Profit wasn't all about making more money—it was about proving the quality and advantages of buying Curtis Auto. If they just wanted publicity in exchange for money, then the brand had already failed, and Curtis Autos' reputation would be dragged through the mud.

Yolden then told Charlie, "It's a sleight-of-hand tactic which most car companies use these days when they say they're losing money. Most of them simply include initial hardware investment and development costs in the overall manufactu