ZL-1

mooning

I think GM has a better chance of achieving that by pumping the $5bn or $10bn into product development instead of acquisitions.

I like the Patriot! However, interior design and (at least) percieved quality appears to be on par with Compass and Caliber, which IMO isn't a good thing.

SR-71 Blackbird?

hybrid

Well... it's fun to entertain the thought of how GM and Ford could get some advantage from this if in fact Chrysler is put up for sale :AH-HA_wink:Also, given the Rover story and the news/rumours of PE funds being interested in Chrysler, things get interesting: a PE fund would want to sell the company after a few years making a good return, so they'd tend to move fast and agressively in restructuring Chrysler. PE funds are said to have high liquidity right now, so raising the cash for a quick and decisive restructuring wouldn't be that much of an issue per se. Other things, such as the magnitude and payback period of such investments, as well as other not-so-tiny details such as the extent to which Chrysler's engineering capabilites may or may not be left intact after a sale (DCX might want to drain the best people that are currently working for Chrysler, for example) could be major issues.

:rotflmao:

Hanging

IIRC the deal was a stock deal: people traded their Chrysler/Daimler shares for new Daimler-Chrysler shares. My girlfriend at the time was covering auto stocks and I remember all the excitement about the 'merger of equals' idea! think it was a 'free' decision because the idea I have is that the Chrysler side thought that having Daimler partner with them would have a stabilizing effect, ending Chrysler's 'almost-bankrupt-to-successful' rollercoaster.

It might.The 'Private Equity may buy Chrysler' idea seems to have hit financial news websites: click here I wonder what took them so long to figure this one out: Private Equity firms have been grabbing everything they can lately...

LMAO!Reply to thread: Bunker

This could be interesting if and only if GM plays the 'scavenger' role very well. It's no time to get emotional about Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep, and if GM has an advantage in dismembering the Chrysler Group that's what they'll try and do: that's what 'cherry pick' means.

A 'CTS Allroad' is an interesting idea! I think I'm hallucinating: I read this and remebered some C&G post about a 400hp Lambda Cadillac Escalade successor... Such a high-end non-BOF crossover would be cool!

I see Lutz's statement about a 'Buick Statesman' as the type of car Buick may get, not a US-certified Royaum. But I think I understand why dealers wouldn't want both Lucerne and RWD car.

battery power

Happy birthday!

That rear-end treatment would be really cool in the sedan. Better than what GM do Brasil is building.

I think a big part of the problem is people believed a 'merger of equals' would actually take place. IMHO, 'merger of equals' is a concept fit for a marriage, not business deals. Whatever is cheaper: restructure its way to profitability, shut it down or let it die a slow death.

Depends on what they're selling, e.g. if some of DCX's debt is being passed on to the buyer.

What I've been reading is that Audi's been stating the same platform will underpin everyhting from the A4 to the A8. I was under the impresssion it's Audi that calls it 'modular'. No doubt, but I think the same could be achieved with a RWD/AWD platform for products destined to break away from the 'FWD/AWD sedan plus minivan plus crossover' model. From a business point of view what matters is profitability and maybe (emphasis on 'maybe' - I don't have numbers) spending a little more in designing a more flexible platform can be recovered quicker with the added body styles.

Those appear to be Swedish plates...Chevrolet Alero: in the brochure I have at home it even has the Olds logo

Smaller company buys bigger company and puts its CEO in charge. That isn't a merger of equals, it's an old fashioned acquisition.

I don't think you can say the Fabia is a VW Polo rebadge or that the Octavia is a Golf/Jetta rebadge. Even the Superb, which IIRC based on a VW Passat L that never saw the light of day, doesn't qualify as a VW rebadge.I think SEAT is a much 'juicier' target in the VW Group with regard to the direction of the brand.

IIRC this is the 1st aplication of Audi's modular platform.

Well, to be honest I was thinking more along the lines of linking a 'technologically advanced' image with Cadillac. Most of Europe's equivalents of the US Interstates are limited to 75 or 80 mph (in Sweden the speed limit is 69mph), so going fast all the time isn't as important for Europeans as US car magazine ads make it to be.I think what Cadillac needs is more ambition in Europe. If they get a few details right, they might start making an impact even with a limited dealer network.