Chapter 701 Craftsman spirit helps me!

The temperature of the central air conditioner in the office was very low, but Bill Ford was sweating profusely, and the air around him seemed to freeze. If it wasn't for Li Weidong shaking the whiskey in his glass, bringing a touch of liveliness to the room, Time seemed to stand still.

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 with Li Weidong's identity, there was no need to deceive himself about such an important matter.

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

The incident of Takata's death airbag can really be regarded as a shock at the level of a nuclear bomb for the automobile industry around the world.

Japan Takata Co., Ltd. was established in 1933. It is a textile giant in Japan. Later, it entered the seat belt market. In the mid-1980s, it began to be involved in airbag products, and soon became the second largest manufacturer of automobile airbags in the world, second only to Sweden. Autoliv.

Worldwide, all well-known car manufacturers are customers of Takata airbags, even supercar brands like Ferrari. Japanese auto companies, on the other hand, use Takata airbags almost 100%.

However, in 2014, Takata airbags had a safety problem. When the airbags popped out, metal fragments would burst out, posing a safety threat to the front passengers, which would be directly fatal. The airbags that were originally designed to protect the lives of passengers have become death airbags.

Takata also went bankrupt because of the death airbag incident.

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

According to the records of later generations, 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 cut the driver. carotid artery, resulting in the death of the driver.

Because of the accident, Honda issued a small recall of 4,000 Accords and Civics in the US market.

It is worth mentioning that this batch of recalled vehicles was produced in 2000, which means that the safety problem of Takata airbags existed as early as 2000. Therefore, the number of real casualties due to the Takata airbag problem is definitely much higher than the number of subsequent investigations.

When Takata Corporation 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. Moreover, Takata also developed and produced airbag propellants by itself, covering the entire airbag production chain.

However, it is precisely because of the propellant developed by Takata that the Takata airbag has become 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 is easy to fuse with moisture in the air at high temperatures, and it expands rapidly, resulting in an explosion. .

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

Of course, Takata is aware of this problem. After all, when designing an airbag, it has to go through many designs. However, when Takata discovered the problem, it did not choose to make improvements. Instead, it upheld the Japanese craftsmanship and falsified the test data of the airbag.

At that time, people still believed in Japan's artisan spirit and did not think that the Japanese would make fakes. 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 it involves human life. Later, the Takata death airbag incident broke out, which directly caused the largest car recall in history.

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

For the automobile industry, Takata's death airbag is definitely a nuclear bomb, and now Li Weidong has handed over the nuclear bomb to Ford.

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

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

Most of Toyota and Honda cars use Takata airbags. If the problem of Takata airbags is exposed by the media, the reputation of Japanese brands will definitely be seriously affected.

Moreover, such a fatal defect will inevitably lead to a large-scale recall. At that time, Ford can easily seize the market, and maybe have a chance to defeat Japanese brands in one fell swoop.

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

Therefore, the matter of Takata airbags can not only hit Japanese brands, but also hit other brands. If this weapon is used properly, Ford will gain a very large advantage in the 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 will have to wait until your opponent makes another mistake. Do you think this 'surprise' is worth 500 million US dollars?

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

Li Weidong went on to say: 1.5 billion US dollars, plus this investigation report, I think the actual value should be far higher than the 2 billion US dollars quoted by the Indians? I just don't know if Ford's quotation for me is true. interested?

Mr. Lee, 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 should also be interested in the contents of this report.

Mr. Li, I understand what you mean, and I will give you an answer as soon as possible. Bill Ford said immediately.

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

As Li Weidong said, Ford's competitors today are not the other two major automakers in the United States, nor Volkswagen, Dalem Renault and Fiat in Europe, but the Japanese duo Toyota and Honda.

Not only Ford, but other brands such as GM, Volkswagen, Renault, etc., the biggest competitors are also Japanese duo.

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

Accurate to a single car model, in the US market, the car with the highest sales volume 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 unshakable in the United States.

Under the three major pickup trucks, the four best-selling cars are Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic. The sales of these four models are not far behind those of the three major pickup trucks.

