Now Chrysler Talks To Fiat

[Dick]

http://channels.isp.netscape.com/pf/...10&floc=NI-mo1

[memnoch451]

You know who needs to buy the Star???

We do... People who like cars and want to make the star the proud company that it once was. IF Fiat buys them it's for part or to.... Bring back the spider... YIKES!!!!!!

[TL]

If FIat buys them do they get the 4 billion or the 1.5 billion? Not that I think everyone is crying wolf. I am sure these are the most honorable peaple. Espesialy the one makeing 21 million a year. I bet he can spell good too.

[Stoga]

At this point, who knows what may happen? As the article says, this may help Fiat sell it's small cars and with the discontinuation of the Neon, Chrysler could use some help in that area. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be another rape and pillage like the Benz merger.

[Walkercolt]

Fiat would also like to bring their heavy truck line into the US without the 200% tarriff. The article failed to mention Fiat also owns and builds Masseratti and Ferrari and Moto-Guzzi Motocycles and the Bimota motorcycle frame company. Fiat is the world's second largest auto maker, although many of their products are built in other countries under license, like in Brazil, The Czech Republic, The Ukraine, Spain, maybe still in Russia, in Sweden and Norway, and in several Pacific Rim countries

[dodger1]

Good point, w.c. A little injection of Alfa/Maserati/Ferrari genes wouldn't hurt Chrysler. On the other hand, what does a company (a very large one, as mentioned) have to gain by investing in Chrysler? Ask Daimler-Benz! I still see a parting-out of brand names and nothing more. But one can always hope!!

[Walkercolt]

Well, D-B wanted better "market penitration" of their M-B's. Then D-C's sucess with SUV's alarmed the Germans, and they thought they were "losing sales" of M-B's at similar prices. D-B also wanted to import their medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. D-B did gain former Chrysler plants in Mexico and Brazil to make mainly engines for their "mini-cars" that aren't sold in the US.(Like the "A"). D-B also learned some things about the US market they didn't like to find out. One big one is that M-B, BMW, VW/Audi/Porche all share a nearly fixed amount of the US market, that has been pretty much constant since the end of the Beetle. And just like in Europe, they've lost gound to the Japanese car companies. especailly in the luxury car market. Benz's AMG plant couldn't cope with the sucess of the new Hemi and the Charger/300. The AMG plant couldn't build the performance and handling at a US price-point. To Benz, every 300 and Charger sold was one less E-class sold(similar priced and sized). But we gained the Sprinter. Which is a clone of the Nissan, Toyota, M-B, Volvo, Fiat,Sterling and everybody else in the world....just watch the world news and look for UPS trucks and ambulances. Except for the grilles and the emblem on the front, they're all the same.

[buckneccid]

Wasn't there a Maserati Le Baron for a year or two?

[Walkercolt]

YUP! A waste of a nameplate. Supposedly Masseratti did the body design, which to me sounded very stange at the time, because Pinifarina was doing the design work for almost all Italian cars. The styling was almost as exciting and bold as a Toyota Corrolla Hatchback. Take an "EKC"(Extended K Car) and round off the edges, and you have the "Le Baron". They sold like cold-cakes, and I think they were all or almost all convertables, and no "glas" tops from Chrysler for them. 2.2L turbos, and maybe some 3 L V-6's. They broke no new ground for performance or styling. They did have the "Trident" emblem on the hood. That MUST have added 75HP to them.....

[buckneccid]

I thought they almost "whelmed" the market place, sure didn't overwhelm it... but that may be the contact for Fiat. With our illustrious leaders in Washington, that could be enough of a "long and positive relationship" for them to approve the merger and offer some bailout/incentive money to get the deal done.

[cageman]

Its already a done deal, Fiat gets a 35% share in Chrysler.

[Dick]

http://channels.isp.netscape.com/pf/...10&floc=NI-mo1

[Frankie]

Do you think we'll get a Dodge Topolino out of all of this?

[cageman]

I dont see how Chrysler can ever make any money now, Daimler still has a hand in it, Cerberus still has a hand, and now Fiat. It is like starting a business with four people, all want the profit with as little work or investment. Then you have four ideas on everything, I dont think this will be good.

