All of you are teaming up on my comments that there is a four door sedan that is as fast as Viper, I get called a troll and I should not take it personal??? Again no where in this thread have I bashed the Viper. I have even called it the king of the tracks.
Now, let the fire begin (and it should be dealt in another thread) but it is pathetic to see that you think it is Daimler who damaged Chrysler. Last time I checked, it is Daimler who shared technology with Chrysler (chassis and engine for the 300M and crossfire just to name a few) and Mercedes dumped it because it was not a viable business unit.
http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pdf/2002-1-0071.pdf Here's an excerpt:
Three years after merger DaimlerChrysler's market capitalization stands at $44 billion, roughly equal
to the value of Daimler-Benz before the merger13. Its stock has been banished from the S&P
500, and Chrysler Group's share value has declined by one-third relative to pre-merger
values. Unlike the Mercedes-Benz and Smart Car Division, which posted an operating profit
of EUR 830 million in Q3 2000, the Chrysler Group has been losing money at an alarming
rate. In the same quarter, it lost $512 million14.
From the same article:
"Distribution and retail sales systems had largely remained separate as well, owing generally
to brand bias. Mercedes-Benz dealers, in particular, had proven averse to including Chrysler
vehicles in their retail product offerings. The logic had been to protect the sanctity of the
Mercedes brand as a hallmark of uncompromising quality. This had certainly hindered the
Chrysler Group's market *********** in Europe, where market share remained stagnant at
2%. Potentially profitable vehicles such as the Dodge Neon and the Jeep Grand Cherokee
had been sidelined in favor of the less-cost-effective and troubled Mercedes A-Class
compact and M-Class SUV, respectively.
The A-Class, a 95 hp, 12 foot long compact with an MSRP of approximately $20,000,
competed in Europe against similar vehicles sold by Opel, Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat for
approximately $9,000-$16,000. Consumers who ordinarily would have paid a premium for
Mercedes' engineering and safety record had been disappointed by the A-Class -- which
failed an emergency maneuver test conducted by a Swedish television station in 1999.
A-Class appeared both overpriced and under-engineered for the highly competitive
European compact market. The Dodge Neon, in contrast, could have competed more
effectively in this segment with an approximate price of $13,000, similar mechanical
specifications, and a record of reliability. Brand bias, however, had prevented this scenario
from becoming reality."
Seems like Mercedes torpedoed the relationship and screwed Chrysler out of market share in Europe because they had a superiority complex. Good read though. Mistakes were made on both sides, and the unions were definitely overpaying their employees (Chrysler) and charging too much; as is typical with unions.
