While the folks from GM have been hard at work trying to put together a deal to absorb Chrysler, the folks from Nissan have slid one in from behind with an offer to buy 20% of the ailing firm.
All kidding aside, this isn’t all that different from when the Mopar squad assimilated AMC like The Borg taking over the Federation. Matador? Gone. Pacer? Adios. Gremlin? Vamos. The lone exception of course is the Jeep brand, which continues to be the shining gem in Chrysler’s fading crown to this day. If GM were to absorb the Detroit neighbor, you can bet that Jeep would continue to survive alongside the Caravan. Beyond that? Gone the way of AMC.
Carlos Ghosn has been called one of the brightest guys in the industry. When Renault partnered with Nissan, they did more than provide capital for the Japanese brand. They streamlined process, they reinforced brand, they developed product. They made a weak partner into a strong partner.
Imagine for a moment what potential the team at Chrysler has. Now, at the same time, consider the amount of dead wood in the dealer body, not to mention the dead wood within the corporate structure. If Carlos’ team is successful in their bid to partner with Chrysler, the Traditional Domestic landscape might change forever. GM is struggling to pay for their own mistakes, let alone the cash flow needed to date one of their long time rivals. Ford is in shock now that Big Kirk has pulled out and left a gaping hole where his money used to be.
With Ghosn at the helm of a giant tripod spanning 3 continents, this partnership could bring new meaning to the term The Big 3. With the ability to fund a ruthless restructuring of Chrysler’s overblown infrastructure, perhaps the talents within could be put to good use to actually resurrect Walter P’s namesake.
Interesting times ahead.
For all the serious details visit The Detroit News.
No auto execs were harmed in the shooting of the above photo we scooped from the internets.
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Did you use the K-tel Stak-A-Kat for this one?