Friday, September 10, 2010

Interview with BYD's 王建钧


《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪与戴姆勒的合资在比亚迪的战略发展中有什么意义?
  王建钧:这应该算是一笔交易。首先,在这笔交易中知识产权是平等的,双方会建立一个全新的品牌,这个品牌由比亚迪和戴姆勒共同拥有;其次,双方合资的比例是平等的,各自出资50%;最后,董事长由外资方担任,总经理则是比亚迪股份有限公司副总裁廉玉波。外资方将派出几十位工程师参与项目的运作。新品牌和新车型都在讨论之中,三年内将会推出全新的高端电动汽车。
  说到意义,比亚迪与戴姆勒的合资对比亚迪品牌的提升有很大的作用。2009年以前,比亚迪在新能源汽车方面做了很多努力,却没有得到国家和业界认同。自从2009年国家认同了电动汽车的技术路径以后,比亚迪在新能源方面,尤其是电池、电控领域已经积累了一定的优势。这次戴姆勒看中的就是比亚迪的这些优势。
  很多人问我们,为什么不去宣传和戴姆勒的合作。我们自己不刻意去讲,由外方讲反而更容易被大家理解。这次和戴姆勒的合作,是戴姆勒先在欧洲日内瓦车展前期宣布的,我们在之后才宣布。
  我们企业还是比较有中国传统的风格的,做了一些事后希望得到大家的认可。也许事情做出来之后大家会有这样或那样的议论,我们也认为这是正常的。各种声音的存在有利于公司和产业的发展。一个公司从平庸走向伟大必须要有这样的经历。
  《中国经济和信息化》:合资的背后有什么故事吗?
  王建钧:戴姆勒中国公司买了很多品牌的各种车型的车,其中也有我们的,经过综合对比之后,他们认为比亚迪汽车的品质以及其他综合性能是有吸引力的。我们和戴姆勒在经历了一段时间的接触和相互了解后,达成了现在的合作意向。
  《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪做新能源汽车这么多年,我们也确实能感觉到不容易,请问一下,比亚迪做新能源汽车的路线是什么?
  王建钧:首先,我们坚持电动技术优先。比亚迪是做电池起家的,我们会坚持在电池方面不断创新。其次,我们还会根据市场的需求进行选择。我们为什么没有直接推出纯电动车而是推出油电混合的双模车,就是希望根据市场的需求做一个适当的过渡。在选择试点城市和使用环境时,我们选择了深圳的出租车市场,因为出租车的使用频率要比私家车高3~4倍,能够使电动车得到充分的使用和推广。
  《中国经济和信息化》:怎样看待“新能源汽车央企大联盟”的成立?
  王建钧:在新能源汽车方面,参与的企业越多,对国家政策和消费者的影响就越大。一些很重要的央企参与进来,这更是一件好事,他们的话语权要远远高于比亚迪这样的民营企业。这么多的企业参与进来,对新能源汽车的发展非常有利,至少在商业推广上对比亚迪来说是一个有力支撑。
  《中国经济和信息化》:新能源汽车推广的难点在哪里?
  王建钧:国家在新能源汽车政策方面已经做了大量的工作,现在我们企业也需要推进。新能源汽车在推进过程中对于基础设施,特别是使用环境的要求比较高。
  《中国经济和信息化》:国资委明确表示,央企联盟是不拒绝民企的,如果央企联盟向比亚迪招手,比亚迪会怎样回应?
  王建钧:比亚迪在电池供应方面是一个开放的平台,我们愿意为联盟内企业提供电池产品。
  《中国经济和信息化》:如果央企联盟优先获得国家对新能源汽车的资金支持,比亚迪是否担心大部分的资金流入央企而减少对民营企业的支持力度?
  王建钧:在资金分配方面,政府面对的不单是央企,也不单是中国企业,它面对的是全球的企业。我相信在市场面前企业都是平等的。
  《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪的区域产业布局思路是什么?
  王建钧:我们是根据对全球及中国市场的感觉来布局的。在研发体系方面,比亚迪根据对研发潮流及全球科技走向的感觉来进行布局;在城市选择方面,我们主要选择在比亚迪以前的基础上有辐射性的城市。同时我们也有一些人工成本上的考虑。当然,这些都要有利于股东权益和公司的长远发展。
  《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪遇到困难时找市场还是找市长?
  王建钧:比亚迪作为一个上市公司,遇到经营方面的困难,大部分还是要靠市场的力量来解决,过多地依赖政府,企业是长不大的。政府真正需要管的是公共资源,比如比亚迪工厂周边的政府配套设施。真正经营上的问题,还是需要企业自己去解决,如果没有企业自身的努力,没有产品的积累,没有核心的技术,那么企业根本走不远。
