Nissan and Chrysler talk cooperation

[Toyota.vs.GM]

Citing inside sources,Bloomberg reports that Chrysler and Nissan are in talks to develop Cars,Trucks and Engines together.Chrysler and Nissan,however,are reportedly not considering acquiring any type of ownership in each other.The co-development would be limited to truck development for Nissan,small car development for Chrysler and joint development of new engines.

Nissan is likely hoping that taping into a U.S automaker's expertise on full-size trucks will lead to changes that make its Titan pickup more competitive.

Chrysler,meanwhile,is still without a car small than the Caliber and could benefit from Nissan's experience selling cars in Japan and Europe.More at the link:Chrysler-Nissan together?

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

So basically, Nissan is going to make Chrysler it's bitch in order to crack the VERY profittable truck market here while Chrysler gains either 1) A car that won't sell well here, and even if it does, probably won't help their bottom line at all -OR- 2) A car that is supposed to sell in Europe, yet will not because it'll have the rotten luck of bearing the name and lineage of a 'dreaded' american car company.

Yeah... I've seen this scam before: Subaru/GM.... Ford/Toyota (hybrid technology in exchange for heavy truck technology)... Fiat/GM... Daimler/Chrysler and the list goes on.

The folks at Cerberus should say "NO thanks" and escort the Nissan folks to the door as quickly as possible. You know, before they do the typical japanese trick of RIPPING OFF technology and design from the Ram project anyway.

I still think (Sadly) Chrysler will eventually wind up in the hands of China.

Edited December 20, 2007 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[turbo200]

what truck expertise can Nissan gleam from Chrysler? Aside from the Hemi, is there anything standout about the Ram in the truck field, especially compared to Titan? The Hemi isn't even all that relevant anymore. All Chrysler knows how to do is style the Ram well, develop a following, and build on that base. However, all I ever see from Chrysler ads are discounts, discounts, warranty, and more discounts.

[LastMercury]

You left out the "Chrysler will not exist" option in your poll

[Duncan]

You left out the "Chrysler will not exist" option in your poll

And honestly, that might have been my choice had it been in there. I would actually prefer that to their current state or any would-be "arrangement" with another company - we saw how well that worked out last time.

If you blame anyone for Chrysler's current quagmire, two names should come immediately to mind: Bob Eaton and Jurgen Schrempp. Both men worked equally to get the companies together for no good reason besides "hell, why not?", made out like bandits financially, and then got out while the getting was good (at different times, of course). Everyone else just tried to get along until it became impossible.

And if you think Daimler came out okay, think again. You'll note that they keep looking for partners to share in various development plans, and have recently restructured (again) to reorganize what is still an unwieldy mix of products and business areas. Besides that, the management is now in flux thanks to the return of ex-Chrysler people back to Germany.

I see both Daimler and Chrysler going through serious changes in the next decade, not necessarily for the better. First thing to notice is that the new US fuel economy rules are going to hit both companies hard in this market, thanks to their over-dependence on SUVs and a serious lack of competitive (or in Daimler's case, inexpensive) small cars. Thanks to their already-strong ties in the truck market and in other segments, I see Daimler taking on a partnership role of some kind with Mitsubishi in the future.

Chrysler could go any which way, honestly - into the arms of some convoluted Renault-Nissan tie-up, or folded into a Chinese automaker as just another set of brands to rebadge cheap crap with at a bargain price. I guarantee you one thing, though - Cerberus isn't gonna stick around long if the money starts to disappear. They've got other fish to fry, and Chrysler's just another investment.

[VenSeattle]

If 2008 ends up being as bad as predicted, I fear Chrysler going down in flames. They're extremely weak in the market at the moment , with improvements still a few years out.