Puppy Love?: Toyota and Ford Talk a Bit More

Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are sending more signals that they may want to establish deeper ties.

But the cautious courtship between the two auto giants suggests a more modest, and less painful, approach than the megamergers of the late 1990s or the three-way alliance proposed last year among General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA.

Speculation that Toyota and Ford might be edging toward some form of alliance has heated up since a meeting in mid-December between Ford Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally and Toyota Chairman Fujio Cho. Both companies scrambled to play down the significance of that encounter, describing the meeting as a mere "courtesy." They stressed the talks produced no specific deals.


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EL34i - 1/24/2007 1:55:40 PM

+2 Boost

I think Toyota should acquire whats left of the Premier Auto Group and add Lexus as its crown jewel.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/24/2007 8:17:45 PM

+1 Boost

Although it would be an interesting concept, wouldn't Aston Martin be the top of the five brands?

Toyota would grow hugely. It would then comprise of: Toyota, Scion, Lexus, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin. The problem: Jaguar, Volvo and Lexus compete with each other, and Volvo, Land Rover and Lexus compete with each other.

jon21 - 1/24/2007 2:39:42 PM

+1 Boost

Toyota should be bidding on the Proton group in Malaysia. We need another sport car in the Toyota camp. The new Supra cannot come soon enough. I don't really see anything that ford can offer on the table? Maybe the ford plants with land for dirt-cheap?

Duffman - 1/24/2007 4:27:53 PM

+1 Boost

I really doubt Toyota and Ford would have any kind of merger; Toyota also has no reason to work with Ford on any major projects.

I do agree, however, that Toyota needs to start listening to the reviews and the customer base a bit more when it comes to performance. Hell, would it be that difficult to offer a six-speed manual on the V6 Camry or Solara? Nissan and Honda offer them on their analogs, the Altima/Maxima and the Accord. Toyota may make some of the most reliable cars on the planet, but if they'd pick up an issue of Car and Driver, they'd see that the "performance enthusiast" customer base is disinterested. Give the customer an optional manual tranny here and there - they're cheaper and take less work to put together, and they're more reliable.

louisvuittondon - 1/26/2007 3:47:55 AM

+1 Boost

What you said..Where can I send a subscription to car and driver and etc. to them?

S4cabriofoxone - 1/24/2007 8:19:02 PM

+1 Boost

American growth, maybe? Because a merger with Ford would make Toyota look better- it would make the brand look like they're for the American cause, helping our most troubled brand, Ford.

underthegravity - 1/25/2007 10:48:10 AM

+1 Boost

That makes sense!

lexusis350 - 1/25/2007 12:30:00 AM

0 Boost

Toyota, just let Ford disappear. Don't try to save them. If a car company can't make ends meet, they've obviously have dug themselves too deep in a hole and have a lot of nerve turning to others to help them succeed.

SteveL - 1/25/2007 12:46:27 PM

0 Boost

Ford would bring down Toyota. Toyata is not even an American company and it still knows more about what Americans want and need than Ford. Ford does not care what he people want. Ford keeps trying to sell crap to us that they think we need.

no1listensanyway - 1/25/2007 5:49:09 PM

+1 Boost

Ford needs their own Ghosn.

louisvuittondon - 1/26/2007 3:49:41 AM

+1 Boost

Ford needs Jesus at this point.....

M53R - 1/26/2007 7:45:15 AM

+1 Boost

Now toyota will fall with ford, that would be exciting :D *grins*