Suzuki, Mitsubishi Urged to ‘Forget America’ as Sales Slump

[FarCenter]

By Kiyori Ueno and Alan Ohnsman

July 10 (Bloomberg) -- Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., suffering from plunging U.S. sales and excess North American plant capacity, may have to quit the market after a quarter century.

Suzuki, Japan’s fourth-largest carmaker, reported a 78 percent drop in unit sales in June, pushing its first-half decline to 60 percent, the market’s worst. Mitsubishi is down 51 percent this year, and is stuck in a slump that began in 2003.

Both carmakers “should withdraw from the U.S.,” said Yuuki Sakurai, chief executive of Tokyo-based Fukoku Capital Management Inc., which oversees about $10 billion in Tokyo. “It’s time for them to decide whether they pay a high price to continue business there or stop the bleeding.”

<SNIP> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a0E3j.8n71UQ

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Suzuki had partnered with GM, and Mitsubishi had partnered with Chrysler. Bad ideas.

[Deja Q]

1. Do they have any suggestions on how to stop the bleeding...

Let them go...

...but not before they get bailed out too?

[MicaelS]

2. They should leave

If I were considering a new car Suzuki would be at the bottom of my list. Mitsubishi not from from the bottom.

[imdjh]

4. Samurai was a great car. They should have stuck with it. An inexpensive and superior alternative to

.... jeep, unless you wanted to tow something heavy.

[Deja Q]

11. Self-del

probably needlessly controversial and too non-PC...

[imdjh]

13. Whisper it to me. I hate it when people think better of what they were about to say. :)

[abumbyanyothername]

3. Toyota, LOL

"There are too many of us here. You should leave."

:rofl:

[imdjh]

6. Maybe if Suzuki and Mitsu gave lifetime drivetrain warranties, they would have Toyota sales

Probably not, but it's a dig.

[Stevenmarc]

5. Quite frankly Suzuki has never been anywhere near a major player in the US auto market

and Mitsubishi is really only successful in the US in one market segment with the Evo

[imdjh]

7. I almost bought a Mitsu Raider- until they told me it had a different warranty

All the other Mitsus had a 5 year bumper to bumper and 10 year drive train warrant to match Kia; except the Raider truck : standard 3/5 warranty. I walked away. I took that to mean that they had less confidence in the product.

[Stevenmarc]

14. I had a Galant in the 90's and after 3 years and 9,900 miles it needed 3 complete rotor changes

they would warp if you looked at them sidways

[Deja Q]

8. A GREAT idea -- Ford makes damn good cars and don't need to compete with pig poo on wheels.

Never mind GM...

[maxsolomon]

9. this is inevitable

and not neccessarily a bad thing. the answer to the energy-starved future is not "everyone buy new cars".

[Deja Q]

10. Well, some of us can't ride bicycles and a well built car with a good engine...

My new Focus gets 30MPG with ease. 40 if I only drove on highways. Looking at the real numbers, most hybrids are more gimmicky than anything else. Not that there ISN'T a place, and having read up on them, I wouldn't consider anything else but the Ford Fusion hybrid... much higher quality...

[imdjh]

15. Wait until the new Yugo, er.... Obvio comes on the market.

[maxsolomon]

16. still, new petroleum-burning cars = re-arranging deck chairs on the titanic

i'm sorry you're too uncoordinated to balance on 2 wheels - they make adult tricylces, tho! ;)

[Strelnikov_]

17. Looks sweet. Brand?

I was looking at the Catrike Villager and the Cyclegenius Phoenix last summer as a winter 'bike'.

Decided on crank-forwards (Rans/Electra Townie) equipped with studded tires.

The Townie with Nokian Extreme front/Mount and Ground rear really did the trick this past winter. The lower center of gravity, and ability to plant the feet firmly from the seat, really made a difference on snow/ice/compact/lava-field like compact/lava-field like melt lubricated compact/snowplow formed compact pedestrian-bike barrier/etc. Only had to walk a couple of days.

Modeled how a trike would function in winter urban combat riding and decided it was incompatible with the autoformed environment created for cars (too wide for limited width available on most streets/sidewalks, limited visibility).

However, riding the Villager was really sweet, and I can see a future addition of a trike as a long distance/summer ride/post Bambi using a cellphone induced head injury alternative.

[maxsolomon]

18. i'm pretty sure you are a giant bike nerd

i just grabbed an image off the intertubes.

my future brother in law is a recumbent trike rider (he likes it because he can smoke weed while biking), so i understand what you just wrote, and can call you a nerd.

[JANdad]

12. Buh Bye...

Buh Bye now...thank you for flying...