Is Mazda severing ties with Ford??

[tidus1203]

TOKYO (TheStreet) -- Japanese automaker Mazda reportedly plans to end its joint venture with Ford(F) and stop making cars in the U.S. Mazda and Ford operate the AutoAlliance International plant in Flat Rock, Mich. as an equal partnership. Mazda is considering selling its stake to Ford and switching production of cars it makes in the U.S. to Japan starting in 2013, according to Nikkei, a Japanese financial daily. Mazda said it wouldn't comment on speculation. "Mazda and Ford are jointly studying various possibilities for AAI, and we have nothing to announce at this time," Mazda said. -- Written by Joseph Woelfel

Mazda to Stop Making Cars in U.S.: Report - TheStreet

[Ry_Tower]

Di ba Ford and madami nang na-divest na car brands, baka gusto na rin nila makipag-divorce sa Mazda.

Mutual ika nga.

[SiRbossR]

Di ba Ford and madami nang na-divest na car brands, baka gusto na rin nila makipag-divorce sa Mazda.

Mutual ika nga.

Most probably. kase binitawan na ng Ford yung iba nilang stocks sa ibang car brands diba?

[tidus1203]

The question here is really more of their technical relationship rather than financial. Financially severed na talaga sila, almost... Pero they say before that even if Ford only holds less than 3% of Mazda, their technical partnership will continue. But with this news would the technical cooperation also cease?

[scharnhorst]

finally magiging independent na ulit ang mazda... hehe.

btw, eto nice read:

CX-7 shows Mazda is ready to go it alone - All Will Drive | TopGear.com.ph

[myk384]

Kaya pala yung 2012 Ford Focus ay hindi mechanically related sa Mazda 3 (Paging Mazda Philippines), at pinatay nalang ng Mazda ang Tribute. So there is something behind this.

[scharnhorst]

*myk384: the super-smiley mazda3 still uses the ford C1 platform...

and the tribute is being phased out since it occupies the same niche as the much more modern CX-7

[tidus1203]

Yeah the Tribute has been killed because the CX-7 is the replacement... The Ford Escape which is similar to the Tribute would also be killed soon with the new Ford Vertrek replacing it...

Another interesting question, in the global scale since Mazda is separating from Ford ano na kaya mangyayari sa local Mazda which is still operated by Ford... Pansin ko lang locally may kanya kanya na silang marketing people unlike dati iisa lang pero FGP still owns Mazda PH...

[scharnhorst]

Yeah the Tribute has been killed because the CX-7 is the replacement... The Ford Escape which is similar to the Tribute would also be killed soon with the new Ford Vertrek replacing it...

Another interesting question, in the global scale since Mazda is separating from Ford ano na kaya mangyayari sa local Mazda which is still operated by Ford... Pansin ko lang locally may kanya kanya na silang marketing people unlike dati iisa lang pero FGP still owns Mazda PH...

yeah... not sure what's going to happen in the ASEAN market, since they have factories that they still share here.

AFAIK, once the next gen focus and mazda3 goes on sale here, local production stops. pero wag naman sana.

[niky]

Iba yung marketing people, but they're all still in the same boat.

Mazda locally wanted its own marketing people para di sila nasasapawan sa Ford in terms of marketing exposure. But locally, Mazda is still tied to Ford Group Philippines in terms of technical support.

Mazda has never been more than a small player in the US. I wonder though, why they would give up the capacity, since selling cars at import prices would probably further erode their market share there...

[tidus1203]

yeah... not sure what's going to happen in the ASEAN market, since they have factories that they still share here.

AFAIK, once the next gen focus and mazda3 goes on sale here, local production stops. pero wag naman sana.

Baka pwede na lang nilang gawing parts maker yung local plant if they stop producing CBU...

[scharnhorst]

*niky: Agree, it's a strange move if Mazda begins to rely on CBUs from Japan to fulfill their market needs in the US.

*tidus1203: kung wala na rin yung escape and tribute... wala na ata talagang matitira sa sta. rosa... yung ranger galing na rin ata sa thailand

[tidus1203]

*niky: Agree, it's a strange move if Mazda begins to rely on CBUs from Japan to fulfill their market needs in the US.

*tidus1203: kung wala na rin yung escape and tribute... wala na ata talagang matitira sa sta. rosa... yung ranger galing na rin ata sa thailand

Well its probably a sign that Mazda has given up on the US market, so they will just import from Japan to save on costs. Anyway, while its more expensive to sell CBU Japan than US transplants, the tax code in the US is not as bad as it is here so di naman gano tataas ang price...

Pero Ford plans to introduce FIVE new ONE FORD cars in the coming years I hope one of those new cars will be made here. Kung hindi wala na talaga ang Sta Rosa plant, probably good for parts making na lang which is lower value... Mazda would probably be out of the Philippines once the walang kamatayang 1st gen Mazda 3 is axed in favor of the smiley Mazda 3...

[scharnhorst]

Well its probably a sign that Mazda has given up on the US market, so they will just import from Japan to save on costs. Anyway, while its more expensive to sell CBU Japan than US transplants, the tax code in the US is not as bad as it is here so di naman gano tataas ang price...

