Ford talks to Toyota

[blue8]

from Autoblog:
Ford officially responds to talk of Toyota alliance

We just received an official statement from Ford regarding the hoopla surrounding Ford CEO Alan Mulally visiting Japan last week with President of the Americas Mark Fields in tow and meeting with executives from Toyota. Here it is.

"We meet regularly with other automakers on a variety of topics of mutual interest. "

That's it. The brief statement does nothing really to quell the speculation that has arisen from the meeting. What, exactly, are the topics of mutual interest that these automakers are discussing? Some say Ford wants access to Toyota's hybrid technology, despite the fact it already pays licensing fees on the Escape Hyrid's drivetrain because of how similar it is to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. Of course, any talk of alliances and partnerships brings up the obvious advantage of greater purchasing power and larger economies of scale spread across two companies rather than one.

Regardless, Ford's concise statement on the matter tells us that it was a closed door meeting, and we're not supposed to know what transpired between the two automakers. That's fine. We'll find out soon enough as this industry is the worst at keeping secrets.

[HeilSvenska]

I knew it the day Mulally sob said that the Lexus LS was the finest car in the world. He's a Toyota spy! He posed as a Boeing executive and snuck his way into Ford without any of us knowing it!

Anyways. Toyota-Ford alliance can only mean one thing...the beginning of the end...

[RC45]

Hmmm.. Yamaha and Toyota have been in bed for ever... and Ford and Yamaha have had relations for almost as long.. makes the Ford Toyota affair seem pretty logical.

[dutchmasterflex]

^ yup, first thing that comes to mind are the engines in the SHO and MR2...

Seems like Ford needs some of Toyota's help building and selling cars for a profit

[dm_h_2007]

Yup -

"Yamaha has also built engines for other manufacturers' vehicles, most notably the V-6 and V-8 engine for the Ford Taurus SHO. The Volvo XC90 uses a larger version of the same Yamaha V-8 engine, as will a future Lincoln automobile. They also built Formula One racing engines from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, with little on track success. In 1991, Yamaha developed its F1 engined supercar called the OX99-11 where two drivers sit in tandem in front of the engine, but the project was canned due to the world recession and lack of interest.

Yamaha also tunes engines for other manufacturers, Toyota being one of them. Yamaha logos are, for instance, found on the Toyota S engines.[1].

Yamaha developed a prototype for a two-seater sports car with help of Albrecht Goertz. While the Yamaha/Nissan partnership never progressed beyond the prototype stage, Toyota took up the design and released the Toyota 2000GT. [2]

Yamaha is also one of the big 4 companies in the Personal water craft market."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_Motor_Company

[TopGearNL]

Originally Posted by RC45 Hmmm.. Yamaha and Toyota have been in bed for ever... and Ford and Yamaha have had relations for almost as long.. makes the Ford Toyota affair seem pretty logical.

Yep..

Lets hope the outcome is only good