Hi all, Y'know, I was sitting today listening to a couple of guys going on and on about how terrible it was that Daimler bought Chrysler... I still think the term "bought" is a little heavy-handed... I think alot of the reason the deal is termed the way it is is due to tax laws. And these types of merger/acquisitions are the wave of the future.. look at what is happening in other industries. Chrysler was a prime target, with a fat war chest, killer products, excellent quality... Better Daimler than the Japanese.. Anyway, I got to thinking, anybody who'd want to join up with Mother Mopar can't be all bad... they've got a good quality record, a history of innovation, and guess how many of the cars they build are front wheel drive??? Maybe these guys aren't so bad after all.... It'll be a long while before you see any Euro influence in the Chryco offerings... nobody at Daimler is stupid enough to mess with a program like that. Why would you want to kill the golden goose? And having a partner on the other side of the water will come in handy when the economy turns brown and mushy here. I'm not quite ready to run out and don my leiderhosen, but maybe this won't be all bad. Mr. Schrempp appears to be a pretty shrewd dude. The folks at Daimler are amazed at how Chrysler can crank out profitable vehicles like they were newspapers. And the thought that a company can take a car from concept to production in only a year or two? Much less have the testicular fortitude to market a Hot Rod, for Pete's sake? Can a 300 M with fins be far behind? Thanks for reading my ranting... Steve |