Sergio Marchionne on Time front cover

The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.

The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working well
and Chysler is recovering well so far.

Opinions?

DAS
--
To reply directly replace 'nospam' with 'schmetterling'
---

"DAS" > writes:

> The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.
>
> The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working well
> and Chysler is recovering well so far.
>
> Opinions?
>
> DAS

At the moment, it appears Fiat is doing everything I hoped and expected
Daimler was going to do. There's a new Lancia on the LX platform;
there've been substantial upgrades in the interiors of the
Chrysler/Dodge products; there's a new Dart coming on an Alfa platform.

actually the dart will be fiat based, not Alfa


"Joe Pfeiffer" > wrote in message
...
> "DAS" > writes:
>
>> The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.
>>
>> The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working well
>> and Chysler is recovering well so far.
>>
>> Opinions?
>>
>> DAS
>
> At the moment, it appears Fiat is doing everything I hoped and expected
> Daimler was going to do. There's a new Lancia on the LX platform;
> there've been substantial upgrades in the interiors of the
> Chrysler/Dodge products; there's a new Dart coming on an Alfa platform.

ok correction.....straight from the horses mouth.

http://www.media.chrysler.com/newsre...id=11816&mid=2








Read mo http://www.autonews.com/article/20111206/OEM04/111209929<meta
name=#ixzz1gIJBXXzm
"Rob" > wrote in message
g.com...
> actually the dart will be fiat based, not Alfa
>
>
> "Joe Pfeiffer" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "DAS" > writes:
>>
>>> The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.
>>>
>>> The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working
>>> well
>>> and Chysler is recovering well so far.
>>>
>>> Opinions?
>>>
>>> DAS
>>
>> At the moment, it appears Fiat is doing everything I hoped and expected
>> Daimler was going to do. There's a new Lancia on the LX platform;
>> there've been substantial upgrades in the interiors of the
>> Chrysler/Dodge products; there's a new Dart coming on an Alfa platform.
>
>

The (extensive) Time article also discussed issues like (Italian) management
attitudes, fit of product lines, elimination of badge engineering, clarity
of product segment identity and so on. Although there is little reference
to Daimler (who were not, after all, the last owners) it seems things are
going much better with Fiat (maybe because SM is in charge).

It seems to me that the aims and needs of the Daimler and Fiat managements
are quite different. As is widely known, Fiat automotive division itself
was a bit of a basket case before SM, though a lot of people forget that the
best 'mass' supercar manufacturer ever (Ferrari) is also in the Fiat stable.

DAS
--
To reply directly replace 'nospam' with 'schmetterling'
---
"Rob" > wrote in message
g.com...
> ok correction.....straight from the horses mouth.
>
> http://www.media.chrysler.com/newsre...id=11816&mid=2
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Read mo http://www.autonews.com/article/20111206/OEM04/111209929<meta
> name=#ixzz1gIJBXXzm
> "Rob" > wrote in message
> g.com...
>> actually the dart will be fiat based, not Alfa
>>
>>
>> "Joe Pfeiffer" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> "DAS" > writes:
>>>
>>>> The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.
>>>>
>>>> The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working
>>>> well
>>>> and Chysler is recovering well so far.
>>>>
>>>> Opinions?
>>>>
>>>> DAS
>>>
>>> At the moment, it appears Fiat is doing everything I hoped and expected
>>> Daimler was going to do. There's a new Lancia on the LX platform;
>>> there've been substantial upgrades in the interiors of the
>>> Chrysler/Dodge products; there's a new Dart coming on an Alfa platform.
>>
>>
>
>

The other day I was startled to see a picture of an Alfa in large
advertisement in a major UK paper and then noticing the Chrysler logo...

