Ford interested in Volt technology?
Forget the HySeries?There is an interesting report coming out of Detroit regarding talks between GM and Ford regarding advanced powertrain collaboration. While some at Ford have already dismissed the reports, rumors persist that Ford is interested in GM's Chevy Volt and its E Flex technology.
Already Ford licenses technology for its hybrid cars from Toyota, a move which brought Ford into the hybrid game early, but the company has yet to be a real hybrid player. Could licensing Volt technology really offer anything better?
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:09 PM
2 Comments:
I bet GM would welcome Ford's interest... If Ford is willing to pony up a billion or two to license the Volt drive system, like how DaimlerChrysler (before the breakup) jumped onboard GM's 2-mode hybrid transmission development by throwing $1 billion in the pot.
If Ford comes onboard, at least GM gets to spread out the financial risk of the Volt development costs at a time they are extremely in need of cash.
Question is, can Ford afford it? Their stock has gotten crushed rather badly lately, and they have essentially negative equity. Maybe billionaire Kirk Kerkorian wouldn't mind pumping a few billion dollars more into Ford (though he has already lost $3 billion of his initial investment in FoMoCo!).
Not only that, but Ford wouldn't return any investment on this license cost for years maybe even a decade. Seems like a great deal for GM, but not as good for Ford.
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