In terms of suvs, the best-selling is also Honda's crv, followed by Toyota's rav4 and Highlander.

That is to say, 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 U.S. automakers, in their homeland, can only rely on pickup trucks to hide their shame.

Compared with American brands, the situation of European brands is much better.

German Volkswagen remained steadfast in the face of the impact of Japanese cars. French Renault and Peugeot, Italian Fiat, these few brands that have been sold in the Chinese market have disappeared, but their sales in Europe are booming.

In terms of luxury brands, Japanese cars are not as good as European cars, and there is no comparison between the two.

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

However, with the big market of the United States, it is enough for Japanese brands to be popular and spicy.

Ford naturally wants to drive away Japanese cars, but both Toyota and Honda have already set up factories in the United States, and they are also made in the United States. As the saying goes, American made does not beat American made. Facing the competition of Japanese cars, Ford It can only be gradually eaten away by the market.

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 is not only Japanese cars that use Takata airbags, but other car brands are also using them. Ford can also take advantage of other brands by the way.

Suddenly, Bill Ford remembered that Ford seemed to be a partner in Takata airbags as well.

So Bill Ford immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number: Take a look at the number of cars in our company that use Takata airbags, sort them out and send them to me immediately!

Soon, an e-mail appeared in Bill Ford's e-mail box.

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

The sales of Ford Mondeo in the United States are not good. The reason is that the price is 3,000 dollars more expensive than the Camry. In the U.S. market, those who have money look down on Mondeo, and those who have no money must buy Camry. It is an embarrassing positioning.

Ford gt is a supercar. Back then, it beat Ferrari on the Le Mans track. Its sales are not high, so we don't need to discuss it.

Ford Mustang, together with Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, is one of the three major American sports cars for civilians. It is a representative of American muscle sports cars and has a long-lasting presence in the American market.

Once there was 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 of gangsters wants to avenge his son, and the whole gang will be Barbie balls.

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

Ford is considered to use relatively few Takata airbags, and this may be the reason that makes the price of Ford cars relatively high and reduces the competitiveness of Ford cars.

However, according to the survey of later generations, 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, all of which used Takata airbags at that time.

If it's a cheap car, in order to save costs, it's fine to use Takata airbags. Luxury cars and even supercars are also greedy for this cheapness, which is somewhat unreasonable. A Ferrari is several million dollars bigger, is it necessary to save the airbag money?

...

Bill Ford finally agreed to Li Weidong's offer.

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

Other brands use more Takata airbags, and the injuries must be greater. Especially Japanese brands, almost all models use Takata airbags. If there is a recall, tens of millions of cars may be involved.

At that time, Ford will disclose the matter of Takata airbags, and then take the lead in announcing the recall. It will not cost much, and it can also establish the image of a conscientious enterprise in the hearts 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 for this recall, the time cost involved is unbearable for enterprises and consumers, and Japanese cars will inevitably lose a large part of consumers.

And once Japanese cars do not choose to recall, or if the recall is slow, it will inevitably affect the brand image of Japanese cars. Comparing it with Ford, Ford Motor is bound to be able to regain a large market from Japanese drivers.

This is like a mobile phone of a certain brand, which was recalled in the markets of other countries after an explosion accident, but it was not recalled in the Chinese market. Abandoned, from the original sales king, it will be cool directly.

Bill Ford had the same calculation.

If Japanese cars choose to recall, they will definitely lose money and lose their reputation; it would be even 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 offered 2 billion to acquire Jaguar Land Rover has spread in India.

Indians are starting to boil again, especially on the Internet, and the voice of self-promotion has once again slaughtered the edition.

This is also an old rule. I haven't written a horoscope yet, and I have already started to celebrate winning the calligraphy competition championship.

And because of this acquisition, the Tata Group was promoted to the altar by the Indians.

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.

South Koreans are inseparable from Samsung, and Tata Group is no exception in India, from heavy industry to light industry, from real estate to supermarkets, from transportation to electricity, whether it is industrial production, basic necessities of life, communication networks, or people's livelihood. needs, Tata Group has been 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 this, as if the Tata Group has monopolized more industries in India, which is something worth boasting about. The boss of Tata has made money, and ordinary Indians can follow him for several days, happier than they make money by themselves.

