Quote:
|
In fact, a person familiar with situation said Saturday that GM officials had approached Ford in recent weeks about joining forces, but Ford decided to remain independent.
|
This is suprising - FoMoCo is a much larger competitor and I can't imagine how this would have gone down. It would have been a huge mess.
However, it doesn't surprise me that it wasn't agreed upon. The Ford Family has proven in the past that they are not open to diulting their stake in Ford or giving up control. Unless they were guarenteed a significant stake in any new corporation, they wouldn't be open to it.
Plus, Mulally has illustrated his strong belief in being as "uncomplicated" as possible. He sold off Jag/Land Rover, is probably looking for someone to take on Volvo, sold off Aston Martin, and is now seeking someone to buy their stake in Mazda according to recent reports.
To say that Mulally's business plan is "less is more" would be an understatement. I'm sure he wouldn't seek or agree to any kind of pairings anytime soon.