Reciprocating Mass
rino
– December 09, 2007 05:14AM
As started by Binky in land of old ...
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Binky
A place to discuss your wheels!
"Use your wheels, that is what they are for." - Hawkwind
ghidorah
– March 26, 2008 06:08AM
Raise taxes on cavemen.
--jw
yeah, its been in the works for a while. They did the same thing with Aston Martin a few years ago--of course Aston was making them money instead of bleeding them dry.
ddt
– March 26, 2008 06:22AM
can't wait for all the snooty land rover drivers around here (single drivers, usually in business attire) dealing with "we need a part from india" service.
ddt
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2008 06:34AM by ddt.
YDD
– March 26, 2008 06:45AM
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can't wait for all the snooty land rover drivers around here (single drivers, usually in business attire) dealing with "we need a part from india" service
I take it that they've removed the "How to destroy your vehicle" section from the Landrover manual these days, then? ;-)
tliet
– March 26, 2008 07:42AM
Heh, they managed to sell something, but
not for a profit:
1990: Ford acquires Jaguar for $2.5 billion
2000: Ford buys Land Rover from BMW in a £2 billion deal
Mokers
(Moderator)
– March 26, 2008 11:17AM
Formerly Remy Martin
That's about 30 billion better than Mercedes did with Chrysler.
ghidorah
– March 26, 2008 02:16PM
Raise taxes on cavemen.
--jw
It all depends on if Chrysler Financial is included in the discussions or not. Since Daimler was counting Chrysler Financial results as a measure of DCXs bottom line, Chrysler looked to be a freekin black hole where money went to die. Notice how Daimler's earnings have seemed to plummet since they chose to get rid of CF?
Mokers
(Moderator)
– March 26, 2008 02:34PM
Formerly Remy Martin
I think Daimler ran Chrysler into the ground. Not intentionally, but it's hard to imagine what Chrysler thought they would get out of it, other than some nice stock options for executives.
El Jeffe
– March 26, 2008 02:44PM
What a journey.
If it's like some places, the stock options were vested at termination. Most execs at the time of the buyout were let go. Depending upon the structuring, options would be worthless. But other golden parachutes I'm sure were used.
What a journey.
Mokers
(Moderator)
– March 26, 2008 04:35PM
Formerly Remy Martin
But they would have been paid in Daimler stock, no?
tliet
– March 26, 2008 10:50PM
Daimler Chrysler just didn't work. They could have had a relationship based on parts, but for the companies to merge, the culture differences were just too big. Running a two headed monster like that on two continents just can't work IMHO.
One thing Chrysler has gained from Daimler, their diesel technology and experience.
El Jeffe
– March 27, 2008 05:16AM
What a journey.
anyone interested in gps tracking their car for $400 + $15/month or so?
http://gps-snitch.com/
What a journey.
stan adams
– March 27, 2008 10:44AM
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tliet
... for the companies to merge, the culture differences were just too big. Running a two headed monster like that on two continents just can't work...
I've seen a ton of articles about "reverse colonization" in the Land Rover/Jaguar Tata deal. My guess is that just like Cerbus Mgmt is some freakshow of money guys that Dr. Z went crying too, the real motivation for Tata is "Yeah, I can afford this". I suspect this deal won't last much longer than the Daimler Chrysler marriage...
rino
– March 27, 2008 04:00PM
In America, the only respectable form of socialism is socialism for the rich.
And here I believed my phrasing was original! Damn.
It's a shame really to see such legacies squandered for what? Lack of Design and customer focus. A complete losing of ways and the companies that once were stand-ins for everything strong, tried, and true (accurate for both British and US car makers) about the respective cultures is totally lost.
I've been on a long struggle to get people to understand what it means to really have a Design culture in business management. It affects workflows, feature decisions, product choice, all touch points with the customer.
stan adams
– March 27, 2008 04:03PM
ANd it brings childlike wonder to millions....
SoupIsGood Food
– March 27, 2008 08:41PM
WRT the Patriot - with the features I considered to be essential - sun roof, tow hitch, the various Chrysler option groups brought it north of 22k. It was at that moment I realized that I could have a Toyota Rav4 with a V6 that beats a Mazda 5mx to 60mph... while towing a trailer. It was no contest at all... Toyota reliability with scary big, scary efficient engine vs. everyone else on planet earth. Planet Earth sux.
~ S00p
rino
– March 28, 2008 06:49AM
In America, the only respectable form of socialism is socialism for the rich.
My 73 year old Mom has one of the redesigned Rav4s. I drive it when visting. Last year I thought it too punchy but this year I liked it quite a bit. V6 is nice...
Toyota is almost as boring as Honda these days in the design department, but, the build quality is supreme, reliability typically stellar, and overall driving experience good.
Rav4: 19/26 w/ V6
Patriot: 23 city / 28 hwy w/ 4cyl
Not bad comparison for all that extra power.
My trolling basically has been to find a reason not to buy a Rav4.
El Jeffe
– March 28, 2008 07:16AM
What a journey.
Again, when I took the RAV4 out back to back with the CR-V, RDX and Patriot, the RAV4 did the worst in my book, in heavy snow.
What a journey.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2008 07:16AM by El Jeffe.
rino
– March 28, 2008 09:22AM
In America, the only respectable form of socialism is socialism for the rich.
Thanks again for that point ... putting that note in my spreadsheet.
