I asked you to save a bankrupt factory and you became the richest man in the world.

Chapter 473: 241-253: Overseas Automobile Factories! (6000 words)
"Coming here with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to attend a meeting."

"Your place looks very lively right now!"

Gao Huaijun smiled and nodded.

This trip abroad is a rare one for him in recent years.

While the United States has not yet officially started operations, and it came together with the Ministry of Commerce.

As long as he doesn't run around everywhere, it won't be a big problem.

Even if the United States dares to intercept someone from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce delegation, they don't have the courage to do so.

but.

He had no choice. As the boss of a technology company, he was seeing that the benefits of time travel were almost gone, so he naturally had to speed up and consolidate his advantages.

In fact, this is the sad thing about technology companies.

Everyone believes that Coca-Cola will still be the world's best-selling and most well-known beverage brand in 100 years, but which technology company can guarantee to survive after 100 years?

Buffett once said that technology companies change too fast. Being a pioneer in a field means nothing, being the best in a field means nothing, being the master in a field means nothing, and having a product that has reached perfection in this field means nothing. If you are destined to die, you will die. You may die in the third year after you reach the top.

So how could Gao Huaijun dare to be careless and think that he could definitely live longer than a man selling sugar water?

From Kodak and Nokia in the past to Intel and IBM now, which company is not backed by the country? Everyone thinks they are too big to fail, but in fact, they will be finished if they miss a wave of technology.

Can Hillhouse Capital be an exception?

Therefore, Gao Huaijun now calculates again and again before taking a step, for fear of making a wrong move.

"It's more than just lively. This time we are representing Chinese companies, not just ourselves. It's a real source of pride." Zhou Zhou said excitedly as he handed a bottle of mineral water to Gao Huaijun and Feng Xiaochen who were standing nearby.

He did not notice the strange emotion in Gao Huaijun's eyes.

As a long-term practitioner in the industry, he actually has deep feelings about this.

The three major European powers, Germany, Ukraine and Italy, have always been the first-line leaders in the automotive industry.

In the era of internal combustion engines, they can be said to have reaped all the benefits from the world.

Through the automobile industry, Europe's entire high-tech manufacturing industry has directly reached the top of the world.

It also brings up some related progress in mechanical-related fields such as aviation manufacturing, machine tool industry, and lithography industry.

It can be said that after the United States launched the Marshall Plan, the entire Western European region reaped the post-war dividends. Relying on these industries, they lived a 935: life every day, had a month-long annual leave every year, and their wages were much higher than those of the Chinese.

Are you angry?

Moreover, this group of Europeans feel good about themselves, thinking that they earned the money through their own abilities.

But it is different now.

The words Gao Huaijun always mentioned are overtaking on a curve and changing lanes to overtake.

He didn't understand before.

Now he suddenly understood something.

Isn't your engine awesome?
I changed the electricity directly.

I won't compete with you on the track you are familiar with.

The rules of the game have changed directly.

I will use something that you are completely unfamiliar with to defeat you directly and leave you speechless.

He had previously followed another company to the five major S-class auto shows in Frankfurt, Bari, etc. to participate in exhibitions, and you, a foreign company, came here to rent a booth.

It’s not that I will let you rent it just because you pay me a certain amount of money.

He wants to see your national background.

It also depends on your technique.

Because when they hold auto shows, their essence is to promote their own local companies.

However, we are now able to provide this opportunity to Hillhouse, a company that has been established for less than ten years, in the most central and core area.

This has been a very surprising thing in the 100-year history of the Geneva Motor Show.

Because it’s not about money anymore.

This is the result of all the connections being made from the government side, the national strength side, and the market side.

Only then will you be given such a large space to display your car.

He now has a hunch that the arrival of Hillhouse Capital, together with other emerging Chinese automobile companies, will break this situation that has lasted for hundreds of years.

He didn't believe it when he heard Hillhouse employees talk about this vision before. But now when he saw a group of foreigners lying around looking at Hillhouse's cars and constantly saying "incredible", he suddenly began to believe it. Why is Hillhouse's slogan called "Technology changes the future"!
Now he thought that Boss Gao was really awesome.

South Korea began to accumulate experience in the automotive industry in 1950.

Until 2010, China's automobile industry, like Chinese football, was completely stagnant.

You mean overtaking on a curve?

That's just a dream!
Whether it's Corolla, Sylphy, Tiguan, Passat, etc., all of them involve the interests of large state-owned automobile companies.

Although foreign automobile manufacturers eat the meat, domestic companies drink the soup.

