XDCX
03-03-2008, 12:08 PM
Although most Chrysler Dealers suffered through a miserable 2007, I'm sure that they'll take comfort knowing that Tom LaSorda was paid over $20 Million for this leadership and automotive expertise. :rolleyes: In fact, LaSorda actually earned more that Zetsche did in 2007 - perhaps another vivid example of how badly Daimler wanted to dump its equity position in Chrysler.
In an earlier post in the Project Genesis discussion I wanted to be clear that I am not Anti-Chrysler or Anti-Factory. I still consider myself to be a "Chrysler Guy" and I really hope that the company is able to reverse its current slide and begin the recovery process.
That said, I am not cheerleader for the company either.
In my opinion, Tom LaSorda is a disaster. He may be a nice guy, but he's not a "Car Guy" and there are thousands of Chrysler Dealers across the country that are paying a price for that fact.
During his tenure, Chrysler went from having some of the best looking vehicles to some of the worse. Factory/Dealer relations dropped to an all-time low and Chrysler Dealers watched the "Blue Sky" value of their franchises whither away.
While Chrysler was in a self-created tail spin, Bob Lutz reshaped GM's product portfolio from vehicles like the Pontiac Aztec to vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu - vehicles that customers actually want to buy.
Chrysler's last big hire from GM was Bob Eaton - we all know how that turned out. There's little question in my mind that the score is now 0 for 2. :(
Here's a link to the news report: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080302/BUSINESS01/803020576/1014/business01
In an earlier post in the Project Genesis discussion I wanted to be clear that I am not Anti-Chrysler or Anti-Factory. I still consider myself to be a "Chrysler Guy" and I really hope that the company is able to reverse its current slide and begin the recovery process.
That said, I am not cheerleader for the company either.
In my opinion, Tom LaSorda is a disaster. He may be a nice guy, but he's not a "Car Guy" and there are thousands of Chrysler Dealers across the country that are paying a price for that fact.
During his tenure, Chrysler went from having some of the best looking vehicles to some of the worse. Factory/Dealer relations dropped to an all-time low and Chrysler Dealers watched the "Blue Sky" value of their franchises whither away.
While Chrysler was in a self-created tail spin, Bob Lutz reshaped GM's product portfolio from vehicles like the Pontiac Aztec to vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu - vehicles that customers actually want to buy.
Chrysler's last big hire from GM was Bob Eaton - we all know how that turned out. There's little question in my mind that the score is now 0 for 2. :(
Here's a link to the news report: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080302/BUSINESS01/803020576/1014/business01