Chrysler, already hurt by slow sales of its bread-and-butter pickups and SUVs, doesn't think things will improve any time soon. According to an email sent by CEO Bob Nardelli to Chrysler employees, he believes that sales will continue to spiral down the drain. So far, though, the third of the Detroit 3 isn't ready to announce any additional layoffs or plant closures. Chrysler must have had some really foresighted, or extremely pessimistic, people on the team who set early '08 predictions, as Nardelli claims that the company he's leading is still on track to achieve its goals.
Dodge has already shut the doors of its Saltillo plant in northern Mexico in an effort to "adjust" inventory levels of the current Ram pickup. The next vehicle set to debut for Dodge is the completely new Ram, which will appear just as gas prices have seriously trimmed truck sales. For Chrysler, the Hornet can't come soon enough.
Chrysler LLC chief Bob Nardelli is back to work after being laid up with a bad back the past couple of weeks, and here we didn't even know he was hurt. Some bloggers we are. Nardelli's injury didn't require surgery, and the Chrysler CEO worked from home while getting the rest needed to tend to Chrysler's turnaround plan. A Chrysler spokesperson didn't disclose how the injury occurred, but we're guessing the massive weight of the Pentastar's problems would be a hefty strain on anyone's back.
Last month, a major announcement was made regarding an effort between Nissan and Chrysler to share products. Specifically, Nissan will build a small car for Chrysler and receive a large truck in return. It seems as if the Pentastar brand could use some more help when it comes to offering the types of vehicles that the public wants as quickly as possible. To that end, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli says, "If we can have similar arrangements ... and it makes financial sense and supports our dealer network relative to what customers are telling them they want, we're going to go do it." What customers want is fuel efficient vehicles, something which Chrysler is not exactly well positioned with at the moment.
In related news, Nardelli also mentions that Chrysler sees hybrids and electric cars as the most viable options moving forward to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The first hybrid vehicles from Chrysler are expected to be the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUV's, which use a version of the dual mode hybrid system that is currently offered by GM on the Tahoe and Yukon.
We are just back from the kickoff keynote speech for the 2008 New York Auto Show and have to wonder where in the Big Apple we can score some of what Bob Nardelli is smoking. While his words sounded somewhat encouraging, they were about three months old for the most part and didn't sound terribly convincing to most ears. He outlined Chrysler's 4-point plan for the future, telling the assembled breakfast-seekers that enhancing the core, extending business, expanding the market, and executing flawlessly are the keys to Chrysler's future. OK, sure. That could apply to just about any enterprise. Using the company's global assets to reduce redundancies is obviously going to help, cutting non-profitable models and reducing the number of options and packages makes a lot of sense, too. His main focus was on product, pointing out that designing and building "aspirational" products was vital to getting people back into the Chrysler fold. We can understand how that leads to something like the Challenger, but the Journey doesn't seem like it meets that criteria as well. Maybe the briefly mentioned Grand Voyager and a Cherokee with a "special" roof will surprise us later today. We shouldn't be too hard on Nardelli and Chrysler, as the company is working on turning itself round. Unfortunately, this company's got a large turning radius.
We are just back from the kickoff keynote speech for the 2008 New York Auto Show and have to wonder where in the Big Apple we can score some of what Bob Nardelli is smoking. While his words sounded somewhat encouraging, they were about three months old for the most part and didn't sound terribly convincing to most ears. He outlined Chrysler's 4-point plan for the future, telling the assembled breakfast-seekers that enhancing the core, extending business, expanding the market, and executing flawlessly are the keys to Chrysler's future. OK, sure. That could apply to just about any enterprise. Using the company's global assets to reduce redundancies is obviously going to help, cutting non-profitable models and reducing the number of options and packages makes a lot of sense, too. His main focus was on product, pointing out that designing and building "aspirational" products was vital to getting people back into the Chrysler fold. We can understand how that leads to something like the Challenger, but the Journey doesn't seem like it meets that criteria as well. Maybe the briefly mentioned Grand Voyager and a Cherokee with a "special" roof will surprise us later today. We shouldn't be too hard on Nardelli and Chrysler, as the company is working on turning itself round. Unfortunately, this company's got a large turning radius.