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

Perhaps it can be understood from the red, green and green dresses of Indians in daily life that they care more about the opinions of outsiders than how many brushes they have.

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

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

What? Ford refused! We made an offer of two billion U.S. dollars! Could it be that two billion U.S. dollars can't satisfy the greedy appetite of the Americans!

Anger lit up Ratan Tata's face. In his opinion, the offer of 2 billion was a sure thing, but he didn't expect to be rejected by Ford.

Mr. President, Ford replied to us that they have accepted the offer from the Chinese and decided to sell Jaguar Land Rover to the Chinese. The subordinate said.

How much did the Chinese pay? Is it more than us? Ratan Tata had an incredible expression on his face.

Ford said that it will announce the specific amount later. The subordinate went on to say.

Ratan Tata snorted coldly, waved his hands to let his subordinates go out, and sat in the room sulking.

Tata Corporation entered the automobile manufacturing industry in 1998. Although ten years have passed, Tata still can only produce light cars, not much bigger than the Old Man.

Indians lack the technology to make cars, and there is no supporting industrial chain, and the Indian government is unwilling to open up its own market. They have set up more obstacles for foreign investors, only thinking about earning money from foreigners, and preventing foreign investors from People earn Indian money.

So for decades, only Japanese Suzuki can be considered to be 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 way Indians build cars behind closed doors will never have a developed auto industry, so Tata Group hopes to improve its technical level and brand awareness of Tata Motors by acquiring well-known foreign mature brands.

Jaguar Land Rover is clearly a good choice. It is a luxury brand in itself, and it comes from the colonial home country of Britain. While improving the technical level of Tata, it can also maximize the reputation of the Tata Group. Simply put, it is more famous.

That's why the Tata Group was willing to pay a huge sum of two billion U.S. dollars, but it didn't expect to be intercepted by Li Weidong.

...

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

On the Yahoo News website, a headline caught Vaish's eye.

Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover for US$1.5 billion? Didn't it say it was acquired for US$2 billion before, how did it become an acquisition for US$1.5 billion? It is indeed the Tata Group, and even the Americans have to succumb to the Tata Group and give up profits. Five hundred million dollars! Vaish said to himself.

Switching to the Chinese way of thinking, I give the guests a discount in the hope that they can come to spend again in the future.

The thinking of Indians is weird enough. I will give you a discount, which means that I am afraid of you and surrender to you.

Then Vaish began to read the content of the news.

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

While cursing, Vaish continued to read the news, and saw a sentence that was extremely embarrassing.

It is understood that India's Tata Group once offered two billion US dollars, but Ford still accepted the Chinese consortium's offer of 1.5 billion US dollars from the perspective of corporate strategy. This kind of lie can be fabricated! This fake news is too substandard.

While talking, Vaish opened the search engine and began to search for relevant content.

However, the result of the search is that Ford sold Jaguar Land Rover to a Chinese consortium for a price of 1.5 billion. Even when Wikipedia searched for Jaguar Land Rover, this was indicated in the entry.

Although Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, but with the IQ of Indians, it is still believed to be Wikipedia.

At this time, Vaish was finally a little panicked, and the little bit of national self-confidence generated when he was self-confident 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 stinks!

...

On the Yahoo forums, all the happy Indian netizens who were slaughtering the version a few days ago disappeared overnight.

American netizens began to vent their displeasure. After all, when visiting forums these days, the screen is full of Indian superpowers, Nambo Bay, India.

That’s all for you to say in other places. How can Americans bear to call themselves a superpower and Nanbowan in front of Americans!

So American netizens began to post to mock Indian netizens:

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

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

Didn't you say that the auto industry is going to surpass the United States, Germany and Japan? You are so ahead!

Don't think about building cars in India, let's build toilets first!

When it comes to toilets, it hits the pain points of Indians.

The British stole $45 trillion from India!

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 dumping pot has begun again...