  《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪与南方电网的合作是怎样一个模式?
  王建钧:主要是比亚迪向南方电网提供一些储能电站。比亚迪是南方电网的供应商,电网的发电端和用户端我们都无法控制,只有中间的变电环节可以协调电网的供应。我们可以利用储能电站使电网变得可控。比如,夜间我们可能把电存在配置好的储能电站里,白天再把它返还给电网。南方电网则利用我们的储能技术,再对电网做一个合理的调控。
  《中国经济和信息化》: 新能源汽车是比亚迪新能源事业的一环吗?
  王建钧:比亚迪上市之后,投资汽车是战略性的选择。比亚迪就是太透明了,所以大家觉得我们什么都在做。比亚迪作为一个上市公司,拿到了投资者的钱,就要考虑投资者的收益,力争做好每一个投资项目。2002年比亚迪上市时,我们还在做代工,根据对市场的研究,我们觉得需要做战略上的转型,于是我们选择了做汽车。为什么做汽车呢?因为我们需要选择一个行业,这个行业是要有进入门槛的,玩家要比较少,这些条件对企业进入之后的运营和发展是有好处的。当时的汽车业,特别是乘用车,国家控制的只有十几家,我们买了其中一家,然后把它发展壮大。
  我们做新能源,是因为我们在电池领域已经发展了十多年。在考虑战略转型时,我们首先要考虑固有的核心技术的延展,它要符合国家的产业政策及产业方向,基于这些原因,我们在选择产业的时候就选择了新能源。另外,比亚迪有技术积累,国家又是鼓励的,我们为什么不做呢?
  比亚迪是一个非常简单的公司,对技术非常痴迷。同时他又是一个对股东负责任的公司。未来我们也会根据自己的产业发展状况来做,但一定不会离开我们最基础的绿色公司的梦想。我们一直有三大梦想:储能电站、太阳能、电动汽车。这些都是为我们的绿色梦想奠定基础的产业,我们现在的产业是这样,未来如果涉及新的产业也会是这个大思路。
  《中国经济和信息化》:比亚迪未来有什么样的规划?主营业务包括哪些细分领域?
  王建钧:我们未来的发展由三大产业组成:手机零部件和整机代工;汽车业务,包括传统汽车和新能源汽车;新能源业务,如家庭能源系统、太阳能板、LED照明等。在汽车领域,我们的目标是到2015年成为中国最大的乘用车制造商。我们对于管理和生产的理解就是越简单越好。
  《中国经济和信息化》:有消息称比亚迪将进入家电行业,就我们的理解,家电行业已经进入红海了,比亚迪为什么会想进军家电业呢?
  王建钧:我们还没有进入家电行业,仅仅是有一些市场部门在做调研。远远没有进入公司战略委员会和董事会决策的阶段。比亚迪进入每一个行业都会非常谨慎。比亚迪要进入一个行业,首先要看这个行业竞争对手的多少,是红海还是蓝海,这是一个竞争惨烈程度大小的问题;其次是投资门槛的问题;再次就是消费者能否接受的问题。我们对各方面的因素进行了认真考量,才会决定是否进入一个行业。
  《中国经济和信息化》:销量带来的压力有没有传导到上游的生产?
  王建钧:今年1~6月乘用车的销量,进口车要好于国产车,大排量的车要好于小排量的车。1.6L以下排量汽车销量增速今年明显放缓,1.6L以上排量汽车销量增速今年明显高于去年。
  今年的汽车消费趋于对大排量、大品牌、高端产品的选择,这些对我们是个警示。比亚迪对市场的反应是很迅速的,我们也充分进行了市场研究。我们热销车型的利润空间在下滑,而我们的产能是有限的,需要拿出品质更好的产品。所以,下半年我们主要推出了1.6L以上排量的产品,如M6、I6、L3等,都是1.8~2.0L排量的产品,做工和装饰都有所提升,价格都在10万元以上。
  这次调整是想推出高附加值的产品,这对于公司的经营及品牌的提升都是有重要意义的。任何公司发展到一定阶段都要面临品牌的问题,这个问题是要及早做准备的。比亚迪以前以小排量经济型轿车为主导产品,现在要向中高端产品延伸。在1.6L排量以上的市场中,排量越大的,自主品牌汽车占有的市场份额越小。
  比亚迪必须走出一条自己的路,去争夺这个细分市场,使我们的品牌力得到提升。只有这样才能在市场中得到更多的认可。这样的调整早晚要做,早做比晚做好。
  《中国经济和信息化》:怎么看经销商的抱怨?
  王建钧:我们和经销商是合作伙伴,利润问题是我们之间不可回避的矛盾。他们这样或者那样的说法,也是为了自身的利益,我们认为有这些说法也是正常的,企业的发展离不开各种批评的声音。

