![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
"DANCING IN THE TITANIC" ?? * USA
DaimlerChrysler shares surge on report of GM talks
San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Gabriel Madway -Feb 16, 2007: -- DaimlerChrysler Ag shares surged more than 5% to $73.85, while shares of General Motors Corp. slipped around 1% to $36.12 after a news report surfaced that GM is in talks to buy Chrysler Group... According to a report in the industry trade publication Automotive News, which cited unnamed sources in Germany and the U.S., high-level talks are taking place between GM and DaimlerChrysler executives. DaimlerChrysler said Wednesday that all options are on the table as it restructures its U.S. unit...
* COMMENT: 1- An Independent Chrysler? No, But A Smaller One
New York,NY,USA -Forbes, by Jerry Flint -6 Feb 2007: -- Despite denials from headquarters in Germany, rumors keep popping up in Europe that DaimlerChrysler is about to sell or spin off its American Chrysler operations. This talk helped move its DCX stock past $63 recently... What is going on? Well, American Chrysler is losing money--$1.5 billion in the third quarter--and it is clear that some Germans, maybe even some on the key management and supervisory boards, would like to dump Chrysler. They consider the American cars lowbrow money losers compared with their ritzy Mercedes models wearing the three-pointed star... Of course, there are precedents for such a move. Daimler had control of Japanese Mitsubishi and gave it up. The Germans had a chunk of Korean Hyundai, too, and gave that up. BMW dumped Rover, and General Motors unloaded its pieces of Fiat, Suzuki, Subaru and Isuzu. Ford seems poised to sell Aston Martin. And for those of you with long memories, in 1964 Volkswagen bought a majority stake in Audi from Mercedes... History aside, I do not think that Mercedes will get rid of Chrysler anytime soon. The main reason is that the boss does not want to sell. Dieter Zetsche, chief executive of DaimlerChrysler, has said to more than one person that “Chrysler is not for sale.” I doubt there could be any breakup as long as he runs the parent company... There is history here too. Zetsche personally took over American Chrysler in 2000 and led a turnaround at the America company. His heroic performance here helped him win the top post at the parent firm... Still, you have to ask, could Chrysler and Daimler separate? The American company is using Mercedes technology in a number of models, even a diesel engine in its Jeep Grand Cherokee. I do not see this as a deal-breaker... An independent Chrysler, particularly if privately held, probably would be fast and aggressive with new models and global ambition. At least for now, Chrysler is likely to stay part of Mercedes, but it is interesting to speculate about the future...
* COMMENT: 2 - Will GM really buy Chrysler ?
Detroit,Mich,USA - The Detroit News, by Josee Valcourt & Sharon Terlep -17 Feb 2007: -- ... The question is whether GM has the appetite for a wholesale acquisition of Chrysler, which has an estimated $18 billion in health care liabilities and won't be profitable until 2008 at the earliest... One key labor leader at GM's Adam Opel AG subsidiary in Germany said a Chrysler acquisition is the last thing GM needs... "These are rumors and I hope, by God, GM wouldn't do anything like this," said Klaus Franz, who serves as deputy chairman of Opel's supervisory board. "We are on the right way to come back on track with the right products."...
* COMMENTS : 3- DaimlerChrysler shares rally on reports of GM talks
San Francisco,CAL,USA -MarketWatch, by Shawn Langlois -Feb 16, 2007: -- The speculation follows a busy day at the rumor mill Wednesday after DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche said "all options are on the table."... "Nothing's changed," said GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson. "It's just speculation and we're not going to comment." Chrysler didn't immediately return calls... To Austin Ligon, former president and CEO of used-car seller CarMax, Inc., the whole idea makes no sense... "One always hesitates to underestimate GM's ability to shoot itself in the foot, but it seems inconceivable to me," he said. "What they need is fewer dealers, fewer models, and more sales per model and per dealer, and this does nothing to help that."... Wall Street Strategies analyst David Silver, who pointed to GM as a potential suitor a day earlier, said he'd be surprised if it happened this fast. "I thought this would wait at least until after the UAW talks," he said. "[GM CEO] Rick Wagoner worked too hard to free the company from debt and to bring back profitability, it just doesn't make sense to take on Chrysler right now."... Chrysler and GM have been mulling a possible alliance relating to large SUVs for six months, a discussion that probably evolved into something much more, according to Silver. "They were probably talking about an SUV deal and then figured 'let's just go all the way,'" he said. "DaimlerChrysler will get rid of Chrysler, I'm just not sure GM will be the buyer."... Burnham Securities analyst David Healy said that it makes more sense for the two rivals to work together on a single product than it does for them to combine... "I think that GM has a very full plate at the moment, and it's unlikely they'll even want to take on Chrysler," he said...
Labels: autos' news
posted by Unknown @ 12:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home