It's not a takeovah...

Kinja'd!!! "and 100 more" (nth256)
05/13/2016 at 10:53 • Filed to: None

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Nissan has a controlling stake in Mitsubishi... that does not equate to a “takeover”. In fact, the way it’s playing out is more like a buddy stepping in and helping a brotha out during some hard times.

We all assume that business is always cutthroat, but sometimes there are moments like this where businesses can help each other. No doubt, Nissan will benefit from this partnership somehow, but at least for now, it’s not a hostile corporate takeover as much as a helping hand.

Kinja'd!!!

Mitsubishi has a storied history in the automotive world, and Nissan (formerly Datsun) has a history just as long. These companies are two old-timers who, though they may be rivals occasionally, realize that the world is better when they are both in it.

I hear horror stories about how Nissan treats its employees, and Mistubishi had that scandal about a decade ago where they were stuffing complaint letters into a work locker at the factory... Hopefully, the two companies can grow from this new opportunity, and move out of those bad habits.

No Nissabishi. No Mitsusan. No Datsun reborn.

Just two auto makers with a lot of history, and hopefully, a lot of future left.

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DISCUSSION (11)


Kinja'd!!! Party-vi > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 11:00

Kinja'd!!!3

Didn’t Nissan blow the lid off of Mitsubishi’s whole gas mileage cheat?


Kinja'd!!! LongbowMkII > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 11:03

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Riiiight. [/drevil]


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > Party-vi
05/13/2016 at 11:03

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Yes, because Nissan was selling rebadged Mitsubishis as their own, and didn’t want to get caught up in the scandal.


Kinja'd!!! Stapleface > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 11:17

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I agree. IIRC, Nissan is buying 31% of the Mitsubishi stock. Even if we wanted to call this a takeover, I say it isn't because they don't have a majority interest.


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > Stapleface
05/13/2016 at 11:23

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Officially, it’s 34%. Whether or not that’s a majority, I don’t know for certain (it all depends on how the other 66% is divvied up), but as I understand it, that it puts 4 Nissan execs on Mitsy’s board of directors. I don’t know how that all pans out, but certainly Nissan now has a large level of control over Mits, whether majority or not.


Kinja'd!!! ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 11:31

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Maybe Nissan and Mitsu will work together to create a competitor to the BRZ/FRS/GT86... Ok maybe not, but it’d be nice.


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
05/13/2016 at 11:46

Kinja'd!!!1

I was thinking about what a joint venture would look like... it’s really hard to say, because both companies do similar things so well, in such different ways.

But, I was thinking along a similar vein to you for a moment: a sub-370Z roadster, more in line with the original 240Z... and in a move similar to Toyota/Subaru, make a version badged as a Mitsubishi and call it a Starion.


Kinja'd!!! If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 11:51

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Since when does one multinational corporation just “help out” another multinational corporation that it’s just bought a controlling share in?


Kinja'd!!! You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > and 100 more
05/13/2016 at 12:10

Kinja'd!!!0

Right... And the Daimler takeover of Chrysler was a “Merger of Equals”.


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
05/13/2016 at 12:18

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Obviously Nissan is gonna take their cut at the end of the day. That’s just stupid if they don’t.

But when Nissan could’ve swept in and told the world “Mitsubishi is OUR bitch now!” the rhetoric, at least, is verymuch about keeping Mitsubishi afloat. Is the subtle under-text “ ... in name only ”? Perhaps. But where Nissan had an opportunity to make this a “takeover”, they haven’t, and I find that quite interesting in the auto world, and in the business world in general.


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 12:25

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And today we see Sergio, running around looking for a hug from someone, anyone . For all the recent success, Chrysler has been tossed around from owner to owner, to the point that now Sergio seems to want to offload everything to someone else and walk off with a paycheck.

Chrysler is a ho at a cocaine party. Making lots of money now, but at what cost?

If Nissan can’t just look at that example and say “Maybe that’s not how we should do this,” then they deserve the same fate. But I don’t think that’s happening here. At least, not yet...