Chapter 372 Curved development is not unacceptable
When Austin came to China, he did not contact Jiang Hui in advance.
He wanted to figure out the situation of the Mercedes-Benz car and then see how to deal with it.
After all, Smith had been very optimistic about Mercedes-Benz cars before, so Austin came to experience it himself.
After seeing the actual car, Austin was sure that his trip to China was not in vain.
Even if there is no way to obtain any cooperation, he still feels it is very meaningful.
After taking all kinds of photos and videos, Austin immediately flew back to Detroit and held a meeting with General Motors President Murphy and Sales Director Edward.
“The video you just saw was taken by me personally at the scene, without any additional modifications.”
“These photos were taken directly by me, and they are durable. Any consideration."
"In addition to its stunning appearance, the power performance of the Mercedes-Benz sedan is not bad at all."
"The 2.5L four-cylinder engine is paired with a 5MT manual transmission, and its power performance is no worse than our engines of the same displacement."
"I test drove this car inside the embassy for more than an hour, and I didn't find this car There are obvious problems. "
Austin obviously has some unique ideas to tell Murphy and Edward, otherwise it would not be like this.
"This car was also designed by Jiang Hui?"
Our Cadillac flagship sedan, which is now selling very well, uses the solution that Jiang Hui helped design.
It's just that the appearance is obviously at least one generation behind compared to the Mercedes-Benz sedan.
Everyone present is a knowledgeable person.
“Yes, the BMW Group originally had only one BMW Light commercial vehicle, but it is already the highest-selling model in China in a single month.”
“Now that the Mercedes-Benz sedan has been released, It is estimated that it will soon become the largest automobile company in China.”
“As a newly emerging company, it is definitely not easy to make such a big move in such a short period of time.”
"And I feel that Jiang Hui attaches great importance to the international market, and BMW will enter the international market sooner or later."
"There may be some room for cooperation between the two of us."
Austin There is a premonition that the involvement between General Motors and BMW Group will definitely be deep in the future.
It would not hurt GM to start deepening cooperation between the two parties now.
“It’s very uncomfortable for us now that Japanese car companies and Korean car companies have entered the American market. If BMW is really as powerful as it told you, wouldn’t it make us uncomfortable when they enter the international market in the future? More uncomfortable?”
As soon as Edward finished speaking, Austin expressed a different opinion.
“So we should learn lessons and negotiate relevant cooperation between the two parties before the BMW Group fully enters the American auto market.”
“With Jiang Hui, a design master, BMW will be better in the future. The exterior designs of various models are destined to be very impressive.”
< br>“Until we can’t find a designer more powerful than Jiang Hui, it is beneficial to cooperate with the other party.”
“For example, after the other party’s models enter the American market, all of them will be replaced by Our Buick brand car logo, both parties share this part of the profit.”
Austin made a very bold suggestion.
In his opinion, this solution can give full play to China's manufacturing cost advantages, and can also make good use of BMW's design advantages in car appearance.
General Motors is taking advantage of its local dealer network to obtain some additional profits.
Under normal circumstances, General Motors would definitely not adopt such a plan that is somewhat advantageous to the enemy.
However, the market has been completely disrupted by Japanese car companies. Introducing BMW products to compete with Japanese car companies is something that can be given a try.
"Is it possible to consider a more in-depth cooperation, directly introduce relevant models from BMW, and then completely turn them into our own products."
"This way it will not be easy for competitors to catch us."
Edward also thinks that cooperation with BMW can be considered.
But if the OEM matter is publicized, it will easily affect General Motors' reputation. This is something he is worried about.
“This plan can naturally be considered. As long as the price is in place, BMW should also agree.”
"But in this case, we have to bear some risks of investing in new products. Investment in tooling and production lines for various parts are inevitable."
"The most critical thing is the production of our local parts factories The cost of parts and components is not comparable to that of Japanese car companies and Korean car companies, and it is even more incomparable with China.”
“The current Huaxia market. The market is a bit special. They have an extraordinary obsession with earning foreign exchange through exports.”
“If we import the corresponding models from China and sell them in the United States after OEM, it will be a problem for China. Earning foreign exchange through exports.”
“They have various subsidy policies that can keep costs lower than Japan.”
Austin knows that General Motors' current operating conditions are not ideal. After all, the number of units continues to decline, and various fixed shared costs are there.
By directly importing models from BMW and selling them on the market, General Motors has very little risk.
After all, all investments are made by BMW, and GM can just wait and make money.
"The plan Austin mentioned is good. In the early stage, we didn't know how effective this cooperation plan would be, and whether the sales of Mercedes-Benz cars were really good."
"Just start with It is a relatively safe plan to import a batch of models from China for sale.”
"In this way, BMW is equivalent to our foundry and has taken all the risks. I don't know if they are willing."
Murphy combined the various news he had just heard and quickly gave his own judgment.
“If it is a manufacturer like Toyota that has already opened up in the American market, it will definitely not be willing to adopt this kind of cooperation plan with us.”
“But the BMW Group is different. They have not yet officially entered our market. How they will enter and how they will behave after entering is definitely unclear to them.”
“By cooperating with us, they can reduce the number of different types of companies entering the American market. There is nothing to worry about when investing.”
"While completing exports to earn foreign exchange, they can also get some real profits, which is good for them."
"The most important thing is that if there is no cooperation from us, or we are behind the scenes, If there are some tricks, there is no way the other party's models can be sold in our market."
"Everything is difficult at the beginning, Jiang Hui should be able to do it. Understand this matter."
