Visteon Reaches Deal with Ford on Pensions, Retiree Benefits Costs
Ford Motor Co. has agreed to waive $160 million in claims against former parts unit Visteon Corp., and committed to contracts worth $600 million with the supplier just days before Visteon exits bankruptcy, reported Automotive News.
In court documents filed over the weekend in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, Visteon said Ford agreed to waive $160 million in claims against the supplier, including Visteon's obligations to pay certain pension and retiree benefits costs.
Reuters said the settlement would end Visteon's obligations to reimburse Ford for some $105 million in pension and retiree benefit costs.
Ford in turn will pay Visteon $29 million for restructuring costs and committed to spend $600 million on new parts from Visteon through 2013.
“The global settlement represents the final piece of the puzzle in Visteon's Chapter 11 reorganization and the restructuring of its commercial relationship with Ford,” the company said in court documents.
The court is scheduled to review and approve the proposed settlement with Ford at a hearing Thursday.
Visteon was spun off from Ford in 2000 and struggled through most of the decade, before filing for bankruptcy protection in May 2009.
The company owed lenders $1.6 billion and bondholders another $870 million during bankruptcy. It used bankruptcy to shed approximately $2 billion in debt, including deep cuts to retirees.
The cuts were a major source of contention throughout Visteon's bankruptcy case until it agreed to pay $12 million to more than 6,000 retired workers in return for insurance and benefits reductions.
The court approved Visteon's reorganization plan in August and the company plans to emerge from bankruptcy on Oct. 1.
More Industry

Pennsylvania Dealership Under New Retailers
The sale of the Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store puts a family auto group on a leaner path as first-time dealers take the helm.
Read More →
Battery Storage Takes Priority Over EVs
U.S. automakers are prioritizing battery energy stationary storage over electric-vehicle production as the consumer demand for EVs lags the rest of the world.
Read More →
Auto Dealers Feel Better But Not Great
A second-quarter Cox Automotive poll of franchised retailers and independents found better views of the current market after a good spring but anticipation of third-quarter storminess.
Read More →
New-Vehicle Sales Picture Relative
A May forecast is complicated by last spring’s trade tariff effects on auto retail. Despite continued hard realities, many consumers took advantage of ways to bite the bullet.
Read More →
Auto Group Acquires Third Nissan Rooftop
Iowa-based Coleman Automotive Group recently acquired its seventh dealership, McGrath Nissan, which it renamed Nissan of Elgin.
Read More →
April Less Affordable
Based on prices, reduced incentives and slower household income growth, consumers found it more challenging to buy new last month, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
Building an Extraordinary F&I Agency
Work to determine your specialized talent, because that fact will determine everything about your agency’s future.
Read More →
Recipe for Compliance
The secret to both amazing barbecue and compliance is the same: understanding the basics and committing to a process.
Read More →
EVs Getting More Attractive
A growing percentage of U.S. consumers are open to switching and fewer are adverse to the idea, according to a recently completed survey. That’s despite the end of a tax break.
Read More →
EV Sales Drop in April Following Surge
North American electric-vehicle sales were down 28% year-over-year, a sharp contrast from global EV sales growth of 6%.
Read More →