Here is something you didn't mention. Chrysler had $9 Billion in reserve before the merger. After the merger, Benz took that money and invested in Hyundai and other wasteful spending. What a screw over.
what is it with Chrysler and shitty partnerships? 80's: with Mitsubishi, who was known for its "reliability" 90's: with Mercedes, who was known for its "reliability" 2010's: with Fiat, who is known for its "reliability"
don't know bout Mitsubishi. BUT Every Fiat owner(i'm not one) will tell you that next car will be Fiat. I was pretty judgmental until i talked to handful of owners and drove in Fiat Bravo and Punto. Merc was little iffy(rust as mf) form mid 90s to mid 00s(until redesign), before and after that they are solid cars with nice mpg, reliability, latest technology and great design. At the end of the day, every new car is a great car(at least ones that are sold in EU),it's just matter of regular car maintenance.
+GodricThe The Fiat 500 Americans have was widened for our market and it is built in Mexico. So I could see how it would have issues. Too many links down the chain you know?
That was a really interesting story and kind of changed my mind about Chrysler. I used to think that they were beyond redemption, what I did not know was that it wasn't entirely their fault. Personally I have really high hopes for Fiat, but after this I now want Chrysler to do well too because while I'm not usually patriotic in any capacity, it's hard to give up on a company with that kind of history and with that many scars.
I had always heard that the end of Daimler/Chrysler was in a board meeting where the German Union representatives on the board voted down any further investment to Chrysler because they could not see the benefit in it for their members. They wanted the money to go where their union members worked, not UAW guys!
I drive a "child" of Mercedes and Chrysler merger: a Jeep, that was built in Austria on Styer plant (G-class is also built there till now), it is Grand Cherokee CRD with 2.7l Mercedes engine OM647 and Mercedes 5-speed automatic transmisson. After some work and tuning on intake and turbo this thing MOVES! And it is very reliable.
I enjoy them quite a bit, too, especially since I had been working on a similar idea (shorter, more vocal flair) for a while before The Tale of the Dale was released.
+KingMacintosh Fiat didn't kill Chrysler because of reliability. They were already unreliable to begin with. The 2.7 EER engine is case and point. That engine was created in 1998 and was suppressed to be their fuel efficient engine. However the engine had a problem with engine sludge build up because of venting problems and could kill the engine at 50-70 thousand miles. However they put that engine in every damn thing in the 2000s. Just look at this list: www.oilsludge.com/vehicles/ .They never really fixed the problem. I had a 2007 Dodge with the engine and I could start to smell oil burning at less than 50k miles. People forget about this engine oftentimes, but this is really where Chrysler reliability issues started in recent times.
KingMacintosh Mr Regular actually covered that aspect in the PT Cruiser review; they were originally bought by baby boomers who could afford the maintenance of these cars, but have now trickled down to gen Xers and Millenials who can't afford the maintenance costs, which is why good condition PTs are getting harder to find nowadays.
+KingMacintosh Yes some failures are due to the owner, but you can't say that for every gremlin.I accept Chrysler sometimes unreasonable amount of maintenance because I like working on my Jeep TJ. For the most part because it is very simple to maintain and learn on. I understand Chrysler can make a decent product. Every car company worth its salt fails sometimes when it tries to be ambitious. But when Chrysler fails, they fail HARD.
They really did make some turds (looking at you sebring and durango) but they also made some really innovative and quirky vehicles (mopar muscle cars, ram trucks, 90s jeeps, etc) its really a shame that the quality lacks so much
"it's better to chase the possibilities of the future than the distance glories of the past." RCR teaches me more about life than any real mentor figure
Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep/Eagle + Daimler MercedesBenzMaybatch + Fiat/Ferrari/AlfaRomeo/Maserati best friends forever. Now Aston Martin uses Mercedes engines now too after years of using Ford engines. Formerly with Mitsubishi (now Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti/Renault) + Hyundai + Kia Strange Alliances. Good video.
@@avdgaming3550It seems to me that Fiat hasn't learned anything about the American car market they were shit when they left the USA market in 1983 and they seem to be shit now,!
They did just that when they had the 200, 300 and Pacifica. Once they knocked the 200 and dart they fell off. Great cars that the reviewers gave bad names. Sad.
Loved it! I own a 2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8, and it is a strange mix of Mercedes and Chrysler. Some guys even swap on Mercedes parts, like the diff cooler or AMG brakes.
Daimler-Benz was a mess from the middle of the 90's really. Just ask a W210 owner if he likes swiss cheese. Just remember to duck for the incoming punch. ;) Finding w210 with floor intact is like looking for a 40-yo virgin, and a W202 wasn't all that reliable either.
provostkhot As I understand it, the late '90s and early '00s, under Juergen Schrempp, was the problematic era. Under Dieter Zetsche, aka Dr. Z, who is an engineer, the products were better.
Chrysler was well into the black, had lots of cash back in the late 90's, but Daimler just sucked them dry...then Cerebrus maintained the problem and the rest is history.....precarious situation for the company, results of very poor management. They almost went under during the recession of 59, the famous 1979 year, then 2008.
It seems like FCA has been a far, far better merger. The Chrysler Pacifica is the first completely new car for the brand since the FCA merger, and look at the reviews its been getting. It's one of the best cars in its class. Jeeps too have been getting tons of love, and Dodge has been releasing multiple high performance models. Uconnect is one of the best infotainment systems on the market. And (at least partially) because of the merger, America is finally seeing the return of a lot of FCA's european brands. Fiat and Alfa Romeo are both back in the US. I have a Fiat 500e and it's been nothing but fantastic. (And I know that I'm gonna be accused of being a fanboy because of this. I promise I'm not. I'm just trying to give personal experience.) Yes, FCA does have quality issues to work on, especially concerning its 9 speed automatic transmission, but overall, FCA seems to be a beneficial merger and I hope that it keeps getting better from here.
Well, it's because Gruppo FIAT (the Company under which FIAT SpA operated right before the merger) was losing cash by the billions ever month, it would've been dead as a doorknob in 10 years without it. FIAT needed a foothold in the US, as well as new powerplants and fresh capitals and ideas, Chrysler needed a new stock of models and some love. After all, it seems us Italians understood what Americans like better than the Germans did... plus, we do honestly respect what Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge represent, they're not just a sticker to most of us. This was truly a merger between equals.
@@gabem.5242 except for Jeep just being a sticker, minus the renegade/actual Jeep looking vehicles, the splitting of Dodge and Dodge Trucks(and the losing of the exclusive Cummins diesel), the thought of spinning off Jeep and Dodge trucks and the selling off of MOPAR, the idea of discontinuing of Dodge, and somehow the quality is still...the same. Oh and Fiat still hasn't really gained a market share(excluding rebrands)
True. Also; from 1990 to 1997 Chrysler was doing pretty well. Then came the merge with Daimler-Benz in 1998. Daimler-Benz pretty much ran Chrysler into the ground from 1998 to 2009.
@@gabem.5242sure, fiat almost failure their financials and almost bankrupt. But they purchased Chrysler and their platforms and the vehicles helped both to increase his sales and exit the both them of red lines.. Now Fiat has found your golden goose: Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep platforms and vehicles, mainly SUVs/CUVs and pick up Trucks, cuz they've had a profit margin high, Fiat nowadays almost had in their line up SUVs and CUVs, they almost phase out his regular cars to increase the production of CUVs and SUVs.