"Besides, we just want their share of the American market and the share of other markets in the world to be left to them."
"To a certain extent, If we help them sell their cars in the American market, it will also be very beneficial to their sales in other car markets.”
Austin has done a lot of research on the situation in China over the years, and he is still certain about the mentality of Jiang Hui and others. Although General Motors took advantage of this cooperation, the BMW Group did not suffer.
There is no harm in exporting a few more Mercedes-Benz cars.
"Okay, in that case, then Austin, you can fly to China again and cooperate well with Jiang Hui."
"Strive to have the Mercedes-Benz sedan in two months Show up in our market and see what the reaction is.”
With Murphy's decision, a unified opinion was formed within General Motors.
As the representative of the negotiations, Austin flew directly to China to communicate with Jiang Hui.
......
Important business cooperation negotiations are definitely not finalized in just one meeting.
Austin didn't expect to settle the matter just once with Jiang Hui.
He just threw out General Motors' cooperation plan first and waited for the results of BMW's internal discussions.
"Director, the American market is quite special. No domestic automobile factory's products can be sold there."
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< br>"And consumers over there are very interested in automobile products. The requirements are different from those of domestic consumers.”
“It is very difficult for a new brand to open up the market there. I think it will be very difficult for us to cooperate with General Motors, a local giant, in the short term. There are benefits.”
Fang Huihui first expressed her views.
After Jiang Hui met with Austin, he convened a meeting with company executives to brainstorm and discuss cooperation plans.
Jiang Hui definitely hopes that all brands under the BMW Group can flourish around the world, but he also knows that some markets are not so easy to enter.
For example, in the American market, Japanese car companies and Korean car companies can do very well there, and German car companies can also do well.
But the situations of these three countries are too special. The United States can allow them to exist to a certain extent, but it does not mean that they can also tolerate Chinese car companies.
Even if both parties are still in the honeymoon period, this will not change easily.
After all, the importance of the automobile industry is still widely recognized by everyone.
“General Motors takes almost no risks in this plan, which I think is a bit unfair.”
“Even if we want to cooperate like this, at least there must be some constraints in the contract to stipulate that the other party There is a minimum number of Mercedes-Benz cars that need to be imported from us.”
“For example, at least 500 or 1,000 cars are imported every month to ensure that we can also benefit from this cooperation process.” br>
Chen Chenxing did not completely oppose GM's cooperation plan.
As the head of sales, he is very aware of the difficulties faced by BMW Group's products in entering the international market.
The situation in the United States is too special, and Chen Chenxing is not confident that he can open up the situation in a short time.
So he thought it would be good to take advantage of the opportunity of cooperation with General Motors to increase the production of Mercedes-Benz cars.
In this era, people's awareness of brands is not as high as in later generations, and they are more concerned about output.
"Will the other party directly learn our technology through this kind of cooperation, and then directly produce similar products themselves?"
As the director of the R&D center, Hou Guoming mentioned a point of concern.
“The risk you mentioned still exists even if we don’t cooperate with General Motors.”
“These large companies still have to have some dignity. If they directly copy us The appearance of Mercedes-Benz cars will be used for large-scale publicity by their competitors, which will inevitably affect the company's stock price, which they cannot accept."
"So I don't think it needs to be special. Worry.”
When Jiang Hui said this, everyone quickly understood what the boss's attitude was.
Everyone present is a smart person.
Since the boss already has a tendency, it is natural to work hard in this direction.
Unless this plan is really very detrimental to the company.
Obviously, this is not the case.
"Although General Motors' development in recent years has not been very optimistic, it is still the world's leading automobile giant after all."
"After our Mercedes-Benz sedans cooperate with each other and bear the Buick logo, then for For manufacturers such as Nanshan Technology, it can be regarded as similar to General Motors. With the indirect cooperation relationship.”
“Is it possible to use this opportunity to allow Nanshan Technology, Nanshan Transmission and other supporting plants to enter the overall supporting system of General Motors?”
As soon as Chen Chenxing put forward this idea, everyone was very interested.
For a large automobile company, supporting suppliers are very important.
China's overall strength in this area is relatively weak. If it can take this opportunity to cooperate with General Motors and allow related supporting factories to enter the international market, this will definitely be a good thing.
“This idea is a very good one. We can also consider raising it directly with General Motors. However, I think the other party will at most give an opportunity for inspection and it is impossible to directly agree to use Nanshan Technology and Nanshan Transmission Production. parts.”
“Even if there is a cost advantage, this goal may not be achieved directly.”
Fang Huihui is quite familiar with some of the practices of international automobile giants such as General Motors.
Nanshan Technology and Nanshan Transmission have not yet been widely used by various automobile manufacturers in China. It is obviously not that easy to quickly enter the supply chain of General Motors.
But give it a try and let the other party give you a chance to start cooperation on a certain model in the future.
"It doesn't matter, there is no harm in giving it a try. At least let the other party come and check it out."
"General Motors' current operations are so difficult. If there is an opportunity to reduce costs, they should internally There is still enthusiasm.”
Chen Chenxing’s point of view touched Jiang Hui’s heart.
So Jiang Hui definitely supports it.
The importance of the parts industry is no less important than that of complete automobiles.
For future companies in the top 100 global auto parts companies, especially the top few manufacturers, their strength is no worse than that of most OEMs.
As long as they are willing, they can transform into car production in minutes.
Parts companies such as Magna have direct OEM business for automobiles. They are only one step away from directly becoming a car factory.
(End of this chapter)