Chapter 599 “First” in the world
New Year and Christmas in East Africa are quite lively, but in Ernst’s mind, these two festivals must be set off by snow to make them appear more atmospheric. At this time, most areas in East Africa are at their hottest. Celebrating New Year and Christmas in the summer feels very awkward.
The arrival of the New Year also means that 1880 has passed in East Africa. The entire East Africa is running like a precise machine. In just a blink of an eye, East Africans are busy again and continue to participate in the construction of East African countries.
People in East Africa are more miserable in this regard. Other areas have long winters, and they can also rest for a long time. East Africa has little difference throughout the year. This is the climate that capitalists like, and it represents sustainable exploitation throughout the year.
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"This is a car?" Constantine exclaimed.
One of the world's first cars was assembled in front of the square of the Royal Palace of Svet. Thanks to the long-term research and development of the Hechingen Consortium and some wonderful ideas proposed by Ernst, the first car in East Africa left the factory. It is already very advanced, as shown by the fact that it has a front windshield and a carport, rather than an open-top three-wheeled car.
The reason why it is one is because the Hechingen Consortium prepared one each in Germany, Austria and East Africa at the same time, which means there are three units of the world's first car.
The purpose of this is that Germany, Austria and East Africa can simultaneously promote that the first car was born in their own country, which will help expand sales.
Because the automobile industry cannot develop without the support of the market, and Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are mature markets with a large number of nobles and wealthy people who can afford cars.
Moreover, the first cars of the Three Kingdoms were presented to the royal families of the Three Kingdoms by subsidiaries of the Hechingen Consortium. Cars are luxury goods, so they have to rely on nobles to promote them, and the royal family is undoubtedly the most noble brand. , especially the royal families of the two world powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary.
"Father, this is definitely a product that transcends the times. The automobile industry will become the greatest industry in the world, replacing today's horse-drawn carriages and becoming a product that will enter thousands of households in the future." Ernst said proudly.
"You said before that cars can run without relying on animal power. Does this car also burn coal?"
"Of course not. The fuel for cars is gasoline, and gasoline is processed from petroleum. The United States is the world's largest oil producer, but we also have plans in Romania."
There are many people in the United States who have made their fortunes from oil, especially in the western region where there are many oil fields. The uneven distribution of oil resources also means that local oil production in East Africa may not be ideal in the future.
This is helpless, but East Africa also has an advantage, that is, it is very close to the Persian Gulf coast, the most important oil-producing area in the world. Therefore, as long as the East African navy does not stretch its hips in the future, it is basically impossible to blackmail East Africa through oil. .
Moreover, East Africa is not far from two important oil producing areas in North Africa and West Africa, so Ernst is not too nervous about the future energy issues in East Africa.
Moreover, the local oil in East Africa can meet the basic needs of East Africa, at least it can meet the needs of the East African army in the future, and will not be short of oil like Germany during World War II. At the same time, East Africa also has a strong presence in Kalimantan, an oil producing area in the South Seas. Although the oil producing areas Not within the Lanfang Overseas Province, the East African royal family also has the Alaska royal territory, which is also an oil-producing area.
Therefore, the world's major oil-producing areas, East Africa, can basically ensure the national energy security of East Africa through force. Unlike the Far Eastern Empire, if there is no Malacca Strait, the energy security of the Far Eastern Empire can be greatly improved. East Africa, as a two-ocean country, will There is no such hidden danger.
In fact, according to Ernst's idea, it would be best to drive a nail along the Persian Gulf coast. In this way, East Africa's future energy security will be foolproof. However, East Africa has never found this opportunity.
The coast of the Persian Gulf now belongs to four countries: the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Oman and the United Kingdom, so it is quite difficult for East Africa to get involved.
However, no one knows about the existence of oil in the Persian Gulf. Many future oil-rich countries are still living a miserable life of nomads and fishing for pearls. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are impoverished. No one would have thought that this place would be abnormal because of oil in the 21st century. Prosperity, so Ernst has always been obsessed with this place.
As the fuel replenishment was completed, the driver started the ignition, and the world's first car began to run smoothly on the Svet Palace Square.
"He moved, there was no smoke like a steam engine!" Everyone exclaimed.
The black smoke that is continuously emitted from car exhaust pipes is automatically ignored by everyone, because it is nothing compared to the smoke from steam engines.
As the car accelerated, it finally reached a running speed of thirty kilometers per hour, which attracted applause from the people present in East Africa.
An East African official media reporter recorded this historical moment and wrote on paper: "The carriage without horses really achieved incredible movement..."
At the same time, Berlin and Vienna were also holding related performances, but they were more lively than those in East Africa.
The Hechingen Consortium deliberately planned the car launch conferences in the three countries to be held at the same time. It just so happened that Germany, Austria-Hungary, and East Africa were all located near the East Second District, so the time was similar.
It is interesting that all three countries can claim that the world's first car was born in their country, but it will take some time to discover this.
"In addition to building some state-owned automobile factories in East Africa, Hechingen Bank will also invest in several private automobile factories. The former will be used to meet domestic demand, while the latter will focus on the international market." Ernst told Constantine.
"What difference does it make?" Constantine asked.
"The difference is huge, because our domestic car market is very narrow, and most people cannot afford such luxuries. Therefore, it is foreseeable that the demand for cars can only be met by government official cars, or by those technicians who receive high salaries. , such people are always in the minority.
The export part is the bulk of our profits. Although many countries in the world are poor, there is a huge gap between rich and poor, and there are many rich classes, such as the Far East Empire, so this part must be completed by the Hechingen Consortium, which is very calculating. If it is a state-owned enterprise, they will not consider cost and profit issues, so it is enough to let them eat the domestic market. The international market requires professionals. " said Ernst.
The development of the automobile industry needs to rely on market regulation. It is not impossible to rely on state-owned enterprises to implement it through administrative means, but the flexibility is definitely not as good as that of private enterprises without a moral bottom line. This sentence may not be entirely correct, but state-owned enterprises want to compete with private enterprises in this field. For enterprises to compete, the management must be the top professionals.
"Since you are optimistic about the automobile industry, why don't we just build factories in East Africa and get a share of the pie from Germany and Austria?"
"This is because we do not have the ability to live alone, our industrial system is not perfect, many parts need to be imported, and even domestic parts, the overall quality is far behind that of Germany and Austria. This is why I require some cars The reason is that the company is a state-owned enterprise. Orders from state-owned enterprises can at least ensure the development of other industries in East Africa, otherwise it will not be able to compete with the international market and the price-performance ratio will be too low," Ernst explained.