25 Oct 2001 - Sounds like the Yamaha-Ford
agreement to build stern drive engines may be back on. Per a Boating Industry
report dated today, Yamaha CEO Takashi Kajikawa confirmed the two firms are now
having regular meetings. The announcement was made one day before
opening day of the Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota, a 5 percent owner of Yamaha,
has also expressed interest in joining the venture.
In early January 2001, Yamaha announced a partnership with Ford to build stern drive engines. The agreement was denied by Ford. In June 2001, Ford announced their entry to the marine engine business with a stern drive partner yet to be named. They will be initially focus on engines ranging from a compact I-4 to V-8 And V-10 Triton engines and the 5.4 L supercharged version of the "Lightning" engine.
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