I’m running out of gratuitous tie-up pictures, so let’s celebrate the good news with a video: The Nikkei [sub] sends us the news that Nissan and Daimler “are in the final stages of negotiations to obtain stakes of less than 5 percent in each other.” This comes on the heels of yesterday’s news that Daimler and Renault will exchange shares. With Nissan joining the couple, the tripartite axis will be perfect. No Italians this time.
The Nikkei found out that Renault Chairman Carlos Ghosn, who doubles as the president of Nissan, had a meeting with senior executives at Nissan’s headquarters in Yokohama yesterday, to brief them on the shibari talks with Daimler. The Nipponese Nissan-san immediately wanted to be tied-in also.
“Various options are being discussed,” said a senior Nissan official to the Nikkei last night. Seeking independent confirmation, the Nikkei found another loose-lipped Nissan exec who said that “cross-held stakes of around 1-2 percent were being considered.”
A final agreement about the ménage à trois is expected by early April.
PS: Just in case you wanted to know, the guy in the video says: “I made the decision to get married to you.” Cosplay makes you say these things.
I find that video deeply disturbing.
If any bloke tried that with me, I’d panel them!
Ah a deep cultural divide — I could hook you up with some people in London where you could learn the ropes, so to speak
Wow if you two weren’t so far apart geographically and time zone wise, I’d suggest you do a regular “point counter point” podcast together on this site. I wager you two debating would get more hits than anything else on this site.
And probably the Frenchies won’t allow the Germans to walk all over them like Chrysler did. Could something good come of this? Doubt it though. Too many cultural divides. Asking French and germans to work together is much harder than having Japs in the fray…Just saying.
Old cliches die hard. The French and the Germans have been buddy-buddies since Adenauer and de Gaulle. Cornerstones of the EU. Daimler has long experience working successfully with French companies under the French government umbrella. Remember Airbus and EADS?
Yeah, you’re right. I expressed myself badly. Your examples are proof positive that your right and that I was indeeed streriotyping. My bad. Let me try to clear up what I’m trying to say.
What I really meant was that :
1 – As that I’m favorable to choice and variation in cars, I think this kind of alliance (though economically sound) leads to the further homogeinization of cars. Not good in my book.
2 – I think both the French and Germans are good to work with, thugh they have a strong tendency to become hard-headed or near-sighted when they deem it necessary. In other words, they play ball when they want, but will do what they think is necessary if a question of “national” interest comes up.
Hope that what I’m saying above is clearer, more thoughtful and less streriotypical. Again sorry for that and thanks for calling me out on it.