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Very simple, for beginner: reports are your best friends!
At the start, look for "Body Style Demand"...
Don't forget to *disable* auto-hire if you need to cut staff/production.
(this happened to me in one of my earlier games - see my AAR report - nearly went bankrupt!)
(09-02-2013, 10:16 PM)Slim Jim Wrote: [ -> ]Don't forget to *disable* auto-hire if you need to cut staff/production.
(this happened to me in one of my earlier games - see my AAR report - nearly went bankrupt!)
In 1.07 you should haven't to cut staff to reduce production anymore. You just set how many you want to build for a month and the Auto-AI will fire/hire as it see fits.
However Turning off Auto-Hire and managing your own guys will make you more money, I think the AI pays a little more than it has to, to avoid moral decrease.
Check the competition in a city before opening a branch there.
An IPO gains lots of money, but make sure you don't IPO until you're profitable!
Beyond what has already been mentioned:
If you have spare money and spare production capacity, Marketing can be a very effective investment.
Concerned about the competition? Consider buying them out.
Try to earn a government subsidy through lobbying before before building large factories.
Material Quality is one of the most important factors in component/vehicle design. It is the easiest and simplest way to reduce the overall weight of your vehicle without making serious modifications to its design.
Having a Lighter vehicles is desirable in most circumstances. Primarily, it allows you to make more efficient/smaller/cheaper engines.
If you want to produce vehicles outside the developed world in 1900, you will have to produce vehicles much cheaper than you normally world, otherwise the population will not be able to afford them.
If your having trouble making a profit as a new player, try producing a small vehicle that is cheap to produce and cheap to design. It wont win any awards, but it will probably give you enough money to design a more expensive, better vehicle.
For Beginners, try a short game on the Easy difficulty in London or New York for a few years until you are confident enough to start a new game in a new location on Normal.
Even if you are making reliable profits from existing vehicle sales, don't forget to design new vehicles or redesign old ones. Vehicles tend to naturally drop in popularity with age.
When expanding into a new region, don't forget to build a factory first (and wait for completion), before you setup all the branches
In order to make sure you have access to the latest design options, try to design at least one component in each of the three categories(engine/chassis/gearbox) every 5-10 years.
(im not sure i said that very clearly, but from my recent games it seems like sound advice.)
In my (limited experience):
Two small factories are sometimes better than one large one - retooling can be expensive, and sometimes labor is cheaper in the next city over.
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When you start out, build at least two car models that have identical internals but in different classes or styles. This lets you get a wider market without too much extra investment.
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Always think one step ahead. As soon as you put one car in production, start working on preparing for the next one.
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Price yourself competitively. A city's wealth may be a good starting point, but never forget to compare yourself to the competition to make sure the price you ask for is reasonable.
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Always read the reviews that come out. While the ratings may tell you a lot, reviews will tell you what the customers are thinking.
Some marketing types are better than others, use the "Marketing Effectiveness" Report to find the most cost efficient and effective type of marketing your cities.
Just as an aside - 120 chars is kind of hard sometimes 
When designing vehicles, don't be afraid to lower the quality in order to decrease the production cost.
High quality, expensive vehicles are not ideal in every situation. Focus on what your customers want in a vehicle.
Adjust the size of your branches to suit the size of the city and the number of vehicles you are selling there.
Quote:Just as an aside - 120 chars is kind of hard sometimes
Tell people to stop using 1024x768!!!
(02-09-2014, 09:47 AM)Eric.B Wrote: [ -> ]Tell people to stop using 1024x768!!!
Make it for 1920*1080 and tell people, they should have updated their system 5 years ago ?
Added all tips up to this post.