It’s not unusual for one automaker to buy a plant from another and Mitsubishi’s purchase of a Philippines plant from Ford makes perfect sense.

The former has a business plan that involves expansion in ASEAN markets and the Ford facility is larger than MMC’s old Philippines site. Meanwhile, Ford is consolidating ASEAN vehicle build at its Thai plants. Deal.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Also this week, we detailed an interesting interview with the president and CEO of Ssangyong and dug deep into the tech that underpins Jaguar’s new F-Type coupe.

We learned that Daimler plans to double Mercedes-Benz production in China and is also eyeing Russia where Ford’s JV, unfortunately, has had to cut 950 jobs (but Bridgestone just got started on a new tyre plant).

GM expanded its ignition switch recall and many automaker eyes turned to Washington as the politicians began to wade in. In the middle of all that, the automaker announced yet another recall and, later, said it had recalled an extraordinary 7m vehicles in the first quarter of 2014 alone. CEO Mary Barra attracted plaudits for meeting with ignition switch-related crash victims’ families and then we heard the controversy hadn’t yet affected GM’s sales but then we learned it might. Barra got thoroughly grilled on the Hill, as expected, the polticians’ threats got a little louder and supplier liability was also eyed. Latest news is the reported hiring of a third outsider to help with the crisis management.

See Also:

Events like this make the job of CEO tough but there are compensations – $23m in the case of Ford boss Alan Mulally – though it’s not all in greenbacks.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

There has also been good news on the March and first quarter sales front. Volume really picked up in the US in the second half of last month, and the 1 March plate change and lots of buyer optimism saw UK March sales up 17.7%. The bragging is still rolling in but Mercedes has already told us March was its best month ever and Bentley is purring over a 17% first quarter rise worldwide.

Finally, let me remind you about our upcoming webinar on Friday 11 April at 3pm our time (4pm Europe; 11am EST; 8am Pacific) when you’ll hear Dave Leggett make a 45-minute presentation of the results of our 2014 confidence survey and have the chance to take part in a 15-minute Q&A to follow. Do register now and join us, if you can.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend.

Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com