What is wrong
From the “BUY” page:
“Early Access:
You’ll get instant access to some extra content for the current version of the game, and a copy of the full version when it’s completed, as well as every update along the way.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Automation is still heavily in development. There is already many hours of interesting gameplay to be had out of Automation, but some major features are not complete. Large updates are usually released every few months.”
Short: The campaign mode has not been developed yet.
What is this campaing mode? I must have missed something (joking 
)
But seriously though, what is it with people being unable to read? Not only does it clearly tell you that it hasn’t been developed yet, but launching the game window clearly shows it is a work in progress, so missing bits are expected
Some people are a bit tired answering these questions, but I haven’t done it yet so maybe this will be helpful. 
This website has an FAQ section. You can consult that for any…well… frequently asked questions. Thanks for buying the game, we hope to see you active on the forums. 
Automation is still heavily in development.???
It is!
The campaign mode is actually coming pretty soon, and you can see a lot of the outline of what it will involve in the current Sandbox mode. For example, one of the changes that was made going from the standalone to the Steam edition was the body-trim and engine-variant options; the idea here is that (for example) you can design a 144 c.i. engine with room to stroke it out to 250 c.i. and use the same castings for all the different versions of the engine, which saves you in engineering and tooling costs.
(Yes, I was reading about the Thriftpower I6 from the original Mustang last night - why do you ask?)
If you want to get another kind of preview of the campaign mode, Der Bayer has run a number of community competitions where all the entrants create their own fleets of cars and a virtual marketplace of buyers pick out which ones to get based on various preferences (these people want something prestigious and sporty, those people want something cheap and practical, the people over there want something comfortable and luxurious, &c., &c., &c.). I believe the campaign mode is intended to function in a related fashion.
[quote=“Packbat”]It is!
The campaign mode is actually coming pretty soon, and you can see a lot of the outline of what it will involve in the current Sandbox mode. For example, one of the changes that was made going from the standalone to the Steam edition was the body-trim and engine-variant options; the idea here is that (for example) you can design a 144 c.i. engine with room to stroke it out to 250 c.i. and use the same castings for all the different versions of the engine, which saves you in engineering and tooling costs.
(Yes, I was reading about the Thriftpower I6 from the original Mustang last night - why do you ask?)
If you want to get another kind of preview of the campaign mode, Der Bayer has run a number of community competitions where all the entrants create their own fleets of cars and a virtual marketplace of buyers pick out which ones to get based on various preferences (these people want something prestigious and sporty, those people want something cheap and practical, the people over there want something comfortable and luxurious, &c., &c., &c.). I believe the campaign mode is intended to function in a related fashion.[/quote]
Just to clear something out. In AUTOMATION you DE-STROKE AND DE-BORE e.g. decrease the size, not increase it. So in order to make that 144 c.i. engine (whatever that translates to in cm^3) you need to make a 250 c.i FIRST and the lower the bore/stroke to get a 144 c.i.
Quoted for truth. To re-create the Mustang engine, you would choose an 88.9-mm bore and a 99.3-mm stroke, and then de-stroke it to 63.5-mm for the 144, 74.7-mm for the 170, and 79.4-mm for the 200.
“Automation is a car company tycoon game in which you design and build cars from scratch. It is you who designs everything from the very core that is the engine, over the chassis, to the suspension and the car’s looks. Several games have tried this before… but were able to merely scratch the surface.” [Steam page]
“inline -3 -4 -5 and 6 engines.
V6 V8 V10 V12 and V16 engines
Flat 4 Flat 6” [launch screen]
I think that is still misleading to many people who do not know anything about this game. Imaginary features like the many engine types should be in the subjunctive and not as matter of fact. This does not bother me at all personally as I have invested enough time to read everything that is available, but it’s going to create resentment and bad mood with the switch to Steam. This should come as no surprise.
I also advocate this game in other forums and the reaction is always more or less the same, that currently there is no car company tycoon game whatsoever but a combustion engine simulator. Although people seem to be extremely optimistic and interested by the sheer level of detail in the combustion simulator, they are also pretty critical and tired with EA games, and find it cynical if the truth (most is planned but not available) is kept from them until the very last moment. Like having a menu option that says campaign when it’s clear this is going to be a placeholder for a long time to come. Adding a menu option when it’s needed takes no more than a few minutes so I see little reason why it is currently there.