:-)
DAS
--
To reply directly replace 'nospam' with 'schmetterling'
---
"DAS" > wrote in message
...
> The (extensive) Time article also discussed issues like (Italian)
> management attitudes, fit of product lines, elimination of badge
> engineering, clarity of product segment identity and so on. Although
> there is little reference to Daimler (who were not, after all, the last
> owners) it seems things are going much better with Fiat (maybe because SM
> is in charge).
>
> It seems to me that the aims and needs of the Daimler and Fiat managements
> are quite different. As is widely known, Fiat automotive division itself
> was a bit of a basket case before SM, though a lot of people forget that
> the best 'mass' supercar manufacturer ever (Ferrari) is also in the Fiat
> stable.
>
> DAS
> --
> To reply directly replace 'nospam' with 'schmetterling'
> ---
> "Rob" > wrote in message
> g.com...
>> ok correction.....straight from the horses mouth.
>>
>> http://www.media.chrysler.com/newsre...id=11816&mid=2
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Read mo http://www.autonews.com/article/20111206/OEM04/111209929<meta
>> name=#ixzz1gIJBXXzm
>> "Rob" > wrote in message
>> g.com...
>>> actually the dart will be fiat based, not Alfa
>>>
>>>
>>> "Joe Pfeiffer" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> "DAS" > writes:
>>>>
>>>>> The head of Fiat/Chrysler is on the front page of Time mag.
>>>>>
>>>>> The article recounts that this fusion shows all the signs of working
>>>>> well
>>>>> and Chysler is recovering well so far.
>>>>>
>>>>> Opinions?
>>>>>
>>>>> DAS
>>>>
>>>> At the moment, it appears Fiat is doing everything I hoped and expected
>>>> Daimler was going to do. There's a new Lancia on the LX platform;
>>>> there've been substantial upgrades in the interiors of the
>>>> Chrysler/Dodge products; there's a new Dart coming on an Alfa platform.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

DAS wrote:
> The other day I was startled to see a picture of an Alfa in large
> advertisement in a major UK paper and then noticing the Chrysler logo...

But what startled you, and why? The Alpha, the logo, or both?

I saw a picture of a car that was 'obviously' an Alfa Romeo (not "Alpha"...)
and then finding it was a advert for a Chrysler. In Europe. That was
startling, and then amusing. Then my thought was, "Why would anyone buy a
Chrysler looking like an Alfa, when you can readily buy an Alfa...?..." The
Alfa brand name is much more evocative here (even bearing in mind the old
rusting problems).

I since read that the Chrysler version is not identical (slightly bigger
and, I think, a different interior) but that was not visible in a glance at
an advert picture.

Hitherto Chryslers had looked distinctively different, e.g. Jeep and Grand
Voyager (what appear to the most common in UK anyway).

The Sebring convertible never looked like a Mercedes CLK, nor did the
Crossfire look like an SLK.

DAS
--
To reply directly replace 'nospam' with 'schmetterling'
---
"Patok" > wrote in message
...
> DAS wrote:
>> The other day I was startled to see a picture of an Alfa in large
>> advertisement in a major UK paper and then noticing the Chrysler logo...
>
> But what startled you, and why? The Alpha, the logo, or both?

DAS wrote:
> I saw a picture of a car that was 'obviously' an Alfa Romeo (not "Alpha"...)
> and then finding it was a advert for a Chrysler. In Europe. That was
> startling, and then amusing. Then my thought was, "Why would anyone buy a
> Chrysler looking like an Alfa, when you can readily buy an Alfa...?..." The
> Alfa brand name is much more evocative here (even bearing in mind the old
> rusting problems).

Thanks for the explanation. (Yeah, I know how Alfa Romeo is spelled,
but automatically typed Alpha in isolation.)
The same strangeness abput selling one brand instead of another
existed in the States with Geo. And while it *might* have made some
sense to sell rebadged Suzukis, why would they do it with Toyotas? It
wasn't some obscure brand, like.


> I since read that the Chrysler version is not identical (slightly bigger
> and, I think, a different interior) but that was not visible in a glance at
> an advert picture.
>
> Hitherto Chryslers had looked distinctively different, e.g. Jeep and Grand
> Voyager (what appear to the most common in UK anyway).
>
> The Sebring convertible never looked like a Mercedes CLK, nor did the
> Crossfire look like an SLK.