Tieup negotiations between Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are at a standstill, Toyota President Fujio Cho said Friday.
The stalemate emanates from the inability to negotiate at top-manager levels in the aftermath of the resignation of former Ford President and Chief Executive Officer Jacques Nasser, according to Cho.
On Oct. 30, William Clay Ford Jr., a scion of the Ford family, replaced Nasser as the new president and CEO of the world's second-largest automaker.
"Top managers at both companies have not contacted each other since Mr. Nasser resigned," Cho said.
"I would like to examine how the new managers at Ford perceive a relationship with Toyota."
Toyota wants to discuss whether the two companies can cooperate on marketing and development of environment-friendly automobile technologies, sources said.
Training executives
NAGOYA (Kyodo) Toyota Motor Corp. in January will establish an internal organization for training executives and middle management from the company and its overseas affiliated companies, to be called the Toyota Institute.
The new body will be headed by the company's president, Fujio Cho, and have 16 initial secretary members.