Ex-auto execs back in demand as bidders line up for Chrysler

[1931Chevy]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...52/1148/AUTO01
T hey all left the car-making business -- some in disgrace, others because their paths to the top of Big Detroit Auto were blocked by rivals.

But they're still out there, the Old Auto Gang, not-so-old castaways who are now wanted men. They have a wealth of expertise and lot of other-people's dough close at hand. And as the sweepstakes intensify to determine who might end up with the Chrysler Group its German owners so badly want to jettison, it's fair to ask: Could one or more of these guys end up riding to the "rescue" of Chrysler?

There's the Ford Motor Co. duo of former CEO Jac "The Knife" Nasser and former international operations chief David Thursfield trampling around the private-equity world. Nasser is a managing partner of One Equity Partners, and Thursfield is chairman of Cerberus Automotive Group, named after the three-headed dog guarding the gates to hell.

There are the young(er) bucks like Mark Hogan, a rising star at General Motors Corp. who ran afoul of the United Auto Workers and tired of jockeying for position near the top of GM. So he jumped to run Magna International for the well-connected and well-financed Austrian mogul Frank Stronach, believed to be vying with GM for potential control of Chrysler.

There's Chrysler's former chief operating officer, Wolfgang Bernhard, rumored to be involved in a potential Magna bid now that he's been cut loose from Volkswagen AG, his second unceremonious ouster. The first: Losing the plum job of running Mercedes-Benz because he a) correctly ascertained that fat-and-happy Mercedes needed to change and said so, and b) defied Jürgen Schrempp

[D C]

Great strategy!! Hire a has-been or failed auto executive. Give them another chance at implementing what's likely old-school thought and methodology in a highly competitive industry that's far different than it was when they made their climb up the ladder.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by D C

Great strategy!! Hire a has-been or failed auto executive. Give them another chance at implementing what's likely old-school thought and methodology in a highly competitive industry that's far different than it was when they made their climb up the ladder.

This certainly isn't the only place you see something like this. Witness professional sports, where fired coaches are ROUTINELY recycled and hired by a new team, sometimes after a couple of years as an ESPN analyst.

From what I've heard about Wolfgang Bernhard, his problem was that he ran into people with ego problems who felt threatened by him. I don't think he did anything wrong and has been a pretty successful executive in recent years.

[Caleb02]

i say get roger smith from gm to buy chrysler!!! i would be the first of many to buy a roger smith car. To me the roger smith era of gm was its best, no one can be found better then him.

[starlightmica]

Heck, Jerry Flint called for Kirk Kerkorian to get involved again with Chrysler, in this week's Forbes editorial. Who's next, Lee Iacocca?

[Caleb02]

I think Lee Iacocca should buy back Chrysler and undue all the Bad things this merger did. The only thing Iacocca should have done was to fire Lutz before Diamler Benz wanted to buy Chrysler.

[asim]

Originally Posted by starlightmica

Heck, Jerry Flint called for Kirk Kerkorian to get involved again with Chrysler, in this week's Forbes editorial.

Are you serious? I don't think Kirk Kerkorian will fall for a Chrysler deal. He seems to be fed up with the automotive market after GM pissed him off because the company did not do the things that he wanted. He now seems to be a lot more interested in entertainment and MGM.

[Bolex]

if they were to go this route they need to bring back Tom Gale.

Lee Iaccoca, Wolfgang Bernard and Tom Gale. Thats a dream team.

[motorman]

this is like replacing the coach when the football team stinks. the problem is not the management but the facts that most buyers have been screwed by the american car companies and want nothing to do with them even if they build great cars now. people like my 40 year old son who bought GM cars from the time he got his first job out of collage switched to japanese cars because of the 100,000 mile warranty. GM has finally got smart making the warranty last as long as the payments BUT the rest of the parts had better last as long as the drive train or they will loose these customers also. no one wants to have to be paying $1000 of dollars in repairs while still making car payments. the expensive foreign cars have a good rep because the people that buy them do not keep them long enough to have problems after the warranty is up.

[Jesda]

Originally Posted by Caleb02

i say get roger smith from gm to buy chrysler!!! i would be the first of many to buy a roger smith car. To me the roger smith era of gm was its best, no one can be found better then him.

Your sarcasm made my morning.

[1931Chevy]

Heres Jerrys Article "Captain Kirk, Please Report To The Bridge"
Captain Kirk, Please Report To The Bridge

Originally Posted by starlightmica
Heck, Jerry Flint called for Kirk Kerkorian to get involved again with Chrysler, in this week's Forbes editorial.

Are you serious? I don't think Kirk Kerkorian will fall for a Chrysler deal. He seems to be fed up with the automotive market after GM pissed him off because the company did not do the things that he wanted. He now seems to be a lot more interested in entertainment and MGM.

[unkillsam]

Originally Posted by motorman

this is like replacing the coach when the football team stinks. the problem is not the management but the facts that most buyers have been screwed by the american car companies and want nothing to do with them even if they build great cars now. people like my 40 year old son who bought GM cars from the time he got his first job out of collage switched to japanese cars because of the 100,000 mile warranty. GM has finally got smart making the warranty last as long as the payments BUT the rest of the parts had better last as long as the drive train or they will loose these customers also. no one wants to have to be paying $1000 of dollars in repairs while still making car payments. the expensive foreign cars have a good rep because the people that buy them do not keep them long enough to have problems after the warranty is up.

What Japanese company offers a 100,000 mile warranty?

Mitsubishi? Suzuki? Isuzu?

He could do a lot better buying GM cuz Toyota and Honda sure don't offer 100,000 mile warranties.