I think it missed the most critical point. Chrysler was saved by multiple design brilliance like Caravan, PT Cruiser, 300/ Charger, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram. But if you pay closer attention, there is two big problems: A. there is no good sequel to the success. B. none of these success stories can be attributed to a platform that can expand throughout the lineups. Why? Because you can't imagine Caravan to share the same platform as Jeep Cherokee or Jeep Wrangler and Ram share the same frame. Modern auto manufacturers are built on common components and platform sharing to lower the development cost and time. Mercedes and Fiat are facing the same death spiral: slower sales of Chrysler due to aging platforms. It is expensive to replace them because nothing is share between best sellers. The juicy profit is needed to keep the mother ship to stay afloat. So, they cut corners to build unreliable BS that make as much money as possible before jumping ship.
+GodricThe Mercedes was losing money by building "overengineered" cars back then. Mercedes had the same problem as Chrysler: multiple platforms and specialized parts for different classes. They looked down on Chrysler designs but then when they tried to "fix" the engineering, they realized they won't make any money or they simply built a cheaper and bigger version of their own car. So, they skipped most of the engineering works and left Chrysler to milk profitable models as long as possible, looking for buyers while sucking the profit dry for themselves.
The LX platform has done very well for them. I'm always surprised how well it continues on even after 12 years of it now. Though I do feel a little upset for jumping into it when I did. (2006 Charger Daytona) only to see it explode into what it is today. On the flip side the Dart and the 200 didn't work as well for them (I daily a 2015 Dart). The 200 and Dart are okay at best chassis (even though I keep hearing rave reviews, it doesn't live up to my old E36 BMW), and they also suffered from poor production quality. I love Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep and even the Plymouth of old, but I worry about their future...
Go drive in a car with a Mitsubishi platform? I own 3 of them. My built 90 GSX and stock 94 3000GT VR-4 would probably embarrass whatever you drive. It was a good partnership
I'm a Dodge/ram/Chrysler fanboy, and I can say that compared to their competition, they do well in style, design, and the feelings they inspire in their targeted market. There are always bad apples and American car manufacturers have never taken reliability and quality seriously over raw appeal and charisma of their platforms. The biggest draw for me about the vehicles from Mopar manufacturers is the adequate feeling of being apart of something special, my car squeeks and rattles, but any vehicle made by the big 3 does after 100,000 miles, and anybody who claims that theirs doesn't is lying. Ive loved all of my Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/ram vehicles, even when they made less power than the competition or were not as well appointed on the interior. The reason that continue s bringing me back is compelling lack of comformity that is present in a the style of a Chrysler 300, or the shear tire shredding middle fingers raised to the world hellcat, or upcoming demon. They don't make good business, but good business rarely makes good, enjoyable cars.
All American car (and most European) manufacturers are PLANNED obsolescence.. they're not counting on you driving it more than 60k miles cause they know by that time your car will be about 3 years old and they'll have a newer, updated, design that will surely entice your consumer "driven" brain.. though I'll admit, I do like jeeps and Durango 😅
Chrysler is dying and is on life support. They have virtually no presence in the automobile market anymore. They have no brand recognition anymore and with their scrapping of the Dart/200 platform (and with no replacement in sight) they've eliminated their low-price field entry. So, unless you've got $50,000 to spend, you ain't getting that Dodge. Speaking of which, the brand reorganization.... turning Dodge trucks into RAM trucks? Pointless. Losing the Cummins contract?? Blasphemous! Dodge makes what.... two cars now? Charger & Challenger, both on aging, antiquated platforms. Chrysler..... I actually had to check their website and was surprised to see the 300 still in production! The rest is just a faceless, soulless, styleless melange of various "crossover" vehicles that do nothing for anybody and are, again, based off of 10+ year-old chassis designs. Quite honestly, I see Chrysler lurching exactly like AMC did during it's final days: phasing out their own garbage for the supposed "new", "better" offerings from the other half, while still half-assedly belching their aged designs onto the public in hopes two or three people will buy them. Don't get me wrong though, I was a dyed-in-the-wool Mopar kid. Always loved 'em, always will. But the Chrysler Corporation of the Saintly days of Yore ceased to exist in 1997. It's a shame, because they used to make some really great cars. If the Chrysler brand continues on past the year 2020, I'll eat my hat.
Alfred Neuman I really think that Chrysler could do better if they get some parts from Fiat/Alfa romeo building a more "American" Version of the guilia, something like a new Chrysler 300 and modify it for a new charger and challenger and get something for the entry prices based on the gulietta. And give them a huge Marketing Budget. Show the people they can still get the American cars with modern technology for a reasonable Price. But that's most likely wishful thinking.
That's probably not a bad plan. But the fact remains that much like the German Takeover, Fiat only wanted Chrysler for it's dealership network. Why build all new ones when you can buy them for pennies on the dollar? No my friend, the writing is on the wall for dear old Mother Mopar. The powers that be tried exactly your plan with the 200/Dart, and yet those same powers that be are claiming it to be a failure - even though I see dozens of them rolling around in comparison to Charger/300/Challenger. (If those are still selling, I'd like to know to whom!) Much like when AMC was driven into the grave, you'll see the few classic Mopar nameplates sold (and not updated) until they become unprofitable. One by one, the axe will fall until there is nothing left. It will be Fiat cars, Ram trucks and whatever is left of Jeep.
@@Dareios4297 I'm a year late to this party but according to allpar they're doing exactly that. The next chager/challenger/300/barracuda will be on a similar guilia platform, along with some fiat cars. With the recent GM layoffs, and Ford exiting the car market altogether, Chrysler may be the only company with the option of cars and not crossovers, even though jeep is doing exceptionally well selling crossovers. The dart actually did quite well but marchionne killed it under the guise that ford killed their cars, the market shift to crossovers. What with the Focus transmission debacle, and the chevy cruise being, well, bad, it had a solid chance of gaining ground. The LX mopars were probably the best thing to happen to Chrysler recently, along with their trucks and suvs. I think if Chrysler can correctly hedge their bets on the mass exodus to crossovers, they might very well become what they were in the 90s. This remains to be seen as I understand that they're still restructuring internally after marchionne's untimely death. I don't think Mopar is dead just yet. We might still be surprised.
My Dad's been steadfast on his love of Chrysler. His first car was a 1971 Dodge Demon, he's had a 1983 Dodge Challenger, a 2000 Dodge Dakota Sport, and now he has a 2013 Dodge Charger Daytona. I've never liked Chrysler vehicles and I've got a Chevrolet but he is and always will be in love with Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, and Jeep vehicles.
The Jeep Commander was a failure? Really? I see fuck tons of those things rolling around upstate NY all the time. I've only seen like 2 or 3 Hummers to compare.
I drive a not particularly well kept Mercedes from 1998 daily. I have been doing this for two years now, never had a problem. The car is very reliable for its age. It has rust though. I think the sills will have rusted out before any of the mechnical or electrical parts of the car will ever fail on me.
I can give you a counter anecdote about a daily 1999 that was constantly in the shop. However, if you look at Consumer Reports reliability data, there's nothing good about Mercedes these days. Also watch Kilmer's Money Pit videos about Mercs too.
opl500 all the Chrysler minivans will run forever if the body doesnt rust out. And many K cars are still out there from the 80s era. Otherwise there are a whole lot of A, F and M body Chryslers out here
I worked the press event in Detroit when the presidents of both car makers were standing on stage that lowered down to ground level. After the announcement they stepped off stage and the party began. It was a really good time.
