Mazda stands to increase in quality since many parts are supplied by Denso, and Ford could close some parts making facilities, since Fords biggest connection to Mazda is the parts that it builds, which Denso could start making. Maybe Ford is hoping to sell some of its manufacturing facilities to Denso to make some much needed cash. Whoever said that Ford was aiding Mazda by increasing it’s quality…you are so far off!

Still, this would be absolutely stupid on Ford’s part. They’d get maybe a month’s (or so) operating cash out of the deal, and in the process lose the only division that both breathes automotive life into their car product line and knows how to profitably build small cars.

Ford would be better off eliminating all Ford car offerings (except the ‘Stang), converting their factories to Mazda-derived products, and opening their entire dealer network to selling Mazdas.

As for the last remaining foreign name plate under Ford, either fix Volvo’s power train issues (under performing and inefficient… come one Volvo, the T6 gets 15/22 and your 3.2 get 16/24?) or give them up to some one who can fix them.

Ford sells Mazda
Mazda outsells Ford
GM buys Chrysler
Regains world #1 for a few weeks
We buy GM/Ford cars/stock
Resell at a loss
Japanese watch Keystone cops
Japanese laugh and inherit US market
Japan buys GM
Sells it to Dubai at big profit
DrFill
Guess that puts the kibosh on the Focus ever becoming any good, as a Mazda3 knock-off
F-150 falls
Camaro kills ‘Stang
Ford kills Focus, Ranger and Taurus thru mismanagement
I know 2nd graders who use their allowance to become major shareowners
Can we start the Deathclock please?
DrFill
dash
Who said anything about ‘Yota
Subaru would buy 20% of Ford if they didn’t need to pay the plant janitor a X-Mas bonus!
DrFill

Pretty smug to me. brilliant sicko

You bring up Toyota and VW. Is this article about them? Who cares what they’re doing? You are the one with an agenda. Toyota and VW are making money, and at least have a plan. VW isn’t even doing well in the US and are still rolling in dough. Why can’t Ford diversify and leverage itself like that? If you want to defend poor management, that says a lot about you.

And don’t bring up recalls. Detroit invented, refedined, and perfected the art of the recall, so don’t make a fool of yourself and go down that road. Detroit knows recalls, and everyone else learns from them.

You still haven’t given all of us dopes a solution! Oh, great one, what’s is Ford’s solution! You know so much, but you are just like Detroit. All hype, no plan.

GM is actually making cars worth buying. 25 years too late, but at least they’re trying.

Chrysler and Ford are done. The Verve/Fiesta taking 3 years to reach America is a joke. A good company wouldn’t waste that much time. That’s the best idea Ford has had in 2 decades and they can’t sell it for 3 years. Pathetic!

Why don’t you go get some credibility. You have no ideas. You have no plan. And you want me to pat Detroit on the back, and say don’t worry? For what? Why should they get a pass? They are no different than the Wall Street companies and CEOs wrecking our economy from their side.

This is not about anybody else but the Weak 3. You can try to demonize everyone. If Ford and Chrysler fall, it is their fault alone. Not mine. Not consumers, Not Toyota’s.

You can’t handle the truth. You powder their bottom. Not my job anymore

DrFill

How much should we hand Ford to stay alive, and build mediocre cars in a global automotive renaissance?

Henry Ford is turning over in his grave. And if he were alive, he’d fire every Ford exec, and shutter the place himself, because the company is probably too far gone to fix.

If we are dumb, and you are so f’n smart, tell us who is at fault for Ford, and what to do, except let them die.

Oh, I get your point. Let’s have the government run the company, like they’ll run the banks.

Who needs capitalism, right?

The government is so well-run, and is really helping America.

Being an American business, and a capitalist system, means you run your business well, which means save money and invbest in the future when times are good, so you can operate when times are bad.

NO U.S. AUTOMAKER DID THAT! Guess who was doing that?

Blame the foreign automaker. Blame the U.S. consumer all you want. WE know who is screwing up

Do you have a solution? IF they are a charity case, say so.

Otherwise don’t wise off to me, if you don’t know what’s been going on for the last 30 years. I worked for Ford for 3 years, before I sobered up!

This has been a long time comin

DrFill

and ford dies.

My sources claimed that this was on the table at least 9 months ago as Mazda insiders insisted that Ford is actually acting against Mazda’s interests and Mazda was looking how to redeem itself from Ford. Mind, Mazda is not owned by Ford, unlke Volvo Cars (100% Ford owned) so with enought willing investors and Ford’s troubles it wouldn’t be impossible scenario – Ford would loose the controlling stake, that’s all that’s needed.

Still, even after the split, Ford will probably continue to get i4 engines (all post 2002 Duratecs i4s are rebadged Mazda MZRs, althoug some cars may use older Ford developed i4s) from Mazda as it does today, together with platforms for the EU market. Ford did it before it took over 33.9% at Mazda. Remember how they screwed up MX-6 when they turned it into the last gen. Probe?

Lariat Luxury Locomotive Liner No.3
Exactly, many people in the US see Mazda’s as just rebadged Fords and it hurts Mazda’s sales.

Selling its shares in Mazda would be a huge mistake for Ford, and shows how shortsighted the upper management really is.

We’re facing a down turn in the economic cycle, we had it good in the 90’s, that changed with the 2000’s but, like the market always does it’ll turn around, and in a few years the big three (if Chrysler is still around) will be healthy again, they just won’t be as big as they used to be.

But news of Ford getting rid of Mazda is a little disturbing… Supposedly they were supposed to be in the best shape, cash wise compared to GM and Chrysler this year, but looks like they are trying to free up some more cash it looks like.

Oh well Mazda will live on…

The only thing good about them is their history, and with very few exceptions, time has proven over and over again that they only insult potential customers with their absolutely mediocre products instead of building cars that were conceived by engineers and designers rather than bean-counters and dealers.

Since there’s really no reason to believe that they will produce anything worth buying outside the niche (Corvette, Camaro,Mustang) and trucks, it really would not be a loss at all.

The only thing that would die with the sick Three is the hope that they would return to glory, but that clearly isn’t happening.