Published

Takata Rescue Talks Continue

Talks between Takata Corp. and a potential financial savior about bailing out the struggling airbag supplier have been extended beyond an informal April 1 deadline to reach a deal, Reuters says.
#economics

Share

Talks between Takata Corp. and a potential financial savior about bailing out the struggling airbag supplier have been extended beyond an informal April 1 deadline to reach a deal, Reuters says.

U.S.-based Key Safety Systems Inc., backed by Bain Capital LLC, is the favored bidder for Takata. The supplier could face as much as $10 billion in liabilities because of its flawed airbag inflators, which have been linked to at least 16 fatalities worldwide.

The crisis has cut Takata’s stock price 90% in the past three years and threatened the company with collapse. The company denies it is considering any form of bankruptcy in the U.S. or Japan.

Reuters says Key and Bain have described negotiations as “chaotic” as they attempt to define the extent of Takata’s financial exposure. The news service adds that carmakers, who so far have been paying to replace some 70 million Takata inflators, believe a court-ordered restructuring is the only affordable option to save the company.

RELATED CONTENT

  • China and U.S. OEMs

    When Ford announced its 3rd quarter earning on October 24, the official announcement said, in part, “Company revenue was up 3 percent year over year, with net income and company adjusted EBIT both down year over year, primarily driven by continued challenges in China.” The previous day, perhaps as a preemptive move to answer the question “If things are going poorly in China, what are you doing about it?, Ford announced that it was establishing Ford China as a stand-alone business unit.

  • Porsche Doubles EV Target for 2025

    Porsche AG says about half the vehicles it sells by 2025 will be equipped with hybrid or all-electric powertrains, twice the ratio it forecast four weeks ago.

  • On Quantum Navigation, EVs, Auto Industry Sales and more

    Sandia’s quantum navi, three things about EVs, transporting iron ore in an EV during the winter, going underwater in an EV (OK, it is a sub), state of the UK auto industry (sad), why the Big Three likes Big Vehicles, and the future of logistics.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions