American Peanuts

Chapter 207 The North American International Auto Show is a must

Detroit at the end of February is the coldest time of the year, with an average temperature of no more than 0 degrees Celsius. In the TCF Center adjacent to the Detroit River, the largest auto show in North America with a history of more than 100 years is in full swing.

"At last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW launched a new concept model, combining the concept of a traditional SUV Coupe with a streamlined rear design. Equipped with BMW's latest dynamic performance control system (DPC), the system works in conjunction with the xDrive all-wheel drive system. The official name is X4.4." The staff is introducing the latest products released by BMW at this auto show to Charlie.

The design-rich fastback design made Kayla so fascinated that she couldn't help but whisper: "This is so cool."

Elon Musk came out of the cab, and he got out of the car with a beautiful blonde girl. This is Elon Musk's current girlfriend, an actress from the UK, Talulah Riley.

"With strong power, elegant appearance, luxurious interior and smart technology, I have to admit that there is still a big gap between Tesla and traditional car brands." Musk said in a low voice to Charlie beside him.

"Since we can't come up with competitive products, it's better to engage in differentiated competition. In the future, Tesla's interiors can try to develop in the direction of technological minimalism, and they don't even need to be equipped with a dashboard." Charlie responded in a low voice.

"This will make customers feel that Tesla is different from other car companies. The most important thing is that it can save costs enough." Musk shrugged his eyebrows.

“It’s best to add a strip of solid wood texture.”

"Sounds great." Musk said with a smile on his face.

After several contacts, he found that Charlie could always put forward very constructive suggestions. For example, on the interior that had troubled him for a long time, Charlie came up with a new idea.

Now he had to admit that letting Charlie join was the right choice.

"Where are we going next? If I have enough time, I want to go shopping again." Musk looked at the dazzling array of car brands around him.

"Our appointment with Ford's Alan Mulally is in two hours." Kayla said about the specific time.

Getting in touch with Ford was much easier than expected. Ford's internal business department took the initiative to contact PB Company the day after Charlie made the announcement, and the two parties agreed on a detailed preliminary negotiation time.

"I've seen the BMW, but I can't miss the Mercedes-Benz." Charlie looked at the familiar trident logo not far away.

Compared with BMW, Mercedes-Benz did not launch a new luxury model at this auto show, but in terms of performance cars, Mercedes-Benz brought the latest Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG, a hard-top convertible.

"I think this car is a failed product and won't sell much." Charlie looked at the silver-gray body.

"It's hard not to agree." Musk added. He personally thinks the car's exterior design is very weird.

"I think it's pretty, I like it very much." The British actress next to Musk looked yearning.

"Ahem, let's go over there and have a look." Musk quickly changed the subject and pointed to the Mercedes-Benz event booth not far away.

This has nothing to do with stinginess. In fact, after putting all his wealth on Tesla, Musk is currently in a relatively tight situation.

Today is the media day. Several media have gathered in front of the circular event booth. In addition to the flagship S series models, the car models standing on the side are also very eye-catching.

She was wearing a Greek classical style dress and leaned against the car door. She noticed Charlie and the others in the crowd, and raised her hand to wave to them with a gentle smile of relief on her face.

"She's greeting me!" Musk said with a silly smile on his face.

Charlie next to him smiled.

As the display ended and the media dispersed, she took the initiative to leave.

"I didn't expect you to actually come here. I thought you were joking." Claudia Suarez said with excitement.

"Venus is deeply involved in this kind of large-scale exhibition for the first time, so I should come and take a look."

"Carolina and Vasler are at the booths of other brands, but more than half of the Mercedes-Benz booths are occupied by colleagues." As she said this, Claudia suddenly took Charlie's hand and took him backstage.

The three of them had no choice but to follow Charlie and came to the backstage area where the models rested. They saw Charlie surrounded by people.Only then did the three people understand the cause and effect.

