An Interesting Story

How DaimlerChrysler Died

Daimler-Benz chairman Juergen Schrempp and Chrysler’s chairman Bob Eaton shook hands in London on May 6, 1998, after agreeing to merge their companies in what became referred to as the “Merger of Equals.” Except there was nothing equal about it; Mercedes took Chrysler to the cleaners.

Clearly, there’s just so much to talk about with the whole DaimlerChrysler merger, but this video is a solid summary of one of the most interesting and volatile bits of recent automotive history.

Video link (Jalopnik.com)

Duh?

Marchionne says the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart were terrible investments for FCA 

FCA chief expects crossover and SUV sales to remain strong.

"I can tell you right now that both the Chrysler 200 and the Dodge Dart, as great products as they were, were the least financially rewarding enterprises that we've carried out inside FCA in the last eight years," Marchionne said. "I don't know one investment that was as bad as these two were."

Marchionne was responding to a question about whether he felt the company's shift toward trucks and SUVs and sacrifice in sedan development was shortsighted. Marchionne said he felt that the market would likely continue to be strong for trucks and SUVs, and that the sedan market requires enormous investment that might not pay off. He used the 200 and Dart as examples.

(AutoBlog.com)