[Dick]

As I understand it, no money changed hands, nor will it. Fiat gets 35% and Chrysler enlarges their network and gets to share technology.

Fiat also said that their share may increase but they weren't investing cash.

Fiat was in bed with GM a few years back. Once that died out, their representation in the US market diminished.

If this goes south, they really don't have any risk. If Chrysler survives, Fiat will share in the success. If Chrysler fails, Fiat will just look for another way in.

This could be like a parasite that feeds off its host until the host is dead. Then it looks for another.

Too bad that Chrysler employees can't do a "Harley Davidson" and buy the company themselves. Get rid of the money people, keep the cash in the business and show the world what good people can do to save their company.

[cageman]

Yeah, no doubt.
Is there enough employess left that can actually pool there money up, LOL

[dodger1]

Probably there are enough, but where will they borrow the money? No one is loaning any, the (U.S.) banks that got bailed out apparently have no intention of loaning any of your tax dollars out!

[ehostler]

They aren't in talks to be bought. They are in talks to partner with them. Much like the old DiamondStar partnership that Chrysler had with Mitsubishi.

[Stoga]

Why does this merger remind me of the girl who always dates losers?
Every time Ma Mopar has a fling, she ends up with less money and some problems that need to be cured. Hope she doesn't end up with a black eye this time around.....or worse.

[Walkercolt]

If Fiat can learn to build low-revving small engines for the US market, or get them from Chrysler, it could be a win-win deal. US drivers never could grasp that some engines can(and will) live at high-rpms, so they wrecked Fiat's engines. I always told the Fiat/Lancia/Masserati dealer they should mark the tach with half the actual RPM's, and that might work. I was joking, almost. Anyway, Fiat has lots of cash, and boy is that needed. GM has done everything but lick Renault's rear-end to woo them, and they might try that soon. Renault helped Nissan big-time, pulling Nissan out of real trouble, and contributed their CVTransmission, even Jeep is using now.

[cageman]

which is a piece of crap.

[bjoehandley]

The CVT or the whole Jeep (guess what my thoughts are on the matter )

[Walkercolt]

Well, CVT technology has been around almost since the first automobiles. More gear ratios are "better" keeping the engine on it's powerband and then for cruising economy. CVT's have drawbacks like any transmission, and have advantages too. There's a number of things I don't like about the 45RFE in my Dakota compared to the 44RE in my '98, too. And my Mom's little Nissan pick-up with a Borg-Warner 3-speed auto had some things about it I loved. It had a drop-dead simple micro-switch(adjustable) kick-down. Totally predictable. The new electronic controlled trannies (like mine) could use that to a big advantage. Sorry, topic drift.

[cageman]

cvt, I hated driving one of those.
Then again, I also dont like regualr auto trans either, go figure.
vroooooooooooooooooom, whoa Im doing 80. No internal speed to shift monitoring in my head while driving.

[cageman]

Yeah new cars suck period. You cant even grind the ring gear any more when the car is running, and what ever happened to a throttle cable, ever had one go bad, but I hear more and mor eof the throttle motor going bad. Seat belt buzzers, tire pressure moniters that dont work when it is 30 degrees out, elctronic trans shift points, 47 catalytic convertors, super egr valves, 13 plugs per cylinder, mirrors that move when you put it in reverse, 27 lights that flash when the door is unlocked, and my all time favorite, independant rear suspension on a front drive car, what the heck for. Look at any newer car that has a person in the back seat, the poor tires are taking a beating these days as the camber is way off if you put a set of jumper cables in the trunk.
I guess that is why I drive old, the wife has the new, but she thinks all that stuff is cool, not me.

[TK]

The CVT......... I bet they won't tow worth a doo.

I forgot about the moving mirrors, god, I drove a new GMC that did that. Talk about annoying.

[TK]

Why does this merger remind me of the girl who always dates losers?
Every time Ma Mopar has a fling, she ends up with less money and some problems that need to be cured.

Ain't that the truth!