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It was not even a year ago when Ford relinquished half of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp., and Seita Kanai, Mazda’s head of r&d, says that there will be fewer joint projects between the two companies such as the shared platforms and drivetrains that were developed over the course of the 30-year relationship.

“The Ford-Mazda partnership is cited often as an example of a successful international alliance of automakers. Ford first took an equity stake in Mazda in 1979 and brought Mazda under its control in 1996 as the Hiroshima carmaker struggled to survive. But by late last year the tables were turned, and a cash-strapped Ford sold a large part of its stake to raise capital,” Automotive News says of the two companies’ relationship.

Major elements of the de-integration include; Fords presence on the Mazda board being cut from 3 representatives to 1, separate drivetrain strategies, and Ford’s implementation of in-house developed platforms and phasing out of Mazda’s platforms.

- By: Stephen Calogera

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