Toyota buys GM's stake in Subaru

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Toyota Buys Stake in Fuji Heavy From GM
Wednesday October 5, 6:50 am ET
By Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
Toyota Buys Stake in Maker of Subaru, Fuji Heavy Industries, From General Motors
Source: www.marketwatch.com

TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota has agreed to buy an 8.7 percent stake in Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries from General Motors Corp., officials from both companies said Wednesday, in a deal that will make Toyota the top shareholder in the company that makes Subaru cars.

GM and Fuji agreed to dissolve their alliance and capital relationship, said Toyota executive vice president Mitsuo Kinoshi ta and Fuji Heavy President Kyoji Takenaka at a joint news conference. GM will sell its remaining 11.4 percent stake in Fuji in the market.

Toyota Motor Corp. and Fuji are setting up a steering committee to try to reach an agreement on future collaboration as soon as possible, the companies said.

Toyota has been on a roll lately, boosting sales in North America, Europe and other parts of Asia and recording booming profits. GM, based in Detroit, has been in trouble, losing $1.1 billion in the first quarter.

GM and Toyota have a long-standing partnership to share environmental technology, and they run a car assembly plant in California together, although the ties do not involve holding stakes in each other.

Toyota Chairman Hiroshi Okuda has expressed worries lately about a possible political backlash from U.S. automakers because of Toyota's bright results at a time when GM and Ford are faltering.

He even suggested Toyota raise the price of car models in the United States. Toyota raised prices soon after, but denied the move was to placate U.S. automakers.

Toyota, based in central Japan's Toyota city, holds stakes in two other Japanese automakers, Daihatsu Motor Co., which makes small cars, and Hino Motors, which makes trucks.


***Added***

By mutual agreement, GM also intends to end its alliance with Fuji Heavy, bringing to an end their Saab crossover vehicle development program. Instead, GM will work with its other strategic partners in Asia.

Both companies "came to the conclusion that there were not enough collaborative projects to sustain the alliance and that each of our interests could be better served through a different approach," said Troy Clarke, GM's group vice president and chief of its Asia-Pacific operations.

GM, in the midst of a wrenching restructuring program, said cash proceeds received and any potential gain on the Fuji Heavy sale will be recorded in the fourth quarter.


Pretty decent size shake up, I just saw it on the GM tv while I was eating lunch today. It's going to make things intresting I must say.
 
I hope that Subaru is left with "creative control" of it's products, and we don't start seeing Toyota engines in Subies...

Was GM's stake in Subaru more than 8.6% at any time?
 
M5 would be the person to ask about that, I'm not sure on how much GM owned. All I know is that I won't be getting a discount on Subbies any more and the Saab line is going to have to change.

But Toyota will screw up Subbie, just you wait and see.
 
From www.thecarconnection.com

General Motors said this morning that it will sell off its 20-percent stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru. GM took a 20-percent stake in Fuji in 2000 and since then, has tried to leverage the resources of the company to help along some of its own car brands, particularly Saab. (Saab's 9-2X is a rebadged version of the Subaru WRX.) But other vehicle collaborations never made it off the drawing boards, and as a result, GM will sell off its stake in pieces. Toyota will take 8.7 percent of the existing GM shares, according to a release, with the remainder to be sold off to other investors. GM will net about $315 million for the sale to Toyota . GM adds that with the dissolution of the joint venture, it will focus on high-growth markets in Asia, presumably China . While the existing Saab 9-2X will continue for an undetermined time, GM says that the future crossover planned for Saab based on the Subaru B9 Tribeca has been cancelled. GM is expected instead to spin off a new Saab crossover from a planned Opel model derived from the concept Antara GTC.
 
BlazinXtreme
But Toyota will screw up Subbie, just you wait and see.
How so??? So far, in the last, oh, 15 years there hasn't been much that Toyota came even close to screwing up. They are one of the biggest auto makers in the world, and continue to make $$$ hand over fist. They are doing just fine, if you ask me. And, just because they now have a 9% stake in Fuji, I highly doubt that means they are going to screw them up. But, maybe you see it otherwise. Thats cool. Just let us know how you think that.

Hilg
 
Oh Toyota engines are great, there build quality is great, but Toyota is well boring and their looks aren't much of anything. I'm think Subbie will get "design" influence from Toyota and there cars will start to look boring. Now the new Impeza looks like hell but its by no means boring.
 
If Toyota tries to offer inline or vee engines in Subies, the owner backlash will be amazing.

And we already saw what happened when Subie diluted the brand by offering FWD cars in the early nineties.

Subaru is best left to leverage their own (siginificant) engineering expertise.
 
Maybe GM would have more luck with these takeovers if they left creative control with the company they buy.

Before the General mobilized and took over, Saab had a variable-compression engine that could vary boost and compression ratio to generate good power and economy even with hot air temps or poor gas. This was actually a running engine that they had in a 9-3. Now let's think for a second--if GM had let this idea mature, instead of filling the line with bland corporate vehicles, there might still be some hope for Saab. Saab has a history in turbocharged FWD vehicles, not rebodied Trailblazers with small-blocks or badge-engineered AWD flat-4 small cars.