But drinking soup is also good~
I can eat while lying down, so why should I eat while standing?

But now the emergence of Hillhouse has directly broken the inherent situation where joint venture cars occupy the majority of sales.

Sales are rising straight away.

It even overturned the joint venture cars and directly occupied the TOP3 positions in various categories one after another.

That really surprised people in the industry!

At this time, some well-informed government officials would occasionally see Gao Huaijun and rush forward to shake hands with him and exchange business cards with him.

Such as Hungarian, Serbian, native chicken and so on.

At first, I discovered Gao Huaijun had arrived at the scene by chance.

Later, more and more people came over to try to get close to him.

Because these officials and the governments they represent understand one thing clearly.

That is, as of now, the industrial distribution of automobiles is still mainly based on consumption locations.

We can set up factories wherever there is sufficient consumption.

This is significantly different from ordinary consumer electronics, which are produced in one place and sold globally.

Now, leading companies such as Dazhong Auto and Fiat Auto have actually completed their layout.

Western Europe's absorption capacity is limited, so they naturally tend to build factories in their own country.

How could I possibly leave some soup and rice for you Eastern European countries?

But it’s different for outsiders like Hillhouse Capital. If they want to get the top stocks, they cannot rely solely on imports.

It didn't matter when the situation was just starting out, since not many cars were sold a year anyway. But now that the level has reached 30,000 units a year, Gao Huaijun naturally has to think carefully about the option of building a factory in Europe.

These things are not something that Ning Yuan and others can decide directly.

When Zhou Zhou saw Gao Huaijun was busy negotiating with various local officials in Europe, he hurriedly went about his own business.

Finally got back to the hotel.

"Mr. Gao, these are the documents that Mr. Ning asked me to bring from China. Here are three copies, which are feasibility reports for building automobile manufacturing plants in three regions: Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, and Serbia." Secretary Feng Xiaochen handed over the documents and looked at the handsome young man with complicated eyes.

She has been at Hillhouse for some time.

But one can feel that the working hours of this legendary star boss Gao Huaijun are extremely regular.

I get up at 8 o'clock every morning without fail. I have three hours to handle official business in the morning and four hours in the afternoon.

There is one hour of fitness time in the gym at noon.

Such a person, in his early thirties, has actually been in business for ten years and controls a company ranked among the top in the Fortune 500.

The key is...

Still very handsome!
God has basically made up for all of his shortcomings, right?

"We will focus on investigating the environment in Hungary and Serbia. You can contact the contacts in these two countries." Gao Huaijun said to Feng Xiaochen in a deep voice.

Feng Xiaochen nodded quickly and said yes.

So where exactly should the factory be located?
Gao Huaijun mainly considers the following points:
One is that the local area has good industrial supporting facilities, including parts supply, design resources, education resources, talent pool, water, electricity, transportation and other infrastructure.

The second is location, which determines how far you are from the actual consumer market.

The third is convenient transportation, which can make up for the shortcomings of the first and second points.

The fourth is whether there can be certain tax incentives.

The five are the most basic elements such as local political stability, social security, government relations, etc.

All or most of these five conditions must be met before Hillhouse will determine the final location.

However, the costs in Western European countries are high, so we will put them on the back burner for now.

It is hard to say when the war in Poland will break out, especially whether the war that was going on in the previous life will reach there. It is really an unknown, so we definitely cannot go there.

Eastern Europe is a bit far away and the industrial supporting facilities are not very good.

You can only choose from the countries in the middle. In fact, based on the first three points mentioned above, industrial supporting facilities, geographical location, and convenient transportation, Croatia is far better than Hungary.

In terms of taxation, they are all EU countries, so there is no difference. Jieke has taken over a lot of German automobile industries. Many people don’t know that Skoda is actually a Jieke company. Later, it was acquired by Dazhong, but the headquarters and the original factory are still in Jieke. At the same time, Jieke has also taken over a lot of orders for complete vehicles and parts outsourced from Germany. Jieke was once the world's seventh industrial power, and the automobile industry was originally the first of Jieke's four pillars.

In a country like this, it is a very good place to invest in a car factory. The industrial supporting facilities, skilled workers, industrial environment, many things are ready-made and you don't need to worry about them.

Even if you don't go to Czech Republic, you can go to the slow FK next door, which is also a strong automobile country. Its various conditions are just slightly weaker than those of the Czech Republic, but it is still much better than those of Hungary.

But considering Zheng Zhi's factor, Jieke has issued a government document defining China as a threat and challenge.

Under such circumstances, Gao Huaijun would definitely not choose Jieke as his first choice for investment.

