Darkwing wrote:
Is Cessna looking at it as a huge shortcut to building (and just adding
overnight) composite aircraft to their piston single lineup? I personally
like the Columbia line, if I had an extra half million laying around I would
love to have a 400.

I expect mostly that Textron thought they could make a go of it.
Textron (parent of Cessna, Lycoming, Bell Helicopter, Macauley,
EZ GO, Greenlee, Jacobson Lawm Mowers, and a whole slew of little
guys including my company) is the original conglomerate. They're
very acquisition minded of companies with earning and growth
potential especially when it fits in with areas they think
are gaps in their capabilities.