Bernhard hire seen as hint Magna looking at Chrysler

The hiring of Wolfgang Bernhard by Magna International is already sparking rumors the Canadian mega-supplier may be interested in taking another run at Chrysler.

Magna was one of the unsuccessful suitors for Chrysler when Daimler put it up for sale last summer. Magna has had a long relationship with Chrysler as a contract producer of various Jeep models for the European market at its facility in Graz, Austria.

Bernhard became Chrysler’s Chief Operating Officer after the DaimlerChrysler merger and worked with Cerberus Capital Management in its successful bid to buy a majority stake in the company.

Reuters today reported anonymous sources as saying Cerberus already is in talks with both Magna and Nissan to sell what are called key Chrysler assets. According to the Reuters story, Chrysler is discussing selling Jeep to Renault/Nissan and the Belvidere assembly facility to Magna.

Cerberus, Chrysler and Magna have all declined to comment on the speculations. Fred Standish, a Nissan spokesman, said the only discussions between Nissan and Chrysler concern the partnerships that already have been announced.