Rebirth of the Industrial Tycoon

The temperature of the central air conditioner in the office was very low, but Bill Ford was sweating profusely on his head, and the air around him seemed to solidify. If it weren't for Li Weidong shaking the whiskey in the glass, bringing a touch of life to the room, Time seemed to have stopped.

Bill Ford's expression was extremely unnatural. He still couldn't believe that the contents of this investigation report were true, but he also knew that as Li Weidong, there was no need to deceive himself about such an important matter.

The investigation report provided by Li Weidong to Ford was the test report of Takata's "death airbag". Many of the key data have been deliberately obliterated, but the leaked content has shocked Bill Ford.

The Takata "death airbag" incident can really be regarded as a nuclear bomb-level shock to the world's automobile industry.

Japan's Takata Co., Ltd. was founded in 1933. It is a giant in the Japanese textile industry. It later entered the seat belt market and began to engage in airbag products in the mid-1980s. It soon became the world's second largest automobile airbag manufacturer, second only to Sweden. Autoliv.

All well-known car manufacturers around the world are customers of Takata airbags, including supercar brands such as Ferrari. Almost 100% of Japanese automobile companies use Takata airbags.

However, in 2014, safety issues with Takata airbags were exposed. When the airbags were deployed, they would burst into metal fragments, posing a safety threat to front-seat passengers, which could be directly fatal. The airbags originally intended to protect the lives of passengers have become death airbags.

Takata also went bankrupt due to the fatal airbag incident.

The impact of Takata's death airbags will continue until the end of 2021. The U.S. Highway Safety Administration is still investigating the Takata airbag incident. It is said that more than 30 million vehicles still need to be recalled.

According to later records, the safety problem of Takata airbags began in a traffic accident in 2009. An American driver drove a Honda Accord and collided with another car. After the airbag deployed, metal fragments popped up and scratched the driver's body. carotid artery, causing the driver's death.

Because of this accident, Honda conducted a small-scale recall of 4,000 Accords and Civics in the U.S. market.

It is worth mentioning that this batch of recalled vehicles were produced in 2000, which means that the safety problem of Takata airbags existed as early as 2000. Therefore, the actual number of casualties due to Takata airbag problems is definitely much higher than the number later investigated.

When Takata entered the field of automotive airbags, it was the heyday of Japanese companies. At that time, Takata directly purchased rocket engine technology and used airbags to promote research and development. Takata also developed and produced the propellant for airbags by itself, including The entire airbag production chain.

However, it was precisely because of the propellant developed by Takata that the Takata airbag became a death airbag.

In order to reduce costs and obtain maximum benefits, Takata added ammonium nitrate to the airbag propellant. This material is relatively cheap, but its performance is unstable. It easily merges with moisture in the air at high temperatures, causing rapid expansion and causing an explosion. .

The explosion will cause the entire airbag system to rupture abnormally, causing airbag parts and fragments to fly out, causing harm to the driver and passengers in the car.

Of course Takata is aware of this problem. After all, airbags need to go through many designs. However, when Takata discovered the problem, it did not choose to make improvements. Instead, it upheld the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship and tampered with the airbag test data.

At that time, people still trusted Japan's "craftsmanship spirit" and did not think that the Japanese would make fake products. On the contrary, many car companies felt that Takata airbags were cheap and began to use them on a large scale.

Paper can never keep fire, not to mention that this is a matter involving human life. Later, the Takata fatal airbag incident broke out, which directly triggered the largest car recall in history.

Major car companies have suffered heavy losses, especially Japanese brands, which have used Takata airbags on a large scale, and the losses have been even more serious. Honda, which was most affected, saw its sales in the North American market cut in half.

For the automobile industry, Takata's death airbag is definitely a nuclear bomb, and now Li Weidong has handed this nuclear bomb into the hands of Ford.

Bill Ford's head was temporarily short-circuited. He obviously did not expect that the world's second-largest Takata airbag would have such a fatal problem.

Li Weidong interrupted Bill Ford's thoughts: "Mr. Ford, I have seen the car sales in the North American market in the past two years. Ford's biggest competitors today should be Japan's Toyota and Honda, right?

Most Toyota and Honda cars use Takata airbags. If problems with Takata airbags are exposed by the media, the reputation of Japanese brands will be severely affected.

