Editing Mazda (section)

=== Divestment by Ford ===
Amid the world financial crisis in the fall of 2008, reports emerged that Ford was contemplating a sale of its stake in Mazda as a way of [[Process optimization|streamlining]] its [[asset]] base.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081011/AUTO01/810110432/1148/&source=nletter-business|title=Ford|website=The Detroit News}}{{dead link|date=May 2012}}</ref> ''[[BusinessWeek]]'' explained the alliance between Ford and Mazda has been a very successful one, with Mazda saving perhaps $90&nbsp;million a year in development costs and Ford "several times" that, and that a sale of its stake in Mazda would be a desperate measure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2008/10/ford_to_sell_ma.html |title=Ford to Sell Mazda? |last=Rowley |first=Ian |date=October 11, 2008 |work=Business Week |access-date=October 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014074149/http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/archives/2008/10/ford_to_sell_ma.html |archive-date=October 14, 2008  }}</ref> On November 18, 2008, Ford announced that it would sell a 20% stake in Mazda, reducing its stake to 13.4%, thus surrendering control of the company, which it held since 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://miscstuff.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/ford-to-dump-mazda-sell-20-stake/ |title=Ford to Sell 20% of stake in Mazda " Stuff going on in the world |publisher=Miscstuff.wordpress.com |date=November 18, 2008 |access-date=May 7, 2009 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030170413/https://miscstuff.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/ford-to-dump-mazda-sell-20-stake/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-sells-controlling-stake-in-mazda/ | date = November 24, 2008 | work = CBS News | title = Ford Sells Controlling Stake in Mazda | last = Henry | first = Jim | access-date = July 3, 2016 | archive-date = August 19, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819215612/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ford-sells-controlling-stake-in-mazda/ | url-status = live }}</ref> The following day, Mazda announced that, as part of the deal, it was buying back 6.8% of its shares from Ford for about US$185 million while the rest would be acquired by business partners of the company.<ref>{{cite web |author=Chang-Ran Kim |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ford-mazda-idUSTRE4AH1RU20081118 |title=Ford abandons Mazda control with 20 percent stake sale |work=Reuters |date=November 18, 2008 |access-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016011443/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/11/18/us-ford-mazda-idUSTRE4AH1RU20081118 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also reported that Hisakazu Imaki would be stepping down as chief executive, to be replaced by [[Takashi Yamanouchi]].<ref>{{cite journal | title = Ford, Trying to Raise Cash, Sells Stake in Mazda | date = November 18, 2008 | journal = New York Times | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/business/worldbusiness/19mazda.html?_r=0 | access-date = February 25, 2017 | archive-date = May 10, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170510080645/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/business/worldbusiness/19mazda.html?_r=0 | url-status = live }}</ref>

On November 18, 2010, Ford reduced its stake further to 3%, citing the reduction of ownership would allow greater flexibility to pursue growth in emerging markets, and [[Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group]] was believed to become its largest shareholder. Ford and Mazda remained strategic partners through joint ventures and exchanges of technological information.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/news/press-releases/press-releases-detail/pr-ford-to-change-stake-in-mazda-both-33588|title=Ford to Change Stake in Mazda|publisher=Ford Motor Company|date=November 18, 2010|access-date=March 9, 2011|archive-date=July 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711015837/http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/news/press-releases/press-releases-detail/pr-ford-to-change-stake-in-mazda-both-33588|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Taniguchi |first=Takako |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-18/sumitomo-mitsui-financial-says-it-will-become-top-shareholder-in-mazda.html |title=Sumitomo Mitsui To Overtake Ford as Mazda's Top Shareholder, Chairman Says |publisher=Bloomberg |date=October 18, 2010 |access-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-date=January 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107225224/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-18/sumitomo-mitsui-financial-says-it-will-become-top-shareholder-in-mazda.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 30, 2015, when Ford's shares had sunk to a little over 2% due to [[stock dilution]], Ford sold its remaining shares in Mazda.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Ford sells remaining stake in Mazda | date = November 13, 2015 | access-date = February 18, 2017 | journal = Nikkei | url = http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Ford-sells-remaining-stake-in-Mazda | archive-date = February 19, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170219022256/http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Deals/Ford-sells-remaining-stake-in-Mazda | url-status = live }}</ref>