Chrysler's Jim Press Likes the Smell of Sheetmetal in the Morning
Smells like… victory. Newsweek magazine had a chin wag with Chrysler's new Vice Chairman, eschewing genuine analysis for the lazy journalist's best friend (edited Q&A). Anyway, in case you were wondering why the former Toyota exec jumped ship, Press says "I like the smell of the sheet metal on the showroom floor." So a HUGE pile of cash had nothing to do with it, then. Other revelations: Chrysler products don't suck as much as people think, Press' new job is to get the company to "see the world through the customer’s eyes," Chrysler will eliminate some models AND add models that "extend our footprint," and Jimbo's up for any old alt powerplant ("You’ll have diesel hybrids. You’ve got fuel-cell hybrids. You’ve got all-electric cars that use a hybrid system. Plug-in hybrid."). Press finishes with a folksy flourish. "You know, it’s a simple business. There are dealers and there are products. We’ve got to build the right products and give the dealers good stuff to sell." Huh. I guess Press' heirs should be glad nobody told that to Daimler.
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Sung to the tune of Kid Rock's Cowboy I'm a blowboy, baby I'm a blowboy, baby Paid to impress Get Cerberus out of this mess I'm a blowboy, baby When this turd starts to shine I'll be outa here with mine Just like all the rest You can call me Jim Press I'm a blowboy, baby
Just focus on the Phoenix V6 and DSG transmissions Jim..... Oh, and make those "world engines" world engines.
But isn't the Pacifica a Mercedes? ;^)
He does have a point, I had a Chrysler top of the line minvan rental this week and it is not bad. The point is, it not good either. While I was suprised by how much it did not "suck" there are other mini vans that are better than Chryslers.