Volkswagen and Porsche are no strangers to bumps on the road to their reunification. That the planned merger would be held up by the legal liabilities hanging over Porsche as a result of its stakebuilding in VW three years ago was always a strong possibility. Claims by irate investors run to billions of euros. So far, all is indecisiveness: US courts must decide whether they have jurisdiction, and German prosecutors must consider pursuing a criminal case against former Porsche executives. That, in turn, could influence the prospects for successful civil litigation. With no chance of clarity on these questions in the near term, the companies have called off any plans for a deal in 2011. Investors are entitled to be baffled about what happens next.
大眾(Volkswagen)和保時捷(Porsche)兩家對重新合併之路上的障礙並不陌生。保時捷三年前大舉增持大眾股份所引發的法律麻煩致使合併計劃擱淺，一直是一個很大的可能性。憤怒的投資者要求賠償，總金額高達數十億歐元。至今爲止，一切都還未有定論：美國的法庭必須就自己是否具有管轄權作出裁決；德國檢方尚未確定是否要對保時捷的一些前任高階主管提起刑事訴訟，而這進而將影響民事訴訟的成功希望。鑑於上述問題近期內無法明朗，兩家公司已取消了在2011年內達成協議的計劃。投資者有理由對下一步將發生什麼感到困惑。