????十五年前，雷諾汽車公司（Renault SA）派了一位當時籍籍無名的汽車高管卡洛斯?戈恩到日本瀕臨破產(chǎn)的日產(chǎn)汽車公司（Nissan Motor Corp），結(jié)果成就了一次驚天大逆轉(zhuǎn)。雷諾特技一般的表現(xiàn)至今仍被全球的商學院奉為圭臬。

????但在2014年，要想生存下去則需要具備新的技能。對于法國汽車公司雷諾和日產(chǎn)來說，這意味著一方面要籠絡(luò)更多的汽車行業(yè)同盟，同時要設(shè)計一套創(chuàng)新車輛開發(fā)系統(tǒng)——這兩條策略的目的是，分擔、消化先進技術(shù)與監(jiān)管合規(guī)帶來的沉重成本。

????雷諾和日產(chǎn)雖然依舊是獨立的公司和品牌，但兩家公司的關(guān)系卻愈加密切。兩家公司都持有對方的大量股份，兩家公司只有同一位首席執(zhí)行官——戈恩。而且，雙方也在不斷尋求新的合作。最新的合作是，雙方計劃根據(jù)所謂“通用模塊家族”方法，即CMF，聯(lián)合開發(fā)70%的車輛。

????雷諾執(zhí)行董事克里斯蒂安?馬德魯斯說：“我們必須在有利于兩家公司發(fā)展的領(lǐng)域開展合作，同時要確保在消費者眼中，我們的車型是獨特的，存在區(qū)別的。”

????大眾汽車（Volkswagen AG）和豐田汽車公司（Toyota Motor Corp.）也曾設(shè)計過各自的通用工程與設(shè)計系統(tǒng)，希望降低在不同市場出售的、尺寸與配置水平各不相同的車型產(chǎn)生的成本。大眾汽車曾公開介紹過自己的方法，而豐田汽車則一直非常低調(diào)。

????根據(jù)CMF方法，按照汽車尺寸，大多數(shù)類型的車輛，前部車身底座、引擎、駕駛艙、后部車身底座和電氣/電子架構(gòu)，都可以通過通用工程進行開發(fā)。例如，未來日產(chǎn)和雷諾所有超小型汽車中，前大燈和遠光燈的控制棒將完全相同，使得兩家公司可從數(shù)量更少的供應(yīng)商那里進行大規(guī)模采購，從而得到更多的好處。

????由于客戶對高端產(chǎn)品的要求，日產(chǎn)英菲尼迪（Infiniti）系列豪華車將不會遵循這個原則。

????今年早些時候，日產(chǎn)已經(jīng)開始在印度欽奈的工廠生產(chǎn)微型車Datsun Go 。這是第一款根據(jù)CMF-A標準生產(chǎn)的汽車。CMF-A框架針對的是雷諾或日產(chǎn)在全世界開發(fā)和銷售的所有微型車。

????雷諾-日產(chǎn)聯(lián)盟已經(jīng)與德國戴姆勒集團（Daimler AG）、日本三菱汽車（Mitsubishi Motors）和俄羅斯AvtoVAZ汽車公司建立了合作關(guān)系。生產(chǎn)梅賽德斯奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）的戴姆勒集團將與雷諾-日產(chǎn)聯(lián)盟合作開發(fā)小型豪華車架構(gòu)，而這個車型將作為日產(chǎn)英菲尼迪豪華品牌旗下的型號出售。

????據(jù)三菱汽車董事長兼首席執(zhí)行官益子修透露，三菱汽車和日產(chǎn)汽車正在合作開發(fā)小型電動車和全球性小型汽車。他說：“下一步將是與雷諾開展合作，或許是合作開發(fā)雷諾的D級（緊湊型）汽車，未來將在美國出售。”

????益子修說：“我認為，因為這個世界在不斷變化，所以我們每天都在變得越來越密切。有限的資源意味著我們不可能獨自完成所有事情。如果沒有足夠的銷量，就無法降低成本。”

????三菱汽車每年在全球的汽車銷量為130萬輛，而一家汽車公司的銷量要達到800萬輛左右才能分攤成本，產(chǎn)生足夠的利潤。因此，三菱汽車的銷量還遠遠不夠。

