Takata Airbags Files For Bankruptcy


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Japan's Takata was brought down by the huge cost of its exploding airbag crisis. The company's faulty airbag inflators, which can blast shrapnel into drivers and passengers, have resulted in the recall of tens of millions of vehicles and been linked to 11 deaths in the U.S. and several others elsewhere.

With spiraling debts estimated at more than $9 billion, Takata (TKTDY) said Monday it's seeking bankruptcy protection in Japan and the U.S. It's also selling off the lion's share of its business to a U.S.-based rival.

Key Safety Systems, a Chinese-owned company based in Michigan, is paying $1.6 billion for nearly all of Takata's operations. But it's staying away from the parts that deal with the airbag inflators, which will eventually be wound down.

"We caused troubles for our supporters, those who cooperated with us and the creditors," Chairman Shigehisa Takada said at a news conference Monday where he bowed before the cameras. "On behalf of Takata, I apologize deeply from the bottom of my heart."

The airbag scandal has led to a slow and painful demise for Takata, which started out as a textile manufacturer more than 80 years ago and later came to specialize in seat belts and other auto safety equipment.

"The sad saga of Takata ... has resulted in the implosion of one of the automotive industry's oldest and most successful suppliers due to technical hubris, mismanagement and a systemic corporate culture of manipulation," said Scott Upham, the CEO of Valient Market Research.

Earlier this year, Takata admitted to manipulating and withholding key information about the faulty inflators for years, even after they started exploding in people's cars. It pleaded guilty in the U.S. to a criminal charge of wire fraud for which it will have to pay $1 billion, including a $125 million fund to compensate victims and their families.
Read More: Takata, brought down by airbag crisis, files for bankruptcy - Jun. 25, 2017
 
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Re: Takata Files For Bankruptcy

Takata declares bankruptcy, assets to be acquired by key safety systems.
The filing will pave the way for a major competitor to acquire Takata's assets in a process that's set to be completed early next year. Key Safety Systems, based in Japan but owned by China’s Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp., will buy reportedly pay $1.6 billion to buy the bankrupt company. That will include retaining most (if not all) of Takata's employees around the world, but won't include any of its liabilities.
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