mergers

Currently, there are 130 different automakers existing in China, and in an effort to create stronger companies, the Chinese government will be releasing plans to encourage mergers and buyouts between the different manufacturers. These new guidelines, drawn up by the Chinese Ministry of Industry ...

We have a feeling historians will spending a fair portion of next few years finding new words to describe just how bad this year was for the auto industry. And then, at some point, they'll get around to Volkswagen, a company that has been zagging while almost all others zigged. Over the last ...

With all the trials and tribulations General Motors has endured during the past year, we almost forgot that the Detroit, MI-based automaker nearly got itself tied up with Renault-Nissan. Back in 2006, the two companies discussed joining forces to become a singular global automotive juggernaut, ...

This executive cycle isn't uncommon, especially in Germany: CEO displays great leadership over time, then decides to do something daring, then gets caught in a series of unfortunate events, then gets a tarnished reputation, then departs the formerly high-flying company (see also: "Schrempp" and ...

Volkswagen labor union chief Bernd Osterloh has called out Porsche's CEO for holding up a merger between the two German automakers: "Together, one could do a whole lot of more things if [Wendelin] Wiedeking would end his ego trip." Osterloh believes Wiedeking is standing in the way of a tie-up with ...

The way things read, Porsche might not have to get a merger deal done with Volkswagen, but it would appear to be in the carmaker's best interests if it does. The holdup seems to be Porsche – since VW still doesn't know what Porsche's financial situation is, talks broke down earlier this week. ...

Porsche's merger with Volkswagen is a step back from Porsche taking outright control of VW, something the automaker has been fighting various German entities to do for over a year. The willingness to co-exist is being put down to Porsche's debt levels, which can't be easy to refinance when banks ...

According to an affidavit filed in the New York U.S. Bankruptcy Court where Chrysler filed for Chapter 11, the automaker's Co-President and Vice Chairman Tom LaSorda is quoted as saying "Chrysler has attempted in recent weeks to sell product lines and other units to a number of Chinese companies, ...

Here at Autoblog reports regularly cross our desks suggesting all sorts of contorted deals supposedly being brokered between automakers. This one's in bed with that one, that one's selling the other but retaining a minority interest, another one's starting a joint venture with yet another while ...

It's the General Motors and Chrysler merger saga, take three. A few months ago, GM said "No can do" to the union, taking off its ring and walking out of church. Now GM's bondholders may be contemplating a shotgun wedding, forcing The General back to the altar over the debt-equity swap the automaker ...

David Cole at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) says that there is going to be another round of mergers in the auto industry. That's not difficult to swallow, with execs at smaller companies like Renault's Carlos Ghosn having been on the hunt for good alliances for years. Even German nemeses ...

The euro has reached a record high against the dollar, and that is partly to blame for rumors of Cerberus' difficulty in getting the money to pay for Chrysler. Cerberus is paying DaimlerChrysler $7.4 billion for 80.1% of Chrysler Group, but it is trying to borrow $20 billion. With interest rates on ...

Porsche is not going to let up on its acquisition of VW. The Stuttgart maker of neun-ein-eins has tapped into a network of 37 lenders for a $13.7 billion loan to finance its purchase of VW shares. The money will go to pay for outstanding Volkswagen shares, since VW shareholders only offered up ...

Forbes automotive columnist Jerry Flint provides a history lesson of various automotive couplings and even triads to illustrate that while a few have been beneficial to one or (rarely) all parties, most fall flat on their faces. None, however, are easy for any of the parties, successful or ...

The Big One -- that's an interesting thought. The Wall Street Journal has subscribed to the idea that two wrongs make a right, urging General Motors and Ford Motor Company to go in on it together to hopefully come out stronger in the end. The two would enjoy a 40 percent market share in North ...