Letter from BYD Auto

Friday, September 3, 2010

The 20 Richest People Of All Time

Who were the wealthiest people EVER?
Our list of the twenty richest, based on scholarly estimates and adjusted for inflation, includes entrepreneurs, warriors, and robber barons. We did not include monarchs, whose vast wealth is considered public.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Carlos Slim are the only living men who crack the list -- and that's only counting their net worth at bubble peaks in 1999 and 2007.
You'll notice much of the list come from England and America. Partly this happens because that's where estimates were available. But it's also true that extreme private wealth occurred only several times in history, such as: The great lords of England, the Gilded Age, and today's credit bubble.

#20 Carlos Slim

#20 Carlos Slim
Peak fortune: $61.8 billion
Source of wealth: Many. He is most famous, however, for having 
big holdings in major telecom companies, especially America Movil
, one of the largest corporations in Latin America.
Estimate from 2008 Forbes list of billionaires, adjusted for inflation.

#19 Warren Buffett

#19 Warren Buffett
Peak fortune: $63.9 billion
Source of wealth: Investments. The Oracle of Omaha joined 
Berkshire Hathaway as chairman in 1970 and hasn't looked back. 
He has pledged to give away 99 percent of his money.
Estimate from 2008 Forbes list of billionaires, adjusted for inflation.

#18 Sam Walton

#18 Sam Walton
Peak fortune: $64.5 billion
Source of wealth: Founded Walmart in 1962 and lived a famously
 humble live. As Walmart keeps growing, Walton's four children 
have individual fortunes around $20 billion each.
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted for 

#17 Marshall Field

#17 Marshall Field
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $66.1 billion
Source of wealth: He started the retail store chain Marshall Field
 and Co. in Chicago during the Civil War.
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted for

#16 Stephen Van Rensselaer

#16 Stephen Van Rensselaer
Peak fortune: $68.5
Source of wealth: Major of the US Militia and member of the New
 York State Assembly, Rensselaer was also heir to one of the 
most well-endowed estates in the US. He founded the Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute with a portion of his wealth.
Estimate comes from NYT, adjusted for inflation.

#15 Jay Gould

#15 Jay Gould
Peak fortune: $71.2
Source of wealth: Railroad baron and gold speculator, Jay Gould
 masterminded the 19th century transportation boom in America. 
He and financier James Fisk also bought up a dominating share 
of the gold market at the time - enough to directly affect market 
movements during Gould's lifetime.
Estimate comes from NYT, adjusted for inflation.

#14 Henry Duke of Lancaster

#14 Henry Duke of Lancaster
Peak fortune: $77.5 billion
Source of wealth: English diplomat, noble, soldier, and founding 
member of the Order of the Garter.. He is remembered today for 
his peace talks with France and for being a patron of Corpus 
Christi College, Cambridge
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, converted to dollars at average rate since 
'07 (1:1.7) and adjusted for inflation.

#13 Frederick Weyerhaeuser

#13 Frederick Weyerhaeuser
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $79.4 billion
Source of wealth:  He founded Weyerhaeuser Company, one of 
the biggest timber company in the United States, after he arrived 
to America from Germany in the 19th century.
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted for 

#12 A.T. Stewart

#12 A.T. Stewart
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $88.9 billion
Source of wealth:  An American entrepreneur, he founded the 
first department store in lower Manhattan and subsequently 
expanded his retail business.
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted for

#11 John of Gaunt

#11 John of Gaunt
Peak fortune: $101 billion
Source of wealth: Richard II's regent during much of the latter's 
rule and the father of Henry Bolingbroke (who would eventually 
come back from exile to depose Richard and take the English 
throne into his hands). One of Shakespeare's meekest characters.
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, converted to dollars at average rate since 
'07 (1:1.7) and adjusted for inflation.

