Projo Cars Blog

With Chrysler coming out of bankruptcy as a subsidiary of Fiat and General Motors forging ahead with its restructuring plans, it's time to look at the companies' positives.]

For Chrysler, its Jeep brand will continue to dominate the sporty, genuine off-road market and its minivans and trucks should also hold their own.

Other solid brands that catch the eye include the Dodge Caliber and Chrysler 300. What it cannot afford to keep are such vehicles as the Dodge Nitro which Consumer Reports ranked dismally low in terms of quality. Indeed, its image may be too marked to upgrade.

Meanwhile, Fiat has an impressive array of small cars such as the 500 and the Punto which have been very successful in Europe. And while there have been scathing references to the quality of Fiat vehicles, they mostly refer to a previous generation's experience.

(Similar reservations are voiced about the new diesels coming over from Europe which are completely different from the smelly and noisy models of a generation ago.)

As Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne noted in an e-mail to Chrysler's 54,000 workers, he took over Fiat five years ago when it was perceived to be a failing bureaucracy that made poor cars.

"Through hard work and tough choices, we have remade Fiat into a profitable company that produces some of the most popular, reliable and environmentally friendly cars in the world," he wrote. "We can and will accomplish the same results here."

As for GM, it has some outstanding cars in its lineup - the Chevy Malibu, Camaro, Corvette and Silverado, the Cadillac CTS and XLR and the GMC Sierra are but a few examples - and by dropping such brands as Pontiac and Hummer, it is clearly bringing its product line into sharper focus.

It's restructuring is ongoing and if it can overcome the problems of inbred corporate politics, there is every reason to believe that it will retain its place as a leading force in the industry.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth

 Tags  Chrysler General Motors

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