Talks and rumors are still flying around about the sale of the Chrysler Group from Daimler. In a good CNN Money article written by Fortune senior editor Alex Taylor he discusses what should be going on between Daimler and potential buyers.
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“The Jeep Brand. Although Chrysler has done its best to dilute the value of this American icon by building vehicles that are challenged in quality and functionality, the Jeep name still resonates with buyers. GM hopes that Hummer can some day challenge it, but in-your-face Hummer represents only a subset of the whole off-roading culture that Jeep can lay claim to. Taking on Jeep, and leaving Hummer to the X-games people, would be a smart move.”
In another CNN Money article it states that The Financial Times reported Friday that Apollo Management, Blackstone Group, the Carlyle Group and Cerebus Capital, as well as several European firms, have all been contacted about their potential interest in the troubled North American automaker.
It will be interesting to see where this all goes. I think I speak for most Jeepers that we only have an interest in seeing the Jeep stay a Jeep! It is a scary time 🙁
It sure seems strange to me that Daimler would give up on Chrysler after just 9 years. It would sure be sad if Chrysler were to just go away. It would be worse though if GM bought them, that idea makes no sense to me. Why would Daimler abandon the Jeep and Dodge brands? Daimler has no presence in the US other than their cars. If any car company were to buy them, I think Honda would be a great fit. Both have history as “engineering” companies. Also there is very little overlap of their models, and where there is overlap, both companies have superior products. Honda makes great smaller cars, Jeep and Dodge offer more truck-like products, I don’t know if Honda is interested in getting larger, but they should think about it.
The other thought that I had is that Warren Buffet or Trump should buy it, and put Bob Lutz and Lee Iacocca in charge of turning it around. I don’t think that Chryser will ever be the world’s largest car company, they should quit trying, they should just try to be the best at what they are good at; mini vans, Jeeps, short run concept vehicles and they should cater more to work trucks and vans.