Nissan/Renault and GM merger?

[asawadude]

Kirk Kerkorian picks Ghosn to reengineer GM - a Nissan/Renault and GM merger to follow? This might be one miracle that Ghosn might not be able to pull off.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/pro...705&ID=5842408

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/pro...705&ID=5842722

Edit: I see JCL mentioned this in another thread. It's still worth a read. There's a whole lot to this story - how it plays out will have a huge impact on many fronts.

[Thunder22]

I just don't see this happening. Why would Nissan and Renault want any part of GM's debt?

[vinuneuro]

Very interesting. It doesn't really sound like a merger, as much as potential joint ventures in certain areas. Nonetheless, it could very well be a much needed spark to get things going for GM. A merger/strong aliance between Opel and Renault seems quite promising and realistic.

On a side note, I state/maintain that any automaker that is unionized will simply not be competitive from an operational standpoint. The costs are simply too high, whether it be clear costs, ie. wages, benefits, etc or producitivty costs. I have first-hand experience with this, and it's very current and real for me. To give you an idea, we have two plants making the same engine and one making an additional one as well. One unionize, one not. If they both produced the same volume, the non-unionized plant would operate $45million+ more efficiently. Getting anything done with a union, whether from a maintenance or production standpoint is an absolute nightmare, and that will be my heaviest understatement of the quarter. For these reasons, American companies' solution has been heavy automation, as it's the only real way to be less dependent on the UA-f*cking useless-W.

btw, the UAW has been recently, more aggresively trying to unionize certain Nissan and Hyundai plants in. They're bastards and kill companies.

[Wagner]

Renaults stock went down on word of this possible merger, where as GM's is heading up and GM's stock was upgraded from SELL to NEUTRAL.

I would love to see what the E85 and alternative fuel plan would be since Renault and Nissan have little invested in this area, as opposed to GM.

[vinuneuro]

Originally Posted by WagnerX5

Renaults stock went down on word of this possible merger, where as GM's is heading up and GM's stock was upgraded from SELL to NEUTRAL.

I would love to see what the E85 and alternative fuel plan would be since Renault and Nissan have little invested in this area, as opposed to GM.

Nissan is well versed with E85. Their Titan truck comes with an optional flex-fuel version of the V8 to support it. They just don't see a market to offer it with the other vehicles.

[Wagner]

That's my point, two differents schools of thought on the future so 'venture' oppurtunity seems slim IMO, but of course I don't have a say in either company.

[vinuneuro]

I love how the big three keep getting pissy because Bush keeps cancelling the meeting at which these idiots will propose new taxes/tariffs/other trade regulations on the Japanese and/or ask for a huge subisdy like they did a decade or so ago, and then piss the money away. Big 3 , gov't subsidies .

[Wagner]

Big 3 became way to comfortable in the late 80s early 90s and they are paying the price now. Fords method of buying up markets early seems to have put them in a better position then Chrysler, excuse me, MBC and GM. I like how the car companies in the US are now trying to do all their 'retro' vehicles to compete with new cars, brining back names like 'HEMI'. Well, almost every car now a day utilizes a hemispherical head design....I don't see HEMI badges on the back of the Civic SI haha.

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by WagnerX5

Big 3 became way to comfortable in the late 80s early 90s and they are paying the price now. Fords method of buying up markets early seems to have put them in a better position then Chrysler, excuse me, MBC and GM. I like how the car companies in the US are now trying to do all their 'retro' vehicles to compete with new cars, brining back names like 'HEMI'. Well, almost every car now a day utilizes a hemispherical head design....I don't see HEMI badges on the back of the Civic SI haha.

[vinuneuro]

Did you know the new Civic Si posted slalom times faster than the Viper SRT10 and barely off the C6 Z06?