Reborn in Hong Kong: The Tycoon Grows Up

At this time, the directors of General Motors didn't know what to say. Is it really necessary to cooperate with Ford Motor Company? You must know that from the beginning of GM's establishment, Ford looked down on them. Henry Ford said that they were an upstart who only knew how to acquire and not understand technology, and they were a disgrace to the automobile industry.

In fact, it is not unreasonable to say this. After all, Ford Motor was established earlier. Moreover, the founder himself is a talented engineer, and of course he disdains the entry of profit-seeking businessmen into the field of automobile manufacturing.

Ford Motor Company is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. It was incorporated in 1903.

At this stage, Black Cloud, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler are considered the four major automakers in Detroit. The Ford Motor Company logo is derived from founder Henry Ford's signature font.

A GM director said, "Mike, Ford really wants to work with us, and today is not April Fools' Day."

Unlike General Motors, Ford is still in the hands of the founding family. Ford went public in 1956 and became a listed company on the U.S. stock market. The Ford family still maintains a controlling interest of about 40% in the company by occupying a large amount of Class B preferred stock; this is a considerable ratio among publicly traded companies.

The Durant family, the founders of General Motors, have a more symbolic shareholding and are not even members of the board of directors. Mainly because of General Motors' continuous acquisitions, the founding family's shareholding is getting smaller and smaller. Coupled with the fueling of the capital behind it and the dissatisfaction of future generations, it is normal for the Durant family to lose equity and control of the company.

Compared with Ford, which still maintains the family tradition of Ziyu, it will of course be weaker.

Now that Ford is actively seeking cooperation, of course it will be questioned.

MacDonald said very seriously: "You don't need to question Ford's sincerity too much. It was Henry Ford II who called me personally. Ford is facing a more severe crisis than GM."

"Detroit's four major automobile manufacturing plants, Heiyun Motors, are operating at full capacity. The market is currently in short supply and business is extremely good. General Motors' operating rate is less than 50%, Ford is less than 35%, and Chrysler is the worst, only 20% Around the operating rate. If this continues, the only thing waiting for everyone is bankruptcy and closure."

"So Ford hopes that the two of us will join forces and use administrative means to intervene in the sales of Heiyun Motors."

After the Ministry of Commerce concluded its antitrust investigation into Heiyun Group, American automakers knew that a crisis was inevitable. The first to bear the brunt are General Motors and Ford. Who has the largest size?

Large size also means large costs, and daily losses are greater than other companies.

Although the Ford family has accumulated wealth for nearly a century, it is somewhat unable to hold on when faced with losses. There may be no problem in the short term, but over time no one can bear it.

Now that Ford has expressed its stance, the General Motors board of directors immediately authorized CEO Mike Donald to serve as the plenipotentiary representative to carry out negotiations with Ford. There is currently no good solution, and cooperation with previous competitors and enemies is also an option.

Just as General Motors held its board of directors meeting, Ford Motor Co. was also meeting. Meetings at Ford are relatively simple, and decisions only need to be approved within the family.

At this time, Henry Ford II, as Americans call him, was sitting in the living room, looking at the descendants of the family. Like other wealthy families, there are many willful young masters and young ladies. This is probably a problem that all wealthy families will face.

Ford II was born in Detroit on September 4, 1917. He is a born leader, and coupled with his status as the eldest son, he has shown a different trait from his younger brothers and sisters since he was a child. He is firm and decisive, calm and rational when encountering difficulties. In short, no one challenged Ford II's status. This avoids the tragedies of father-son strife and fratricide that occurred in other large families in history during the process of power change.

In 1945, 28-year-old Ford II took over the Ford Motor Company. What he faced was a large, inefficient, and almost bankrupt company. At this time, he showed outstanding management capabilities and turned Ford around and made it profitable again. Over 30 years after taking over power, he modernized the company and took it public in 1956.

Ford's listed shares are divided into two classes, one is common shares and the other is B shares. B shares can only be held by Ford family members, giving them control of 40% of the company.

Henry Ford II looked at the family members and said: "Many of you work within the group and know the actual situation of the company. The current operating rate is only 30%, and Ford Motor is in a state of serious loss."

"If this continues, it will be a matter of time before Ford goes bankrupt. Ford is related to the rise and fall of the entire family. Needless to say, you know what Ford's bankruptcy means."

In fact, it was not as serious as Henry Ford II said. At this time, Ford Motor was a listed company; even if it went bankrupt, the Ford family would not have to bear too much. After nearly a hundred years of inheritance, the Ford family has a rich heritage. The family's trust funds, real estate, properties, and art collections are astronomical.

To put it bluntly, even if Ford Motor Company goes bankrupt, the Ford family can still live a prosperous life. This is also the reason why the children of the family are confident. In their view, even if Ford goes bankrupt, it is no big deal.

But they also don't think about what they will do in the future, what will the Ford family be like without Ford cars. It is estimated that in a few decades the American people will forget them and they will become mediocre.

This was a fact that Henry Ford II could not accept, so he decided to cooperate with his previous biggest competitor. Its purpose is to curb the development of Heiyun Motors; everyone knows that Ford alone is no longer a match for Heiyun Motors.

Ford II's younger brother knew that his eldest brother was angry and quickly said: "Brother, you have the final say on everything in the family, including Ford Motor Company. Any decision that eldest brother makes, we will implement it unconditionally."

"Ford Motors is facing a lot of pressure now, so I hope that the children of the family will not squander the wealth they have accumulated so hard. At this time, I don't expect you to help the family tide over the difficulties. I just hope that you will not add trouble to the family."

Henry Ford II was very pleased to hear his brother's statement. At the critical moment, his brother was able to understand his intentions.

In fact, being the younger brother of Ford II is sometimes very helpless. Having a tough and capable older brother is not necessarily a good thing. Although the Ford family is not as bloody and cruel as the palace drama, wealthy families also have many dramas over property.

If you perform too well, you will definitely be jealous of your brother. But if you are too mediocre, other children in the family will not take you seriously. This scale is difficult to grasp, but fortunately Ford II's younger brother grasped it very well. Know how to maintain your brother's authority while taking care of your personal interests.

Asking the young masters and ladies of the family to change their lifestyles is definitely an offending job. He couldn't let Ford II come forward, at least not by Ford II.

If he had started the process, Ford II would have done the finishing work much more smoothly.

Relying on his younger brother's statement, Ford II said: "The consumption habits of many people in the family really need to change, otherwise the family business will be ruined sooner or later."

"Why Ford fell into a passive situation is mainly because of the rise of Heiyun Motors. Why Heiyun Motors has developed so rapidly is because of Bao Zixuan's professionalism and attitude."

"This young man is about the same age as you, and even younger than many of you. But look at what they do every day, and what you are doing, don't you feel ashamed!"

"It's not that the family doesn't give you opportunities to practice, but there are a few who can do their jobs well, at least I haven't seen them yet."

"Previously, Heiyun Group was involved in antitrust investigations, which had squeezed out the markets of Ford and General Motors. Now that the Ministry of Commerce's antitrust investigation of Heiyun has ended, there is no need to say more about what pressure Ford will face in the future. Come on!"

"I have decided to cooperate with General Motors. At this time, I must put aside my prejudices and focus on fighting against powerful enemies."

After hearing about the cooperation with General Motors, several elders in the Ford family were whispering. It seems that they have different opinions, but they dare not speak out.

At this time, Henry Ford II had absolute authority in the Ford family, and no one dared to question his decision. At present, it seems that the best way is to remain silent and pray that Ford can defeat its powerful enemies and win the market again.