Pero Ford plans to introduce FIVE new ONE FORD cars in the coming years I hope one of those new cars will be made here. Kung hindi wala na talaga ang Sta Rosa plant, probably good for parts making na lang which is lower value... Mazda would probably be out of the Philippines once the walang kamatayang 1st gen Mazda 3 is axed in favor of the smiley Mazda 3...

probably back to Thailand... nako. by that time sana ayos na ang workmanship sa bagong planta nila doon.

although weird kasi matagal na yung nasa Rayong (the one that produces the ranger and everest) - wala namang problems yung mga auto na yon.

[tidus1203]

Daming planta ang Ford sa Thailand. Iba yung planta para sa Ranger (which will also produce the One Ford Ranger) and Everest. Iba rin yung Auto Alliance plant which is the one making the Mazda 2 and the Fiesta. Iba pa yung sa One Ford Focus which is in the construction phase pa which would also likely create the smiley Mazda 3.

The Philippines really sucks as a place to do business!

[scharnhorst]

Daming planta ang Ford sa Thailand. Iba yung planta para sa Ranger (which will also produce the One Ford Ranger) and Everest. Iba rin yung Auto Alliance plant which is the one making the Mazda 2 and the Fiesta. Iba pa yung sa One Ford Focus which is in the construction phase pa which would also likely create the smiley Mazda 3.

The Philippines really sucks as a place to do business!

yeah. kurakot na gov't officials, relatively high wage costs, very high overhead costs, a ridiculous number of holidays...

kahit sa PEZA zone mataas pa rin talaga operating costs. tsk.

ang tanong nalang is may technology-sharing pa rin kaya ang mazda and ford? hehe.

medyo nagdeviate na nga sila in terms of engines... mazda is going for sky-activ (start-stop tech), while ford is eco-boosting. (GDI + turbocharging)

[SiRbossR]

Kaya pala yung 2012 Ford Focus ay hindi mechanically related sa Mazda 3 (Paging Mazda Philippines), at pinatay nalang ng Mazda ang Tribute. So there is something behind this.

AFAIK, i think in other countries there is still a Mazda Tribute which is based on the USDM Escape.

[Monseratto]

Yung Michigan plant is under utilized and only manufactures one Mazda model.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/...us-tie-reports

TOKYO - Japan's Mazda Motor is in talks with US giant Ford to pull out of their money-losing 50-50 joint venture for car production in the United States in 2013, reports said Friday.

Mazda, ranked fifth among Japanese carmakers in terms of volume, plans to cover its sales in the US market after 2013 with imports from Japan and shipments from a new plant to be built in Mexico, the Nikkei said.

The Mazda-Ford joint venture has continued losing money, with its capacity utilisation rate sagging since the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers at the beginning of the global economic downturn, Kyodo said.

While the annual production capacity of the joint venture plant is 240,000 units, Mazda, whose capacity share stands at 120,000, produced only 45,000 units in the year to March 2011, Kyodo said.

Mazda, which makes only the Atenza sedan, known as the Mazda 6 in the United States, at the Michigan joint venture, plans to shift Atenza production to its Hofu plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kyodo added.

[tidus1203]

A very old article but nevertheless more people think that the local Ford plant will be a goner...

BANGKOK, Thailand — Production of the Ford Focus and Mazda 3 in the ASEAN region may shift from the Philippines to Thailand following a $500 million factory expansion by Auto Alliance Thailand, according to well-placed sources.The two compact cars would become the third pair of Ford/Mazda-related products to be made at the Thai plant. The other models made are the Ranger/BT-50 light trucks and the pending Fiesta/2 subcompacts, whose assembly start at the end of this year.
AAT, a 50/50 joint venture between Ford and Mazda, has more advanced facilities than the factory in the Philippines; one source said that it is only logical to move production of the cars to Thailand now that there is more assembly space.
Although the current 3 has already expired in most world markets and has been replaced with a second-generation model, sales of it here are likely to continue for another year.
As soon as Mazda ASEAN is ready to sell the new 3, its assembly could take place in Thailand, according to the source. A year later, in 2011, Ford would be gearing up to launch the third-generation Focus which, like the 3, will be sold in both sedan and hatchback forms.
In the past two years, passenger cars have suffered a smaller slump in sales than pickup trucks in Thailand, mainly because smaller vehicles have better fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, the country is experiencing a shift in motorization, in which many people are turning to cars instead of pickups or motorcycles.
The AAT factory's production capacity will increase to 275,000 units per year from 175,000, primarily serving export markets. The total investment of AAT is now worth $1.5 billion.

Thailand: Ford Focus and Mazda 3 Production May Move Here From Philippines

[loverlionus]

Hi, mukhang ang pinag uusapan sa unang article ay yung US production lang ni Mazda. Alam ko before controlling shares si Ford kay Mazda, ano na %age ngayon? Kasi kung maghihiwalay sila, kasama sa topic sigurado yung ownership ng shares...