It is difficult to find a second product that can match the level of automobiles in terms of technology intensity, price and social demand.
The reason why it is called a "pillar industry" is that it has a huge driving effect on economic development, creating countless jobs and driving the development of countless other industries. Even in developed countries such as the United States, Japan, Britain, and France, the automobile industry can account for 10% to 15% of the total GDP, or even higher.
The reasons why Han Chudong invested in Toyota Motor and Daimler-Benz Group were, firstly, he wanted to gain greater influence, and secondly, the current per capita car ownership was still very small and the profit prospects were very bright.
When he invested, the world was still in a recession due to the global financial turmoil. Now that it has recovered, it has also brought in considerable income. Take Toyota Motor for example, its stock price has increased by 187% in six years, which was also due to the reintegration of Toyota Motor Industries and Toyota Motor Sales Corporation three years ago.
It has now become one of the most popular and best-selling automobile brands in the United States, with its products exported to more than 20 countries. It is currently planning to build a factory in Michigan near the Great Lakes.
The governor of California has approached Han Chudong twice about this, but he couldn't come up with a good plan to make it happen. A little bit of tax incentives could not sway Han Chudong to help persuade Toyota's other shareholders. After all, being close to the production sites of raw materials and parts could save a lot of money in taxes alone, which was far more in their interest than offering incentives from California.
When talking about investing in cars, we cannot just talk about the benefits these shares themselves bring to Han Chudong.
Take Berkshire Hathaway, a joint venture with Buffett and others, for example. Because of Han Chudong's relationship, it reached cooperation with many car dealers. On the premise of giving them benefits, an insurance company under Berkshire Hathaway became the third largest auto insurance seller in the United States, and also brought a lot of book wealth.
After tasting the sweetness, Han Chudong has made more long-term plans, such as buying some automobile companies that have some strength and reputation but average market share, such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover and other automobile companies, and re-establishing an automobile group independent of the current business.
It may be as difficult as ascending to heaven for others, but for Han Chudong it is just an ordinary small difficulty. It is estimated that if he wants to accomplish this, he will have to spend 5 billion to 7 billion US dollars to do it. The only brand with a higher price is Porsche. Brands such as Jaguar, Aston Martin and Maserati are currently in decline. If possible, he can also choose between Bentley and Rolls-Royce. These days, fuel-efficient and cheap cars are the mainstream sales.
If he could really pull it off, Han Chudong was confident that he could gain another title - a tycoon in the automotive industry. This would be a good business that could last for at least a hundred years.
Although he couldn't make all the money in the world, he could maximize his profits in many cases. So after chatting with the CEO of Ford Motor Group for more than half an hour, he finally agreed to contact other directors of Toyota on his behalf. He felt that joining hands with Ford to build a new car manufacturing platform would be a good thing that would save money and benefit both parties...
Han Chudong considers himself to be in a semi-retired state, as he only intervenes in major decision-making and has a firm grasp on the executives of various projects. However, he still has a clear understanding of the performance and development positioning of various companies.
He looks at these businesses from a macro perspective and leaves many matters to his subordinates to handle, so he has a lot of free time.
After seeing off the people from the charitable trust and Ford Motor Company, Han Chudong held the son he had with Helena Bergman. The little guy was only a few months old. Because he was mixed-race, his hair was slightly yellow and his little face had not yet fully grown, but he looked very cute.
He is not old enough to remember things. He has big eyes with black pupils. At this moment, he is in his father's arms, staring at everything around him in a daze. Anyone who sees this little guy will sigh from the bottom of their hearts that he is so lucky.
After calculating the depreciation and appreciation of assets and increasing the dividends, the child, who is only a few months old, can get about 360,000 US dollars in "living expenses" every month, all of which are deposited in the account that Han Chudong opened for his son through his own bank in Switzerland.
Han Chudong had signed a will a few years ago, stipulating that upon his death, all his assets would be transferred to a charitable trust and handed over to professional managers to manage. This was to prevent anyone from targeting him for his wealth. He even stipulated that some assets could not be traded within thirty years after his death. This way, even if someone targeted Han Chudong, they would get nothing, thus minimizing the risk. His family could collect part of the assets from the trust fund, and they would still be able to get a considerable amount of trust assets after they reached adulthood.
I saw a lot of outsiders in my house, all wearing work clothes and busy moving things.
After thinking about it for a while, Han Chudong remembered that he had promised director George Lucas some time ago that as long as the global box office of the second "Star Wars" movie exceeded 500 million US dollars, he would lend his house to the other party for a party, and the expenses would be charged to DreamWorks Film Studios.
I asked someone randomly and found out that it was indeed a celebration party for the "Star Wars" movie. He often lends his mansion to his companies to organize events. It would be a waste of time to build such a luxurious house and banquet hall if he doesn't show it to others. He seldom initiates parties in his own name, mainly because he doesn't want to cause trouble. Most of the meetings are held at the golf club. Last year, President Reagan also stayed there for two or three days.
Interestingly, the three general managers mentioned above are all now serving as consultants under Han Chudong. They can get salaries from the fund companies. They have used their connections and brains to help solve many problems. They can also stay in Han Chudong’s hotels and resorts for free. The private islands are open to these senior consultants.
Han Chudong called the butler and said to the old butler from England, "I don't want to cause any trouble. I will make an excuse to go out to take care of business at night. You can help arrange it and open the underground vault for these guests to see."
"We'll have to find some people from the security company. The jaguar-shaped Wallis Simpson bracelet was just delivered by the auction house, and the painting called The Scream was also just delivered. If it's accidentally damaged, no one will be happy."
"It's best to allow them to visit before drinking, and let the bodyguards go in to guard. As for the jaguar bracelet, help me find someone to give it to Kiko Mochizuki, and also buy a necklace of equal value for Helena. Now that we have a child, we should give her more decent jewelry. Please keep an eye out for me in the future and say hello to the auction house."
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Don't underestimate him as just a butler. As Han Chudong's butler, his status and position are naturally different, and many things can be properly handled with the identity of this Chinese boss.
The old butler agreed and continued to help prepare for the party.
Han Chudong asked his secretary to find the increasingly famous painter Roy Lichtenstein and asked him to help draw some cartoon characters such as Mamoswine, Pikachu, and Ali, both to promote Mango Toys' derivative peripheral products and to give them to his children as gifts...