滴滴收購巴西打車應用99 加速國際化

Didi Chuxing, the Chinese car-booking group, said on Wednesday that it has acquired 99, the Brazilian app, potentially providing more firepower for a rival to Uber in one of the world’s largest markets.

中國打車集團滴滴出行(Didi Chuxing)周三表示，它已收購巴西應用99，這可能為優(yōu)步(Uber)在全球最大市場之一的競爭對手提供更多火力。

Beijing-based Didi already owned a minority stake in 99 and the takeover pushes it further beyond its national borders, just weeks after it raised $4bn in new capital to fuel expansion.

總部位于北京的滴滴此前已持有99的少數股權，而此次收購將把它的業(yè)務進一步擴展至國境之外。就在幾周前，滴滴籌集了40億美元新資本，用于支持擴張。

A local start-up, 99 has amassed 14m users and 300,000 drivers in Brazil, which, with over 200m inhabitants, is one of the most competitive markets for car-booking apps. Uber has 17m users and 500,000 drivers there, making the country its second largest outside the US.

作為當地一家創(chuàng)業(yè)企業(yè)，99已在巴西積累了1400萬用戶和30萬司機。國民人數超過2億的巴西，是全球競爭最激烈的打車應用市場之一。優(yōu)步在巴西擁有1700萬用戶和50萬名司機，巴西是它在美國以外的第二大市場。

“We are confident that being part of Didi Chuxing will vastly enhance our capability to expand our services throughout Brazil to bring critical value to users, drivers and cities,” said Peter Fernandez, chief executive of 99.

“我們相信，成為滴滴出行的一部分，將極大地提高我們在巴西各地拓展服務的能力，為用戶、司機和城市帶來重要價值，”99的首席執(zhí)行官彼得•費爾南德斯(Peter Fernandez)說。

The ride-sharing industry is experiencing consolidation because scale is vital to attracting both drivers and passengers, and deals can help stabilise a business model that is often seen as overly-dependent on fluctuating prices and cash-burning promotions.

共享出行行業(yè)正在進行整合，因為規(guī)模對于吸引司機和乘客是至關重要的，而合并交易可以幫助使一種經常被認為過度依賴價格波動和燒錢促銷的商業(yè)模式穩(wěn)定下來。

While many localised car-hailing apps have emerged in individual countries, global operators such as Didi and Uber see network effects as their customers travel around the world. Being able to use the same app in multiple countries is more convenient than downloading extra software and signing up for a new account in local currencies.

在個別國家出現許多本地化的叫車應用之際，但滴滴和優(yōu)步等全球運營商看到了網絡效應，因為它們的客戶在世界各地旅行。跟下載額外的軟件并用當地貨幣創(chuàng)立新賬戶相比，能在多個國家使用相同的應用更為方便。

“Globalisation is a top strategic priority for Didi,” Cheng Wei, founder and chief executive of Didi, said in a statement. “The success that founders and team of 99 have achieved in Brazil embody the very spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the LatAm region.”

“全球化是滴滴的首要戰(zhàn)略重點，”滴滴創(chuàng)始人兼首席執(zhí)行官程維在一份聲明中稱，“99的創(chuàng)始人及團隊在巴西取得的成功，展現出拉美地區(qū)的創(chuàng)業(yè)者精神和創(chuàng)新能力。”

Terms were not disclosed for this latest ride-sharing land grab but Brazilian newspaper Valor Econômico reported that Didi’s takeover valued 99 at $1bn.

這筆共享出行行業(yè)最新并購交易的條款并未對外披露，但巴西報紙《價值經濟報》(Valor Econômico)報道稱，滴滴的收購價為10億美元。

Launched in 2012, 99 provides on-demand peer-to-peer and traditional taxi services in over 400 cities in Brazil. It was the first service in Brazil to launch a female-only option for female passengers, as well as the first to offer tipping for its drivers.

創(chuàng)立于2012年的99，在巴西逾400個城市提供按需、個人對個人和傳統出租車服務。它是巴西第一款為女性乘客推出女性專享服務的應用，也是第一款為司機提供小費的服務。

Its $200m fundraising last year was the largest investment on record in a Brazilian start-up. The round was led by Didi and Riverwood Capital, a private equity firm with offices in Silicon Valley and São Paulo.

99去年融資2億美元，是巴西創(chuàng)業(yè)企業(yè)獲得的有記錄以來規(guī)模最大的一筆投資。這輪融資的領投方是滴滴和Riverwood Capital，后者是一家在硅谷和圣保羅設有辦事處的私人股本公司。

The takeover further complicates Didi's relationship with Uber. The San Francisco-based ride-hailing pioneer is a significant investor in Didi following a 2016 deal that turned the former rivals into partners in the Chinese market. With Didi taking control of 99, Uber once again finds itself competing against its sometime partner in one of its fast-growing markets.

此次收購使滴滴與優(yōu)步之間的關系變得更復雜。這個總部位于舊金山的叫車行業(yè)先行者是滴滴的一家重要投資者。此前的2016年，兩者達成一項協議，從競爭對手變成了中國市場的合作伙伴。在滴滴收購99之后，優(yōu)步又一次發(fā)現在其快速增長的市場之一跟曾經的合作伙伴展開競爭。

In another example of overlapping interests in the sector, all three companies have received significant investments from SoftBank of Japan in the past year.

過去一年里，這三家公司都得到了日本軟銀(SoftBank)的大筆投資，成為該行業(yè)利益交叉的又一個例子。