No Wedding Between Daimler And BMW
The Geneva Auto Show is a great place to rub elbows, show concept cars, and plant or shoot down rumors. BMW yesterday dismissed the view that premium carmakers would have to consolidate. This here is in the latter category.
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer said that BMW would not merge with Daimler. Or anybody else for that matter. Now who had that crazy idea? Apparently, it’s going around.
Financial Times says there is a “widespread notion that German premium carmakers BMW and Daimler are too small to survive in a post-crisis world of lower sales, alternative engine technologies and a demand shift towards smaller cars.” Hence, the two should either merge, or find other mergees.
Unsinn says Reithofer, just the opposite is true: “If the crisis has shown one thing, it is that size alone is not a criterion for survival.”
Thomas Weber, head of research and development at Daimler, said: “Co-operation with BMW on engines is still thinkable, but not easy to achieve.” That was the understatement of the day. We have documented again and again that any attempts of jointness between the two had been torpedoed by BMW’s and Daimler’s engineers. If you think South Korea and North Korea have communication problems, then you should be in a meeting between Daimler and BMW engineers.
Analysts have urged both Daimler and BMW to seek closer partnership with each other or third carmakers. But since when do analysts know how to build cars? And what is this, Match.com?
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Well, anyone who would contemplate a hook up with with Daimler has to have rocks in their head. How many times has Daimler shown us that it has zero ethics or any concern whatever beyond saving its own skin? Run as fast as you can, BMW.
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If I was going to play matchmaker, there's a certain Korean company missing a luxury brand and BMW could use a volume brand. Keep the BMW Group name for the company and have Hyundai as a division.
My guess is that BMW does not have enough money in the kitty for Daimler to run off with like Chrysler had at one time.