Rumor Mill: A Ford-GM Merger Being Discussed?

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by Joe in T.O.

Ford is what gives domestics the bad name they have today. GM doesn't need an anchor to bring them down even further. GM is without a doubt the best domestic manufacturer out there.

What? Been to a Ford lot lately? Their entire lineup is competitive. If anyone is bringing down the image of the US industry it's Chrysler with it's Avengers and Sebrings and Avengers and other such atrocious crap.

[BrickTamland]

Originally Posted by Ming

But please no Mazda B-Series type rebadges.

I agree. I know the Quest and Villager is not a very good example, but they are just the shared vehicle Ford and Nissan had. They were rebadges, rather than the preferable platform sharing the Vibe and Matrix are.

[ByTheLake]

Originally Posted by Ming

"Detroit Motors" would be kind of cool...

Well, in this global market, I'm not sure that Detroit Motors would mean much to most car buyers.

[gardnet1]

You would excerbate the too many brands, too many dealership problems but you could save a ton on R&D.

Use F-150 platform with GM Engines. Sync and Onstar together. Cull through the engines and transmissions, keeping the best. Less suppliers to work with. Ford could help GM with initial quality and Lean Six Sigma integration. Ford has a great electronic power steering system and is real good on interiors. Couple Ford's hybrid system with GM's two mode system and Volt. Simple things that aren't seen by customer such as electronic modules and sensors and exhaust systems could be competitively sourced due to higher volume purchases.

Big drawback, both have excess capacity, too many brands, too many dealerships and not enough cash on hand. GM is also saddled by GMAC and Delphi bankrupcy.

A better option would be a wide ranging collaboration on systems and subsytems, such as their existing 6sp transmission venture.

[gardnet1]

I would call it "General Ford" and drop the motors portion. It sounds kind of commanding if you know what I mean.

[bballer113]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

No. Won't happen. Maybe a partnership, maybe sharing technology, maybe just becoming best buddies and work together to kill toyota, but they won't merge.

I can see them sharing platforms, technologies and trannies but thats about it. I think engines and sheet metal would be designed drastically differently. I think no drastic change in model line-up would have to change because the market is big enough to benifit off of both GM and Ford products.

[dederer]

There has to be synergy's for these companies to merge. It appears to me that their is to many similarities and not enough differences. The differences are the most important. The similarities are devastating to the deal. The make almost all the same cars requiring even more restructuring and of course a large amount of money and neither companies appear to have much of that stuff.

[jbernie]

I could see both working together on technology sharing, like GM did with DaimlerChrysler & BMW on the 2 mode hybrid tech. I am not seeing either party gaining anything from the merger and both generally losing everything.

Even if the partnership meant building shared platforms for cars & suvs like what was being proposed (just rumor?) with Dodge sheet metal on the GMT 900 platform. Shared platforms can work well in that you have potentially fewer plants building a higher number of vehicles.

Even if it is for the better, GM & Ford merging in full would be sort of like Apple & Microsoft merging. It isn't that you can't make it work, just it isn't something you make happen in reality.

[CaptainDan]

Originally Posted by Ming

Well I would be all for seeing Ford and GM share 100% of their engines and transmissions, keeping the best and most cost efficient of each. I think such a collaboration would ensure those jobs and engineering talent stays in Detroit instead of both companies going to Europe, Korea, China and Japan to bail them out, technology-wise. The USA needs as many engineers to stay here as possible. A "Detroit Motors" alliance could work.

But please no Mazda B-Series type rebadges.

Such a merger would ELIMINATE a lot of that engineering talent. If you merge two competing lines (in vehicles, powertrains, whatever) if the better prevails, then the lesser is disposed of. You're not adding talent, you're reducing redundant talent. A lot of that "engineering talent" that stayed in Detroit would be lined up at the unemployment office.

Corporate-wise it makes no sense to merge two companies in which the vast majority of their product lines overlaps. You would want to merge two companies which operate primarily in DIFFERENT sectors. The best GM/Ford could hope for, is some joint ventures, but they already DO that!

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by Spanky

Maybe someone inside GM knows how to run a football team. The Fords sure don't.

Detroit Lions=suck

So true...so true!

[Chaz_23]

Let's just merge all 3: GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Imagine the buying power this company would have! Hankook would stand to make trillions.
We put Nardelli as CEO, Wagoner as CFO, pretty-boy-Fields as PR boss and Carlos the Jackal Ghosn as GOD.

[wescoent]

Does this mean anything to anyone here?

[PRO_USA1776]

GM and Ford need to share each others tech. GM-Dual Mode, Ford - Hydraulic Launch Assist. One thing that I don't hear much about is Ford's Piquette Project. I am guessing it is similar to the Chevy Volt, although it hasn't been mentioned much in the press!

[mkaresh]

It makes no sense. But that hasn't prevented past mergers.

As for killing Toyota by working together...

[rumble bee]

Originally Posted by Joe in T.O.

Ford is what gives domestics the bad name they have today. GM doesn't need an anchor to bring them down even further. GM is without a doubt the best domestic manufacturer out there.

Just your opinion right?

Might I remind you that Dodge is no longer foreign owned thus making them domestic. Though sales are not up with compareable GM products, it is far from GM without a doubt being the best. Dodge basicly invented the minivan with the Caravan and is the only domestic to have any intension of keeping theirs going to battle the imports. The Dakota was the first small( not full size ) truck, as well as the first small truck to offer a V8. GM is just getting that too. The HEMI cranks out more horsepower in the Charger/300/Challenger then in the 5.3 powered Impala/Monte Carlo, and also in the Ram 1500( over the Silverado/Sierra 5.3 ) So, we need to examine all the facts before we make global statements like 'GM is without a doubt the best domestic manufacturer out there' that make it sound as though the others cannot compete when actually, some products are indeed inferior to the competition.

As for GM merging with Ford, Never happen. GM and Ford are best as competitors pushing each other to greatness. If they were to merge, you would be down to only two competitors in America verses all of the imports. The more the better