Will we say Goodbye to Chrysler?

Next week should be very exciting with Fiat pushing the GO or NO-GO button on Chrysler-it would be sad to see Chrysler forced to bankruptcy.

It will be a sad day if America looses an icon like Chrysler. But after taking $4 billion dollars in tax payer money how can we keep giving them more when the UAW won't budge. They will be really unhappy when more workers are out of jobs. The domino effect will be passed on to more than just the auto industry. Every one will be impacted.

As for Chrysler, the Jeep line has value and we shall see what happens to the rest of the line. They make some great cars - but even with CAW (Canadian Auto Workers) making a tentative agreement - the Lovely Auto Task force has the final say and can pull the plug!

What really ticks me off is the the Auto Task Force has no real experience in the industry. No manufacturing experience, No marketing to this segment, No background in this industry - so how can they decide the future of the automotive industry. There are so many talented, amazing people that really, truly know what can be done and have real, possible solutions. Instead no one consults with the industry - we just sit here and wait for the next show to drop.

I'm hopping mad, that things have come to this point. Again and again I have stated that the auto industry is the VICTIM!

We will miss Pontiac and the rest of the cars that make America wonderful and the great memories we have of these icons. It's been a great ride! Thank you!

Do you want GM and Chrysler to go Bankrupt?

Whether we want it or not - the government has slithered its way into the auto industry. They are micro-managing yet another company they can't run efficiently and effectively. So now we are forced into a "surgical bankruptcy" on June 1st.

Don't you just love these terms that are supposed to let consumers think that everything is "OK"? Are we that stupid that we don't understand that the economy is in a slump and everyone is hurting? In many different ways, WE GET IT!!!

I wasn't a fan of giving money to the auto industry, but there weren't many choices--too many jobs and careers are tied to the auto industry. Although GM and Chrysler took money to pay off debt, health care and retirement costs, it didn't get them very far.

Basically, if the government hadn't loaned these funds to GM and Chrysler, GM would be forced to restructure and cause a severe down turn in the economy and Chrysler would have had to sell off or close down. So we are here AGAIN!

We've given GM and Chrysler government funds and no one read the small print. As a result we have an Automotive Task Force made up of people who have never worked in the industry (and I mean no manufacturing experience, marketing, PR, or anything to do with the industry) telling us what automobiles we have to drive and what we want to drive!

A "surgical bankruptcy" means that the government will plan for or with GM, telling them what to shut down, what to keep, and what to build! This is a disaster in the making. If GM and automotive industry people rebuild GM - GM will survive. If the government keeps their fingers in GM, we will revisit history with the British auto bailout of the 70's, which ruined a major manufacturer there.

GM must save 3 brands: Cadillac, Chevrolet and Buick. The rest, sadly, have to either be sold or closed. This is so sad as GM builds good, safe cars that people really do want. As the brand choices increase - everyone loses sales.

The truth is that Chrysler is in bad shape too. If Fiat partners with Chrysler, they will be able to bring in cars from Fiat such as the 500. Fiat can utilize the Chrysler dealer network - but even if Fiat saves Chrysler and Jeep, they still have a lot of debt and Americans aren't buying cars at the rate we were a few years ago - will they be able to survive?

Unfortunately, the bottom line is that the auto industry is the victim of greedy bankers, government oversight, and scams and financial institutes who have given loans to consumers and businesses they could never repay. As a result, we all pay the price for others' poor choices!