Another industry titan has passed away. This one almost ran for President. But, given his management style (evisceration, anyone?), his thin skin, his off-the-cuff remarks (this was before Twitter), that never happened. Those were considered permanent impediments- until TheDonald.
Continue reading If you can buy a better car…
Just like Lee Iacocca, Sergio Marchionne was intimately involved in making his auto company profitable, to increase its impact in the marketplace. Except Marchionne did it with two car firms- for both Fiat AND Chrysler. Unfortunately, he died last month at the relatively young age of 66- at least a year before he planned to tun over the reins of the company to someone else. (He had chosen Mike Manley- the head of Jeep and Ram- to be that person- just not at this time.)
Back in 2000, it was time for a new car. And, as I had been doing for decades, I had a Chrysler on order. Ever since 1975, my car choice had been Chrysler products. (I even had a car leasing company that provided only the Chrysler family of products to clients.)
Except that Mercedes Benz had just bought the Chrysler Corporation. Right before the delivery of my car.
Continue reading That’s a Buick?
So, we talked yesterday about driverless trucks and planes. And, while I doubt we’ll be getting driverless cars soon, I am sure that we will benefit from a slew of driver assist components that are part and parcel of this new concept.
Continue reading Obsolete Business Models?
I’ve worked with private firms and public firms. And, it’s always amazing how different things were years ago. But, now, many “private” firms (yes, I put them in quotes) were public firms that have been purchased by private equity entities, by venture capitalists, or similars.
Continue reading Behind Curtain #1…
It’s been widely reported that Fiat Chrysler finally had to admit that their cars could be hacked. Which should surprise no one. I’ve reported the same could be done with pacemakers. And, I also discussed that the same gateway that makes cars vulnerable can be exploited on airplanes.
My folks had Chryslers until they switched to GM. I was 16 by then and not around much. I also bought Chryslers (and leased them to others, too) until the company was acquired by Mercedes Benz.
Continue reading Brand Loyalty?
Before I begin today’s blog, I should tell you that I am a real Chrysler fan. My car rental agency only handled their vehicles. Chrysler was the firm with the best engineering in the business; maybe, not the best designs always, but… (I also stopped being an exclusive Chrysler guy when Mercedes Benz took them over.) And, now, as you can see from the pictures, Chrysler is back in the news.
Continue reading A peek behind the Chrysler curtains…
I wrote about Milliken & Company the other day- a great American company, which managed to grow and innovate due in a large part to its CEO. There are other companies like that. Corning under the Houghton’s – that managed to convert itself from a glass company- with the ubiquitous Corningware- into a high tech powerhouse that specializes in medical equipment and fibre-optics, among others. (Thanks for the opportunity, Corning.) But today, I will discuss another company, one that has been having a race with the mythical phoenix.
Continue reading American Manufacturers…
