DaimlerChrysler

11 Stories

US Choice: Put Money in Startups or Big Three

Tesla needs aid for new electric sedan

(Newser) - Small upstart Tesla wants to build on the success of its bold electric sports car—the pricey Roadster—by building a tamer sedan for the masses. But to do so, it needs a big infusion of cash from the Obama administration, which is looking to boost clean energy. The situation,...

Chrysler Execs to Get $30M in Retention Bonuses

Will auto bailout change that?

(Newser) - Even as nearly bankrupt Detroit automakers beg Congress for a bailout, Chrysler is preparing to pay its top executives $30 million in retention bonuses, the Detroit Free Press reports. Chrysler says the deals were necessary measures to keep top talent in place when they were conceived last year during Daimler's...

Chrysler Loss Deepened After Daimler Split

Filing shows a $2.9B loss in Aug.-Sept. '07, big bonus to CEO

(Newser) - Chrysler lost nearly $2.9 billion in a 2-month period last fall, after its split from Daimler, a filing by the German company shows. The filing by Daimler, which retains 19.9% of the automaker, offers a rare look at how costly the company's reorganization effort has been since it...

Life Without Chrysler Suits Daimler Fine

German automaker predicts 10% profit margins by 2010

(Newser) - Rid of the Chrysler albatross since its May sale, German automaker DaimlerChrysler says its profits are taking off, Business Week reports. CEO Dieter Zetsche said yesterday the company—which aims to strip "Chrysler" from its name this fall—is likely to beat his estimates of 7% profit this year,...

Japanese Foes Thump Big 3 in June Sales

Figures spell especially big trouble for GM

(Newser) - GM's sales in June were down 24% from a year earlier, leading an all-American slump that saw Ford and Chrysler report downturns as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan rang up increases in figures released today. Discounts on the Tundra pickup helped Toyota jump into second place in the American market in...

Smart Car Makes a Little Noise
Smart Car Makes
a Little Noise

Smart Car Makes a Little Noise

DaimlerChrysler subsidiary's pocket-size Fortwo revs up to enter US market

(Newser) - Smart USA will venture into the American auto market early next year, but not in a big way: The Smart Fortwo is very, very small. LA Times auto columnist Dan Neil takes it for a spin and reports that it's a chick magnet and a lot of fun to drive,...

Chrysler Sale Suggests New Deal for Detroit

Ford, GM see hope for restructuring labor costs

(Newser) - The sale of Chrysler to private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management could be a watershed for the entire industry, the Wall Street Journal predicts. Cerberus thinks it can make the embattled carmaker profitable by restructuring its debilitating $18-billion health care and pension liability. If it succeeds without resorting to bankruptcy—which...

"Vulture Fund" Behind Chrysler Deal
"Vulture Fund" Behind Chrysler Deal

"Vulture Fund" Behind Chrysler Deal

(Newser) - Der Spiegel vivisects Cerberus, the private equity group that won Chrysler for a relative bargain today from German auto giant Daimler. Financier Stephen Feinberg's 15-year-old firm has $60 billion in assets, and specializes in companies on the brink of bankruptcy. The group avoids the spotlight, recruits former CEOs and politicians,...

Daimler to Unload Chrysler in $7.4B Deal

German firm keeps minority stake in American auto giant

(Newser) - DaimlerChrysler has sold a majority stake in the Chrysler Group to the American private-equity firm Cerberus for $7.4 billion, the auto giant announced today. The deal unhooks the money-losing American arm of the international conglomerate from its German partner, which will retain a 19.9% stake in Chrysler and...

Cerberus Close to Consuming Chrysler
Cerberus Close to Consuming Chrysler

Cerberus Close to Consuming Chrysler

Proving that three heads may be better than one

(Newser) - Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management is said to have cut a deal to buy Chrysler from DaimlerChrysler.  Cerberus has lots of experience in negotiating for assets in the auto industry, having led the buyout of auto parts maker Delphi, which has not yet closed and may yet fall...

DaimlerChrysler Wants Divorce
DaimlerChrysler Wants Divorce

DaimlerChrysler Wants Divorce

Detroit legend's fate may be decided in a German boardroom -- but tk can't seem to get out of first gear

(Newser) - DaimlerChrysler is trying to unload its clunky Detroit half, its CEO (and occasional company mascot) Dieter Zetsche confirmed at a shareholder's meeting today. The news, which comes after nearly two months of eager speculation, was a relief to frustrated German shareholders, who have long seen Chrysler as a drag on...

11 Stories