Diesel Donna said:
Did I hear correctly that GM bought Ford? I know that Bill Ford stepped down a couple of weeks ago.
Anyone know more about this?
Donna
You scooped the NYTimes. Looks like there was a some discussion of a GM-Ford merger last month. What are ya, some kind of insider? :wink:
James
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=7431
Sep. 18, 2006
6:30 am
A Ford-G.M. Merger?
TOPICS
Mergers & Acquisitions,
General Motors,
Ford Motor
INDUSTRIES
Airlines/Autos
Could the Big Three become the Big Two?
That is the far-fetched scenario raised Monday in the trade publication Automotive News, which reported that auto makers
Ford and
General Motors have discussed a merger or an alliance. Citing “several sources familiar with the talks,” the publication says the talks began soon after
Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn suggested exploring a three-way alliance among
Renault, Nissan and G.M. in July.
Automotive News wrote:
Last month, GM CFO Fritz Henderson discussed an alliance with Ford CFO Don Leclair, said a source familiar with the talks.
But it is not at all clear whether the negotiations will bear fruit. As of now, the two companies are not holding talks, and one source says there’s a slim chance that anything will come of it.
Such a move seems highly unlikely to us as well. And considering the state of affairs at G.M. lately, it brings to mind the old saying about the two drowning swimmers in a watery embrace.
But the talks, if they occured, are notable if only because they underscore how serious Ford’s predicament is considered to be these days.
Rightly or wrongly, the chatter surrounding this storied American company has become increasingly apocalyptic. The automaker, which has been losing market share and money, recently brought in a former
Boeing executive as its new chief executive in what amounted to a startling admission that major change is needed. After Ford unveiled the latest elements of its “Way Forward” turnaround plan last week, its stock fell 12 percent and
Merrill Lynch’s research analyst cut his rating on the company from “neutral” to “sell.”
“They’ve got to make this work,” John Casesa, managing partner of
Casesa Strategic Advisers, told The New York Times of Ford’s latest plan. “Because they won’t have another chance,” he added.
Monday’s Ford-G.M. merger story is not the only far-out speculation surrounding Ford. There have been articles in USA Today and The Detroit Free Press contemplating whether an investor group might take Ford private, so it can revamp itself outside of Wall Street’s constant scrutiny. While that might be a plausible notion for another company in a similar situation, Ford is controlled by its founding family, making a take-private transaction all but impossible without their support.
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