http://www.autoblog.com/2008/10/12/f...f-mazda-stake/

 

I'd advise against it.

 

me too

 

say it ain't so

 

i wouldn't cry over it...

 

Ford and Mazda go waaay back, so there is a sentimental attachment here. And I do hate to think of the ramifications such a move could potentially have for Mazda. All that aside, I think this could be a good move for Ford. In fact, I cannot think of a lot of negatives for Ford here.

 

noooooooooooo

 

I can.

 

IMO Mazda has a lot of potential, but as it is right now and likely appears to remain for the foreseeable future Mazda just isn't a major benefit to the Ford Corporate lineup. While Mazda turns a profit it has never been a very large one and the improvement in the same has never been commensurate with the effort devoted toward that end. To be fair to the little Japanese brand I'll lay a lot of the blame here at Ford's feet. Direction for Mazda still isn't as clear cut as it should be IMO and Ford has always wanted the brand to be a bigger volume player than the brand really lends itself to naturally.

I also don't think Mazda is the invaluable tech and engineering contributor many seem to believe. By and large engineering contributions Mazda makes to the 'empire', while valuable, are seldom jaw dropping or game changing and they are almost universally replaceable. For example, the existing lineup of MZR/Duratec fours aren't bad engines but I wouldn't exactly call them class leading designs, particularly not when you consider that these engines are from a company which prides itself on it's past four cylinder efforts. There are examples which make a lot of power, and some which are reasonably fuel efficient, but Ford is effectively rehashing the whole piece from the ground up as we speak because it isn't as competitive overall as it should be and, in Mazda guise, has been a bit disappointing to the company in GTDi trim.

In contrast the new Duratec V6 engine lineup might genuinely be the best V6 engine design on the face of the planet. This design performs fantastically in the most basic trim, is immensely promising in more advanced trim levels with VVT, DI, and/or GTDI added, and most importantly it came that way out of the box from Ford Dearborn. This hardly leads to the conclusion that Mazda engineers are incapable of good work, but it give us no reason to believe Ford is dependent upon them either. Ford may be troubled, but they still know how to get it done and they don't need Mazda to show them how. In fact, I would argue that they might be better off if they don't have Mazda to lean on for reasons which are obvious.

I like the Mazda brand, and think that Ford could do a lot with the little Japanese car maker. But at the moment I don't think Ford has any really good ideas for Mazda and I believe that Ford has placed Mazda into a position where they serve more to muddy the waters between the brands, and potentially severely hamstring the Ford brand itself, rather than serve as a distinctive offering for the consumer or a major benefit to the company as a while. That isn't Mazda's fault, but fault cannot be a determining factor in what is or isn't done with the brand.

 

i think they should keep mazda

 

Ford Asks Denso to Buy Part of Mazda Stake

http://www.cnbc.com/id/27208235/site/14081545

I personally like Mazda a lot...but I don't see anything wrong with parting ways. As long as it helps generate capital for Ford/Lincoln/Mercury than I'm all for it.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe fully that there are more Mazdas with Ford stuff in them than there are Fords with Mazda stuff in them. That being said, if Mazda is turning a profit for Ford, then perhaps the decision should be weighed very carefully. I'm not sure Mazda on its own at this point would be a viable company. Their volume is very low when compared to their competitors and I truly believe it never got off the ground the way Ford expected them to.

Mazda be it with Ford or away from them might be best suited to focus on high efficiency vehicles only. They aren't exactly known for having big gun performance vehicles in their stable and having SUVs etc in their portfolio at this point probably doesnt make much sense either.

I'm guessing that this is Mulally's way of further focusing on Ford proper. By getting rid of distractions like some of the PAG units that have been sold, they can focus on core business. I'm just not sure what if any savings can be had by unloading Mazda, and it may get rid of a profitable piece of business.

 

I would beg to differ, I own a Mazda Cx7. It is a fantastic mid size suv, looks awesome, handles great, has awesome power with the turbo 4 and does way better then rated fuel mileage.

And the Mazda CX9, that one was rated motor trend suv of the year last year i think. another superb job.

And then Mazdaspeed 3, a incredible big gun performance vehicle, and best in class at that.