????上世紀90年代初，經(jīng)營戴姆勒（Daimler）美國卡車業(yè)務的一位德國高管在南加州偶遇經(jīng)營米其林（Michelin）美國輪胎業(yè)務的一位法國高管。

????兩人一拍即合。從點頭之交升華為兄弟情誼。上周五，他們宣布，雷諾日產(chǎn)聯(lián)盟（Renault Nissan Alliance）與戴姆勒成立合資公司，從2017年開始在墨西哥生產(chǎn)豪華轎車。戴姆勒現(xiàn)任首席執(zhí)行官蔡澈就是曾經(jīng)經(jīng)營戴姆勒旗下福萊納（Freightliner）卡車業(yè)務的那位德國高管；而當前領導雷諾（Renault）和日產(chǎn)（Nissan）的卡洛斯?戈恩則是曾經(jīng)的那位米其林美國業(yè)務主管。

????這兩家汽車制造商已經(jīng)決定協(xié)力在阿瓜斯卡連特斯共同經(jīng)營一家新的組裝廠，而日產(chǎn)早已在那里為北美市場生產(chǎn)汽車。這筆投資金額高達14億美元，將建設一家擁有2條組裝生產(chǎn)線且年產(chǎn)30萬輛汽車的工廠。

????新工廠將生產(chǎn)奔馳和英菲迪尼（Infiniti）品牌的前輪驅動小型豪華車。

????“共同開發(fā)緊湊型豪華車和在阿瓜斯卡連特斯共同生產(chǎn)是雷諾-日產(chǎn)聯(lián)盟和戴姆勒之間最大的項目之一，”戈恩稱。“這也表明，我們從歐洲開始的協(xié)作已經(jīng)開始走向全球化?！?/p>

????汽車制造商正在探索多種形式的合作以擴大規(guī)模，分擔成本，而大眾（Volkswagen）、豐田（Toyota）和通用汽車（General Motors）等大公司則利用自己龐大的規(guī)模優(yōu)勢對整個全球市場施加壓力。戴姆勒曾于1998年收購克萊斯勒（Chrysler），但以失敗告終?？巳R斯勒最終申請破產(chǎn)并與菲亞特（Fiat）合并。

????相比之下，雷諾在1999年為日產(chǎn)提供財務救助，很快決定成立聯(lián)盟（包括換股），但仍保持兩家公司的獨立性。因此，這兩家汽車制造商只是在互利的項目上一起合作，但最近戈恩正在努力讓兩家公司走得更近一些。

????戴姆勒公司歷來對自己的精英品牌梅賽德斯-奔馳（Mercedes-Benz）愛護有加，但它從2010年開始與雷諾日產(chǎn)展開了合作。這個聯(lián)盟緩慢而謹慎地開展一些較具挑戰(zhàn)性的項目。在墨西哥項目宣布之前，戴姆勒和日產(chǎn)披露稱，日產(chǎn)將在旗下的田納西州戴克德工廠制造梅賽德斯-奔馳C級車的2.0升發(fā)動機。

????雷諾則為戴姆勒的Smart微型車提供幫助：開發(fā)新車型，與歐洲老車型Twingo一起生產(chǎn)。

????獲得梅賽德斯-奔馳的機械和電子技術來鞏固英菲尼迪新車型意味著日產(chǎn)有望取得巨大的成功。日產(chǎn)自從上世紀80年代末開始就努力將英菲迪尼豪華車型提升至梅斯德斯、奧迪（Audi）、寶馬（BMW）和雷克薩斯（Lexus）等一線品牌的地位。

????（當前全球最熱銷的豪華車品牌寶馬預計在幾天或幾周內(nèi)也將宣布在北美新建組裝廠，地點很可能是在墨西哥，而不是在它的南卡羅萊納工廠。）

????蔡澈已宣布了一個目標，戴姆勒到2020年要重新奪回全球豪華車銷售領頭羊的位置。梅賽德斯-奔馳可能將面對復興的英菲尼迪以及其他挑戰(zhàn)。與對手競爭的同時為它提供幫助，這樣的矛盾對于蔡澈或今后的戴姆勒CEO會不會變得過于矛盾，目前還有待觀察。

????與此同時，由法國、日本和德國汽車制造商構建的聯(lián)盟看起來像是天生絕配，也是商學院學生津津樂道的研究對象。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

????In the early 1990s, a German executive running Daimler’s U.S. truck operations happened to meet a French executive running Michelin’s U.S. tire operations in South Carolina.

????The two were simpatico. Acquaintance blossomed into camaraderie. Friday, they announced a joint venture between the Renault Nissan Alliance and Daimler AG to build luxury sedans in Mexico starting in 2017. Dieter Zetsche, Daimler’s chief executive officer, used to run Freightliner; Carlos Ghosn, the former Michelin chief in the U.S., now leads Renault and Nissan.

????Collectively, the automakers have decided to operate a new assembly plant in Aguascalientes, where Nissan already builds vehicles for North America. The $1.4 billion investment will cover an assembly plant rated at 300,000 cars annually on two assembly lines.

????The models to emerge from the new plant will be small, front-wheel-drive luxury cars, branded as Mercedes-Benz and as Infiniti.

????“Joint development of compact premium vehicles and joint production in Aguascalientes together represent one of the largest projects between the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Daimler,” Ghosn said. “It also shows how our collaboration, which began in Europe, has become global in scope.”

????Automakers are exploring myriad types of cooperation to increase scale and share costs, as larger enterprises like Volkswagen, Toyota, and General Motors GM -0.87% press the advantage of their large size across global markets. Daimler acquired Chrysler in 1998 in a merger that failed, with Chrysler eventually going bankrupt and joining forces with Fiat.

????Renault, by contrast, undertook a financial rescue of Nissan in 1999 and quickly determined to create an alliance—including exchange of equity—while preserving the independence of both companies. As such, the two automakers cooperated jointly only on projects that made sense to both, though lately Ghosn is pushing the two closer.

????Daimler, while historically protective of its elite Mercedes-Benz brand, began cooperating with Renault Nissan in 2010. The alliance began slowly and cautiously, steadily tackling more ambitious projects. Shortly prior to the Mexico announcement, Daimler and Nissan disclosed that Nissan will manufacture 2.0-liter engines for Mercedes-Benz C-class models at its Decherd, Tennessee factory.

????Renault has helped Daimler with its Smart small cars by developing a new version, and manufacturing it, alongside its Twingo, which is old in Europe.

????Gaining access to Mercedes-Benz technology for the mechanical and electronic underpinning of new Infiniti models represents a big potential win for Nissan. Nissan has struggled since the late 1980s to elevate Infiniti luxury models among top tier brands that include Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Lexus.

????(BMW, currently the top-selling global luxury brand, is expected within days or weeks to announce a new North American assembly plant as well, quite possibly in Mexico, rather than at its South Carolina complex.)

????Zetsche has declared a goal for Daimler of regaining global leadership of luxury automotive sales by 2020. Mercedes-Benz is likely to face, along with other obstacles, a resurgent Infiniti. Whether the contradictions of assisting a rival while competing with it becomes too contradictory for Zetsche or some future Daimler chief remains to be seen.

????In the meantime, the alliance among French, Japanese and German automakers looks like a match made in heaven, not to mention a delectable subject of inquiry for business school students.