bzcat Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 The companies signed a "long term partnership" agreement today. No exchange of equity but it's only a matter of time before Mazda is tightly bound to the Toyota death star. http://www.autonews.com/article/20150513/OEM01/150519954/toyota-mazda-form-partnership-to-share-technologies-confront-cost My take: 1. Really bad news for Suzuki in its battle with Toyota. Mazda will almost certainly switch from Suzuki to Toyota to supply its kei cars for Japanese markets, which means Suzuki will lose a lot of volumes and plant utilization in its Japanese factory is going to take a death spiral. 2. Mazda says the company will stay independent but with the company short on cash, the temptation to choose short term expediency over long term independence will test management. I guess we will see whether this pledge to stay independent is just lip service when the new CX-9 SUV comes out next year... my guess is it will have the same drivetrain choices as Toyota Highlander - Toyota's 3.5 V6 and Toyota's hybrid system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Meanwhile in Italy...Sergio Marchionne is developing a taste for sushi... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Sergio is on a time limit so he is not dealing from a position of strength, maybe when he becomes a little more desperate a partner will be found... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Sergio is on a time limit so he is not dealing from a position of strength, maybe when he becomes a little more desperate a partner will be found kidnapped, drugged and sung to by an Italian tenor ... Fixed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Mazda needs Toyota more than Toyota needs Mazda...... maybe eventually Toyota's Mercury? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullynd Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Mazda needs Toyota more than Toyota needs Mazda...... maybe eventually Toyota's Mercury? Isn't that Subaru? Or is that Toyotas Volvo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Mazda needs Toyota more than Toyota needs Mazda...... maybe eventually Toyota's Mercury? Isn't that Subaru? Or is that Toyotas Volvo? In 5-7 years, when Toyota starts shuttering Subaru and Mazda and coming up with a "One Toyota" strategy to save the brand, they will be hailed for their innovative genius and marketing savvy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzcat Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Isn't that Subaru? Or is that Toyotas Volvo? I guess Subaru would be Toyota's Volvo and Scion would be Toyota's Mercury. Mazda is Toyota's... well... Mazda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 It would be something else if Toyota finally replaced the wheezy old Camry platform with one derived from the Mazda6, given the origins of CD3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevensecondsuv Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) It would be something else if Toyota finally replaced the wheezy old Camry platform with one derived from the Mazda6, given the origins of CD3. Isn't that just what Sergio wanted? probably not though since it doesn't involve a cash pile for Fiat... Edited May 15, 2015 by Sevensecondsuv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Yeah, Sergio wants cash because of course the best engineers and designers are in Italy and working for Fiat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 It's like a running gag bankrolled by the former Chrysler group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Scion is Toyota's Edsel. Mazda will end up badge jobs of Camrys and Highlanders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) Scion is Toyota's Edsel. Mazda will end up badge jobs of Camrys and Highlanders. With the praise coming from Toyota, it sounds like Camry and Highlander will end up badge jobs of Mazda 6 and CX-9. Maybe the deal will go further with a Hilux-Tacoma-BT-50 JV for next product cycle.... Edited May 19, 2015 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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