And defects like this that can cause death will inevitably trigger large-scale recalls. By then, Ford will be able to easily seize the market, and maybe it will have the opportunity to defeat Japanese brands in one fell swoop.

Of course, as far as I know, it is not just Japanese brands that use Takata airbags. German brands, French brands, Italian brands, and even the three major American car companies also use Takata airbags, including your company, right?

Therefore, the Takata airbag incident can not only impact Japanese brands, but also other brands. If this weapon is used properly, Ford will gain a great advantage in future global competition.

Mr. Ford, for your company, this kind of good opportunity to weaken your competitors is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don’t know how long you have to wait until your opponent makes a mistake next time. Do you think this ‘surprise’ is worth US$500 million? "

Bill Ford took a deep breath. If he could defeat the Japanese duo, US$500 million would be really worth it.

Li Weidong continued: "It's 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Coupled with this investigation report, I think the actual value should be much higher than the Indians' offer of 2 billion U.S. dollars? I just don't know whether Ford's offer to me is worth it." interested?"

"Mr. Li, I need some time to think about it." Bill Ford said immediately.

Li Weidong nodded: "Yes, but I hope it won't take too long. I think General Motors will also be interested in the contents of this report."

"Mr. Li, I understand what you mean, and I will reply to you as soon as possible." Bill Ford said immediately.

After sending Li Weidong away, Bill Ford stood in front of the window, looking at the scenery in the distance, and fell into deep thought.

As Li Weidong said, Ford's competitors today are no longer the other two major automakers in the United States, nor Volkswagen, Daimler, Renault and Fiat in Europe, but the Japanese duo Toyota and Honda.

Not only Ford, but also other brands such as General Motors, Volkswagen, and Renault, the biggest competitors are also the Japanese duo.

After decades of development, Toyota has become the leader in the world's automobile industry, and Honda has also ranked among the top five in the world.

Accurate to a single car style, in the US market, the highest-selling car at that time was naturally the Ford F pickup truck, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and the Dodge Ram pickup truck.

The typical American lifestyle is inseparable from pickup trucks, so the sales of the three major pickup trucks are unbeatable in the United States.

Under the three major pickup trucks, the four best-selling vehicles are Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic. The sales volume of these four vehicles is not much different from that of the three major pickup trucks.

In terms of SUVs, Honda's CRV is also the best-selling model, followed by Toyota's RAV4 and Highlander.

In other words, whether it is a B-class car, a C-class car, or an SUV, American cars have been beaten by Japanese cars. The three major American automakers can only rely on pickup trucks to hide their shame in their own country.

Compared to American brands, European brands are in much better shape.

The German Volkswagen remained unmoved in the face of the impact of Japanese cars. France's Renault and Peugeot, and Italy's Fiat, these brands that have disappeared in the Chinese market, have strong sales in Europe.

In terms of luxury brands, Japanese cars are inherently inferior to European cars, and there is no comparability between the two.

The effect of Japanese car brands in conquering cities in Europe is indeed very poor. In the European market, South Korea's Hyundai is doing better than Japanese companies.

However, with the big market of the United States, Japanese brands are quite popular.

Ford naturally wants to drive away Japanese cars, but both Toyota and Honda have already set up factories in the United States for production. They are also made in the United States. As the saying goes, American manufacturing does not beat American manufacturing. Facing competition from Japanese cars, Ford The market can only be gradually eroded away.

Now, with the opportunity of Takata airbags, it is definitely an excellent time for Ford to launch an attack on Japanese cars.

What's more, it's not just Japanese cars that use Takata airbags, other car brands are also using them, and Ford can also take advantage of other brands.

Suddenly, Bill Ford remembered that Ford seemed to be a partner of Takata air bags.

So Bill Ford immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number: "Let's count the number of cars in our company that use Takata airbags, sort them out and send them to me immediately!"

Soon, an email appeared in Bill Ford's email inbox.

Looking at the contents of the email, Bill Ford let out a sigh of relief. Among Ford's products, only the Ford Mondeo, Ford GT and Ford Mustang produced after 2006 use Takata airbags, and the latter two are both performance sports cars.

The Ford Mondeo's sales in the United States are not good because the price is $3,000 more expensive than the Camry. In the American market, rich people look down on the Mondeo, while those without money will definitely buy the Camry, which is a rather embarrassing position.

The Ford GT is a supercar. It beat Ferrari at the Le Mans circuit back then. Its sales volume is not high, so there is no need to discuss it.

