Volkswagen Wants Suzuki Quarrel To End - One Way Or The Other

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Divorce is a complicated matter. Sometimes, it takes a while for all involved that it’s over. Apparently, they are in that phase. If the German magazine Wirtschaftswoche is correctly informed, then VW CEO Martin Winterkorn wants to bring the matter to a conclusion until the end of this year – one way or the other. Says Wirtschaftswoche:

“Either Suzuki reconfirms the cooperation, unambiguously – which nobody expects. Or Volkswagen cancels a cooperation which isn’t even two years old.”

Officially, Volkswagen sees a small chance that the cooperation continues. If Suzuki wants to remain wedded to Volkswagen, then “Volkswagen would be interested to continues,” said Hans Demant, the former Opel chief who now manages global alliances at Volkswagen. Wirtschaftswoche says that the cooperation was not without results: There are jointly developed prototypes in Wolfsburg. The sources of Wirtschaftswoche fingered Suzuki vice president Yasuhito Harayama as the culprit who torpedoed the alliance. There are “certain interpersonal issues,” Demant told Wirtschaftswoche.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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