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BusinessWeek has an interesting piece on Marchionne’s speed dating interview technique. “Chrysler executives say that Marchionne has taken what for them seemed an unorthodox approach to sorting out the talent pool he inherited. He did fast, 15- or 20-minute interviews with more than 100 executives, often asking what they thought of their superiors, what their strengths and weaknesses were, as well as what they thought of certain peers. ‘The questions were very blunt,’ said one staff executive. ‘It was a drill the likes of which I had never been through before.'” No signs of analysis paralysis here.
Swedish supercar firm Koenigsegg has signed a letter of intent to purchase Saab, reports Reuters. “Final negotiations about details on the deal will go on in the next months.” Meanwhile, imagine the synergies. On the one hand, 1,000 hp+ supercars, on the other the 9-5. High tech plutocrats and befuddled history professors shopping under one roof. How do you say schizophrenia in Swedish? Speaking of crazy, who else is dying to know how much Saab is being purchased for? Or is this one of those Marchionne-style, no-money-down deals?
What do you make of this, then: “We do not have a specific target in terms of years, The mere issuance of that blueprint, we believe, would be market disruptive.” So sayeth Ron Bloom, leader of the Presidential Task Force on Automobiles and architect of Uncle Sam’s $100 billion plus GM/Chrysler bailout. Ron was testifying to the Senate Banking Committee re: the Obama administration’s timetable to extricate the government from the domestic automotive industry. But wait! That’s all! The government will divest itself of its 60 percent stake in GM “as soon as is practicable,” Bloom said, but “I certainly by no means would say that I am confident that will occur.” What? EVER?
TTAC commentator doctorv8 writes:
My beloved 2005 CL65 AMG (https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/mercedes-cl65-amg/) is about to meet its maker after the lease ends next month. As a soon-to-be-displaced torque junkie coming off a 36-month fix, I must have another AMG-tuned twin turbo V12. Because that’s how I roll: completely high on big-block turbo boost and grinning like an idiot. Never thought MB could outdo themselves after they introduced the 604 HP twin turbo V12 in 2005, but with the new SL65 AMG Black Series, they have seemingly done exactly that.
As much as I have tried to resist that muscular flared carbon fiber intense bodywork that conceals the most powerful engine ever installed by those nutjobs at AMG….after seeing an especially stunning one locally, it has become difficult to justify waiting for prices to drop.
But obviously there are concerns about an expenditure this large, so I wanted your opinion . . .
Let’s assume you do about 5000 miles of commuting a year. It’s a typical miserable commute. But the job is great and come hell or deficit spending, you’ll be there as long as you like. While daydreaming about those glorious TPS reports you get to write every day, there’s a knock on your door. The fellow down the street who you’ve known since Clinton was enjoying his office has an offer you. “If you pay me $20 a week to help me with gas, I’ll drop you off at work and pick you up every day until 2020.” Your friend also offers you his car for those times when he’s on vacation, and should he move, die, or become another OJ, you get his car free and clear. The spouse overhears the conversation and exclaims, “This is great! We can sell the car and become a one car family!” You don’t care because like most employees of Dunder Mifflin, cars mean nothing but transportation to you. Your life revolves around the office. Here’s the question:
China’s quality watchdog found cars made by Renault to have severe safety problems. China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) banned the Laguna Ph2, Scenic/Long Scenic, Megane Ph2 and Megane Ph2 Coupe-Cabriolet, Xinhua reports.
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Undeterred by the alleged frugality trend, Reuters held their Global Luxury Summit in swanky Paris. At this occasion, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, CEO of the pricey bubbly that goes by the same name, said: “I am a happiness producer. Figures do not interest me.” The Chinese are taking the same posture.
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Beijing Auto, a.k.a. BAIC, is not giving up on its aspirations for owning a western brand. They came a little late in the race for Opel, and were used as bogeymen to pressure everybody into an 11th hour deal (which is in doubt). Just two days ago, BAIC was rumored to covet Saab. What else is for sale? Ah, yes, Volvo. The WSJ has it on good authority that BAIC “has expressed interest in acquiring Volvo, becoming the second Chinese company to eye the Swedish unit of Ford Motor Co.” The first Chinese company wooing Volvo of course is Geely—maybe.
