Despite public squabbles, VW says it plans to keep Suzuki stake

Last month on The Young and the Restless Volkswagen-Suzuki Partnership, Osamu Suzuki was publicly declaring his angst with the "ball-and-chain" union, proclaiming it needed to end and serving legal papers. Volkswagen, meanwhile, was saying little other than that it wanted to speak to its partner privately and was not ready for a divorce, in spite of previously serving its own legal papers.

It seems the word games have gotten a tad hotter. Volkswagen's mantra remains that it won't deal with the matter in public but that it has no intention of leaving. Suzuki, on the other hand, has said that since its primary purpose for the partnership – access to VW's "core technologies" – hasn't happened, it will eventually demand the return of its shares if nothing changes. And it "may have to consider further action" if VW doesn't turn a kind ear. We have a feeling this show, and its public drama, won't be canceled anytime soon.