Is Toyota preparing to purchase Fuji Heavy outright?
Winding Road is reporting that a recent change in Japan's anti-trust regulations might mean that Toyota has a clear shot at acquiring a controlling interest in Fujji Heavy Industries, the parent company of Subaru. Lest you think this might be some pie-in-the-sky notion, Subaru admits it could use the help. Toyota already has an 8.7% minority share in Subaru's parent company. With the changes in restrictions, Toyota could make a move and gobble up Subaru and all of its awd motorsports prowess.
TheCarConnection interviewed Subaru CEO Ikuo Mori, who basically admitted that Subaru might not be long for this world without Toyota's cash infusion. That doesn't mean we'd see badge engineering between the brands anytime soon, however. This wouldn't be like its partnership with GM according to the spokesperson. No 9-7X-like crossover projects are expected, but changes are in the works. Subaru apparently has set its sights on Southern California as a new focal point for the future of the company. And some extra cash would certainly help Subaru achieve its goal of increasing worldwide sales by 15% over the next three years.
[Source: Winding Road]
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