Dearborn, Mich. – General Motors’ talks with Renault and Nissan on a possible alliance – and reports Ford may be pursuing a megadeal, too – show how automakers constantly turn to each other even amid fierce industry competition.
GM and Ford declined to comment Monday on an Automotive News story that their high-level executives discussed a merger or alliance. Ford Motor Co. also declined comment on last month’s Wall Street Journal report that Ford proposed its own deal with Renault and Nissan.
In July, General Motors Corp., Renault SA of France and Nissan Motor Co. of Japan announced a 90-day review of a possible alliance among them.
Auto executives talk frequently about “what-if scenarios” and possible deals large and small, said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.
“These kind of discussions go on all the time,” Cole said.
