you encounter?
The sports car, which embodies the essence of R&D and technology of car companies, has always been a symbol of a car company’s hard power in manufacturing and soft power in design. It is also the highest expression of brand image and manufacturing level. Sports cars are the key to building cars. The “Everest” of the field is no exaggeration!
If building a sports car is likened to climbing "Mount Everest", then completing the sports car-style construction of the exterior and interior can only be regarded as climbing to the "North Slope Mountaineering Base Camp", completing the power system, body structure, Chassis adjustment and lightweight processing are what make it the final "8848". For example, at the level of chassis tuning, which pays attention to the fine division of labor, all development engineers need to "brainstorm" again and again to create a high-quality chassis that can ensure first-class control and stability under extreme working conditions.
For example, in terms of lightweight processing, my country has been heavily dependent on the import of lightweight materials for a long time. In addition, domestic car companies have insufficient accumulated experience and technology in car manufacturing, as well as production line construction, mechanical processing and Due to the inherent "defects" of the casting level, early domestic sports cars often had problems such as poor performance, low chassis limits, and easy rusting.
It is necessary to not only enjoy the ultimate pleasure of driving at the edge of the limit, but at the same time ensure the personal safety of the driver. This requires the exterior and interior of the sports car to be perfectly integrated with each other in order to be coupled into an organic whole. Otherwise, it will just be a "pseudo sports car" that has the appearance of a sports car but no sports car heart!
The popularity of a high-priced product labeled as "playthingism" largely depends on the average income level of the local people. From the major world-famous sports car manufacturers, most of its birthplaces It comes from developed countries such as Europe and the United States, and it can be seen that the sales volume in this region is ahead of other developing or underdeveloped regions.