Oct 11 2008
The last Ford v Holden Battle?
There is a chance, I would give it in the 75% area, that this could be the very last Ford v Holden (General Motors) battle at Mt Panorama with both manufactures ‘afloat’ for a long time. For years, the staple diet for Australian motor sport fans has been dominated by these two large auto manufacturers, the trouble that both of these companies face in the next 18 months may prove insurmountable for one if not both of them.
Ford from a stock value high of nearly $40 in the late nineties has sunk to the value of a cheeseburger at $1.99
General Motors a stock value high of nearly $100 in the late nineties has sunk to a value of a big mac meal at $4.89
Both of these figures tell a pretty bad tale but the worst figures lie with GM. The companies shareholder equity has gone from 10.2 billion in 2005 to –6.5 billion in 2006 to –37 billion at the end of 2007. Yes you read correctly MINUS 37 billion!!!
For the last 3 years GM has made a loss of (10.5 billion), (1.9 billion) and (38.7 billion). I am not sure, but would you like to earn shares in this little venture? I know I wouldn’t.
How much longer do you flog a dead horse?
I am sure Australian racing fans will get used to Toyota v Ford at Bathurst in the next couple of years.
Your predictions of impending doom seem highly unlikely. If the US Government is willing to bail out some of their banks I doubt they will let two of there largest car makers dissapear. It would make sense if they prop them up also.
[...] my analysis that either GM or Ford would go under within 12 months back in my hard hitting story The last Ford v Holden Battle? published in October last year. For some reason I gave a 25% chance that both companies would [...]