They should have handled this mroe the way Ford handled Volvo. Volvo even "gave back" to it's parent company, in the form f the Five Hundered/Freestyle platform.
 
Ooh, this is gonna be interesting. Alfa Romeo's ex. lead designer meets the people who designed potentially the most boring car ever (the Toyota Corolla).
 
skip0110
Maybe GM would have more luck with these takeovers if they left creative control with the company they buy.

Before the General mobilized and took over, Saab had a variable-compression engine that could vary boost and compression ratio to generate good power and economy even with hot air temps or poor gas. This was actually a running engine that they had in a 9-3. Now let's think for a second--if GM had let this idea mature, instead of filling the line with bland corporate vehicles, there might still be some hope for Saab. Saab has a history in turbocharged FWD vehicles, not rebodied Trailblazers with small-blocks or badge-engineered AWD flat-4 small cars.

They should have handled this mroe the way Ford handled Volvo. Volvo even "gave back" to it's parent company, in the form f the Five Hundered/Freestyle platform.

Problem is, Saab was never a very financially sound proposition. While they continued to be quirky through the GM years, Volvo shaped up, started making more mainstream cars, and benefited from platform sharing under Ford. What's still purely Volvo are their engines and their design language (which is also new).

GM may have mucked up Saab, but there was very little there that was salvageable from a sales standpoint (technically, they were okay, just a little short on design and market identity). I think their Subaru stake was handled well, in that they did nothing to detract from the Subaru nameplate while using Subaru technologies to boost the rest of their line. (Think poor old Saab)

I doubt... I HOPE Toyota doesn't do anything stupid to Subaru. What else do they own, besides Scion and Lexus? If they attempt to bring Subaru into their "modern design language" family, beh. I'm hoping they use Subaru instead as an outlet for their Idealympics energy. Imagine those funky cars with a Subaru badge? I can. :lol:

GM loses quite a bit with the loss of Subaru... they should have kept borrowing tech from the carmaker, as there's a lot there that's applicable to other GM nameplates.
 
Actually GM is developing an AWD platform for 2008, which should include the new redesign of a the Cobalt, ION, HHR, cars like that. I can just imagine the Golf R32 owners when they get beat by a ION Redline AWD.
 
MrktMkr1986
Damn! So that means I can't call the 9-2X a "Saabaru" anymore... :dopey:

It'll be "Toyobaru"... :ill:
No, you'd still call it that. Its a Saab branded car, that is full Subaru under the skin. There is no Toyota on it. Now, down the road, if they start to cross-shop the brands, and mix and match, then maybe. But, the 9-2X is still the Saabaru.

And, I think Subyota sounds better. :) 👍

Hilg
 
8.7% isn't a huge percentage - not compared to the 20% stake that Porsche has agreed to buy into VW. I knew Porsche were on a high, but i never thought that VW were that desperate for cash. Aparantly the latest Golf platform and its Seat derivatives have not been selling as well as expected and they are having to lay thousands off!

I don't know if this is a 20% stake in VAG or just VW. If it is VAG then Porsche will now have a say (they will now have 2 seats at board level) in Lamborghini's business to some extent.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4281864.stm
 
I think this is a good idea from Toyota, they could give Subaru some of there money. Since Toyota is one of the top 5 biggest car companies.
 
Damn, Porsche is rich. That's something I'd find hard to believe about any sports car specialist.

Subaru is doing just fine, isn't it? It's GM that doesn't feel like it has enough going on with Subie to justify the FHI stake. Another odd wrinkle in this is that it gives Toyota access to Fuji's battery technology... cheaper hybrids, maybe?
 
I doubt Toyota will do anything irresponsible to mess up a profitable company like Subaru. If there are any joint effort in the future between Toyota and Subaru, I'm sure it will make sense.

To let go of their shares in company like Subaru(opposite of Saab, which is in financial trouble), GM must be hurting for money.
 
A turbocharged Scion AWD - anyone?

I also hope Toyota doesn't screw up Subaru. Maybe with this Toyota may actually make a few new sport cars later in the future.
 
NO TURBO SCION!!!!

They are so F'in ugly!

Ladies and Gentlemen, High-Test's blow up of the day is now over.

You are now free to move about the cabin.
 
Scions are for looks, not for going fast. They are something college kids buy when they want a decent looking compact car and something that will last them awhile
 
JNasty4G63
No, you'd still call it that. Its a Saab branded car, that is full Subaru under the skin. There is no Toyota on it. Now, down the road, if they start to cross-shop the brands, and mix and match, then maybe. But, the 9-2X is still the Saabaru.

True.

And, I think Subyota sounds better. :) 👍

Hilg

That is better! :lol:

To be honest, as long as Subaru continues to make turbocharged cars I could care less who owns them. The minute Toyota starts using superchargers (like from TRD etc.) or drops forced induction altogether, that will be a disaster.

I want TURBO boost -- like my avatar. :dopey:
 
It would be nice to have Scions outside the US... if only for the tC. Corollas are just so boring. DEPENDABLE and okay to drive, but boring.
 
its called brand identity. ford left aston alone for the most part. vw/audi helped lambo to become great cars. they might share engineering but i doubt the design languages will be mix and match toyota/subaru.
 
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