But Hungary is different.

It cannot be said that it stands on China's side, but it is indeed one of the few countries in the EU that is sober, neutral and pragmatic.

Now, with more interests invested in it and Hillhouse taking the lead, we have seized this opportunity despite being at a disadvantage. This will boost local infrastructure, create thousands of new jobs, and collect billions more in tax revenue each year.

More importantly, if this example sets a good precedent, it may become a place where major Chinese automobile companies flock to invest.

These are actually the factors that Gao Huaijun thinks can be given special consideration.

When investing overseas, you really can’t afford to lose!
According to the clues in his mind, Hungary was invested by the later Emperor Bia, which was probably arranged according to this principle, while Serbia was invested by a parts manufacturer.

After Gao Huaijun finished inspecting Belgrade in Serbia and Szeged in Hungary.

He finally decided to build a car manufacturing plant in Szeged, Hungary!
As soon as this news was released, it shocked the whole world.

It can be said that this is the first overseas passenger car production plant of a Chinese automobile manufacturer and also a new breakthrough in Chinese manufacturing.

At the first moment, Viktor Orban, the political advisor to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, tweeted that Hillhouse will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Hungary to build its first European factory, providing thousands of high-value jobs for Hungary. This is indeed exciting news!
In a sense, Viktor Orban used his vest to tell the world that Hungary will give Hillhouse full support.

Think about it too.

Such a large investment.

Moreover, about 80% of the funds for this European factory are loans from Hungary, and Hillhouse only contributed about 20% of its own funds.

If Hungary did not work hard and sacrifice something, how could it be possible to retain such a large industrial cluster in such a small country?
This is also the calm before the storm, and Gao Huaijun seizes all favorable conditions.

However, the voices of newspapers such as Bild, Le Figaro and Frank were not so pleasant. They exclaimed that this was the first time since Viktor Orban came to power for the second time that Hungary has turned to authoritarianism and democracy has accelerated its decline.

This is an unforgivable sin!

Ever since the EU got into a big mess with the four PIIGS countries, its own cohesion has been in question.

At the same time, there were also problems with its own financial operations.

If the EU is unable to provide sufficient economic support to its member states, small countries that are at a disadvantage in the economy within the EU will have to find other ways out.

This is the situation in Hungary now.

This is exactly the opportunity point for Hillhouse!

It's not just that.

The information about Hillhouse Capital's construction of an automobile manufacturing plant in Szeged, Hungary was also reported by the Central Bank's "News Network" at the first opportunity, and it took nearly ten minutes to explain in detail the current situation and investment background of new energy vehicles.

It is very obvious that the country is standing behind Hillhouse.

This news was quickly spread on Weibo, major forums, and Hillhouse's Xiaoling.

Soon, the post about Hillhouse Capital's plan to build a car manufacturing plant in Szeged, Hungary, suddenly ranked fifth on the Weibo list!
Completely different from other automobile manufacturers that are all domineering in China, Hillhouse's move of directly expanding into Europe and setting up a base in Europe can be said to have directly inspired the Chinese people.

[Hungary's infrastructure and workers are of very good quality. I hope Hillhouse can grow bigger and stronger in Hungary and create more glory! Give Hungary's old cars a little Chinese shock. Come on! ]

[Watching the news, Gao Huaijun couldn't stop smiling happily. This is a big game! ]

[What Hungary wants is the electric vehicle industry chain, just like when China introduced major joint venture automobile companies. With the industry chain, Hungary can reduce costs and become a base for exporting to Europe.]

[One is Zhongwei and the other is Gaoling. Ten years ago, they were both Zhongwei. Zhongwei phones were given away for free when you topped up your phone bill. Ten years ago, who the hell had Gaoling's trams? Hey, one sells MP3s. Now, it's really a matter of time. 】

【Hillhouse has really achieved the goal of gaining worldwide favor with the best products. 】

[If you want to find a country in Europe that is not extremely anti-China, has a relatively complete industrial chain, a large population, and is still within the EU, it is basically the only one. Hillhouse Capital is not easy. This is a billion-euro investment, which is really serious. ]

[Taikoo also has the same idea. Since we cannot introduce automobile companies other than the top three in the island countries, I also want to introduce Hillhouse. If there is an industrial chain, I will get a share of this industry.]

[Yes! I heard that Taiguo Hillhouse is also in talks now! ]

[I never expected it, I really never expected that when I woke up from my dying illness, I would find that I was the Great Power? ]

【The new energy vehicles led by Hillhouse Capital are enough to give other countries a hard time. 】

After the sensation in China, people felt that Hillhouse had done this after the Spring Festival. After Hillhouse participated in the Geneva Motor Show and built the first overseas automobile factory of China Automobile Corporation, there was no big news about Hillhouse anymore.