????益子修說：“早在1989年，我們都在聊400萬俱樂部”，這是當時在沒有一位或多位重要合作伙伴的情況下，要實現(xiàn)盈利所需要達到的銷量。

????1999年，戴姆勒曾嘗試與克萊斯勒公司（Chrysler Corp）合并，希望在銷量方面達到全球規(guī)模。這次令人震驚的重大失敗讓很多學術(shù)界和咨詢界人士有理由指出，并購失敗和資本損失是一個普遍現(xiàn)象。

????而雷諾所采用的方法是與日產(chǎn)汽車相互持有對方的股份，同時尊重彼此的獨立性，結(jié)果獲得了令人矚目的成功。兩家公司可以說是名符其實的兄弟公司，去年共同的銷量超過800萬輛。兩家公司的市值高達660億美元，與本田汽車公司（Honda Motor）基本持平。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????

????Fifteen years ago, Renault SA dispatched a relatively unknown auto executive named Carlos Ghosn to lead a triumphal turnaround at Japan's nearly bankrupt Nissan Motor Corp. Renault's feat is still studied at business schools worldwide.

????Survival in 2014 demands a new skillset. For French automaker Renault and Nissan, it means recruiting more automotive allies, while devising an innovative system of vehicle development -- both are tactics to share and absorb the immense cost of advanced technology and regulatory compliance.

????Renault and Nissan, though they remain separate companies and brands, are inching closer. Each maintains a big equity stake in the other and relies on a single chief executive, Ghosn. Increasingly, they seek new levels of cooperation. The latest is their intention to develop 70% of their vehicles jointly, according to a so-called common module family method, known as CMF.

????"We have to cooperate in the areas that can lead to economies for both companies, while making sure that our models are distinct and separate in the eyes of consumers," said Christian Mardrus, managing director of the Paris-based alliance.

????Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) have devised their own systems of common engineering and design to minimize cost for models sold in different markets and sizes, and with various levels of equipment. Volkswagen describes its method openly; Toyota has been coy.

????Under CMF, the major categories of vehicles, by size, are developed according to common engineering of front underbody, engine, cockpit, rear underbody, and electrical/electronic architecture. For example: The wand that controls headlamps and highbeams will be the same in all future Nissan and Renault subcompacts, allowing both companies to benefit from large-scale purchases from fewer suppliers.

????Nissan's Infiniti line of luxury cars has been exempted from this discipline, owing to the demands of customers for premium products.

????Early this year, Nissan began building its Datsun Go minicar model at a factory in Chennai, India. It is the first vehicle to be built according to CMF-A, the new framework for all minicars developed and sold worldwide by Renault or Nissan.

????The Renault-Nissan Alliance has formed partnerships with Germany's Daimler AG, Japan's Mitsubishi Motors, and AvtoVAZ of Russia. Daimler, which builds Mercedes-Benz, and the alliance are jointly developing a small, luxury car architecture that will also be sold under Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand.

????Mitsubishi and Nissan are cooperating on the development of a small electric vehicle and a global small car, according to Osamu Masuko, Mitsubishi chairman and chief executive officer. "Then the next step would be to expand with Renault," he said, "maybe a D-segment [compact] car from Renault that would be sold in the U.S."

????"I believe that because of the changes in the world, we are becoming closer and closer every day," Masuko said. "Limited resources mean we can't do everything. If you don't have enough volume, costs can't come down."

????Mitsubishi sells 1.3 million vehicles worldwide annually, far short of the 8 million or so a single automaker must sell to spread costs across enough vehicles and also generate sufficient profit.

????"In 1989," Masuko said, "we used to talk about the 4 million club," meaning the volume needed at that time to be profitable without one or more substantial partnerships.

????Daimler tried to achieve worldwide scale in terms of sales volume with its 1999 merger with Chrysler Corp. The spectacular failure of that transaction has led many in academia and consulting to point out the prevalence of failed mergers and destruction of capital.

????By comparison, the method that Renault used -- a reciprocal equity stake with Nissan, while respecting its independence -- has succeeded impressively. The two companies -- siblings, really -- sold more than 8 million vehicles last year. Their combined market capitalizations of $66 billion make them as valuable as Honda Motor (HMC).