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A security guard walks past cars in a Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. factory in a Shanghai suburb September 28, 2006.REUTERS/Aly Song

China in auto power play

It might not shake up the industry just yet, but China's interest in Volvo and Saab is the start of something big in global autos, writes columnist Wei Gu.  Commentary 

GM talked merger with Ford before Chrysler: report

DETROIT
Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:41pm EDT
American flags flutter in the wind in front of the General Motors Corp. headquarters in downtown Detroit, Michigan in this November 7, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook/Files

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp approached Ford Motor Co about a possible merger of the two biggest U.S. car companies before more recent talks with Chrysler, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Deals  |  Inflows Outflows

Ford was approached by GM in July, but rejected the idea and the discussions ended in September, the newspaper said in a report that cited two people with knowledge of the talks.

A Ford representative could not be reached for comment on the report.

A source briefed on the matter has said GM and Chrysler, which is about 80 percent owned by Cerberus Capital Management, have had talks about combining the automakers at a time when both are struggling to cut costs and shore up cash.



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