Assembly line

If I had a penny forever supposed automotive expert that told me Chrysler would be dead by spring, I’d have a full tank of gas. I couldn’t help it — I bet for Mopar every time. While the dangling Pentastar has taken a few nicks, it’s still glimmering with hope for Michigan people who lean tough on some aspect of the domestic automotive industry.

Here it is June, and the assembly lines are cranking up for first, second and third shifts, and pension checks have been sent out. Chrysler, who has long been the bronze contender of Detroit, is still hanging on as Big GM and Classic Ford switch from first to second.

Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy freeze last week. They’re not out of the woods, but they’re still in business. My father, a Chrysler loyalist forever, in his usual stoic die hard way has been forwarding me emails circulating amongst his fellow retirees, with cautious, skeptical splinters of pride. While many of those who bleed Chrysler blood have lost big this year — from line workers, to engineers and admin assistants to vps and 789 dealers and their employees — it’s still astounding that this scrappy company knows how to morph into viability. (How many new Chryslers are on the road? How many new cars, period, are leaving dealerships?)

It seems at last the company is back to business as usual — management reconfigurations. For as long as I’ve known Chrysler execs they’ve played musical jobs. At least some of their key players have held on, like everyone’s favorite 300C design chief Ralph Gilles.

A lot of work remains ahead and probably some more growing pains, as Chrysler attempts to blend with Italian leadership. This wasn’t a smooth process when Daimler swooped in after the then CEO sold his company out. I have my own war stories from a summer stint in the U.S. Newsroom in ‘98 racing to get the company clips out first.

There are positives in quality of life for workers with this exposure to the Italian way of doing business– expect really good coffee in the Auburn Hills cafeteria and possible shutdown at lunchtime. Fresh from my own adventures in Italy, I can help but think that some notion of irreverent romance will add a little sauce to the pragmatic Midwestern disposition.

Sometimes mergers produce twists of fate in the epilogue from — I’ve heard that for those Chrysler investors who didn’t dump stocks, their Daimler holdings are looking up. I’m not throwing my vintage Dodge gear on eBay anytime soon.

Here’s how company docs are explaining business as usual:
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 from a global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, produces Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Mopar® brand vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete effectively on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler’s culture of innovation, first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925, and Fiat’s complementary technology.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group LLC’s product lineup features some of the world’s most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram. Fiat will contribute world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-sized cars, allowing Chrysler Group LLC to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

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