Brazil as well as some of its most technologically advanced factories.Despite the fact that Brazil's economy was in turmoil Whirlpool invested 30 million to develop the new washer the ldeale to meet the needs of a large class of consumer who still wash clothes by hand. One cost-saving design breakthrough was a patentable technology that allows the machine to switch from the wash cycle to the spin cycle without shifting gears.The design involves some performance compromises:Compared with more expensive models the spin cycle takes longer and clothes come out damper. However research indicated that these were not critical issues for most consumer.