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Old 05-03-2012, 04:09 PM   #1
XDCX
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Default Daimler extends Wolfgang Bernhard's contract for five years

While I know there aren't too many Mercedes Dealers among our ranks I couldn't help but to comment on the recent headline that Daimler has extended Wolfgang Bernhard's contract for another five years. Here's a link to the news report - click here

Wolfgang Bernhard is expected to succeed Dieter Zetsche as Daimler's CEO when Zetsche retires.

For the Chrysler dealers among our ranks you'll likely remember Bernhard as the Chrysler Exec who rode the Concept Motorcycle that was based on the Viper V10. Wearing a leather jacket Bernhard looked like he belonged on the bike - it was a great image boost for Chrysler. I always thought Bernhard was like a younger version of Bob Lutz - he had a passion for great cars and he knew how to cut through B.S.

Some of our members may also remember Bernhard for his early involvement with Cerberus after they completed their purchase of Chrysler from Daimler. Bernhard left after only a few weeks and was replaced by Home Depot's Bob Nardelli - the rest is history.

I've often wondered why Bernhard bailed out of the Cerberus deal and figured it was because he knew Cerberus' true intention with Chrysler was to do a "strip and flip" and he didn't want to be part of it.

Who knows, maybe some day Bernhard will write a book - I'd love to hear an insider's viewpoint on the happening at Chrysler shortly after Cerberus took control.
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Old 05-03-2012, 04:21 PM   #2
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For the Chrysler dealers among our ranks you'll likely remember Bernhard as the Chrysler Exec who rode the Concept Motorcycle that was based on the Viper V10. Wearing a leather jacket Bernhard looked like he belonged on the bike - it was a great image boost for Chrysler.
It was the Chrysler Tomahawk.

Here's a picture:


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Old 05-04-2012, 05:10 AM   #3
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Who knows, maybe some day Bernhard will write a book - I'd love to hear an insider's viewpoint on the happening at Chrysler shortly after Cerberus took control.
Taken for a ride II.
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Old 05-04-2012, 09:51 AM   #4
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Taken for a ride II.
That would be a great title.

Taken for a Ride = Great book about Chrysler getting screwed by Daimler

Taken for a Ride II = Great title for a book about Chrysler getting screwed by Cerberus

Taken for a Ride III = ???
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Old 05-04-2012, 12:48 PM   #5
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Default Thoughts about Dieter Zetsche.....

When I think back to the DaimlerChrysler days I have mixed thoughts about Dieter Zetsche.

As I recall, Zetsche replaced Tom Stallkamp when it started to become clear that the "Merger of Equals" line was 100% bogus. It was clear that Daimler wanted one of their people to run Chrysler and Zetsche was their choice.

For the large part, I think the Zetsche years were pretty prosperous for most Chrysler dealers. Zetsche seemed to understand the U.S. market and he wasn't afraid to use incentive dollars to protect Chrysler's market share.

That said, all of my positive thoughts about Zetsche began to change when he left Auburn Hills to replace Schremp as Daimler's CEO.

It seemed like once Zetsche left Auburn Hills all of his allegiance to Chrysler was gone and Daimler started to extract cash and remove resources from Chrysler. It was during this era that some of Chrysler's worst vehicles would be designed and developed. (Dodge Caliber, Jeep Compass, Chrysler Sebring, etc.)

Maybe this episode in Chrysler's past could be covered in the prequel of Taken for a Ride II?
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