LOS ANGELES -- It's a little like the homecoming queen and the quarterback breaking up right before the big dance.
Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. seemed like perfect partners, at least in terms of technology-sharing. But now Ford says the partnership is basically over following last year's divestiture of most of its Mazda stock.
Yet there are two sides to every story. Mazda CEO Takashi Yamanouchi recently said Mazda is still going steady with Ford and the technical collaboration will continue.
Who's right? It helps to look at how the relationship has evolved.