[Allpar News System]

Due to higher product costs and parts shortages, Chrysler’s first-quarter profit was $166 million, 65% lower than the first quarter of 2012. Revenue was $15.4 billion, 6% lower than the same period in 2012. Adjusted operating profit fell 41%, to $435 million. Revenue fell despite 36 straight months of increased sales in the United States, its primary market. Chrysler’s share of the U.S. market has risen for three straight years, reaching 11.4 percent in 2012, according to Autodata Corp., as quoted by Bloomberg. The disparity between increased unit sales and reduced revenue is presumably due to higher incentives, a greater proportion of lower-cost vehicles being sold, or both. There were numerous shortages during the period, including the absence of new Jeep Libertys to sell, and, on the higher revenue side, delays in production of the new Ram Heavy Duty pickups and lower than expected production of the Ram 1500 as..

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[RVC]

Good message, and good move. For once, kudos to Chrysler's marketing team on anticipating and killing off any rumors before they even start.

 

[Erik Latranyi]

Good message, and good move. For once, kudos to Chrysler's marketing team on anticipating and killing off any rumors before they even start.

I am not sure what Chrysler marketing had to do with this.

I see the financial genius, Marchionne, doing what any company wants of its executives.....no surprises, tell everything, prepare for negative information.

 

[superduckie5000]

In His Own Words: "Plug Your Nose".

http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/VIDEO/304299984/autonews-now-marchionne-plug-your-nose&cciid=email-autonews-annow#axzz2Rr5zmntj

TMD

 

[BASONE88]

In most cases, I find myself to be more lucky than good..I imagine, to a certain extent, S.M. does also.

My intent is not to disregard his skill and knowledge, but a lot has happened for him 'cause he was "in the right place at the right time." Now, CGLLC has been more fortunate than one might bet, but it hasn't been w/o hiccups. This is yet another. To me, his message is standard operating procedure..albeit a good one!..and the mark of a good leader.

 

[JohnRogers]

While we genuflect at the altar of Marchionne no big surprise that De Lorenzo torched him today

http://www.autoextremist.com/

I'm a bit of a Marchionne fan but I can't deny there maybe some truth to De Lorenzo's arguments. Is there a more proper place on this forum to discuss this piece?

 

[LXbuilder]

While we genuflect at the altar of Marchionne no big surprise that De Lorenzo torched him today

http://www.autoextremist.com/

I'm a bit of a Marchionne fan but I can't deny there maybe some truth to De Lorenzo's arguments. Is there a more proper place on this forum to discuss this piece?

While I'm not a big fan of Mr. De Loorenzo (mostly after he replyed to a comment I made on his site by calling me a "f-n moron that didn't know poop about anything" More or less)
I do see some truth in his rants, on this subject and others. He sure is a tough guy behind the keyboard, but a complete wussy when face to face with executives he has ripped on.

 

[Lampredi]

[De Lorenzo] sure is a tough guy behind the keyboard, but a complete wussy when face to face with executives he has ripped on.

So, maybe he eventually met Ferdinand Piëch, then, or as he derisively used to call him - Colonel Klink. Just consider http://www.autoextremist.com/current/2008/5/13/rants-445.html]this quote[/url]:

KLINKIAN NIGHTMARE – A term used in reference to Ferdinand Piech, aka “Col. Klink.” The Man Who Wouldn’t Leave the VW Group and the guy who has his tentacles in absolutely everything in the company with no rhyme or reason - and usually to its detriment too - as in, “The next-gen Golf was on pace to be something really special until it turned into a klinkian nightmare.”

A few years later, and De Lorenzo never misses an opportunity to praise Audi, and he calls VW's current success the "Piëch miracle". Talk about having a change of heart...

I'm a bit of a Marchionne fan but I can't deny there maybe some truth to De Lorenzo's arguments.

What arguments are you thinking of?

In my view, De Lorenzo is so unhinged when writing about Marchionne that one wonders whether it's some kind of personal vendetta. And he makes no qualms about his feelings for Fiat, which he calls "an industry embarrassment that should have been left for dead long ago".


By the way, guys - please make sure that you provide permalinks to articles, not just link to the front page of a site, as eventually what's on the front page of a website will change. The De Lorenzo rant we're discussing is this: http://www.autoextremist.com/current/2013/4/29/the-great-sergios-end-game-is-finally-exposed-and-it-aint-pr.html]"The Great Sergio’s End Game is finally exposed - and it ain't pretty."[/url]

 

[BASONE88]

While we genuflect at the altar of Marchionne no big surprise that De Lorenzo torched him today

http://www.autoextremist.com/

I'm a bit of a Marchionne fan but I can't deny there maybe some truth to De Lorenzo's arguments. Is there a more proper place on this forum to discuss this piece?

