TOKYO, Dec 3, 2009 (AFP) - Mitsubishi Motors said Thursday it was in talks
with PSA Peugeot Citroen to enhance their cooperation as a report said the
French group was set to take control of the troubled Japanese carmaker.
Mitsubishi and Peugeot have been cooperating in vehicle supply and future
joint production in Russia but are negotiating a deeper alliance, Mitsubishi
spokesman Kai Inada said.
"We are discussing possible projects that could be beneficial to both
companies. A capital tie-up is one of the options," he told AFP, stressing
nothing has been decided on whether they will go ahead with a capital
alliance.
The Nikkei economic daily said Peugeot was in the final stages of talks
with Mitsubishi to effectively take over the Japanese company, which posted a
first-half net loss of just over 400 million dollars as global sales slumped.
Mitsubishi would likely issue 200-300 billion yen (2.3-3.4 billion dollars)
in new shares, giving Peugeot a 30-50 percent stake, the daily said, without
citing its sources.
The deal would give Mitsubishi a cash injection while Peugeot would tap the
Japanese company's expertise in electric vehicles and its network in emerging
countries, the report said.
Mitsubishi could also take an equity stake in Peugeot, it said.
It would create the world's sixth-largest automobile alliance with combined
sales of roughly 4.45 million vehicles in 2008, behind Ford Motor of the United
States but ahead of South Korea's Hyundai Motor.
If the deal goes through, it would be the first investment in a major
Japanese automaker by an overseas rival since France's Renault took a stake in
Nissan in 1999.
French financial newspaper La Tribune also reported a possible tie-up
between Peugeot and Mitsubishi in September, and analysts said the two
companies would be a good fit with a complementary presence in Europe and
Asia.
The Japanese automaker's current top shareholder is Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries with a 15.17-percent stake. The firm and two other Mitsubishi group
companies hold a combined interest of 34 percent.
>2009/12/03 10:33
上班中，等等有空再來翻譯嘿...
