The Who?

“Chrysler, inventor of the minivan (one of the best-selling ideas in automotive history), is starting to turn itself into a marketer and contract manufacturer of other people's cars. To plug gaping holes in its truck-heavy lineup, the U.S. automaker already plans to stick a Chrysler badge on a restyled Nissan Motors Versa subcompact. Now comes word that it is negotiating with the Japanese company to start selling a version of the Altima family sedan. Plus, to pick up the slack at its underutilized truck and minivan plants, Chrysler aims to become an assembler-for-hire for any maker that needs those vehicles.

“This plan did not spring from the brain of a car guy. It smells of the moneymen who are now deeply nested in Chrysler's operations. Cerberus Capital Management paid $7.4 billion for 80% of the company and, having underestimated the difficulty of turning it around, is looking to cut costs and conserve cash. Chrysler and Cerberus say they will save hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in development costs for small cars and family sedans. And far better to share their factories, they say, than to lose money on them. Yes, it makes a strange kind of sense, but it virtually assures that Chrysler may never thrive as a standalone company…

“It steers Chrysler into me-too land and away from its roots as an innovator. The company has often risen Phoenix-like from a crisis with innovations such as the minivan or early SUVs such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Design breakthroughs like the Dodge Ram pickup and the PT Cruiser during the 1990s earned billions. More recently, the 300 sedan was a big, if short-lived, hit…

“A deepening partnership with Nissan means Chrysler is less likely to go it alone. This company will end up on the block again. The only question is when.”

(“A Strange Detour For Chrysler; Why turning into a marketer and contract manufacturer of other companies' cars is risky.” David Welch and David Kiley. Business Week: August 25, 2008. pg. 28)

HERE'S AN IDEA - Let's cost-cut our way to greatness! Oh no, sorry... all we want to do is hang on and milk the cow.

When it comes to the point where all we have (barely) is our name, and our identity is dubious, maybe we can figure out who we are by looking into someone else's mirror in lieu of reflecting deeply on our selves...

I used to check my reflection
Jumping with my cheap guitar
I must have lost my direction, cause I ended up a superstar
One night I was in the boardroom
Affected by the human race
You can learn from my mistakes, but you're posing in the glass again.

Well, who are you? Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
I really wanna know Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
Tell me, who are you? Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
'Cause I really wanna know Who are you? Who, who, who, who?
(Pete Townshend)