Is Toyota in partnership talks with Suzuki Motor Corp?
Capital ties with Suzuki would help the world's largest automaker make inroads into India where Suzuki commands around half the passenger car market.
- Jan 27, 2016,
- Updated Jan 27, 2016 1:06 PM IST
Toyota Motor Corp may be in talks with Suzuki Motor Corp to discuss partnering from a variety of angles, including the possibility of cross-shareholdings as they look to take capitalise on demand for compact cars in India and other emerging economies, according to a report published in the Nikkei business daily.
Toyota however denied being in talks with Suzuki and said it was instead considering buying out the rest of mini-vehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co, a $3.2 billion deal at current market prices. Toyota owns 51.2 per cent of Daihatsu, which like Suzuki, specialises in 660cc mini-vehicles, a segment particular to Japan, as well as compact cars.
Full control of Daihatsu could help Toyota leverage the lower-cost brand better and cut procurement costs for Daihatsu, while capital ties with Suzuki would help the world's largest automaker make inroads into India where Suzuki commands around half the passenger car market.
Still, others noted that a potential Toyota-Suzuki partnership could benefit both automakers.
Suzuki, through its control of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, has a vast distribution network in India that Toyota could greatly benefit from.
"Suzuki would meanwhile be getting a stable shareholder in Toyota as well as access to Toyota's HEV/FCV and other next-generation environmental technologies geared toward future vehicle electrification," JPMorgan analysts said in a note.
Suzuki is expected, however, to tread carefully with any new tie-ups. It formed a capital alliance with Volkswagen AG in early 2010 but relations soon soured, leading to a years-long dispute in an arbitration court that ended last year with the unwinding of their cross-shareholdings.
Shares in Daihatsu soared 20 per cent in late Wednesday trade after being overwhelmed by buy orders throughout the day. Shares in Suzuki jumped 11 per cent despite denials from both Toyota and Suzuki. Toyota rose 3.6 per cent.
"We are constantly considering a number of possibilities relating to Daihatsu, such as partnerships or business restructuring, including making the company a fully owned subsidiary," Toyota said in a statement, but added that no decisions had been made.
Some analysts noted that greater control of Daihatsu could be at odds with potential cooperation with Suzuki given that the two mini-vehicle makers are fierce competitors for the same customers.
"I can easily see the Daihatsu brand used in the same way that VW uses Skoda or Renault uses Dacia or Nissan uses Datsun as a low-cost, sub-premium brand to the core brand," CLSA senior research analyst Christopher Richter said.
"That could be a very effective weapon against Suzuki in places like India ... if I were Suzuki that would sound like a risk to doing business with Toyota," Richter said.
(With agency inputs)
Toyota Motor Corp may be in talks with Suzuki Motor Corp to discuss partnering from a variety of angles, including the possibility of cross-shareholdings as they look to take capitalise on demand for compact cars in India and other emerging economies, according to a report published in the Nikkei business daily.
Toyota however denied being in talks with Suzuki and said it was instead considering buying out the rest of mini-vehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co, a $3.2 billion deal at current market prices. Toyota owns 51.2 per cent of Daihatsu, which like Suzuki, specialises in 660cc mini-vehicles, a segment particular to Japan, as well as compact cars.
Full control of Daihatsu could help Toyota leverage the lower-cost brand better and cut procurement costs for Daihatsu, while capital ties with Suzuki would help the world's largest automaker make inroads into India where Suzuki commands around half the passenger car market.
Still, others noted that a potential Toyota-Suzuki partnership could benefit both automakers.
Suzuki, through its control of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, has a vast distribution network in India that Toyota could greatly benefit from.
"Suzuki would meanwhile be getting a stable shareholder in Toyota as well as access to Toyota's HEV/FCV and other next-generation environmental technologies geared toward future vehicle electrification," JPMorgan analysts said in a note.
Suzuki is expected, however, to tread carefully with any new tie-ups. It formed a capital alliance with Volkswagen AG in early 2010 but relations soon soured, leading to a years-long dispute in an arbitration court that ended last year with the unwinding of their cross-shareholdings.
Shares in Daihatsu soared 20 per cent in late Wednesday trade after being overwhelmed by buy orders throughout the day. Shares in Suzuki jumped 11 per cent despite denials from both Toyota and Suzuki. Toyota rose 3.6 per cent.
"We are constantly considering a number of possibilities relating to Daihatsu, such as partnerships or business restructuring, including making the company a fully owned subsidiary," Toyota said in a statement, but added that no decisions had been made.
Some analysts noted that greater control of Daihatsu could be at odds with potential cooperation with Suzuki given that the two mini-vehicle makers are fierce competitors for the same customers.
"I can easily see the Daihatsu brand used in the same way that VW uses Skoda or Renault uses Dacia or Nissan uses Datsun as a low-cost, sub-premium brand to the core brand," CLSA senior research analyst Christopher Richter said.
"That could be a very effective weapon against Suzuki in places like India ... if I were Suzuki that would sound like a risk to doing business with Toyota," Richter said.
(With agency inputs)