Ford has just announced the sale of part of its ownership interest in Mazda.

-dave

"The automaker will sell 20% of Mazda today, reducing its holdings to
about 13%. Mazda said that it will buy back up to a 6.9% stake for as
much as 17.9 billion yen ($186 million). Unidentified "strategic
business partners" will purchase the rest of the shares."

http://www.freep.com/article/20081119/BUSINESS01/811190372

Very good news. The top brass just does not get it. I work there, I have spoken with them face to face. They have 76 MPG "C" class cars (5 adult passenger) they sell at a profit to the rest of the world for the equivalent of $16K USD.  Because their spreadsheet says the R.O.I. for diesel this cheep engine is longer than their "EcoBoost", no American will buy a 76 mpg car. If that was true, rather than 70% of their SuperDuty trucks should all be gas rather than the diesel engines because the formula for an engine they buy from a US supplier is much, much more than the 1.4L DuraTorq they sell to Peugeot and use in their own C class.

More of an example, this week, the Bog 3 top brass all flew to D.C. from Detroit on separate private jets to ask for loans, no plans in pocket... I guess they never heard of "Jet-pools" let alone First Class.

Anonymous.


You are forgetting the NOX rules.

Paul Lamar

NOx is solved, Paul -- Tier 2 Bin 5, same as gas cars.  Or are you
suggesting that US automakers aren't as smart as the folks selling compliant
diesels in the US like Benz and VW?

The only thing that's going to get me out of my 11 year old 45mpg diesel
station wagon is either a higher MPG diesel or a full-electric.

Andy Hecke

NOX is not solved for cheap diesel cars.

Paul Lamar