Jim Press Is Insane. Still.

In a recent interview with AutoObserver, Chrysler’s Jim Press tries desperately to state the case that somehow things could be worse at Auburn Hills. In the process he piles on the layers of denial that keep the smallest Detroit automaker senselessly hanging on. “It’s hard to say things are good when sales were only down 25 percent [retail],” press tells AO’s Michelle Krebs. “That’s terrible, but it’s less terrible than the industry decline of 40 percent.” It’s also less terrible than the 44 percent overall sales drop that ChryCo endured last month, but then the fact that Press only mentions retail sales kind of says it all. Especially considering he made AO’s editors include [retail] in his otherwise misleading (or is that self-deluding?) quote. But, “things aren’t so bad,” concludes Press. “At 80,000 vehicles sold in February, we’re doing OK.” Apparently we will know things are bad when Press starts lying about sales rather than pathologically misrepresenting them.

“Looking at retail in prior months, we did pretty well. We’ve shown we’ve been able to cope in these conditions, particularly since we were the first to lose leasing and the first to encounter the credit situation,” says Press lowering the bar just a little further. Press pimps the “intentional lowering of fleet sales” meme with gusto, despite admitting that Chrysler has more 2008 inventory than its competitors. Which explains why ChryCo’s incentives “look” high, argues Press, who swears that 2009 transaction prices are “pretty much in line with competitors in most cases.” Press completes his assault on reality by disputing Edmunds’ $5,556 per vehicle incentive average without providing an alternative figure.

As “OK” as things are though, Chrysler is not making money at current sales rates, says Press. “No one is making money. That’s not in the cards until we are in a much more normal environment in the marketplace.” Pay no attention to the incentives behind the curtain. But Press is blithely optimistic. “Perhaps the rate of decline [in auto sales] will slow down,” he says. Perhaps Jim, perhaps. “If we get [bailed out],” he continues, “we’re viable and can continue to invest in future. If we get the relationship with Fiat, we’ll go from viable to being in really good shape.” Press’s blithering optimism would be almost heartening in these trying times if it werent so disingenuous and cynical. Unrelenting (and wholly unfounded) optimism is the only thing that can win Chrysler more bailout bucks, and those tax dollars are the only chance Chrysler has at surviving. That Chrysler’s retail sales are only dropping at half the rate of the larger market (and its own overall sales) is hardly “vaibility.” Or cause for optimism.