After the visit to Mercedes-Benz, the group went to Bentley's booth. Carolina was here. Her classically beautiful temperament really complemented the tone of the Bentley brand.Wassler was at the Lexus stand. In addition, Charlie also met Marta Jetta, who works for Lamborghini at this auto show.

In addition, in the relatively unobtrusive exhibition hall, Charlie saw many Asian car companies and even saw a few special logos in the corner.

"Lifan Automobile, BYD Auto, Changfeng Motor, and Geely Automobile are all Chinese car companies. There is nothing interesting to see." Musk muttered and turned around.

They went straight to the upper level. After their identities were confirmed, they were led by relevant staff to a secluded and elegant meeting area. Since it was a little earlier than expected, Charlie and others had to wait in the rest area outside. .

After a while, I saw several Indian faces walking out of the conference room. The leader was a bloated, white-haired middle-aged Indian man. Today's Ford CEO Alan Mulally personally escorted several people to the door, his face With a smile on his face, it could be seen that his negotiations with these Indians went quite smoothly.

Then the staff came over and whispered a few words to him, and Mulali looked at Charlie.

After saying hello and briefly chatting, the group entered the conference room. In addition to Alan Mullally, there were six negotiators on Ford's side.

"As the leading car company in the United States, in order to continue to ensure its leading position, Ford decided to restructure a series of brands to improve the efficiency within the group. These brands are extremely high-quality assets with rich historical heritage and extensive sales in countries around the world. fans." Alan Mulla said without revealing anything.

In fact, Ford is now in huge operating difficulties. Since last year, many of its car brands have been sold off. More than half of the large transactions in the automotive industry in the past two years have been related to Ford.

"At present, all the brands to be sold are in the form of bidding, and we will consider them according to the conditions proposed by the buyer."

It seems like it's for sale, but in fact Ford itself is in urgent need of selling off these second-tier brands that are too big to lose in exchange for cash.

The buyer also hopes that the deal can be concluded as soon as possible. The progress of the negotiations is very fast, but unfortunately, Opel's bidding has ended.

"Just before the auto show started, Canada's Magna International and Russia's Suberu Bank made a joint bid, and we have reached a consensus with the two buyers. In fact, there are several alternatives, such as Volvo, a luxury brand from Northern Europe. The car brand is known for its safety performance, and the final transaction volume will most likely not exceed US$20 billion."

"Sounds pretty good." Musk looked at Charlie.

'The premise is that you have enough cash. $20 billion is enough to buy several Teslas. ' Musk sighed in his heart.

Charlie shook his head decisively.

"I'm not interested in the brand."

He will not hinder the development of the Chinese automobile brand, and will be happy to help if the other party needs it.

"What about Hummer? A very representative hardcore company in the off-road field."

"Compared to Hummer, why didn't I choose Land Rover? At least the current global sales of Land Rover are much higher than Hummer." Charlie pondered.

Alan Mulally immediately said: "Land Rover will not be sold alone, but will be sold together with Jaguar and Rover, both traditional British car brands. This is to enable the three brands to achieve better development in the future."

"Young man, to make a digression, the group of Indian guys who walked out of the conference room after you arrived are determined to win this deal. They are willing to give generous terms, so you must think carefully."

He said with warning.

Charlie said without hesitation: "I recognize those people, from the Ratan Tata Group, the leader is Ravi Kant, the vice president of Ratan Tata Motors. Ratan Tata is India's largest private enterprise, spanning automobiles, steel , information technology, fast-moving consumer goods, hotels. Last year, it just acquired Corus Group, the oldest steel company in Europe, and spent a full $120 billion."

"Yes, maybe you have enough cash, but you don't know where the other party's bottom line is. This is an unfair game."

"I have to admit that at least in terms of absolute amount of funds, I am not as good as the giant consortium, but in terms of short-term disposable cash flow, I may not be at a disadvantage."

"I believe that Land Rover and Jaguar are two brands with a long history and strong competitiveness, with loyal customer base and excellent employee team. I believe that the acquisition of Land Rover and Jaguar will bring huge business opportunities and growth potential to PB Group." Charlie stated road.

