The auto industry has apparently seen a record amount of conscious coupling this year--an impressive 250 mergers and acquisitions have been completed industry-wide in the first two quarters of 2014.
The figure marks a 13 percent increase in such deals compared with the same period the previous year, said a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study. Merger and acquisition transactions are "reshaping the competitive landscape of both suppliers and manufacturers," the Detroit Free Press reported.
Even with some $27.5 billion in deals completed over a six-month period, the figure still hasn't reached its 2007 peak of 333 deals in two quarters. The same period last year saw around $13.1 billion in mergers and acquisitions. The figure for the first two quarters of 2014 is the highest in seven years, according to the study.
In a few examples, Volkswagen paid $9 billion to acquire the remaining shares of Scania for $9 billion, Blackstone acquired Gates Corp. for $5.4 billion and Fiat took on the remaining 41.5 percent of Chrysler in a $2.8 billion acquisition.
The industry pace for mergers and acquisitions is likely to quicken, an industry source told the Free Press.
"As manufactures move to global platforms and global production, their suppliers are forced to consolidate. Small suppliers are going to struggle when it comes to supplying parts on 1 million unit platforms," Jeff Zaleski, a partner in deals practice and member automotive leadership team, told the Free Press. "There is still a lot of consolidation left to be done in China and India."
Auto sales worldwide are expected to jump from 83 million last year to 109 million by 2020.
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