Chapter 18: I Brought the Carburetor

The localization of the Volkswagen Santana was a highly concerned issue from the central to the local government. However, from the project's initiation to the first batch of CKD-assembled Santanas rolling off the line in 1983, and up to now, the slogan of localization has been shouted for several years, but progress has been slow. Over 90% of the parts still need to be imported from Germany. Not to mention the core components like the transmission, engine, and carburetor, even the radiator and headlights need to be imported. The only parts our country can provide are a few low-tech products like steel rims, transmission shift levers, and seat fabrics.

At the beginning of the Santana project, the central government only approved 89,000 CKD assembly units. With the current annual assembly volume of 10,000 units, this means that by 1989, all the import quotas will be used up. If the Santana cannot achieve basic localization by then, the factory will have to close. With only about four years left until 1989, the leaders in Shanghai are probably already jumping with anxiety.

Of course, these are the concerns of the big shots. What Chen Hongjun was worried about was that if so many state-owned enterprises couldn't meet the Germans' requirements, how could they solve the problem?

"I know the situation in our factory, but I've found a good project for us."

"You found a good project for our factory? You came with a project?" Chen Hongjun was pleasantly surprised.

Chen Geng solemnly declared, "I didn't bring a project, but I found one myself."

"Close enough, close enough," Chen Hongjun waved his hand indifferently. To him, whether his son brought a project or found one, it was the same. He excitedly rubbed his hands and asked, "What is it?"

Chen Geng helplessly shook his head, "It's a carburetor."

"Carburetor?" Chen Hongjun never expected his son to bring such a project to the Third Military Equipment Repair Factory. He hesitated, "A carburetor is a high-precision device. Can we produce it? And the one used in the Santana..."

Although Western countries were starting to promote electronic fuel injection technology in cars, globally, carburetors were still the mainstream in engine fuel systems. Carburetors produced by famous automotive parts companies like Bosch (Germany), Denso (Japan), Keihin (Japan), Mikuni (Japan), Mitsubishi (Japan), and BorgWarner (USA) still dominated the global gasoline engine market. The domestic carburetor technology was roughly equivalent to the level of the 1940s abroad, far from meeting the requirements of the Santana and Wolfsburg.

Saying that the domestic carburetor technology was equivalent to the 1940s was not self-deprecating; it was a fact. If you didn't believe it, just look at the era when we introduced car technology and the technological level of those products at the time. We have not updated our production equipment and technology for many years due to various reasons.

"I know the Santana uses a carburetor imported from Bosch in Germany," Chen Geng nodded before his father finished speaking. "The level of domestic carburetor production is average, and the performance is far from that of products from Europe, America, and Japan. We also lack experience in producing carburetors. I know all of this."

"Then why..." Chen Hongjun stared, speechless.

"Do you remember the German teacher who taught me German when I was learning at Santana?" Chen Geng asked. "He used to work at Bosch in Germany."

Chen Hongjun, of course, was not stupid. His eyes lit up when he heard this. "You mean..."

"Exactly," Chen Geng nodded, confirming his father's guess. "He has the technology for the Santana engine's carburetor. He can also help us purchase the complete production and testing equipment for carburetors from abroad. As long as the carburetors we produce are qualified, he can use his identity as an engineer in Wolfsburg to sell our carburetors to Santana."

"This seems a bit off," Chen Hongjun was not excited but suspicious. "What does he want? He can't be here to do good deeds or volunteer, right?"

Having been a soldier all his life, Chen Hongjun knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Even if there was, it might be thrown by a thief who was eyeing your wallet, planning to steal it while you caught the lunch.

"Of course, he has his demands. He's not Lei Feng. Kandler's demand is that he provides the technology and production equipment, and also provides technical guidance to help us produce qualified carburetors. In return, 30% of the profits from this project will go to him."

Having demands is good. Chen Hongjun breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly. "30%? Not much, not much..."

He understood clearly. The technology and production equipment were provided by him, and he would also provide technical guidance during production. In the end, he only wanted 30% of the profits, which was not an excessive demand at all. In fact, it seemed a bit low to him.

Chen Hongjun, relieved, patted Chen Geng's shoulder hard. "Son, when your brothers come, we must have a good drink!"

As an elder, this was the only way he could express his emotions.

...

Chen Geng thought his brothers would come one by one, but to his surprise, all four of them came together. Although a bit surprised, he was more delighted and hugged them warmly.

The brothers were clearly not used to this greeting. The eldest, Song Yuhang, awkwardly said, "Third, when did you learn this habit from the foreigners? Isn't shaking hands good enough?"

Chen Geng realized he almost made a mistake. "Damn, almost made a fool of myself!"

People in this era were not used to greeting with hugs, no matter how familiar they were. They preferred shaking hands and calling each other comrades. Hugging was too bold and didn't fit the reserved nature of the people.

He said a bit embarrassedly, "I picked it up from the Germans while helping at Santana... Come, come, everyone, sit down."

Song Yuhang twisted uncomfortably. "Hehe... I've seen foreigners do this on TV, and I used to envy it, but it feels awkward when it's my turn."

Although the brothers were still warm towards him, a subtle sense of estrangement had quietly appeared.

Chen Geng knew why this estrangement had appeared. He was a graduate of Tsinghua University, a top talent, and a state official after graduation. He was in high demand everywhere, and the heads of various units would even fight over him. His future was extremely promising.

As for them, some were waiting for job placements as veterans, unable to find good jobs for almost two years and too afraid to even consider dating; some were ordinary workers in factories, earning a meager salary and worrying about housing for marriage; some were clerks in government offices, running around at the behest of their superiors and earning very little...

When they were young, everyone was similar, and there was no noticeable difference. They naturally played together. But now, the significant difference in status had become the root cause of the estrangement among the five brothers.

This couldn't go on. He couldn't let this estrangement continue.

Except for fashion designers, all other designers were introverts, and Chen Geng was no exception. But no matter how introverted he was, his life experience was there. He playfully punched Zhang Xiangyang and said, "Old Two, you guys weren't this polite before. I didn't expect you all to become so civilized."

"Hehe..." Zhang Xiangyang laughed awkwardly, lowering his head.

"Old Two, I'm being straightforward. I'm counting on you guys to help me make a name for myself. Without you, I wouldn't have much confidence. Are you guys unwilling to help me?"

"Really?" Zhang Xiangyang's eyes lit up. He thought Chen Geng was just going through the motions to show he hadn't forgotten them, but now it seemed he was mistaken.

"Steamed? Boiled? Speaking of boiled, we're having hotpot today, which is indeed boiled," Chen Geng smiled and invited everyone. "Come, come, everyone, sit down. We'll talk while we eat... I brought this hotpot base from the capital. The chef who made it learned the technique from Donglai Shun. The taste is amazing. I'm not boasting, but I guarantee you won't be able to stop eating. I brought it specially for us to enjoy, and I didn't even eat it myself..."

Feeling that Chen Geng hadn't changed and was still as down-to-earth as before, the brothers exchanged glances and finally relaxed, their eyes lighting up with excitement. "Ha... We won't be polite then."

As for Chen Geng's request for help, no one took it to heart. "Brothers fight together, and fathers and sons go to battle together." Why did they become sworn brothers in the first place? To take care of and support each other. If Old Three needed their help, they would help him.

As for whether eating hotpot in the summer was strange, what are you thinking? With meat to eat, are you still not satisfied?