Automotive Family Tree

Memphis · March 27, 2008

Something interesting that came up on Digg ..

Devinda_Z · March 27, 2008

Something interesting that came up on Digg ..

gives one a chance to look at it from a whole new perspective - superb find machan

Edited March 27, 2008 by Devinda_Z

Dj shan · March 27, 2008

Nice one memphis !!

mazdaspeed · March 28, 2008

Something interesting that came up on Digg ..

V.Nice find man- thanks for sharing ...got to know a lot of new stuff :rolleyes:

Nilantha · March 28, 2008

where is the NISSAN?

Devinda_Z · March 28, 2008

where is the NISSAN?

Extreme right - Third box down

with Renault

miniace · March 28, 2008

A nice sharing Memphis! Thanks!

MINIACE

sltcdma · March 28, 2008

Good finding. And this says who is behind the automobile industry screen.

AMG · March 28, 2008

Nice One machan, Good work....Well done..

Arc Angel · March 28, 2008

woah!!! this is brilliant...

awesome reading for petrol heads.. Good one bro

dhp · March 28, 2008

I saw this and one word came to mind

CLUSTERF**k

Watchman · March 28, 2008

cool stuff!!!!! thanks man!!

madmax · March 28, 2008

Some trees are a little out dated. Tata now own Jag & LR. Also Chrysler & Jeep are now longer with Mercedes.

Memphis · March 28, 2008

Some trees are a little out dated. Tata now own Jag & LR. Also Chrysler & Jeep are now longer with Mercedes.

Yeah.. I noticed that too. Very recent mergers are missing from the chart.

xXx · March 28, 2008

Some trees are a little out dated. Tata now own Jag & LR. Also Chrysler & Jeep are now longer with Mercedes.

Actually the diagram is right. Daimler still owns 20% stake of Chrysler and the rest is owned by Cerberus Capital Management. This is clearly shown in the diagram.

Devinda_Z · October 17, 2008

Cerberus in talks with Renault, GM to sell CHRYSLER

By Kevin Krolicki and Jui Chakravorty Das

* Deal could break up No. 3 U.S. carmaker Chrysler

* GM may buy assets instead of full acquisition

* Renault possibly interested in Jeep (Adds Renault denial)

DETROIT/NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Private equity firm Cerberus is in talks to sell all or part of Chrysler LLC's operations to Renault SA and General Motors Corp as it considers a range of deals that could break up the No. 3 U.S. automaker, people familiar with the talks said on Thursday. A Renault spokeswoman denied the talks.

Cerberus Capital Management , Chrysler's majority owner, is talking to GM about a transaction in which GM could buy some of Chrysler's assets as an alternative to an outright purchase of its smaller rival, the sources said.

Renault's interest in Chrysler range from an alliance to an acquisition of Jeep, widely considered to be Chrysler's most valuable brand, the sources said.

Any deal with Renault to buy Jeep would put the world's first and best-known sport-utility brand back in the hands of the French automaker that sold it to Chrysler along with American Motors in 1987.

Chrysler assets under consideration for purchase by GM include Chrysler's top-selling minivan line, a market segment Chrysler pioneered almost 25 years ago, and its truck-production facilities in Mexico, one of the sources said.

Cerberus' talks with GM also have included the possibility of Chrysler buying GM's remaining 49-percent share of GMAC. In one scenario, GM would swap its GMAC stake for Chrysler's auto operations, sources have said.

The contacts between Cerberus and the automakers remain wide-ranging and preliminary but have been given urgency by the sharp downturn in auto sales that has forced Chrysler, GM and Ford Motor Co to take steps to cut costs and shore up their cash holdings. Chrysler, Cerberus and GM had no comment.

Other deals being considered by Cerberus hinge on whether Chrysler's key assets now have more value separately than together, people familiar with the discussions said.

As a result, Cerberus is looking at selling its Mopar parts unit, spinning off its engineering operations as a separate company and hiving off Chrysler Financial, one of the sources said.

That captive finance company also could be merged with GMAC, the GM affiliated lender in which Cerberus owns a controlling 51 percent stake, several sources said.

But all of the potential deals have been complicated and slowed by the volatility in financial markets and frozen credit markets, according to the people familiar with the talks.

Market turmoil has made it far more difficult for Cerberus and potential bidders to agree on the value of Chrysler's various parts or the value of GMAC, the sources said.

Cerberus bought an 80.1 percent stake in Chrysler from Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in 2007 for $7.4 billion, but the automaker, like its listed Detroit-based rivals, has been hit hard by a steep decline in U.S. auto sales to 15-year lows.

Separately, Cerberus is nearing a deal to buy Daimler's remaining stake in Chrysler, one of the sources said. Any deal Cerberus might make to sell or merge Chrysler with another automaker hinges on Cerberus buying out Daimler's interest.

FROM THREE TO TWO?

Even so, several people familiar with the talks said it was possible that they would break off without any deal and that Cerberus would opt to keep Chrysler running on its own, a strategy it committed itself to when it bought the automaker last year and pledged to restore an American icon.

Chrysler Chief Executive Bob Nardelli said earlier this week that the automaker was talking to a range of potential partners, but also has stressed that the company has a plan to return to profitability on its own.

Still, other observers said the tone and tenor of the Chrysler talks underscored an urgency by Cerberus to back away from a high-profile and loss-making investment.

"Cerberus has significantly underestimated the difficulty of running an automotive business, whether a parts supplier, finance company or vehicle assembler," said a banker who declined to be identified.

The still-ongoing talks between GM and Chrysler have revived discussions about a potential merger that started in early 2007 before Chrysler was sold to Cerberus.

Analysts were unimpressed with the prospect of a full merger between Chrysler and GM as reports of those talks surfaced earlier this week. GM has been struggling for the past three years to cut costs and shed capacity.

The largest U.S. automaker burned through about $1 billion a month in the past quarter and has faced scrutiny from investors and creditors over whether it has the cash needed to ride out a downturn in global auto sales now expected to worsen in 2009.

"At this point, it is not obvious how (a merger) would possibly increase the liquidity of the companies, and that is what Chrysler and GM need to get through the downturn," Standard & Poor's analyst Robert Schulz said on Thursday.

David Brophy, director of the Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity at the University of Michigan, said private equity investors, like Cerberus, were being forced to get more creative in deal-making because of the pressure on credit markets.

"Right now it's like walking across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope and they've got to get across to the other side," Brophy said. "I think you'll see more of these deals that are outside the classic private equity model."

Former Renault chairman and chief executive Louis Schweitzer said in a memoir published last year that he regretted selling AMC and Jeep when the French automaker pulled out of the U.S. market in the late 1980s. Renault bought American Motors, which owned Jeep, in 1979.

"It would have been clever to make full use of Jeep," Schweitzer wrote. "If we had done so, we would have been in a good position today in the U.S."

(Additional reporting by David Bailey in Detroit; editing by Carol Bishopric and David Cowell)

http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articl...639474020081017

Source :

Supra_Natural · October 18, 2008

Cerberus in talks with Renault, GM to sell CHRYSLER

Source :

Crikey... so the "cheese eating surrender monkeys" might well end up in charge of one of Americas most valued brands!

xXx · October 18, 2008

Crikey... so the "cheese eating surrender monkeys" might well end up in charge of one of Americas most valued brands!

hahaha description is absolutely spot on

GTAm · October 18, 2008

Ford's stake in Mazda could be up for sale soon. Hard to imagine who'll be interested.....

Car Maniac · October 18, 2008

superb info. Machan thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!

kotte mafia · October 18, 2008

nice info ... thankz a lot ...

Devinda_Z · November 19, 2008

GM Buys 8.6 Days By Selling Suzuki Stake

Posted by: David Kiley on November 17

GM is selling its 3% stake in Japanese automaker Suzuki, which will raise about $230 million. Gm has had an investment in Suzuki since 1981. At one point, it held about 20% of the company.

GM and Suzuki have partnered on technology and a few vehicles over the years. Who could forget the Chevy/Geo Metro or the Geo Tracker, which were both Suzuki designed and built?

Suzuki says it will continue its relationship with GM, and understands the automaker’s need to raise cash.

If GM is burning about $2 billion in cash a month, then the Suzuki sale just bought GM 8.6 days of life.

GM says it is burning cash at a rate that will leave it empty by mid 2009. But, in truth, it needs at least $8-$10 billion to operate. If it falls below that level, it will have difficulty meeting payroll, producing vehicles or paying suppliers.

Congress is meeting this week to decide whether or not to float the Big Three as much as $50 billion in bridge loans to help it get through the Recession.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat...ys_86_days.html

Devinda_Z · November 19, 2008

As Ford Reduces Stake, Mazda Appoints New CEO, Replaces U.S. Execs

Posted by: Ian Rowley on November 18

Here’s an update on the speculation surrounding Ford and Mazda.

Mazda held a press conference this evening in Hiroshima, which confirmed that Ford will sell a 20% stake in the Japanese company in the morning.

Mazda declined to name which investors will take a stake, but confirmed it will buy 7% itself. Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement that the move enables Ford to raise capital and allow Mazda and Ford to “continue our successful strategic relationship.” Mazda President and CEO Hisakazu Imaki added that the share sale “will not result in any change in Mazda’s strategic direction.”

A new Mazda management team might make a difference, though. As well as the share sale. Mazda also announced that Imaki will step down as CEO. He is to be replaced by Takashi Yamanouchi who steps up from Executive Vice President. Imaki, who becomes Chairman, said the move was planned for April, but brought forward after Ford’s plans to sell its stake in Mazda came to light.

Mazda has also wasted no time cutting Ford’s influence on its board. CFO David E. Friedman and sales chief Dan Morris step down from Mazda’s board and return to Ford. Their replacements are Mazda lifers. After the reshuffle only one former Ford exec, Philip Spender, stays on the board at Mazda and he has given up key responsibilities including overseeing R&D, cost cutting, marketing, sales and quality assurance. Two general managers, David F. Stickel and Anthony S. Pastor also step down. Mazda just got more Japanese.

Source : http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat...ws+%2B+analysis