The Ford Mustang, along with the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, is one of the three major civilian sports cars in the United States. It is a representative of American muscle sports cars and has an enduring presence in the American market.

There was once a second-generation Russian gangster who killed a dog in order to steal a 1969 Ford Mustang, and then he was slaughtered. The father of the second-generation gangster wants to avenge his son, and the entire gang has a "Barbie ball."

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the Ford Mustang, the other two popular sports cars, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger, also use Takata airbags.

Ford uses relatively few Takata airbags. Perhaps this is the reason why the price of Ford cars is relatively high, which reduces the competitiveness of Ford cars.

However, according to later investigations, many luxury cars and even sports cars also use Takata airbags.

For example, Audi a6 and q5, BMW 3 series, 5 series and x5, Mercedes-Benz e-class, gl-class, Land Rover Range Rover, Ferrari and McLaren models all used Takata airbags at that time.

If it is a cheap car, in order to save costs, it is enough to use Takata airbags. It is unreasonable for luxury cars and even supercars to take advantage of this. A Ferrari is worth several million dollars. Is it necessary to save money on airbags?

…

Bill Ford finally agreed to Li Weidong's offer.

Anyway, Ford does not have Takata airbags used in several cars. Even if it is recalled, it will not cost much and Ford can afford it.

Other brands use Takata airbags more often, and the injuries will definitely be greater, especially Japanese brands. Almost all models use Takata airbags. If there is a recall, tens of millions of cars may be affected.

When Ford makes the Takata airbag issue public and takes the lead in announcing the recall, it won't cost much and it can also establish the image of a conscientious company in the minds of consumers.

On the other hand, Japanese brands have tens of millions of cars. Would you like to recall them? Even if they are willing to spend the money on this recall, the time cost involved is unbearable for companies and consumers. Japanese cars will inevitably lose a large number of consumers.

Once Japanese cars do not choose to recall, or the recall is slow, it will inevitably affect the brand image of Japanese cars. Comparing it with Ford, Ford is bound to take back a large chunk of the market from Japanese drivers.

This is like a certain brand of mobile phone. After an explosion accident, all the markets in other countries were recalled, but not in the Chinese market. Instead, they denied it three times and blamed consumers. As a result, consumers were Abandoned, the original sales king immediately fell into disrepute.

Bill Ford had the same plan.

If Japanese cars choose to recall, they will definitely lose money and reputation; it would be better if they don't recall, and don't expect to gain a foothold in the US market in the future!

…

The news that Tata Corporation has offered 2 billion to acquire Jaguar Land Rover has spread in India.

Indians are starting to get excited again, especially on the Internet, where the self-proclaimed voices are once again massacred.

This is also an old rule. Before I even finish writing my eight characters, I am already celebrating my victory in the calligraphy competition.

The Tata Group was also praised by the Indians because of this acquisition.

In the minds of Indians, the status of the Tata Group can be said to be sacred. It is no exaggeration to say that the status of the Tata Group in India is stronger than that of Samsung in South Korea.

Koreans cannot live without Samsung, and the Tata Group is no different in India, from heavy industry to light industry, from real estate to supermarkets, from transportation to electricity, whether it is industrial production, food, clothing, housing, communication networks, or basic necessities for people's livelihood. If necessary, the Tata Group is involved.

Such a behemoth controls many core livelihood industries but is in private hands, which may not be a good thing for the country.

However, Indians are proud of it, as if the Tata Group monopolizing more industries in India is something worth boasting about. When the Tata boss makes money, ordinary Indians can follow him for several days and are happier than making money on their own.

This is the character of Indians. If an Indian goes to a foreign company to find a good position, all Indians will feel proud, but they have not considered that this is a brain drain from the country.

Perhaps you can tell from the red and green outfits that Indians wear every day that they care more about the opinions of outsiders rather than how good they are.

The same goes for Tata's acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover this time around. A group of Indian netizens who can't even afford car tires are more exciting than Ratan Tata, the real owner who paid for the acquisition.

At this time, at the Tata Group headquarters, Ratan Tata also received a reply from Ford.

"What? Ford is determined! We have made an offer of US$2 billion! Isn't US$2 billion enough to satisfy the greedy appetite of Americans?"

Ratan Tata's face lit up with anger. In his opinion, the two billion offer was already a sure bet, but he didn't expect it to be rejected by Ford.