@@averyw.3939 - True. Then again, suspension geometry is a bit "black magic" , and it takes little to thoroughly change the behavior of a car, especially when it comes to multilink ones, like those in the rears of all generations of Mercedes E-class, which use different stiffnesses if the aritulation rubber supports to tweak the response. From the point of view of Europeans, all American cars have crappy suspension simply because they are designed to meet the needs of American buyers. Sometimes, even European cars sold in the U. S. have their suspensions tweaked for American roads. I have a neighbor that kept his Merceded when he moved back to Spain from New Jersey. The only external difference with my own car are its federalized Lights and 5 mph bumpers. But the couple of times he gave me a ride, I was surprised at how wobbly and mooshy his car felt. On the other hand, when FCA "badge engineered" the new "Lancia Thema" out of the Chrysler 300, they tweaked the suspension and steering a bit to make it more palatable for Italian drivers. In the end, an engineer is an engineer is sn engineer. Give him the right set of goals and they will give you a nice car, but the goals are decided by the guys of the marketing with the hope of satisfying potential customers.
@@diablocls55 Didn’t know those cars were air ride, that’s pretty cool. I would expect that most of the links and geometry are similar though, just supported by coils rather than air.
Roman, you are doing an awesome job with these automotive history lessons. The story and presentation kept me engaged all the way through the video. Not to mention the "My Ex" joke almost made me choke on my coffee. Looking forward to the next one!
Awesomely told, well done sirs! Maybe I'm corrupt in the mind for routing for underdogs, but fuck me Mopar or no car ( except a twin turbo Subaru that I own right now! )
akaki202 im there with ya. i got a 70 plymouth gtx and 75 dodge ramcharger se, both with 440s and my 2004 dodge srt4 as a daily. i love the feeling of people asking "what kind of car is that?". mustangs and camaros are a dime a dozen from where im from. roadrunners are not :-) MOPAR or no car brother.
Fiat Chrysler is actually a pretty good pairing. It's probably the only pairing where you will hear, "It only has 300hp, how can we get more?" As a result of the pairing Jeep is doing pretty well in foreign markets, and all brands except Chrysler and Fiat are selling exciting vehicles. Chrysler's interiors and quality control have seen major improvements from the merger. They have also become technology forward in a way they have not been in half a century. The profits from Ram and Jeep balance all the losses the company makes on new platforms that fail. I think it would be a mistake for FIat Chrysler to ever try and appeal to reliability. Sure they should make decisions that make vehicles more reliable, but given the choice between reliability and cutting edge, they should always go with cutting edge. Even in the late 80s and 90s when they had some of the most reliable vehicles on the road, Chrysler was still thought of as an unreliable brand. They are never going to change that image no matter how many years they dedicate into that endeavor and have the most reliable vehicles on the road.
Fiatsler is junk, and were it not for Ram/Jeep would be long gone. Do not be surprised if that is exactly what happens as the industry continues to slow. Chrysler and Fiat get ditched, and only Ram/Jeep remains.
Nooooo shit! & it's srsly annoying. aside from "slant sixes are tough" everything else is 'junk'. which is a seemingly inescapable lie. Chrysler's least good stuff has always been from using brand x parts, not their own in house engineered stuff..which isn't so common anymore, bc of 'the merger' with Daimler who dropped all of the awesome Chrysler personnel in exchange for the Mercedes ppl. i too see how Fiat has been a blessing in multiple ways for Chrysler, as good as Daimler was bad.
Cerberus 2010: Resurrected Commander Shepard. Haha I see what you did there. Mass Effect II is an amazing game! Completing it on the Insane-difficulty level is the single best gaming experience I ever had.
Say what you will about the merger with Fiat. At the very least, the year after the merger, subtle changes were made to the designs of the Dodge and Chrysler line-up that actually made them look good.
You should consider tying a video like this in with some RCR's of products relevant to it, almost like a mini-series. Cars like the Jeep Compass/Patriot, Dodge Nitros, Chrysler 300's etc. should be pretty easy to find, and the history lesson gives a good context as to why some of these cars were just so bad.
bought a 2008 Sebring convertible for 12 thousand dollars in 2009 with only 13 thousand miles on it trading in my catera for 4 grand! got bored with the Sebring and traded it in for 2 grand with 100 thousand in 2015. most problems stemmed from the aluminum valve stems and airbag in the seat malfunctioned causing the light to stay one which could of took a grand to fix. car was slow but man that top was so cool. Currently enjoying licking Windows in my Juke Nismo. I like being different and going against the grain
thanks for this amazing video. During the period of Dalmer\Chrysler through the Government Bailout, I was too young to understand what was going on financially. Being older now, I am wiser and, can fully comprehend what happened leading up to the bailout. Originally, I thought it was Chrysler's fault for poor management etc but, now I interpret it as a mix of a bad merger and bad luck in the financial market
Adam K They just didn't get along with each other, though I believe that Chrysler didn't like to do the things that Mercedes instructed them to do that were probably good for them.
As a Jeep owner and my very first CAR ( U.V. ) Iv ever owned I love Chrysler. Become very enthusiastic about cars and brands, following suite I found Chrysler to be that brand of automobile manufacturer to be my favorite of the, “BIG THREE”. I love the Chrysler group especially the brands Iv grown up to love Jeep, Dodge Ram Chrysler. This video caught my attention for both history and personal attraction towards the brand it entails.
To be fair, I think that if we ask Sergio Marchionne - alas, in a seance - what would have been his ideal plan, he would have answered 1) Ditch the FIAT brand - the marque has negative market value, since the 80s 2) Ditch as much of the FIAT management culture as possible - it basically is short-term penny-pinching for the sake if it, no matter the long term effects. 3) Resurrect Alfa Romeo with the FR layout and, when the eventual kinks are worked out, tweak it to build the next generation of Dodges (the only way "Giorgio" makes sense)... Alas, the dude died way too early.
It's funny to me that Americans see Fiat as a maker of literal garbage despite being one of the top selling automakers in Europe for a long time now. After leaving America in the early 80's, they kept improving. The main reason the reintroduction has gone poorly has nothing to do with the quality of the cars and everything to do with poor management of the brand itself, as well as American sentiment towards the brand that laid dormant for 30 years. It simply can't get enough traction to hold dealership interest, and there hasn't been a "big hit" that gets consumers excited. The 500 has been loved by its owners, but its a car that Americans by and large aren't interested in. The 500L was a disaster due to the transmission unit that they sourced, and sunk their reliability scores and ranking in a crucial time. And the lack of dealerships = lack of trained technicians to do warranty work, which further alienates buyers. Shitty situation all around. Chrysler is doing very well under Fiat though. They've been setting record profits the last few years, although a lot of it is just a strong SUV poker hand that obviously won't last forever.
