I hate this. Almost makes me want to cheat on my taxes.

Should say NOW OWNED....

The Great Italian Auto Bailout — Courtesy of U.S. Taxpayers

 

Maybe they'll get rid of the UAW.

 

I guess the more extreme the source the more you believe it, I think that guess of mine fits your sig.
Get your news from more reliable sources and then come back here. Oh, I forgot we have no political forum, so I guess you are out of luck.
For your own interest find out how much Chrysler has paid back. There is no mention of the fact that Canada put money in to the pot, leaving everyone with the wrong conclusion that it was a US only deal.

 

Hate to go political but there is now way not to here.


The UAW is the reason the White House chose Fiat. Fiat is pro union. Pacific rim Auto makers are not.


Not to worry. The Chrysler of today is not, and has not been, the Mopar we all came to know and love. After Darnelli, how could it ever be?


just my 2 cents.

 

Breaking news here.....not so much.

Why do you think FIAT made the attempt to come back to the US?
Why do you see Peugeot vans badged as Dodge on the lots?
Guess what chassis the Dart is based off of.

This is quite old news.

Doesn't bother me one bit. FIAT corp owns a lot of brands and sells a lot of cars throughout Europe. Obviously they know what works and how to remain successful, something none of the big '3' could figure out in this day and age.
Think about all the European technology that is trickling into Chrysler's platforms, bringing them on par with, and even slightly better than, the other domestic competitors.

Imagine how cool it would have been to have a turbo diesel option in our Xfires?!

 

The only thing I have seen out of Fiat that I have liked so far is the interior of the Grand Cherokee...I was very tempted to buy another one before I bought the MB E-350. But the new Cherokee.....really looks weird to me...so, I don't really care either way...I have nothing against Fiat.

 

More conservative clap trap. Do you guys realize that the Chrysler Crossfire is a German car? Geez, what short memories you have!

 

Oh please educate me Mr. Onehundred. I grovel at your feet for thirst of your great wisdom.

Gimme a break dude.

 

And damm glad of it. Are you aware that nothing in the Crossfire is Chrysler? Much less that Daimler and Fiat are at opposite ends of the automotive spectrum?

German beats the hell out of the Italian stuff Fiat couldn't sell here before. Putting a Fiat under a Dodge is like mating a Chihuahua to a Golden retriever.


I would love to have seen what Mitsubishi, Hyundai, or Mazda would have done with the Chrysler line.

 

Can you say Pontiac? That is where Chrysler belongs... Dodge has always ruled. I think I am actually driving a Volkswagon...since it was made at Karmann plant...Although my son's Volkswagon is pretty nice...and a little diesel to boot... So, it is a car... a ******* car at that. But there have been some really cool ******* cars over the years...
Franc, don't insult the Italians....you never know who Tony knows...lol. Besides, those Italian women....va va va boom....baby...

 

I have no problem with Italians. My favorite food and wines. But their cars,,,,not so much.


Pontiac? I love Pontiacs but, I do not get the connection.

 

He means axing Chrysler like GM did to Pontiac, I think.

 

But then he says Dodge has always ruled. Ain't Dodge and Chrysler the same company?
Pontiac, like Oldsmobile, was just a different label on a Chevy. Dropping that uninspired brand was inevitable.




At any rate,,,,,I wish Chrysler and GM had gone thru normal bankruptcies. Assets and brands would have been snapped up by competitors without putting Taxpayer dollars at risk.


The resulting companies, and their products, would have been stronger.


Fiat was literally chosen to take over Chrysler. Windfall for them. Mitsubishi or Hyundai would have loved a shot at the dealerships and production plants.


In any event, we are not likely to see any product like the Crossie from what is left of the Chrysler brand.

 

It helps if a post has reference to the post it is in reply to. Otherwise everyone is often left in the dark.

Could you like to explain this post.
Pontiac .... Chrysler?
Volkswagen ..... Karmann?
What are the ********, is that a no no word for a German or an Italian?

 

This kind of rant has always confused me. For some time now we have had world cars. Heck the original Cadillac CTS was an Opel.

Imagine it was started by the fact that FIAT is buying out the UAWs 41% of Chrysler. (actually Chrysler itself is putting up most of the cash) which will pave the way to a single North American organization

One thing I learned a long time ago was that an engine does not care whose name is on the valve cover, it is the design that is important.

Bought my WK2 based on design, price, and ability to fill my need not the name on the grille (though prefer an American name).

Do not understand why the E32 has a 8.5 quart oil fill or needs premium fuel but those are different issues.

So could say that my cars both stem from the MB period & the FIAT merger really did not matter (though it seems the Jeep '14 GCs have Italian electrics).

 

Cross fertilization isn"t uncommon in any manufacturingprocess. But I take issue with your logic here. by your logic the quality of an Opelis equivalent to that of a Caddilac. While the engine cares little about the name onthe valve cover, car buyers do.

Quality can be defined in many ways but I find the most universal is Quality equals meeting the expectations of the customer. And when said customer buys a Chrysler 300C he doesn't expect a Fiat 500 under the skin.

When that happens, it destroys any credibility the brand has.

So, I submit that the fact many components of any car come from all over the world, the assembly of those components is the reputation of that name on the engine cover.

Many here bought the Crossfire because it was a Chrysler brand. And many bought it because it said Diamiler Benz Karman on the valve cover and everything underneath the skin. At least it said so on the build sheet. I would also submit that had it said Fiat anywhere, most of us here would be driving something else.

 

I thought the Catera was made in Germany and based on an Opel, the CTS was a new design and made in the US.
My buddy had a Catera, nice car and well made.

 

Precisely, that's why North American cars became famous for their lack of quality, Cadillac included.

 

You are correct and why I said "the original" referring to the Catera Touring Sedan which was an Opel and not the later one assembled in China for a while.

(China is part of the reason Buick was kept and Pontiac was dropped).

 

Getting back to the subject at hand,

In “saving” the American auto industry, our nation ( andthe Canadians) gave an American company away. And we gave it away at the expense of pension funds and other secured creditors, which were given a much smaller stake in the new company than they would have been given under traditional bankruptcy proceedings. American manufacturing workers also lost out on the deal; many are now hostages to the woes of Fiat and the Italian economy.
According to Barron’s, “Chrysler’s resurgence has been so strong that it now provides a lifeline for Turin’s Fiat, which faces serious challenges in Western Europe.” Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told Barron’s: “The Fiat Group has a future because of Chrysler.” Similarly, Bloomberg reported that, “without Chrysler, the Italian automaker would have posted a first-quarter net loss” in 2012.


Turin Fiat had a credit rating of B+ in 2008 and 2009 when America infused some $12 Billion into the deal. Without the ability to expand on the windfall of Chrysler's entire organization essentialy falling into Fiat's lap, Turin Fiat was about to suffer great losses.

And now the formerly worthless stock held by the UAW Unions (assuming Chrysler would have gone bankrupt normaly) they get $4.4 billion for their shares. Nice windfall for them.

What does America, and Canada for that matter, get? Well some jobs could be attributed perhaps. But we do not get the company that brought us the Crossfire or any of the other great products manyof us enjoyed over the years. We will get instead, Fiats.

Perhaps a Chrysler badged Maseratti in the pack....ya know, like the Chrylser Maserrati TC.

Whoopie