转载自似水人生 的博客:

下面这篇4月13日发表在CNBC上的文章标题为“财富杂志让巴菲特坐上未来汽车的司机位”。

文中谈到投资比亚迪是查理芒格的主意。查理芒格是通过一个共同的朋友认识比亚迪总裁王传福的，芒格把王传福比做爱迪生和杰克韦尔奇的结合体（太厚爱了吧）。芒格的热情使得巴菲特无视自己远离科技型公司的原则。同时巴菲特也指出吸引他的还有比亚迪自1995年以来的发展成就，另外王传福只愿意出让10％而不是巴菲特所希望的25％股份说明他不愿意卖掉自己的公司，这也是一个好公司的象征。

Fortune Puts Warren Buffett In "Car of the Future" Driver's Seat
Published: Monday, 13 Apr 2009 | 12:38 PM ET Text Size By: Alex Crippen
Executive Producer

 
Fortune Magazine
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Warren Buffett is in the driver's seat when it comes to the "car of the future," says Fortune. 

The magazine has put Buffett on its cover ("Buffett's Electric Car") along with the BYD E6, for a major story on Berkshire Hathaway's investment last fall in the Chinese company that is working to challenge the world's biggest automakers in the electric car arena.  The cover asks, "If the Oracle's plugging in, shouldn't you?"

In the article by Marc Gunther, we learn that the idea of investing $230 million for 10 percent of the "obscure Chinese battery, mobile phone, and electric car company" first came from Buffett's partner Charlie Munger.

Munger had met BYD's driving force, Wang Chuan-Fu, through a mutual friend, and was uncharacteristically enthusiastic.  Munger describes Wang to Fortune: "This guy is a combination of Thomas Edison and (former General Electric Chairman) Jack Welch - something like Edison in solving technical problems, and something like Welch in getting done what he needs to do.  I have never seen anything like it."

That enthusiasm from Munger helped Buffett to overcome his well-known reluctance to invest in technology, because he only likes to put money into things he can easily understand.

Fortune quotes Buffett as admitting, "I don't know a thing about cellphone or batteries.  And I don't know how cars work."  But, "Charlie Munger and (MidAmerican Energy Chairman) Dave Sokol are smart guys, and they do understand it.  And there's no question that what's been accomplished since 1995 at BYD is extraordinary."

Plus Wang turned down Berkshire's initial offer to buy 25 percent of BYD.  Says Buffett, "This was a man who didn't want to sell his company.  That was a good sign."

After an extensive profile of Wang's tireless efforts on behalf of his company, Fortune concludes, "Buffett may not understand batteries or cars, or Mandarin for that matter.  Drive, however, is something that needs no translation."