Yes, you found a story you wanted to tell. And then there's the real story. Mercedes had a problem because they were selling taxi cabs in Europe and trying to sell the same cars in the US as luxury cars and it was getting harder to do. You presented a very N. American view of Mercedes, forgetting that world wide they were not exclusively or primarily a luxury brand. They had luxury models but a very broad selection of cars of all classes. Commercial trucks are a big part of the company but models like the 190D were common taxi cabs in Europe being sold as luxury models in the US. The N. American market was the only one where they were exclusively a luxury car and that suited the US dealers fine. The modern Chrysler had problems rooted in the late 1950's when they tried to change their image in one great leap in 1957 and produced some very exciting cars that sold very well and fell apart just as quickly. The ended up with a large number of very unhappy customers and sales crashing in 1959 and 1960 with cars that had become cliches for dated styling and poor quality. They spent the 1960's playing catch up. Chrysler was always stretched thin and nothing shows this more than the fact that the Chrysler 6, only slightly updated was still the standard engine in the 1960 Plymouth and Dodge trucks. It was a great engine in 1925 but every other US maker had retired their flat head engines years before. This was also when De Soto was dropped. Plymouth was a problem as the dealer agreement restricted what Chrysler could sell that might compete with Plymouth products. Dodge wanted a pony car but Plymouth tied their hands to protect the Barracuda. When Challenger came out it had to be 10 inches longer than the Cuda. The design of similar platform cars was made more difficult because of this. Chrysler had no money for a subcompact design and left the market to Pinto and Vega while trying to argue that the Valiant or Dart was a better choice, and maybe it was. They also sold the imported Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) and Plymouth Cricket (British Leland Hilman). Chrysler had kept the large Plymouth and Dodge smaller than the Fords and Chevys until the 1974, just in time for the first oil embargo. The 1974 Fury was a one year model. They spent the rest of the 70's trying to recover from that and working on a new small car with some design help from the French Simca subsidiary for the Omini and Horizon which were troublesome but provided the basis for the K car and that for the minivans. By the late 1980's they had become a niche player and the subject of jokes like on the show "WKRP in Cincinnati" where the station manager says 'I am a patriotic American! I drive a Dodge!" That really caught my attention because my Father was looking for a new car in 1979 and I told him to by a Honda Accord but he wanted to help Chrysler and bought a Dodge Omini, that he regretted. Chrysler had a hit with the 1994 pickup and Jeep sales were good but company's health was only one bad stock market away from disaster. I see a pattern in your stories. You really don't have a good grasp on the importance of things that happened before you started to pay attention to the subject. The 1960's was a period of recovery for Chrysler and it was incomplete when the gas shortage hit them. It wasn't the image they wanted to project but it was the truth. If the people running AMC had been running Chrysler they may have succeeded.
I was there where Chrysler was a huge money making machine and had $10 BILLION in a" rainy day fund". Daimler snatched that $10 BILLION as soon as the take over papers were signed. The hated Bob Eaton had so many death threats that he had to hire serious body guards ! Chrysler was the stronger of the two companies and the sellout enraged those who had worked so hard to make the company that it become, they left in droves. Daimler picked Chrysler's bones clean and sold off the skeleton when there was nothing left. Now this FIAT thing has become a joke yet Chrysler once again become a money machine but for FIAT. Will there ever be another Chairman Lee or Bob Lutz to save Chrysler from the European's with their narrow outlook of the auto business ??
My favorite era of Chrysler...although I think I'm biased here because this era was more or less my childhood. Yes, this was the era when Plymouth was retired, and my jury's still out on whether the PT Cruiser was a good car or not. But at least they were making cars in this era...the company's practically invisible to me since merging with Fiat.
The “Smart Car” cost was forced on Chrysler by Daimler even though they were told repeatedly that’s not a car for the American market. That car was built in Germany in a highly automated expensive manufacturing plant. I think we all know about the success of the “Smart Car”.
I don't think the merger was necessarily a bad idea, it was just that neither culture understood or respected the other, it was however doomed when Mitisushibushi got forced out. Yes this production ignored the ties between Mitsubishi and Chrysler. Had they pulled it off they would of had the first truly global automotive company. Maybe German managers should of cut Chrysler and Mitsubishi a little more slack and allowed them to take over over of the responsible for the cheaper mass-market cars world wide, separated the cheaper cars in Europe under a different name to distance them from Mercedes Benz and use Chrysler as a market tool for Mercedes-Benz to make further inroads into the US market.. And allowed technology and innovation to flow between the companies.
How odd that Cerberus is pronounced like that in English and not Kerberus. It was always quite clear to industry people that the merger wasn't of equals because Mercedes was and is a better brand. This is why they can sell crappy cars in 2017 and still make a nice profit.
I drive my mom's old pt cruiser, she bought it new, it has 301,000 kilometers on it and it's only had oil changes and plugs. it's slow and heavy but wow what a truck
You really missed the impact of the LS400 on Daimler. They took one apart and concluded there was no way they could build as good as car and sell it for anywhere near the same price. This led to a lot of panic in the top management and a lot of knee-jerk reactions like the A-class, the W210, and the Chrysler merger.
True, but keep in mind the LS400 was a loss leader for Lexus, meaning they lost money on everyone they sold. My father had one for years, a tank, solid, incredibly smooth engine.
I have no idea why Mercedes continues to use the Daimler name in any form since it hasn't produced any of its own cars since 1960, and those that were sold as Daimlers were nothing more than rebadged Jaguars.
I'm digging the several Rules of Acquisition thrown in there! Excellent touch! As well, the whole thing was well put together and perfectly narrated. I love you guys' work and can't wait for more!
Chrysler are probably liking Fiat more than MB but deep down they're regretting its tumultuous relationship with MB in that they should not have been difficult to them.
The merger worked for Chrysler because they benefited from better designs/looks. Chrysler products are crap and since the split it has gotten even worse. Are they even still around 😂 😂
Is there a way you guys could make these long form, "story of" videos audio only podcasts? Perhaps on shout engine? I love listening to them, and they would be perfect for peoples morning commutes.
they are the only brand that sells RWD v6 or v8 big cars for starting of 20k, and any smart person will rather buy a v6 300hp rwd charger over a camry that costs as much or more and get fwd lighter smaller body with a i4. the 300 charger and challenger and even magnum are the best cars for the money. and they have no competition the closest are the mustang and camaro and both have become smaller and offer i4 that people don't want
if ford and chevy are smart they must bring back the falcon and chevelle offering a big 4 door sedan in v6 and v8 rwd and starting at 20k for a v6 base and in nice bright colors and aggressive blocky front end non of that aerodynamic shit
Fiat Chrysler should really just drop all FWD vehicles. It's where all their failures are at. A car brand that sells nothing but RWD, AWD, and 4WD vehicles will be very compelling.
if you check on Huntington beach dodge in California they have brand new base model V6 chagers with the 8 speed 0-60 in 6.1 sec they are on sale for 18 grand thats such an amazing price if i had the money if pick up 2 of them and in nice colors too specially the torred
i can attest to how terrible chrysler products are in general. I have a 2004 lexus with 150k miles. gf has a 2013 jeep with 40k miles. my car is like driving on a cloud. hers is like riding a train car down a gravel road... I would never buy a POS Fiat Chrysler product the same way I'd never throw money into a trash can.
Mr. Regular is the face of this channel. With that being said I'm more than happy to consume the Roman's content. I feel like I'm walking away from this video having learned a lot. Keep up the good work RCR dudes, and may you both be the faces of the RCR channel
Current Chrysler 300s, Dodge Challengers, and Dodge Chargers, are based on a heavily modified version of the W211 E Class of 2002. And I guess you could say it works haha.
