Stallkamp: control was the problem at DCX

Thomas Stallkamp, the respected final president of Chrysler Corporation, wrote to Automotive News to discuss the Daimler-Renault-Nissan pact. Referring to Dieter Zetsche’s claim that he had learned from the failure of DaimlerChrysler and would now focus on “cost savings and car development projects rather than control,” Stallkamp wrote,

Funny, I thought those were the stated objectives of our infamous marriage “of equals.”

I have been waiting 12 years for someone at Daimler to admit that Daimler’s quest for absolute control was a primary factor in the failure of DaimlerChrysler. The fact was only too obvious to the many people who worked at the company and tried to make it a success.

He finished: “And to Carlos Ghosn: Watch your back.”