Toyota North American President Joins Chrysler as President

[Sean Malone]

Cerberus' second big wig from Toyota. Add the guy from home Depot I'll be interested to see what becomes of the Chrysler group in the next 5/10 years.

Chrysler Hires Jim Press From Toyota as President (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aRJkGZPnKh4E&refer=home)

With the success of the rear wheel platform in the new 300 and out from underneath the conflicts of Mercedes in the luxury market, I'd like to see a true luxury line from Chrysler, not the wanna be faux line they've always had.
But they need to use a global standard, not Lincoln, which has fallen off the map in my opinion or even Caddy who has been in the shadow of Japanese and European luxury cars for two decades.

[Ankf00]

Add the guy from home Depot I'll be interested to see what becomes of the Chrysler group in the next 5/10 years.


Nardelli's the guy who tried his best to run Home Depot into the ground and in a few short years turned the corporate offices from a place that people loved going to work in the morning to a place they all loathed. I see nothing but the best in his future :)


In other us auto news, apparently Mulally's been having regular meetings with Renault's Ghosn over the past few months.

[Sean Malone]

Nardelli's the guy who tried his best to run Home Depot into the ground and in a few short years turned the corporate offices from a place that people loved going to work in the morning to a place they all loathed. I see nothing but the best in his future :)


In other us auto news, apparently Mulally's been having regular meetings with Renault's Ghosn over the past few months.

Yeah, those Nissan merger rumors continue...what remains to be seen is who their dancing partner will be when the music stops.

[dando]

Nardelli's the guy who tried his best to run Home Depot into the ground and in a few short years turned the corporate offices from a place that people loved going to work in the morning to a place they all loathed. I see nothing but the best in his future :)


Tried? He succeeded, IMO. I used to be a long-time HD customer and shareholder. Now I shop @ Lowe's and have sold off my stock. :\

-Kevin

[Andrew Longman]

With the success of the rear wheel platform in the new 300...

Tranny back is out of a Mercedes. First and only common assembly the companies shared in 10 years together. Another reason the marriage failed. I wonder what the future of that platform actually is now.

I think the company is screwed. The market doesn't need their capacity. They have little brand loyalty. They have no competitive advantage in engineering or technology (except arguably in 4WD, but that is slipping). They have way too many dealers. Healthcare costs are killing them. They have some marketing savvy in the early 90s but seem to have lost that.

About the only thing they've shown to be good at supply chain but they seem to thrive on adversarial supplier relationships, so in the end T and H are far better than them at that too.

[Sean Malone]

Tranny back is out of a Mercedes. First and only common assembly the companies shared in 10 years together. Another reason the marriage failed. I wonder what the future of that platform actually is now.

I think the company is screwed. The market doesn't need their capacity. They have little brand loyalty. They have no competitive advantage in engineering or technology (except arguably in 4WD, but that is slipping). They have way too many dealers. Healthcare costs are killing them. They have some marketing savvy in the early 90s but seem to have lost that.

About the only thing they've shown to be good at supply chain but they seem to thrive on adversarial supplier relationships, so in the end T and H are far better than them at that too.


True and valid points all, but in the end it's all about the product.
Chysler has and always have had rear wheel drive vehicles, losing a Mercedes rear end is not the end of that line.
The brand loyalty is not what I would call stellar but I see a lot of Dodge NASCAR hats around. Dodge guys are quirky loyal fella's who love quirky Dodge cars (i.e. new Daytona).
It's my understanding that the healthcare costs that are killing GM and Ford are not as unmanageable at Chrysler.

the right leadership with the right product...Lutz showed us that in the '90's.

[Andrew Longman]

Their rear wheeled vehicles have historically been trucks. They've pushed front drive cars since the K car.

Yes it is about product. Chrysler did well with the minivan when no one else was making minivans. Even despite terrible quality problems they sold a lot of them.

But both their original minivan and the 96 update were made despite huge resistance from leadership including Iacocca and Lutz. And both those vans probably saved the company from bankrupcy. Lutz did do a lot to shake the design group up there, but Chrysler doesn't have a history of showing up with the right car at the right time.

Right now for example, while the market is going to more green and fuel efficient cars, Chrysler is pushing big, muscular rear drive cars with hemis. There is a market for them, just not a very big one.

Maybe that's what will happen to Chrysler. They will become a much smaller producer of niche cars. And eventually they'll get bought by another car company.

[Sean Malone]

Their rear wheeled vehicles have historically been trucks. They've pushed front drive cars since the K car.

Correct but also historically in terms of the big three a live rear axle shared sedan/pickup duties. The 8 3/4 Mopar in their last rear drive sedan was the same one in their pickup (actually the same one that's in my 2003 Dakota).


Right now for example, while the market is going to more green and fuel efficient cars, Chrysler is pushing big, muscular rear drive cars with hemis. There is a market for them, just not a very big one.

Maybe that's what will happen to Chrysler. They will become a much smaller producer of niche cars. And eventually they'll get bought by another car company.

Which may not be such a bad thing. The small quirky group of Chrysler group loyalists will continue to buy their niche quirky cars. The world has enough Camry's / Accords.

[Ankf00]

Chrysler will have to unload loads of plants and pensions if they're going to count on a small quirky group of people to keep them in the black. Too many of Ford's and Chrysler's customers shop them against .jp and .eu options, GM's the only one with enough brand loyalty to matter.

[Sherriff] Camry/Accords pull a lot water in this town. Dodge Chargers don't pull s***. [/of Malibu]

[Gnam]

Maybe that's what will happen to Chrysler. They will become a much smaller producer of niche cars.
Chrysler is the new Ferrari. :gomer:
Is 2009 too soon for a new Superbird?

[Sean Malone]

Chrysler is the new Ferrari. :gomer:
Is 2009 too soon for a new Superbird?

Well, they did badge the Lambo F1 engine when they owned them for a short time. Used to have a pic. :(