Samuel Abraham So had it not been for MB, in other words, Chrysler would have been as dead as AMC. So, even though Chrysler hated MB's parenting, Chrysler was better off with them than with its pen pal, Fiat.
i feel like for any latecomers I should peoint something out not mentioned in this video when he talks about the recession unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford didn't take the bailout, they soldiered on and people were still buying their trucks, granted not nearly as many 11th gen trucks were made as the 10th gen but still, also the Taurus, Focus, and whatever elses were pulling Ford through the recession
Not 1.3 billion dollars lost by "the government". 1.3 billion dollars stolen from the taxpayers in favor of a dying name, to serve the execs and shareholders and no one else. Also Mercedes is doing awesome since they sold Chrysler. Never was a good partnership for both. For good partnership, look at Toyota and Subaru.
Schmidt54 That might be because this was American and German cultures merging (and it was mentioned that they were in contrast) while the Toyota and Subaru were of the same culture.
>The auto industry was blamed like every band with plug-in instruments was for Columbine With the slight difference that every company in the auto industry was responsible for the environmental impact cars had and have
@@Reparaturkanal After the April 20th, 1999 shooting at Columbine High School; allegations that the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold listened to Marilyn Manson began flying, which were ultimately determined to be untrue. Manson explained in an op-ed piece for Rolling Stone magazine titled "Columbine: Whose Fault is it?" that he should not be blamed for the Columbine tragedy as he was not responsible for the shooting. In Michael Moore's highly controversial documentary "Bowling for Columbine" Manson responded to the question of what he would say to Harris and Klebold if they were in the room that "I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say; and that's what no one did." As a true crime buff; I can easily say that the shooting at Columbine High School was the result of a very potent combination of bullying, mental illness, and a lack of intervention by the administrative staff of Columbine High School. When the lawsuits were filed after the tragedy; the plaintiffs were the families of the deceased and the injured with the defendants being the school board of Jefferson County, Colorado, the administrative staff of Columbine High School, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, and the Harris and Klebold families.
@@michaellovely6601 Thank you for this interesting explanation. I remember Bowling For Columbine, and I think Manson's answer was very thoughtful. I didn't knew his personality before, and he put himself into a different light.
@@Reparaturkanal You're welcome! I always remember the names of the thirteen innocent lives lost at Columbine High School. Cassie Bernall, Stephen Curnow, Corey DePooter, Kelly Fleming, Matthew Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Danny Rohrbough, Dave Sanders, Rachel Scott, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin, Lauren Townsend, and Kyle Velasquez. Gone, but not forgotten. I have a copy of the book "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Dylan Klebold's mother, Susan Klebold. It was interesting to get a new perspective of who Dylan was as a person, not a murderer. However, I do have issues with the questions posed to Susan Klebold by ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer. One question Diane asked was why didn't Sue Klebold wonder why Dylan wanted a trench coat. As though wanting a trench coat should be taken as a warning sign of mass murder. Another question Diane asked was if Sue "could have prevented what happened at Columbine." That is the stupidest question ever! Diane Sawyer also had a look on her face that suggested there was an awful smell under her nose. Or that she drank a whole bottle of lemon juice.
Here is something you didn't mention. Chrysler had $9 Billion in reserve before the merger. After the merger, Benz took that money and invested in Hyundai and other wasteful spending. What a screw over.
Chrysler: The manufacturer that just refuses to die even though it probably should have happened like three times already by now
Had 6 Chryslers.. all great cars.... slant six and 318 V8's ... AND A 1960 Royal... Tough
what is it with Chrysler and shitty partnerships?
80's: with Mitsubishi, who was known for its "reliability"
90's: with Mercedes, who was known for its "reliability"
2010's: with Fiat, who is known for its "reliability"
Because Chrysler is not known for reliability either. Lagging manufacturers banding together.
don't know bout Mitsubishi.
BUT
Every Fiat owner(i'm not one) will tell you that next car will be Fiat. I was pretty judgmental until i talked to handful of owners and drove in Fiat Bravo and Punto.
Merc was little iffy(rust as mf) form mid 90s to mid 00s(until redesign), before and after that they are solid cars with nice mpg, reliability, latest technology and great design.
At the end of the day, every new car is a great car(at least ones that are sold in EU),it's just matter of regular car maintenance.
Don't forget their buyout of AMC.
+GodricThe The Fiat 500 Americans have was widened for our market and it is built in Mexico. So I could see how it would have issues. Too many links down the chain you know?
misantroop But could the partners be to blame for that reputation?
its 3 am. this was worth it
Frack 6pm in Perth Australia
Now everyone knows you are on the west coast....
Frack was just about to write this
10:16 AM over here.
2am here with quiz early morning, still worth it!
Michael Scott's Sebring
did anyone else notice an oddly low volume compared to the other episodes. The brickland would be a good next topic btw
I did.
It's real noticeable when a commercial kicks on.
Not THE BRICKLAND! Actually Malcom Brickland and the cars he brought to the US market, the Subaru 600, Yugo, etc. might be fun.
That was a really interesting story and kind of changed my mind about Chrysler. I used to think that they were beyond redemption, what I did not know was that it wasn't entirely their fault. Personally I have really high hopes for Fiat, but after this I now want Chrysler to do well too because while I'm not usually patriotic in any capacity, it's hard to give up on a company with that kind of history and with that many scars.
I had always heard that the end of Daimler/Chrysler was in a board meeting where the German Union representatives on the board voted down any further investment to Chrysler because they could not see the benefit in it for their members. They wanted the money to go where their union members worked, not UAW guys!
7 years later Fiat is ded in America.
I drive a "child" of Mercedes and Chrysler merger: a Jeep, that was built in Austria on Styer plant (G-class is also built there till now), it is Grand Cherokee CRD with 2.7l Mercedes engine OM647 and Mercedes 5-speed automatic transmisson. After some work and tuning on intake and turbo this thing MOVES! And it is very reliable.
It’s reliable because of the Mercedes power train lol
@@diablocls55 the Chrysler power train was known to be as good, if not better due to it’s simplicity.
OM647…..diesel??
@@stinkmeaner3016 yes
@@ryanthompson2893source?
"Chrysler: The Charlie Brown of the automotive world" My new favorite quote
I'm digging these "history of" videos. Keep doing these.
Ufugginwotm8 ye
Seriously, there are awesome,
Same, its amazing to see what was once considered new and fancy...oil filters and air filters...whodathunkit?
I look forward to these every time they get released...they're awesome.
I enjoy them quite a bit, too, especially since I had been working on a similar idea (shorter, more vocal flair) for a while before The Tale of the Dale was released.
Im still rooting for you, Chrysler.
+KingMacintosh Fiat didn't kill Chrysler because of reliability. They were already unreliable to begin with. The 2.7 EER engine is case and point. That engine was created in 1998 and was suppressed to be their fuel efficient engine. However the engine had a problem with engine sludge build up because of venting problems and could kill the engine at 50-70 thousand miles. However they put that engine in every damn thing in the 2000s. Just look at this list: www.oilsludge.com/vehicles/ .They never really fixed the problem. I had a 2007 Dodge with the engine and I could start to smell oil burning at less than 50k miles. People forget about this engine oftentimes, but this is really where Chrysler reliability issues started in recent times.
LoneRedSgt the 300 are swag so they need to stay and not disappear like Plymouth.