But at this time, Gao Huaijun did not return to China after attending the signing ceremony jointly hosted by the leaders of China's Ministry of Commerce and the leaders of the University of Hungary.

Instead, he went to the British country with the team from the Ministry of Commerce!
Even the top leaders of the Ministry of Commerce were surprised by his move.

Because according to the verbal agreement between Gao Huaijun and him, Gao Huaijun's itinerary would basically stop in Hungary.

Although his own itinerary included a visit to the British Empire, it was actually just a routine plan.

Your Ministry of Commerce went to great lengths to come here, but in the end you only arrived in Hungary and left. What do you mean?
His own idea was to have a cordial and friendly meeting with the relevant leaders of the British country, and then basically end the event, do some extensive shopping in London, and then return directly to his country.

He never thought that Gao Huaijun would go with them.

Are you going shopping too?

Thinking of this, he laughed.

Such a big boss, what can you want?

However, Gao Huaijun didn't seem to care what he said. After arriving in the Great Corruption Country, he finally told him the purpose of his trip.

"What, invest in a football club?" The senior leaders of the Ministry of Commerce were also very confused by Gao Huaijun's needs.

This is another big news.

You know, the Chinese Super League is at its hottest right now.

A large number of real estate developers have moved into Huachao to contribute to the booming business.

If Gao Huaijun wants to play football, why doesn't he invest in Huachao?
Isn’t it more convenient?

Gao Huaijun smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

However, he still read doubts in the eyes of the leaders of the Ministry of Commerce.

Knowing the history of Chinese football well, he knew that a few years later, with that sudden and irresistible event, the entire Chinese football fell into a trough.

Therefore, it makes no sense for Hillhouse to invest in Chinese football now.

But what about investing in the Premier League?
It’s not without hidden dangers.

The big collision in a few years will inevitably bring about huge shocks.

Just in case, Gao Huaijun will hold the money he invested in the Premier League with his old friend Merlin Bank!
At least he will not be forced to sell his Premier League shares like Old Bull.

Gao Huaijun had just woken up the next morning, and before the hotel had brought him his breakfast, Hu Ge, who was sent by Merlin Bank to contact him, came to his door and knocked on it. His first words were, "Mr. Gao, I have inquired about this incident for you. There is indeed a club that is interested in selling its shares in the team."

Gao Huaijun immediately became interested!
Originally, he just came to take a look.

If there is no suitable team for him to invest in, he will not force it.

Purchasing a team is actually an important part of Hillhouse Entertainment’s large-scale entertainment strategy.

Hillhouse is now at a very important turning point in its destiny.

Hillhouse Technologies has already gone public, and Hillhouse Vehicles is about to go public.

The products of these two companies have opened up the market in China at the same time, but are now in a position to be displayed externally.

Therefore, if China's automobile and electronic technology products can gain exposure in the field of football, the world's largest stage, it will be a very beneficial thing.

It can be said that Hillhouse’s biggest task at this stage is to go overseas!
Simultaneously.

Premier League clubs are a value investment.

If the business is well managed and transfers are controlled, it will not be a problem for a mid- to lower-tier team to make a profit of £1000 million a year.

This is not like the Chinese football club, which keeps investing money and making losses every year, and has no idea when the losses will bottom out.

More importantly, if the club can maintain its position in the league and continue to build its brand, its value will gradually increase.

It can be said that if the team continues to enter the European competition zone in the future, if Hillhouse sells the club for other reasons in the future, it will not be a problem to make 10 times the profit in 10 years.

This is value investing.

"Oh?" Gao Huaijun quickly stood up from the sofa in the luxury suite and asked, "Which club is it?"

Huger blurted out, "I heard that two teams are being sold."

"One is Southampton, a team based in Southampton, a team with a lot of history, if we get him, it will be a good start."

After hearing this, Gao Huaijun shook his head.

Southampton is a small third-tier city in the UK.

It covers an area of ​​52 square kilometers, has a population of 91.98, and has 15 districts under its jurisdiction.

There are a lot of cities like this in China.

It doesn't matter if you just have some spare money to play with, but if you want to be Hillhouse's publicity machine, the Southampton platform is really too small.

Gao Huaijun didn't even look down on him!

In the country of corruption, it can be said that there is only one city that catches his eye.

That is Dalundun!

(End of this chapter)