Word: chrysler
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...reorganized Chrysler Group LLC postponed the annual press preview of new cars at its proving ground near Chelsea, Mich. - all part of the production stoppage while the company waited out bankruptcy proceedings. But even during that downtime, Chrysler's American engineers and designers were busily exchanging notes with their counterparts at Fiat, just as they have been doing for the past six months...
...What will come of all this cross-fertilization? With the Supreme Court blessing of the deal that released Chrysler from bankruptcy, the discussions and note exchanges are quickly shifting into high-powered design collaboration that will soon reshape the beleaguered automaker's future product plans, including a big, new emphasis on smaller vehicles with spiffy little engines. (See the top 10 bankruptcies...
...Think Chrysler Lite. "Fiat already has the lowest C02-emitting engines in Europe," says a Chrysler official privy to the product discussions, who asked not to be identified. "Their strength is our opportunity," he gushes. Chrysler is eager to get new vehicles on the road adapting subcompact and compact car architecture, he adds. "We might not sell a minicar in the U.S., but we could sell it somewhere else." But there's a big potential U.S. play too: "We also have to worry about the new [fuel-economy] standards," he says...
...what's his strategy? Marchionne is likely to hew closely to the playbook he used to revive Fiat. On June 10, the day Fiat sealed the deal, he announced a thorough organizational revamp. From now on, each of the four individual brands - Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Mopar (which makes parts) - will be distinct business units responsible for profit and loss. He also reached deep into the ranks, bypassing the engineers and putting a younger, energetic generation of managers with marketing experience in charge of the brands. "That's a mirror image of what he did at Fiat," says a longtime...
...first memo to Chrysler employees, Marchionne talked about that record. "Five years ago, I stepped into a very similar situation at Fiat. It was perceived by many as a failing, lethargic automaker that produced low-quality cars and was stymied by endless bureaucracies," he wrote. Giving his version of the turnaround - hard work, tough choices, heavy investment and a culture "where everyone is expected to lead" - he promised that "we can and will accomplish the same results here." Even if Fiat doesn't become the next Apple, everyone from the President to the survivors on the Jeep shop...