KingMacintosh Mr Regular actually covered that aspect in the PT Cruiser review; they were originally bought by baby boomers who could afford the maintenance of these cars, but have now trickled down to gen Xers and Millenials who can't afford the maintenance costs, which is why good condition PTs are getting harder to find nowadays.
+KingMacintosh Yes some failures are due to the owner, but you can't say that for every gremlin.I accept Chrysler sometimes unreasonable amount of maintenance because I like working on my Jeep TJ. For the most part because it is very simple to maintain and learn on. I understand Chrysler can make a decent product. Every car company worth its salt fails sometimes when it tries to be ambitious. But when Chrysler fails, they fail HARD.
They really did make some turds (looking at you sebring and durango) but they also made some really innovative and quirky vehicles (mopar muscle cars, ram trucks, 90s jeeps, etc) its really a shame that the quality lacks so much
"it's better to chase the possibilities of the future than the distance glories of the past." RCR teaches me more about life than any real mentor figure
That is sad
Depends how bad the future is
Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep/Eagle + Daimler MercedesBenzMaybatch + Fiat/Ferrari/AlfaRomeo/Maserati best friends forever. Now Aston Martin uses Mercedes engines now too after years of using Ford engines.
Formerly with Mitsubishi (now Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti/Renault) + Hyundai + Kia
Strange Alliances. Good video.
Aston Martin uses Benz V8 engines
Chrysler owned 12.5% of Peugeot/Citroen in the late 80s, so you can add it in too.
One day Chrysler will stand up, square its shoulders and say "I'm Back."
One day.
Indeed
Chrysler is just fiats bitch now.
@@avdgaming3550It seems to me that Fiat hasn't learned anything about the American car market they were shit when they left the USA market in 1983 and they seem to be shit now,!
michael weizer they aren’t. Do research on CUSTOMER REVIEWS. you’ll be surprised.
They did just that when they had the 200, 300 and Pacifica. Once they knocked the 200 and dart they fell off. Great cars that the reviewers gave bad names. Sad.
Would be interested to hear your take on Pontiac's history, loss of identity and path into obscurity
PONTIAC WAS JUNK
BESIDES THE FIREBIRD AND TRANS AM
@@fabiodacosta9573 the grand prix and the bonneville were decent cars. the GTP and SSEi with their supercharged 3800's had decent engines.
Just finished that one and came to this one.
@@fabiodacosta9573 Bullshit!
Loved it! I own a 2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8, and it is a strange mix of Mercedes and Chrysler. Some guys even swap on Mercedes parts, like the diff cooler or AMG brakes.
Then you bought a DaimlerChrysler product. This was back when Mercedes bought Chrysler
@@didncozosksma4466 He never said he didn't.
@@didncozosksma4466the only time it was worth owning a Chrysler and ONLY that model. 😂
Daimler-Benz was a mess from the middle of the 90's really. Just ask a W210 owner if he likes swiss cheese. Just remember to duck for the incoming punch. ;) Finding w210 with floor intact is like looking for a 40-yo virgin, and a W202 wasn't all that reliable either.
provostkhot As I understand it, the late '90s and early '00s, under Juergen Schrempp, was the problematic era. Under Dieter Zetsche, aka Dr. Z, who is an engineer, the products were better.
should've went back to making aircraft
provostkhot But it sure is a gorgeous car.
Chrysler was well into the black, had lots of cash back in the late 90's, but Daimler just sucked them dry...then Cerebrus maintained the problem and the rest is history.....precarious situation for the company, results of very poor management. They almost went under during the recession of 59, the famous 1979 year, then 2008.
Benjamin 1 that’s bmw. Get you’re facts right bitch
I remember how popular and innovative Chrysler was in the 90s. Sadly those days are gone for good.
I'm holding onto hope that Chrysler can get it together. I've never been in one, but the 300 is a lovely nod to the 50s and 60s land yachts of old.
Try a Chevy SS or Pontiac G8. The best American cars ever built. In Australia
It seems like FCA has been a far, far better merger. The Chrysler Pacifica is the first completely new car for the brand since the FCA merger, and look at the reviews its been getting. It's one of the best cars in its class. Jeeps too have been getting tons of love, and Dodge has been releasing multiple high performance models. Uconnect is one of the best infotainment systems on the market. And (at least partially) because of the merger, America is finally seeing the return of a lot of FCA's european brands. Fiat and Alfa Romeo are both back in the US. I have a Fiat 500e and it's been nothing but fantastic. (And I know that I'm gonna be accused of being a fanboy because of this. I promise I'm not. I'm just trying to give personal experience.) Yes, FCA does have quality issues to work on, especially concerning its 9 speed automatic transmission, but overall, FCA seems to be a beneficial merger and I hope that it keeps getting better from here.
Well, it's because Gruppo FIAT (the Company under which FIAT SpA operated right before the merger) was losing cash by the billions ever month, it would've been dead as a doorknob in 10 years without it. FIAT needed a foothold in the US, as well as new powerplants and fresh capitals and ideas, Chrysler needed a new stock of models and some love.
After all, it seems us Italians understood what Americans like better than the Germans did... plus, we do honestly respect what Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge represent, they're not just a sticker to most of us. This was truly a merger between equals.
@@gabem.5242 except for Jeep just being a sticker, minus the renegade/actual Jeep looking vehicles, the splitting of Dodge and Dodge Trucks(and the losing of the exclusive Cummins diesel), the thought of spinning off Jeep and Dodge trucks and the selling off of MOPAR, the idea of discontinuing of Dodge, and somehow the quality is still...the same. Oh and Fiat still hasn't really gained a market share(excluding rebrands)
True. Also; from 1990 to 1997 Chrysler was doing pretty well. Then came the merge with Daimler-Benz in 1998. Daimler-Benz pretty much ran Chrysler into the ground from 1998 to 2009.
@@gabem.5242sure, fiat almost failure their financials and almost bankrupt. But they purchased Chrysler and their platforms and the vehicles helped both to increase his sales and exit the both them of red lines..
Now Fiat has found your golden goose: Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep platforms and vehicles, mainly SUVs/CUVs and pick up Trucks, cuz they've had a profit margin high, Fiat nowadays almost had in their line up SUVs and CUVs, they almost phase out his regular cars to increase the production of CUVs and SUVs.
I think it missed the most critical point. Chrysler was saved by multiple design brilliance like Caravan, PT Cruiser, 300/ Charger, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram. But if you pay closer attention, there is two big problems: A. there is no good sequel to the success. B. none of these success stories can be attributed to a platform that can expand throughout the lineups. Why? Because you can't imagine Caravan to share the same platform as Jeep Cherokee or Jeep Wrangler and Ram share the same frame. Modern auto manufacturers are built on common components and platform sharing to lower the development cost and time. Mercedes and Fiat are facing the same death spiral: slower sales of Chrysler due to aging platforms. It is expensive to replace them because nothing is share between best sellers. The juicy profit is needed to keep the mother ship to stay afloat. So, they cut corners to build unreliable BS that make as much money as possible before jumping ship.
Mercedes passed BMW in sales, Merc is not going anywhere
"Design Brilliance"? "PT Cruiser" ? You must be a profession comedian!
+Burlats de Montaigne It sold well and a lot of people love it. It is the retro car that sells better than Mini and Beetle combined.
