Posts Tagged “Dodge”

If you’ve been reading the papers or watching TV, it would be hard to have missed the debacle that is one-third of what was once Detroit’s Big Three, Chrylser Corporation. There’s a lot at play here – the ObamaNation putting it’s thumb on the scales to tip them in favor of the unions (in a REAL bankruptcy, union contracts are immediately held null and void, as are pension funds and other benefits), the idea that bond holders should head to the back of the line, the giveaway to Fiat (they aren’t BUYing anything…just taking what’s left of Chrysler as a favor).

What amazes me, however, is that the media – on both the left AND the right – is confused about why Chrysler (or let’s get real: The Treasury Dept.) wants to can almost 800 loyal ChryslerCo dealers today.

First, a couple of disclaimers – my wife and I both drive Jeeps, I’m a big fan of the Wrangler, and I used to work for an agency that did ads for car dealers, exclusively.

Congressmen, pundits and TV talking heads are all up in arms about the dealer bloodletting, claiming there’s no reason to kill off dealerships, and that “fewer dealers means fewer sales.”

Balderdash. Read the rest of this entry »

Jeep. There's Only One.

And then there were two. ChryCerebus has turned the page to Chapter 11 (as opposed to turning the corner), and what’s left looks a lot like Crissis-ler. The conventional wisdom is that Chrysler is toast (the brand, not the company), Dodge is on the bubble, and Jeep is the only brand that has actual worth in a Detroit-style fire sale. Fair enough. For the sake of argument, let’s pretend that, with the bankruptcy, Chrysler is able to shed it’s legacy costs and indentured servitude to the unions union contracts, and can either move forward as a leaner, meaner company, or sell its assets in liquidation. With the Chrysler brand D.O.A., and Dodge coughing up blood, let’s examine the best way to save Jeep, either as a stand-alone company or as something worth acquiring, and allow me make an out in left-field proposal for who should buy Jeep, wheel-lock, stock and barrel. Read the rest of this entry »