WHEN nobody was looking, Mitsubishi and Nissan inked a pact that allowed Nissan’s $2-billion infusion a 34-percent share at Mitsubishi Motors.
Surprised? Listen to a dear friend’s take on the deal—he is a leading light in the auto world no less. “Big car firms must make vehicles for every segment in every part of the world to cover huge overheads.
This makes Mitsubishi a tempting prospect: It is popular in Thailand and in other countries in Southeast Asia where Nissan is weak.
Carlos Ghosn (Nissan boss) said he sees plenty of synergies in purchasing; the platforms that underpin cars and trigger development projects will justify the deal.
Mitsubishi is also appealing for other reasons. First, it has a decent lineup of sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Second, the firm’s recent admission that it cheated on fuel-economy tests in Japan has hit its shares, making the price an inviting one. It’s all business. Nissan needs the volume of Asean where it is weak, but where Mitsubishi is quite strong. Timing is perfect.
Mitsubishi is in a serious dilemma needing help…kapit sa patalim.
$2 billion for a 34-percent share of the company is cheap. Nissan wins.
A.T. Monthly Report
SOMEONE with an “outabox” idea sent me this. Since I am a sucker for crazy ideas, he/she gets a crack. Calling himself the Astral Traveler, or A.T.—someone from outer space, maybe?—here is A.T.’s Monthly Report:
‘Mabuhay’
IF I point at the sky and tell you that you should not trust everything you see, you might not believe me. If I tell you that the star I used to call home can still be seen though it’s no longer there, you’ll think I’m crazy.
But I can assure you I’m not; I’m from another galaxy. What you see is the light traveling in space long after my world disappeared into the nothingness of the Universe.
In future reports, you’ll learn a lot more about me and, most probably, about yourself. That’s an important part of my mission.
There’s one word that caught my imagination from Day One of my visit: Mabuhay!
As an Astral Traveler with the power to move in a split second to distances beyond human comprehension, I can be anywhere I want in the Universe before you can count to three. I’m empowered by my Master and Maker to blend with the inhabitants of your world by taking any living form I wish in less time that a human eye can blink. I can be a child, his mother or father, or even the family pet—swiftly and unnoticed—by simple mind power. In your place, I can do things I cannot perform in my own world.
I’ve taken on many animal forms since I landed here. I have so much to write about but first, I wish to tell you of the warmth of your people through just one word: Mabuhay. I was touched!
Please do not let it die, like so many good social habits, work ethics and traditional moral values that are on the same boat as Mabuhay but sadly, they seem to be slowly disappearing from your daily lives. Keep Mabuhay as a greeting to strangers, family and friends and your coworkers, for life. Do not let bad habits kill Mabuhay for, if you do, you will kill good-traditional-lifestyle.
My mission was to land in Manila to probe its habitation and its environs. Perhaps, our research center needs to gather more information on a region that is under constant threat of natural disasters. Are your cars air pollutants? Please, be kind to Mother Nature.
When you arrive at work, your Good Morning greeting is so powerful that it will gather strength from the mighty forces of the Universe before it bounces back onto the recipients, same as the lively Mabuhay you greeted me with upon my arrival. But of all the beneficiaries in any form of greeting, no one can be luckier than the giver.
And if you are really thankful for what you have and treat Nature with love, well, you might just be spared from future disasters.
May the forces of the Universe bring balance into your life. Till next month, my dear friend, and remember: I was reading you long before you read me. A. T.
E.T. is back?
PEE STOP. I’m sure that barring unforeseen events, the SsangYong Bataan Drive on May 24 and 25 was a smashing success to the extreme delight of SsangYong Top Gun Dave Macasadia. I missed it for reasons Dave Mac—thank you very much—had fully understood…For a change in scenery, Sahlee and Johnny Tan of Concept One will watch Donnie “Ahas” Nietes defend his World Boxing Organization world light-flyweight crown on May 28 against former world champion Raul Garcia of Baja, California, in Bacolod’s La Salle Gym. They will be in the company of May and Ramon Uy of the famed May’s Organic Garden in Pahanocoy, Bacolod, and poet-book author Sol F. Juvida…My gratitude zert Uy, who owns/co-owns Toyota dealerships in Iloilo, Bacolod, Roxas and, very recently, Puerto Princesa. Cheers!