RickCoMatic
6/28/2008 11:17:33 PM
"According to BusinessWeek, a senior General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) recently tossed an idea to the troubled automaker: Consider a merger with rival Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).
The idea, which the magazine says was shot down at a GM meeting, underscores the problems facing the two American auto icons as consumers pinched by high gas prices dump their SUVs and pick-up trucks in favor of smaller cars. The swiftness of that transition caught just about every auto manufacturer off guard, although Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) was better prepared with its lineup of smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
A possible deal would be a large distraction into both companies while doubling the amount of problems a combined auto colossus would face. A long-term combination may have indeed proved quite fruitful, but are both companies seriously ready to have their empires combined? Maybe in 2013, okay?
Financially, if the deal makes sense for the long term, look for this rumor to surface again in the near future. Combining the incredibly high overhead and capability to weather fickle customer preferences in vehicles would never be a bad thing. right now, the timing is bad but it could be better in reach of five years. Is the U.S. ready for a single, publicly-held American auto manufacturer? I''m not sure, and there would be mountains of convincing to do if a merger ever comes up again. My bet is it will." ***
*** Full Story Quoted from AOL News
scc24540
6/29/2008 7:00:03 AM
i read about this on motortopia. god i hope this doesnt really happen
Cowboy6622
6/29/2008 10:13:58 AM
that''ll be the day.... lol
competitors become friends....
scc24540
6/29/2008 10:44:25 AM
with the falling sales, and the failure of so much in both companies it seems inevetable
Geez I hope not.
They need to fix their own problems.
Combining a sinking ship with another ship that''s taking on water just creates one boat that sinks even faster.
Cowboy6622
6/29/2008 6:33:43 PM
lol.... taz, that reminds me of the old saying "2 wrongs dont'' make a right"
never underestimate the power of idiots in large groups..
scc24540
6/29/2008 7:03:12 PM
but the bottom line is $ screw every single one of us as long as they make the almighty dollar
RickCoMatic
6/29/2008 9:23:09 PM
I don''t know if I''ll order the Cobra Camaro or the Mustang SS!
That''s another issue I thought of too.
Obviously, some models would have to disappear.
The Mustang being Ford''s only regular production true muscle car, it would obviously remain in the line-up. But which GM muscle car would be cut in favor of the ''stang?
Would they drop the Camaro yet again? Or keep the better selling Camaro, and drop the Corvette?
What about Cadillac and Lincoln? Which one stays, and which one goes?
What of other models? It would certainly end all hopes of a potential return of the Monte Carlo.
Ford simply doesn''t have as many models as GM. So there would be a push to keep as many Ford models as possible. This would mean the end of many GM models.
Or would they operate similar to what Chrysler did a few years ago? Passenger cars go under the "Chrysler" name, trucks under the "Dodge" name, luxury cars were left to Mercedes, etc...
Would a combined GM and Ford operate the same way? Trucks under the "Ford" name, cars under the "Chevy" name?
Now there''s rumors in the news of Chrysler being close to bankruptcy again. The report I saw, showed that Jeep was the only division to make money. All other Chrysler divisions lost money.
So...... what now?
quote:
ORIGINAL: RickCoMatic
I don''''t know if I''''ll order the Cobra Camaro
Kinda reminds me of the song, "Copa Cabana" by what ever his name is.
(singing to the tune of "Copa Cabana") "I''d buy the Cobra.......Cobra Camaro. The other choice was a ''stang.......It''s a lot more hype than bang. This song is stuck in your head. You''ll hear it while you''re in your bed. And it''s all my fault. Buy the Cobra.........Cobra Camaro."
Get that song out of your head! You have the Copa Cabana song stuck in your head now. Admit it!
RickCoMatic
7/4/2008 8:22:33 PM
Barry Manalow?
Is that the guy you stole the song from.
Copyright your lyrics in case FoGMrd comes calling!
Thanks Rick. I couldn''''t remember the guy''''s name.
I quickly mentioned this thread to someone at work last night, and told him about my altered lyrics. He told me as we all left work at the end of the shift, "Thanks a lot! Because of you, I had that (expletive) Copa Cabana song stuck in my head all shift long."
For those who don''t know the song I''m talking about, here''s a link to a 30 second clip of it. If the link doesn''t work, count yourself lucky.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=50:ab5txxqsldfe~T
"Buy the Cobra......Cobra Camaro!" LMAO
As for the name of the new merged company; I was thinking General Ford. Gives it sort of a tough, authoritative sound to the company. But "Fogmurd" sounds good too.
Silver Bullet
8/3/2008 12:48:20 PM
I doubt that this will ever happen ....