As a core representative of traditional industries, the automobile industry can help PB take a solid step.At least before 18 years ago, Jaguar Land Rover's global sales were experiencing strong growth and had been profitable, generating pre-tax profits ranging from 15 billion to 35 billion pounds each year.Of course, there is one more important point, which can help Charlie develop his ambitions in the new energy industry.

"If the acquisition is successful, I will maintain the brand independence and competitiveness of Land Rover Jaguar, not conduct large-scale layoffs or reorganizations, ensure its absolute independence, and lead it into the new energy field and embrace broad future prospects. Finally , I will ensure the position of several brands in the American market and continue to maintain technical cooperation with Ford."

Listening to Charlie's statement, Allen knew that he had made up his mind.

"In that case, I wish you good luck in your subsequent bidding, young man."

When leaving the conference room, Charlie saw a group of Asian faces sitting in the rest area outside. As he left, Allen quickly invited these people into the conference room...

·
"This is a very bold decision, but you have to know that it is not easy. I...can't give any advice." After leaving the meeting room, Musk shook his head and said with concern.

Charlie's rise is indeed very fast, but this does not mean that he can compete with traditional giants.

In Musk's view, if what Ford's CEO said is true, then it will undoubtedly be very difficult for Charlie to snatch this piece of fat from the other party.

"Charlie, are you sure you want to do this?" Kayla next to her also expressed concern.

Charlie has previously shared his plan to acquire Opel, with a budget of around US$[-] million.

Now, the situation is completely different. From acquiring one brand to three, the final cost will exceed the budget several times.

Faced with the more or less worries of the two people around him, Charlie, who was at the center of the storm, seemed very relaxed.

"Let's go and see what models Jaguar and Land Rover have launched at the auto show."

The other three had no choice but to follow him to Jaguar's booth. The latest Jaguar XFR shone under the light, like a carefully crafted work of art. The tough body of the Land Rover Defender next to it also left a deep impression on Charlie.

"Great product, isn't it? These cars should be seen by more people."

Returning to the hotel where he stayed briefly, Charlie told the news to the people around him. The reactions from all parties were surprisingly unanimous. In addition to strong opposition, not only that the amount of investment was too high, but also because this was an area that Charlie had never set foot in before. .

"Our opponent has never been a single media company. NBC is backed by Comcast, CBS is affiliated with Viacom, and Disney itself owns many properties around the world, including Sony. If you want to be among them, you need more than just It’s as simple as making a bunch of blockbuster movies. Whether it’s in the field of technology or traditional industries, the goal is to make PB big enough. The bigger you get, the more people don’t want you to fall.”

On the phone, Charlie told Victoria the true meaning of "too big to fail".

"But you forget one thing, even if you reach a deal with Ford, the acquisition may not be completed. Land Rover, Jaguar Rover are both headquartered in the UK. This is a cross-border acquisition that requires approval from local regulatory authorities. In addition, it also requires local Union, original management’s consent.”

"Ford will help me with domestic affairs. As for the other side of the ocean, at least I want to run the company well, which will bring tax revenue to the local area and solve local employment. There is no need for the other party to stop it. As for those complicated procedures, Will you provide me with the necessary legal aid, Matriarch."

The other end of the phone laughed out loud: "No wonder you called me, it turned out to be just for this matter. Cross-border acquisitions involve international law, which I am not good at, but I can recommend a suitable candidate to you."

"More suitable than you?"

"Of course, she is the best in the world in cross-border cases, and she is as young as you, and as beautiful and outstanding as a Hollywood movie star. Even I am a little envious of her." Victoria's voice was soft on the phone.

"You're not talking about Amo Alamuddin, are you?" Charlie exclaimed.

"Yes, it seems you know her too."

"As soon as the acquisition is completed, arrange a meeting between me and her immediately."

Charlie has some expectations, this can be regarded as the real Mary Suvin heroine...

(End of this chapter)