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Tesla Motors says it’s delivered 500 Roadsters to date. Rather than keeping overheads low and consolidating its position in the EV sports car market, Tesla is busy expanding its dealer network and talking up the Model S. One wonders how Martin Eberhard, Tesla’s ousted founder feels about the company’s current direction. Probably pretty good; like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Eberhard is one of those big picture guys. But there’s one thing for sure: there’s no love lost between Marty and Elon. In fact, Eberhard is suing Musk for defamation. Have a look at the the court filing pdf here. This is one of those original sources that’s actually well worth reading—if you’re a fan of ego wars. And who isn’t? Humor much? Oh yeah.
The NYT Wheels blog has connected the dots between Fiat and Tata, and have concluded that the Nano could eventually be sold through Fiat at US Chrysler dealers. Tata and FIat have already discussed the possibility of selling the Nano in “markets where Fiat has already a strong presence.” Since the Nano is officially coming stateside in 2011, perhaps they decided that “where Chrysler has already a presence” is close enough. The Times mentions that Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne likes to talk about a Fiat budget brand, and suggests that Autobianchi might be a fun monikker to dust off. But why not just call it a Dodge or Chrysler? Since the 500 is going to be the only Fiat headed stateside, Tata’s volkswagen will either suit up in ChryCo colors or lock the dealer net into open competition with Roger Penske’s Wide World Of Cars. “Come on down folks! A car from every continent!” We now return you to the rescue of the American auto industry, already in progress.
Sergio Marchionne’s introductory epistle [via the Detroit Free Press] isn’t blessed with the same opportunities for self-congratulation as outgoing Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli’s. Instead, optimism is name of the game. And as Marchionne puts it, this isn’t the first time he’s stepped into “[what many perceived as] a failing, lethargic automaker that produced low-quality cars and was stymied by endless bureaucracies.” But, “through hard work and tough choices, we have remade Fiat into a profitable company that produces some of the most popular, reliable and environmentally friendly cars in the world.” Sergio thinks the same thing can happen at Chrysler. Could it possibly get worse?
Readers of a certain age will recognize the latter part of this headline as the “gag” title above a Boston Globe editorial about President Carter—that somehow made it into print. I evoke it here because ex-ChryCo CEO Bob Nardelli’s goodbye letter to his troops involves a different sort of gag response. While you’re invited to read the full text after the jump, here’s the short version: I didn’t fuck up. I mean, he. Nardelli. Bob the Un-Builder. The Home Depot despot. A man who drove not one but two large corporations into the dirt.
Buick: Enclave, LaCrosse, Lucerne
Cadillac: CTS/CTS-V, CTS Sport Wagon, DTS/DTS Platinum, Escalade/ESV/EXT/Platinum, Escalade Hybrid/Platinum Hybrid, SRX, STS
Chevrolet Cars: Aveo Sedan/Aveo5, Camaro/Camaro SS, Cobalt/Cobalt SS, Corvette/Corvette Z06, Corvette Grand Sport, Corvette ZR1, Impala, Malibu
Chevrolet Trucks: Avalanche, Colorado, Equinox, Express, HHR/Panel/SS, Silverado 1500, Silverado HD, Silverado Hybrid, Suburban, Tahoe, Tahoe Hybrid, Traverse
GMC: Acadia, Canyon, Savana, Sierra 1500/Denali, Sierra HD, Sierra Hybrid, Terrain, Yukon & Yukon Denali/Yukon XL & Yukon XL Denali, Yukon Hybrid/Denali Hybrid
Pontiac: Vibe
NB: The Chevrolet Volt is currently scheduled for “late 2010” as a 2011 model year vehicle. [thanks to JT for the heads up.]
“I don’t know anything about cars. A business is a business, and I think I can learn about cars. I’m not that old, and I think the business principles are the same.”
—Incoming GM Chairman Edward Whitacre Jr. admits his lack of auto experience to Bloomberg
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