That's pretty harsh. And all of it may be true, or none of it may be true..but whatever you want to label the turn of events that has contributed to the here and now..Chrysler has and is surviving! From the individual in the factory with a job to the beautiful line-up of cars currently available on the lot..CGLLC is legitimate.

 

[ChryslerFiatfan]

While we genuflect at the altar of Marchionne no big surprise that De Lorenzo torched him today

http://www.autoextremist.com/

I'm a bit of a Marchionne fan but I can't deny there maybe some truth to De Lorenzo's arguments. Is there a more proper place on this forum to discuss this piece?


I used to have ttime for the Autoextremist but I now see him as a gigantic know-nothing loud mouth, with pretentions of grandeur..

He thinks he is a genuine Detroit insider, merely because Daddy was indeed an automotive Big Wheel, and L'il Peter got to play wth some prestigious Detroit iron that Daddy or Daddy's friends brought home. His only contribution to the automotive scene, was fashioning merchandising jingles for the automakers in an Advertsing house division in Detroit.. He knows no engineering or factory automation, but reserves his ardor for the Stylist critiques of automotive art.

He still likes to play with prestigious auto toys, and dutifully follows the auto racing scene. As if that meant anything at all, and even less as a qualifier or precursor of furture automotive technology today, than it used to be. L'il Peter is still playing with his toys, and thinking he himself is a Big Wheel in Detroit, because he follows the races and has autographs from some racing greats .Kind of pathetic, much like the traveling Groupies of a rock band.

He likes to think of Sergio Marchionne as a foreign interloper, pillaging an American automaker, which he alone is defending, when Sergio is just as much a native of Detroit but across the river in (ahem) Windsor. Putting himself up against Sergio, a genuine CEO and savior of Fiat and now Chrysler, and a true Big Wheel, is comparable to the ant challlenging the elephant to a wrestling match.

Sergio is hardly a saint, but he has competently rescued two big automakers and may be fashioning an automotive giant if he can add an Asian leg to his European and American based auto conglomerate. He has rebuilt the infrastructure of both companies, and heavily modernized old and opened severalnew factories; and prepared them for tomorrow's automotive battles as well as todays.
.

.

 

[plymouth1]

While I normally don't like him, Pete is absoulutely right about Fiat being lousy for decades and I hate that Chrysler was basically given to them. I don't want Chrysler money propping up the Fiat brands. I thought one of Sergio's things was that each brand had to be profitable on their own. Fiat brand dying wouldn't bother me one bit. The 500 is the only car or truck they build that isn't absolutey hideous looking.

 

[jazz77]

"Marchionne was a shrewd, calculating speculator"

Now, what to think about this? Simple, let's just take a look at the calendar to remind ourselves we are in 2013.

Of course in 2009 Marchionne was a hopeless, crazy, megalomaniac manager and Fiat's plan "one letter away from Faith".

 

[58148]

De Lorenzo is a nut job !!!!!! That's it........let's talk about something more usefull

 

[SheltonBreeden]

J Jonah Jameson would be proud.

 

[Dave Z]

Sure knows how to get ratings, though.

 

[tryphon]

I don't want Chrysler money propping up the Fiat brands.

Actually, they ARE already one company, for all intents and purposes. They are, so to speak, propping each other up. FIAT brought new engine and drivetrain technology worth billions and much needed for survival and growth. As for FIAT, while you revile the Brand, they have a much larger international footprint than Chrysler. Survival depends on achieving success in the world markets: US sales alone have already sunk Chrysler twice...

 

[willy4110]

Has anyone seen the comments in the Detroit News article about the three guys (Dan Cornell, Joe Per, and Brian Harlow), who are supposedly responsible for the mess with the production, or rather the lack of production, of the 8-speed tranny? What's the story behind that? As for De Lorenzo's comments, SM may be a lot more shrewd and cunning than many people thought, and I don't mean that in a good way either.

 

[Longtimejeep]

Has anyone seen the comments in the Detroit News article about the three guys (Dan Cornell, Joe Per, and Brian Harlow), who are supposedly responsible for the mess with the production, or rather the lack of production, of the 8-speed tranny? What's the story behind that? As for De Lorenzo's comments, SM may be a lot more shrewd and cunning than many people thought, and I don't mean that in a good way either.

What Detroit News article are you referencing?

 

[willy4110]

detroit News article: Key product shortages hurt Chrysler.....written by Hoffman.

 

[Erik Latranyi]

Shrewd and cunning can be a positive trait.....especially in business.


Of course, crusty old Pete wants everyone to think of Marchionne as an opportunist in the most negative way.