Each Formula 1 race of 2010 will have added stakes for airline owners Tony Fernandes and Richard Branson as their new F1 teams join the fray. [...] A report out of Paris suggests that Renault will indeed sell a majority stake in its Formula 1 team, possibly to Prodrive, but will continue to compete under its present identity, even as a minority stakeholder. An announcement is expected this week.
And the rumor that Michael Schumacher [...]
Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Spyker
The Volkswagen Group fired its first volley in what is expected to be an eventual full takeover of Japan minicar specialist Suzuki Motor Corp. by assuming a 20 percent share of Suzuki for $2.5 billion, the companies jointly announced Wednesday from Tokyo.
The big news in the industry today is Volkswagen's purchase of a 19.9 percent stake in Suzuki. The primary avenue for benefit to the German carmaker is access to Suzuki's low-cost small car production. Suzuki obviously benefits with access to VW's repository of engines, platforms and technologies. It [...] 
Volkswagen will go ahead and buy a 20-percent stake in Suzuki at a cost of $2.5 billion. VW is expected to increase its stake in the Japanese automaker. In Japan, a stake of 33 percent or more gives a shareholder effective management [...]
All those rumors about a VW/Suzuki tie-up are now official: Volkswagen AG will purchase a 20% stake in Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation at a cost of ¥222.5 ($2.5 billion). To return the favor -- and to provide some parity to the deal -- Suzuki will also buy a [...] Volkswagen AG and Suzuki Motor Corporation have signed a framework agreement to establish a close long-term strategic partnership. To support a smooth development of this relationship, Volkswagen will purchase 19.9% of Suzuki’s issued shares, in a deal worth about ¥200 billion (about US$2.3 billion). The closing of the transaction is [...]
VW spends $5.78 billion to buy 49.9 percent of the sports-carmaker, a big step toward the plan to merge the two companies under VW in 2011. [...] 
Filed under: Suzuki, Volkswagen
German automaker will take 20 percent 
