European union leaders meet over Renault-Nissan's proposal for General Motors
Speaking of the Renault-Nissan-General Motors goings-on, leaders at unions in European countries Germany and France have a meeting scheduled to chat about how a deal between Renault-Nissan and General Motors could affect European automotive workers. It's unlikely that union pressure would kill any kind of deal, but it puts France, which holds 15 percent of Renault, in a tricky spot. The United Auto Workers in the U.S. hasn't come out in opposition to the deal, but the union is likely waiting to see what kind of deal shapes up before deciding whether to be for or against.
One issue on the table include how the deal could speed up globalization, sending auto jobs to Eastern Europe from Germany and France. The French union in particular finds it difficult to believe that a deal of such proportions could only hurt Renault's domestic sales, which are currently low.
[Source: Financial Times via MSNBC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jon 2:28PM (7/10/2006)
The japanese carmakers didn,t grow by merger and aquisition.They grew by product.
Reply
Don Lawson 2:31PM (7/10/2006)
General Motors is to be commended for researching and responding to the I.Q. of the GM Car Buying Public. For years they have been able to produce a sub-standard product and buyers didn't have a clue.
GM was very sucesful playing into this car buyer I.Q. bracket.
What GM failed to recognize is, sometime during the last 30 years, GM buyers started to wake up to the quality, reliability, duribility and ergonomics of Japanese cars like Toyota and Mazda. Smarter GM buyers started to leave in droves.
GM could not, and can not today, wake up to this situation which is causing GM sales to slump badly.
The alignment of GM with Nissan and Renault is not going to solve GM's severe lack of intelligent customer sensitivity. What will probably happen is GM will drag Nissan and Renault into the gutter with them.
Don Lawson
Reply
ian 2:38PM (7/10/2006)
the japanese car companies are fed by gigantic, multinational conglomerate corporations. pretending that they got to where they are today without standing on the shoulders of japan inc's industrial cartels is folly.
Reply
Stphane Dumas 3:06PM (7/10/2006)
1# jon, there was some exceptions, Nissan (Datsun) had merged with a carmaker called Prince in 1966 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Motor_Company 2 Prince models still continue today in Nissan's Japan line-up, Cedric and Skyline. Also Hino was a carmaker before being acquired by Toyota and today Hino concentrate its efforts in the mid-size truck market as well as buses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hino_Motors%2C_Ltd. (also Toyota have a participation in Daihaitsu and recently Subaru)
Reply
jon 3:14PM (7/10/2006)
I won't buy an american car as much as I'd love to because I'm not second rate like thier products.Merging with Nissan/Renault won't build a better car.It's just putting GM in a back into a position of false security where they can rest on their laurels.
Reply
whofan 3:45PM (7/10/2006)
#1 & #2 see #3 & #4
Good posts 3&4!
Reply
Solo 10:34PM (7/10/2006)
so what all countries do that, so what's your point. Get used to it, the U.S. have new friends in the global world. You can't be on top forever, get used ot it.
Reply
Ducatti 10:35PM (7/10/2006)
I love seeing GM going down, i celebrate that like the world cup winner!
Reply
Stphane Dumas 8:21AM (7/11/2006)
I spotted this info at
http://www.allpar.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=80088
about an article of the Detroit News titled "How about Ford-Renault-Nissan?"
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/AUTO02/607110378/1148
Reply