Empire Rising: Spain - Chapter 254 - 164: Prototype of the Automobile

Besides these scientists and researchers, groups that contribute tangibly to the nation, such as soldiers, teachers, and doctors, naturally also qualify for increased income.

On the contrary, those engaged in the entertainment industry, Carlo does not wish their income to be excessively high, to the point of being uncontrollable.

Currently, the entertainment industry is not that prosperous, as television and film have not yet been born. When these things do arise, Carlo will have to enact relevant laws to restrict the salaries of related personnel.

These individuals certainly qualify for high incomes, but if their salaries are too high, it will lead to a loss of respect for earning an income through labor.

Besides checks as rewards, these researchers can also enjoy policies such as tax reductions and rent reductions.

Valuing scientists and researchers is the main tone Carlo has set for Spain, a rule that Spain will adhere to in the future.

The slogan “science and education invigorate the nation” isn’t just empty talk; if Spain truly wants to become strong, it’s essential to emphasize scientific research and education.

This is also why Carlo vigorously develops the Royal Academy of Sciences. Once the academy’s research achieves results and the academicians receive titles for their achievements, Spaniards will understand that there are ways to change one’s and one’s family’s future besides military honors, such as academic honors.

When Spain’s youth grow up wanting to become scientists, soldiers, doctors, teachers—professions beneficial to the nation—it will prove that Carlo’s policy of valuing research has yielded positive results.

Once all the rewards reach these researchers, Carlo’s purpose for coming to the engine testing area will essentially be fulfilled.

Currently, automotive development is quite rapid; at least the existing cars have a certain utility. If the engine’s stability issues can be resolved and the car’s practicality enhanced, it will be ready for market launch.

In history, cars with practical utility existed even before the Ford Model T, but they didn’t truly globalize and commercialize mainly because cars were manufactured one at a time.

What does this mean? It means the car production team produced cars one by one, only starting on the next one after finishing the last.

Such an approach not only slowed down the production speed of cars but also lowered the compatibility among different car parts.

When subsequent issues arose in cars, repairs via part replacement were challenging. After all, similar parts were produced over long intervals, possibly by different people, inevitably leading to some degree of variance.

The slow car production speed and repair challenges, coupled with the poor stability caused by handcrafting, severely limited the widespread adoption of cars.

But what truly ushered cars into globalization and full commercialization wasn’t the Model T’s debut but the assembly line production developed by Ford Company.

The assembly line principle is quite simple: divide the production of an entire car into different part productions, with each workshop responsible for only one type of part.

The same workshop producing parts leads to less variation, which makes it easy for subsequent cars to have repairs done by simply replacing parts, reducing maintenance time and complication.

Since workers only need to handle the production of one type of part, the demands on workers significantly decrease. As workers become more skilled, the rate of qualified parts increases and the margin of error decreases.

By assembling standardized produced parts along the assembly line, a complete vehicle can be put together.

This not only increased the speed of car production but also reduced the fault rate and improved car stability.

This change led automobiles, which had been around for a while, to finally become globalized, becoming indispensable transportation and conveyance tools for humanity.

The Model T became the most legendary vehicle of its time, selling over 15 million units in less than 20 years, with nearly 1 million units sold annually.

How astonishing are these figures? Before the Model T and assembly line production emerged, the entire Europe and United States together produced fewer than 10,000 cars annually.

One assembly line production increased the worldwide automobile output by hundreds of times in less than 20 years, illustrating its profound impact.

Carlo, of course, understands the principle of assembly line production. As long as car companies can further improve existing vehicles and engine companies develop more stable and thermally efficient engines, the comprehensive promotion of cars can be considered.

Promoting cars 30 years in advance might encounter more issues, but if the Model T could sell over 15 million units, can’t the cars developed by Spain reach 1 million?

Increasing Spain’s automotive reputation early on will also help Spain capture the automobile market.

As the famous model launched by Ford Company, the Model T directly transformed Ford into the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

How exaggerated was its peak? The production of just the Model T accounted for 56.6% of the world’s total automobile output, showing that Ford Company then dominated over 60% of the global auto market.

Originally, Ford Company could solidify its dominance in the automotive world, leveraging the vast territory established by the Model T.

Unfortunately, due to overconfidence and arrogance in its achievements, Ford Company failed to keep pace with other companies during automotive technology updates, ultimately resulting in its market being gradually eroded.

Had Ford Company focused on technological progress, continuously improving the Model T, and developing new cars, maintaining a 30% market share would have been no issue, not to mention preserving a 60% share.

How exaggerated is a 30% market share? In later years, over 85 million cars are sold annually worldwide, with a 30% market share equating to more than 25 million sales.

Although the current car market isn’t as exaggerated, capturing the automotive market early and progressively stabilizing its position is necessary.

If Spain’s cars could be pushed globally 30 years earlier, the world automobile market expansion might also advance.

Looking at the world’s production and sales volume of cars around the Model T’s emergence, the automotive market appears very promising.

Even if cars were developed in the 19th century, sales could still be counted in tens of thousands.

After all, there are quite a few wealthy people worldwide, with sales solely to royal families and capitalists already presenting a substantial potential market.