Suzuki Vs. Volkswagen: Peacekeeping Intervention

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

If the war of words and press releases between Suzuki and Volkswagen escalates into a legal duel, then the showdown will not happen in a court of law. Germany’s Handelsblatt learned that the “secret cooperation agreement between Volkswagen and Suzuki specifies arbitration in case of differences.”

Commonly, arbitration is binding in these cases. It may not even come to that. David McAllister, Premier of Volkswagen’s home state Lower Saxony, which holds 20 percent of Volkswagen, intervened over the weekend. “It would be good if these differences would be settled in private and not in public,” McAllister told the Handelsblatt. McAllister also sits on the board of Volkswagen.

Intervention by high-ranking government officials has a rich tradition in these matters. When Volkswagen and GM were at their throats over the Lopez affair, former Chancellor Kohl settled it with then President Clinton. The fight between Volkswagen and BMW about the rights to Rolls-Royce again was settled by higher-ups.

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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  • The Doctor The Doctor on Oct 17, 2011

    I thought the fight between VW and BMW was decided by the fact that Rolls-Royce plc had simply licenced the name to Vickers who decided to sell the rights (but not the factory) to BMW... Or am I mis-remebering things?

    • See 4 previous
    • Robert.Walter Robert.Walter on Oct 17, 2011

      @Robert.Walter Blut und Eisen (im Boardroom) ist wohl so wichtig bei VW als Lack und Schweissen (ist im Werke selber).

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