+GodricThe Mercedes was losing money by building "overengineered" cars back then. Mercedes had the same problem as Chrysler: multiple platforms and specialized parts for different classes. They looked down on Chrysler designs but then when they tried to "fix" the engineering, they realized they won't make any money or they simply built a cheaper and bigger version of their own car. So, they skipped most of the engineering works and left Chrysler to milk profitable models as long as possible, looking for buyers while sucking the profit dry for themselves.
The LX platform has done very well for them. I'm always surprised how well it continues on even after 12 years of it now. Though I do feel a little upset for jumping into it when I did. (2006 Charger Daytona) only to see it explode into what it is today. On the flip side the Dart and the 200 didn't work as well for them (I daily a 2015 Dart). The 200 and Dart are okay at best chassis (even though I keep hearing rave reviews, it doesn't live up to my old E36 BMW), and they also suffered from poor production quality. I love Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep and even the Plymouth of old, but I worry about their future...
Great stuff!! Thanks for making these types of videos... Saludos!
amogus pp
#SAVETHEPENTASTAR +SavethePentastar
I love the obscure Simpsons references. Also, Beautiful Bobby Eaton was the best. RIP.
Chrysler and Mitsubishi was a better partnership
Yep. That 6G72 engine option in damn near everything was incredible. What a hell of a motor!
Tim Beck. and Cerberus was worse, just in terms of interior style and quality Cerberus era cars are less attractive to me than 90s era cars.
Kev Doe it was Japan's answer to GM's 3800 V6.
Go drive in a car with a Mitsubishi platform? I own 3 of them. My built 90 GSX and stock 94 3000GT VR-4 would probably embarrass whatever you drive. It was a good partnership
KingMacintosh so anything that isn't American is shit ?
styles clash, kevin owens, midnight express, impact wrestling :D
great video
Hahah all the wrestling references.
I'm a Dodge/ram/Chrysler fanboy, and I can say that compared to their competition, they do well in style, design, and the feelings they inspire in their targeted market. There are always bad apples and American car manufacturers have never taken reliability and quality seriously over raw appeal and charisma of their platforms. The biggest draw for me about the vehicles from Mopar manufacturers is the adequate feeling of being apart of something special, my car squeeks and rattles, but any vehicle made by the big 3 does after 100,000 miles, and anybody who claims that theirs doesn't is lying. Ive loved all of my Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/ram vehicles, even when they made less power than the competition or were not as well appointed on the interior. The reason that continue s bringing me back is compelling lack of comformity that is present in a the style of a Chrysler 300, or the shear tire shredding middle fingers raised to the world hellcat, or upcoming demon. They don't make good business, but good business rarely makes good, enjoyable cars.
@RegularCarReviews keep it up guys, despite the message of failure this video made me feel even more devoted to my favorite car manufacturers
All American car (and most European) manufacturers are PLANNED obsolescence.. they're not counting on you driving it more than 60k miles cause they know by that time your car will be about 3 years old and they'll have a newer, updated, design that will surely entice your consumer "driven" brain.. though I'll admit, I do like jeeps and Durango 😅
Cope. Chrysler products are substantially lower quality than GM and Ford. Obviously, none compare to Toyota.
Chrysler is dying and is on life support. They have virtually no presence in the automobile market anymore. They have no brand recognition anymore and with their scrapping of the Dart/200 platform (and with no replacement in sight) they've eliminated their low-price field entry.
So, unless you've got $50,000 to spend, you ain't getting that Dodge.
Speaking of which, the brand reorganization.... turning Dodge trucks into RAM trucks? Pointless.
Losing the Cummins contract?? Blasphemous!
Dodge makes what.... two cars now? Charger & Challenger, both on aging, antiquated platforms.
Chrysler..... I actually had to check their website and was surprised to see the 300 still in production!
The rest is just a faceless, soulless, styleless melange of various "crossover" vehicles that do nothing for anybody and are, again, based off of 10+ year-old chassis designs.
Quite honestly, I see Chrysler lurching exactly like AMC did during it's final days: phasing out their own garbage for the supposed "new", "better" offerings from the other half, while still half-assedly belching their aged designs onto the public in hopes two or three people will buy them.
Don't get me wrong though, I was a dyed-in-the-wool Mopar kid. Always loved 'em, always will. But the Chrysler Corporation of the Saintly days of Yore ceased to exist in 1997. It's a shame, because they used to make some really great cars.
If the Chrysler brand continues on past the year 2020, I'll eat my hat.
Alfred Neuman I really think that Chrysler could do better if they get some parts from Fiat/Alfa romeo building a more "American" Version of the guilia, something like a new Chrysler 300 and modify it for a new charger and challenger and get something for the entry prices based on the gulietta. And give them a huge Marketing Budget. Show the people they can still get the American cars with modern technology for a reasonable Price. But that's most likely wishful thinking.
That's probably not a bad plan. But the fact remains that much like the German Takeover, Fiat only wanted Chrysler for it's dealership network. Why build all new ones when you can buy them for pennies on the dollar? No my friend, the writing is on the wall for dear old Mother Mopar. The powers that be tried exactly your plan with the 200/Dart, and yet those same powers that be are claiming it to be a failure - even though I see dozens of them rolling around in comparison to Charger/300/Challenger. (If those are still selling, I'd like to know to whom!) Much like when AMC was driven into the grave, you'll see the few classic Mopar nameplates sold (and not updated) until they become unprofitable. One by one, the axe will fall until there is nothing left.
It will be Fiat cars, Ram trucks and whatever is left of Jeep.
Maybe Chrysler is but I still see lots of Jeeps and Dodges around. Also it seems their new mini (the Pacifica) is doing well as well.
@@Dareios4297 I'm a year late to this party but according to allpar they're doing exactly that. The next chager/challenger/300/barracuda will be on a similar guilia platform, along with some fiat cars. With the recent GM layoffs, and Ford exiting the car market altogether, Chrysler may be the only company with the option of cars and not crossovers, even though jeep is doing exceptionally well selling crossovers. The dart actually did quite well but marchionne killed it under the guise that ford killed their cars, the market shift to crossovers. What with the Focus transmission debacle, and the chevy cruise being, well, bad, it had a solid chance of gaining ground. The LX mopars were probably the best thing to happen to Chrysler recently, along with their trucks and suvs. I think if Chrysler can correctly hedge their bets on the mass exodus to crossovers, they might very well become what they were in the 90s. This remains to be seen as I understand that they're still restructuring internally after marchionne's untimely death. I don't think Mopar is dead just yet. We might still be surprised.
T Series Name them...
My Dad's been steadfast on his love of Chrysler. His first car was a 1971 Dodge Demon, he's had a 1983 Dodge Challenger, a 2000 Dodge Dakota Sport, and now he has a 2013 Dodge Charger Daytona. I've never liked Chrysler vehicles and I've got a Chevrolet but he is and always will be in love with Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, and Jeep vehicles.
The RAM fan boys be like it's not a Dodge RAM. It's just a RAM truck. Ok Millennials we remember history.
If you guys could dive into some of the books on the subject and make on of these about the Citroen-Maserati merge I'd be forever in debt to you.
The Jeep Commander was a failure? Really? I see fuck tons of those things rolling around upstate NY all the time. I've only seen like 2 or 3 Hummers to compare.
Sean Hart no one bought them
I found it very educational. Well done. Maybe do a history of the Land Rover brand next.
The 300C and Crossfire was probably the best that came out of this merger.
ChevyBM but charger & challenger
The SRT-6 Crossfire is a pretty cool car.
