家族势力继续把持全球汽车巨头
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宝马公司 半个世纪前，宝马公司（BMW）濒于破产之际，是实业家赫伯特?匡特在最后一刻做出决定，不但不卖掉其所持有的30%股份，反而增持至50%。此举真是神机妙算。1982年匡特过世，手里的股份被赠与了他的遗孀约翰娜和他们的一对子女。现在这些股份价值已经超过了200亿美元。 一直以来，宝马始终顺风顺水，捷报频传，即便现在也势头不减。就在欧洲其他车企饱受困扰时，宝马却表示，它正迎来有史以来最好的销售业绩。这一点主要归功于宝马最大的市场——美国豪华车销量的强劲增长，以及中国车市的旺销。公司10月全球销量猛增了13.2%，达到157,618辆。 不过，匡特家族过去几年也并不是完全一帆风顺，因为有证据表明，他们一家与纳粹德国有着密切联系。这个家族投资宝马前的数年时间里，他们曾在自己的工厂里雇佣了成千上万名奴工，在二战期间生产武器和军火。匡特的一位前妻曾嫁给纳粹宣传部长约瑟夫?戈培尔，而他们婚礼的见证人之一正是阿道夫?希特勒。该家族一位成员曾坦言，没有承认这段历史是个“错误”。 |
BMW When BMW was close to bankruptcy a half-century ago, industrialist Herbert Quandt decided at the last minute not to sell his 30% stake in the automaker, and in fact increase it to 50%. Good move. When Quandt died in 1982, his stake in BMW passed to his widow Johanna and their two children, and it is now worth more than $20 billion. BMW has enjoyed a consistent run of success?that continues even now. While other European automakers are suffering, BMW says it is heading for its best sales year ever, thanks to robust luxury car sales in the U.S., its largest market, and China. The company's October global volume increased by a hearty 13.2% to 157,618 vehicles. The past few years haven't been all clear sailing for the Quandts, however, as details about their ties to Nazi Germany have come to light. Years before the family invested in BMW, they employed tens of thousands of slave laborers in plants making weapons and ammunition during World War II. A Quandt ex-wife married Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in a wedding at which Adolph Hitler was a witness. A family member has admitted it was "wrong" for the family to fail to acknowledge this part of its history. |
