“Daimler: Chrysler worth nothing.” Thwack. “A World Without Chrysler Considered by Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com.” Ugh. “Chrysler to cut 25 percent of salaried work force. ” Ow. “GM/Chrysler Job Cuts Just Part Of Very Scary Times. These are scary times in Detroit.” Eeeh. These are the headlines coming across the wire today.
It’s not the first, the second or the sixtieth time that auto analysts’ crystal balls have professed doom and gloom for Chrysler. The business page blood flows thick. Is this seminal Detroit car company going to drift away in takeover terror or dissolve into nothingness? Is Chrysler, vanguard of contemporary car culture, dead in the water, the casualty of a failed economy and an ailing industry? Tough to tell, but its certaintly a headline that sells and an accusation that stings Mopar heads worldwide.
To declare Chrysler worthless, as headlines have deemed it, seems hasty and oversimplified and probably just plain wrong. The talent that still is part of the Chrysler workforce, that’s been there before during or after Daimler, and the innovations that have taken place are worth more than a cash cow value. Truth be told, it makes me sad to see an icon cast as a nobody in the car game. Chrysler still can build a great car — the 2009 Dodge Challenger exemplifies that, as well as the new mini van and the big beefy Dodge Ram. Perhaps the timing isn’t optimal, but the ability to make a great product is something that evades even the leanest automaker.
As Chrysler has announced plans to go electric, it is pity that financial woes might deter this process. Chrysler has the resources to build a more eco-friendly popular vehicle that resonates with consumers. Experience should count for something. While my sentiments have nothing do to with fiscal reality, the value of Chrysler’s keen designers, Street Racing Technology program and no-nonsense engineering is crucial to the automotive industry. Contrary to the business page, cars are really not just about sales. Once upon a time, cars represented the future, and the race to bring innovation to market, to dazzle with ideas that were coveted and guarded with secrecy. Competition among car companies, domestic and foreign, represented a distinct American joie de vivre for progress. To merge with one of its longtime competitors may make sense on some levels also seems to be self-defeating in others. Will the government, a smart “car-guy” executive, or savvy competitor inject a boost to the Chrysler legacy before the clock runs down? Time will tell, but it’s a shame that in the scramble for financiers to recoup on their lost profit margins, a vertebrae of Detroit crumbles for good.
