Two weeks ago, China Automobile Association announced the automobile sales data in February 2020.

According to the data, the national automobile sales in that month totaled 3 1 10,000 vehicles, including 224,000 passenger cars, down 8 1.7% year-on-year, returning to the level of 2005, and the average rate of returning to work in the national industry was less than 40%.

Coincidentally, the European automobile market, which is far away from the other side of the ocean, has also ushered in its own dark moment.

Up to now, Toyota, Volkswagen, Renault, BMW, Michelin and other local or foreign brands have closed all their factories in Europe and have started to stop production for at least two weeks.

The impact of the suspension of production in the automobile industry on the European economy is even more serious than that in China.

According to the report of Professor Dudenhofer, a researcher at the University of Saint Gallen, Switzerland, in 2020, the automobile market in Western Europe will decline by 65,438+00% as a whole, and the status quo will not be restored until 2030.

Regardless of whether this report contains exaggeration or not.

However, since at least February, the number of new car registrations in Europe has dropped by 7.2% year-on-year, reaching the lowest "achievement" in seven years. Therefore, the European automobile market is indeed in jeopardy.

Renault will be nationalized.

The "black swan" in the sky is flying happily, but the "people in need" on the ground have started a crazy self-help mode-stop production, go online to work, temporarily lay off employees, and hand in the same "epidemic prevention work" every day.

But the French, who have never played by common sense, are obviously unwilling to do so.

Last week, French Minister of Economy and Finance lemerre held a telephone conference with Jacques Senard, President of Renault, Carlos Tavares, President of PSA Group and other senior executives.

The meeting conveyed two important messages:

First, the French government promised to provide them with loan guarantees or delayed payment of various taxes and other assistance;

Secondly, if necessary, the government may resort to nationalization to prevent the bankruptcy of French industrial giants.

After this conference call, I think Senard must have been forced.

If nothing else, in 20 19, the overall operating profit of PSA was 6.324 billion euros, up by11.2% year-on-year; In contrast, Renault's operating profit in 20 19 was 2 1 100 million euros, down 30% year-on-year, which was Renault's first loss in the past decade.

Coupled with Ghosn's arrest, entanglement with Nissan's various grievances, and the outbreak of this epidemic, the adverse effects brought by this loss have been further amplified.

In other words, the French government is just hinting at Renault-big brother, if you can't do it, just tell the government that we are ready to take over.

Killing should also be privatized.

This is not the first time Renault has been nationalized.

As early as 1945, Charles de Gaulle nationalized many domestic enterprises including Renault in order to revitalize the French economy. It was not until 1966 that the government realized that it had limited the development of Renault and began to release a large number of shares and turn it into a privatized company again.

But it is precisely because of this experience that Renault is even less likely to agree to the government's nationalization request. Even if they are experiencing negative effects such as shutdown and loss.

After all, if you really have this idea, Renault was already a state-owned enterprise as early as the financial crisis in 2008.

So not surprisingly, a few days ago, Renault officially responded to the rumor of "nationalization" released by the French government. They said that under the attack of the epidemic, Renault will indeed seek the help of the French government, but it will never consider the French government's "nationalization" proposal.

Why is Renault always unwilling to be nationalized?

There must be many factors involved in this, so it is not good to comment too much. But what is certain is that if Renault is nationalized, it will inevitably encounter differences in "enterprise management rights and ownership".

In other words, to some extent, part of Renault's future policy choices and development paths are afraid of and influenced by the French government. This is obviously not a good trend for the future development of enterprises.

So what Renault can do now is to let itself live first and talk about the future later.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.