#10 Stephen Girard

#10 Stephen Girard
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $105 billion
Source of wealth: Successful in the shipping trade, he was a 
French-born American merchant that went into the banking 
business later in his life, owning a bank that was called "Girard's 
Bank".
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted 
for inflation.

#9 Richard Fitzalan 10th Earl of Arundel

#9 Richard Fitzalan 10th Earl of Arundel
Peak fortune: $108 billion
Source of wealth: The Earl of Arundel and quite the military 
leader. He fought in the Scottish Independence wars and in the 
Hundred Years' War. Subsequent Earls of Arundel -- his sons -- 
would make this list, but we're only counting that money once.
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, converted to dollars at average rate since 
'07 (1:1.7) and adjusted for inflation.

#8 John Jacob Astor

#8 John Jacob Astor
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $121 billion
Source of wealth: A successful fur trader, he established a near 
monopoly within the U.S. by around 1800. He subsequently 
switched trades and went on to investing in real estate, focusing on
 New York City.
Estimate from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, adjusted 
for inflation.

#7 William de Warenne

#7 William de Warenne
Image: wikipedia
Peak fortune: $134 billion
Source of wealth: Originally from Normandy, William I de 
Warenne participated in the battle of Hastings and was rewarded 
with properties in Sussex, Northfolk and Yorkshire. He became 
the first Earl of Surrey.
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, 
converted to dollars at average rate since '07 (1:1.7) and adjusted 
for inflation.

#6 Bill Gates

#6 Bill Gates
Peak fortune: $136 billion
Source of wealth: Founded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. 
He held onto shares as Microsoft dominated the age of computers, 
peaking in personal wealth at the top of the Dot Com Bubble.
Estimate from wide-spread reports of a $101 billion net worth for a 
period in 1999, adjusted for inflation.

#5 Alan Rufus

#5 Alan Rufus
Image: Daily Mail
Fortune: $149 billion
Source of wealth: A Norman who joined William The Conqueror
 in the invasion of Britain in the 11th century, Alan "The Red" had 
250,000 acres of land from Yorkshire to London. He also owned 
Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire, which, for the time, was 
considered very comfortable.
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, 
converted to dollars at average rate since '07 (1:1.7) and adjusted 
for inflation.

#4 Cornelius Vanderbilt

#4 Cornelius Vanderbilt
Image: wikipedia
Fortune: $185 billion
Source of wealth: In 1862, he began to buy railroad lines. 
Although already 70 years old, his wealth mostly comes from 
this business of the 19th century. Prior to that, he was known as 
a cold-blooded steam-boat entrepreneur.
Estimate comes from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, 
adjusted for inflation.

#3 William The Conqueror

#3 William The Conqueror
Peak fortune: $209 billion
Source of wealth: Was called 0William the Bastard until he led 
the last successful foreign invasion of England in 1066. Although 
he became a monarch, we're counting the spoils of war before he 
took the throne, based on what he gave out to his sons Odo and 
Robert.
Estimate from historian William Rubenstein via The Times, converted to dollars at average rate since 
'07 (1:1.7) and adjusted for inflation.

#2 Andrew Carnegie

#2 Andrew Carnegie
Image: wikipedia
Fortune: $309 billion
Source of wealth: Carnegie invested in the steel business when
 the market was booming, eventually ending up at the head of the 
U.S. Steel empire.
Estimate comes from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, 
adjusted for inflation.

#1 John D. Rockefeller

#1 John D. Rockefeller
Image: wikipedia
Fortune: $336 billion
Source of wealth: He founded Standard Oil in 1870, at the age 
of 31, and bought up most of the oil refineries in the United States,
 eventually controlling about 90% of the American oil business.
Estimate comes from economist Peter Bernstein via Forbes, 
adjusted for inflation. 

Bonus: Some people who didn't make the list

Bonus: Some people who didn't make the list
Image: wikipedia
Marcus Licinius Crassus: Often named as the richest man ever, 
a more accurate conversion of sesterce would put his modern figure between $200 million and $20 billion.
 Great discussion here.

The Rothschilds: Scholars put the Rothschild fortune during the 19th century at £400,000,000 in 1961 
money. Converted to dollars and adjusted for inflation, they don't make the list. (Portrait Of A Dynasty, 
page 57)
Genghis Khan: Owned most of Asia, but we couldn't find an estimate.


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