"Mr. President, Ford Company responded to us that they have accepted the Chinese offer and decided to sell Jaguar Land Rover to the Chinese." the subordinate said.

"How much money did the Chinese pay? Is it more than us?" Ratan Tata looked incredulous.

"Ford said it would announce the specific amount later." The subordinate continued.

Ratan Tata snorted coldly, waved his men out, and sat in the room feeling sulky.

Tata entered the automobile manufacturing industry in 1998. Although ten years have passed, Tata can still only produce light cars, not much larger than the "Laotou Le".

Indians lack the technology to build cars and do not have supporting industrial chains, and the Indian government is unwilling to open up its market. They have set up many obstacles for foreign investors, and they are just trying to make foreigners' money without allowing foreign investors to People make Indian money.

Therefore, for decades, only Japan's Suzuki has been able to take root in India. The main reason is that Suzuki makes light vehicles, which are suitable for the needs of the Indian market.

The Indians' closed-door approach to building cars will never have a developed automobile industry, so the Tata Group hopes to improve its own technical level and the brand awareness of Tata Motors by acquiring well-known foreign mature brands.

Jaguar Land Rover is obviously a good choice. It is a luxury brand in itself, and it comes from Britain, the colonial mother country. While improving Tata's technical level, it can also maximize the prestige of the Tata Group. Simply put, it is more prestigious.

That's why the Tata Group was willing to invest a huge amount of US$2 billion, but it didn't expect to be intercepted by Li Weidong.

…

In a street Internet cafe in India, a young man named Vaish is browsing the web.

On the Yahoo News website, a headline caught Vaish’s attention.

"Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover for US$1.5 billion? Wasn't it said that it was acquired for US$2 billion? How did it become an acquisition of US$1.5 billion? It is indeed the Tata Group. Even Americans have to surrender to the Tata Group and give up profits. Five hundred million dollars!" Vaish said to himself.

Putting it into Chinese thinking, I offer a discount to the customer in the hope that the customer will come back to shop again in the future.

The thinking of Indians is quite strange. If I give you a discount, it means that I am afraid of you and surrender to you.

Then Vaish started reading the news.

"Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to a Chinese consortium for US$1.5 billion! What? Not the Tata Group? Jaguar Land Rover was bought by the Chinese! Fake news, this must be fake news!"

Vaish cursed while continuing to read the news, and then he saw a very shocking sentence.

"It is understood that the Indian Tata Group once offered two billion US dollars, but Ford still accepted the Chinese consortium's offer of US$1.5 billion from the perspective of corporate strategy. Haha, if you don't sell it for two billion, sell it for 1.5 billion. This This kind of lie can be made up! This fake news is too low-level.”

As Vaish spoke, he opened the search engine and started searching for related content.

However, the search results show that Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to a Chinese consortium for a price of 1.5 billion. Even when searching for Jaguar Land Rover on Wikipedia, this was noted in the entry.

Although anyone can edit Wikipedia, with the intelligence of Indians, they still trust Wikipedia.

At this time, Vaish was finally a little panicked, and the little bit of national self-confidence he had generated when he was enjoying himself a few days ago was gone!

"Why! I would rather sell 1.5 billion to the Chinese than 20 to us. Do you think our money smells bad?"

…

On the Yahoo forum, all the Indian netizens who had been killing people a few days ago disappeared overnight.

American netizens began to vent their dissatisfaction. After all, when I go to forums these days, the screen is filled with images of India’s superpower, India’s South Bay.

That’s all you say in other places. How can the Americans stand it when they call themselves a superpower and Nanbo Bay in front of Americans?

As a result, American netizens began to post to ridicule Indian netizens:

"We would rather sell Jaguar Land Rover to the Chinese for 1.5 billion than to some superpower!"

"Where is the superpower? Where is Nanbo Bay? Where is the world's largest automobile manufacturing country? Has it disappeared?"

"Didn't you say that the automobile industry will surpass the United States, Germany and Japan? You have surpassed it!"

“Forget about building cars in India, let’s build toilets first!”

When it comes to toilets, it touches the pain point of Indians again.

"It was the British who robbed India of 45 trillion US dollars!"

"It was Nehru's incompetence and corruption that delayed India's development."

“If it weren’t for the Gandhi family, India would have been a superpower thirty years ago!”

The classic blame-shifting begins again...