Don't forget the Sprinter vans! ;)
Mid-late 00's Grand Cherokee is also bretty good.
challenger yes, charger that name should have stayed in 1970
Chrysler and Mercedes have standards of reliability?
opl500 I dare you to try and kill an 80s diesel MB
Exactly. W124 Mercedes diesel was designed to run forever. This is why you still see many around in Europe.
I drive a not particularly well kept Mercedes from 1998 daily. I have been doing this for two years now, never had a problem. The car is very reliable for its age.
It has rust though. I think the sills will have rusted out before any of the mechnical or electrical parts of the car will ever fail on me.
I can give you a counter anecdote about a daily 1999 that was constantly in the shop. However, if you look at Consumer Reports reliability data, there's nothing good about Mercedes these days. Also watch Kilmer's Money Pit videos about Mercs too.
opl500 all the Chrysler minivans will run forever if the body doesnt rust out. And many K cars are still out there from the 80s era. Otherwise there are a whole lot of A, F and M body Chryslers out here
I worked the press event in Detroit when the presidents of both car makers were standing on stage that lowered down to ground level. After the announcement they stepped off stage and the party began. It was a really good time.
Now do a follow-up video about Stellantis!
Yes please
The performance cars are a cry from Chrysler that "I'm still American! Look at these powerful V8s I made!"
Well, they do retain the crappy unrefined American suspension, so I guess you‘ll like them.
@@tomsommer8372 Are we talking about the Challenger/Charger? Because those are based off Mercedes E class suspension parts.
@@averyw.3939 - True.
Then again, suspension geometry is a bit "black magic" , and it takes little to thoroughly change the behavior of a car, especially when it comes to multilink ones, like those in the rears of all generations of Mercedes E-class, which use different stiffnesses if the aritulation rubber supports to tweak the response.
From the point of view of Europeans, all American cars have crappy suspension simply because they are designed to meet the needs of American buyers.
Sometimes, even European cars sold in the U. S. have their suspensions tweaked for American roads.
I have a neighbor that kept his Merceded when he moved back to Spain from New Jersey.
The only external difference with my own car are its federalized Lights and 5 mph bumpers.
But the couple of times he gave me a ride, I was surprised at how wobbly and mooshy his car felt.
On the other hand, when FCA "badge engineered" the new "Lancia Thema" out of the Chrysler 300, they tweaked the suspension and steering a bit to make it more palatable for Italian drivers.
In the end, an engineer is an engineer is sn engineer.
Give him the right set of goals and they will give you a nice car, but the goals are decided by the guys of the marketing with the hope of satisfying potential customers.
@@averyw.3939 It runs on the same chassis, not the same suspension parts. My E550 runs on air suspension, a 392 does not.
@@diablocls55 Didn’t know those cars were air ride, that’s pretty cool. I would expect that most of the links and geometry are similar though, just supported by coils rather than air.
Give it time, they'll be gone soon.....
Roman, you are doing an awesome job with these automotive history lessons. The story and presentation kept me engaged all the way through the video. Not to mention the "My Ex" joke almost made me choke on my coffee. Looking forward to the next one!
YESSS, Roman you gotta do a story on Lee Iacocca at chrysler!!!!
Not only that a 50 Min one too!!!!
Awesomely told, well done sirs! Maybe I'm corrupt in the mind for routing for underdogs, but fuck me Mopar or no car ( except a twin turbo Subaru that I own right now! )
akaki202 im there with ya. i got a 70 plymouth gtx and 75 dodge ramcharger se, both with 440s and my 2004 dodge srt4 as a daily. i love the feeling of people asking "what kind of car is that?". mustangs and camaros are a dime a dozen from where im from. roadrunners are not :-) MOPAR or no car brother.
Fiat Chrysler is actually a pretty good pairing. It's probably the only pairing where you will hear, "It only has 300hp, how can we get more?" As a result of the pairing Jeep is doing pretty well in foreign markets, and all brands except Chrysler and Fiat are selling exciting vehicles. Chrysler's interiors and quality control have seen major improvements from the merger. They have also become technology forward in a way they have not been in half a century. The profits from Ram and Jeep balance all the losses the company makes on new platforms that fail.
I think it would be a mistake for FIat Chrysler to ever try and appeal to reliability. Sure they should make decisions that make vehicles more reliable, but given the choice between reliability and cutting edge, they should always go with cutting edge. Even in the late 80s and 90s when they had some of the most reliable vehicles on the road, Chrysler was still thought of as an unreliable brand. They are never going to change that image no matter how many years they dedicate into that endeavor and have the most reliable vehicles on the road.
the only things that Fiat Chrysler cant sell are Fiats and Chryslers.
The Abarth 500 is exciting, but that’s technically an Abarth and not fiat
Fiatsler is junk, and were it not for Ram/Jeep would be long gone. Do not be surprised if that is exactly what happens as the industry continues to slow. Chrysler and Fiat get ditched, and only Ram/Jeep remains.
Cornelius McMuffin they sale a lot of Chrysler’s the Pacifica is too selling and the 300.
Nooooo shit! & it's srsly annoying. aside from "slant sixes are tough" everything else is 'junk'. which is a seemingly inescapable lie. Chrysler's least good stuff has always been from using brand x parts, not their own in house engineered stuff..which isn't so common anymore, bc of 'the merger' with Daimler who dropped all of the awesome Chrysler personnel in exchange for the Mercedes ppl. i too see how Fiat has been a blessing in multiple ways for Chrysler, as good as Daimler was bad.
Two vids in one night? You spoil us so.
The Mercedes era of Chrysler created some of the worst made cars of all time.
Cerberus 2010: Resurrected Commander Shepard. Haha I see what you did there. Mass Effect II is an amazing game! Completing it on the Insane-difficulty level is the single best gaming experience I ever had.
Maurice Slingerland I didn't get the joke. I thought it had something to do with those comics about the ardvark.
What aardvark? :P
Say what you will about the merger with Fiat. At the very least, the year after the merger, subtle changes were made to the designs of the Dodge and Chrysler line-up that actually made them look good.
You should consider tying a video like this in with some RCR's of products relevant to it, almost like a mini-series. Cars like the Jeep Compass/Patriot, Dodge Nitros, Chrysler 300's etc. should be pretty easy to find, and the history lesson gives a good context as to why some of these cars were just so bad.
bought a 2008 Sebring convertible for 12 thousand dollars in 2009 with only 13 thousand miles on it trading in my catera for 4 grand! got bored with the Sebring and traded it in for 2 grand with 100 thousand in 2015. most problems stemmed from the aluminum valve stems and airbag in the seat malfunctioned causing the light to stay one which could of took a grand to fix. car was slow but man that top was so cool. Currently enjoying licking Windows in my Juke Nismo. I like being different and going against the grain
thanks for this amazing video. During the period of Dalmer\Chrysler through the Government Bailout, I was too young to understand what was going on financially. Being older now, I am wiser and, can fully comprehend what happened leading up to the bailout.
Originally, I thought it was Chrysler's fault for poor management etc but, now I interpret it as a mix of a bad merger and bad luck in the financial market
Adam K They just didn't get along with each other, though I believe that Chrysler didn't like to do the things that Mercedes instructed them to do that were probably good for them.
As a Jeep owner and my very first CAR ( U.V. ) Iv ever owned I love Chrysler.
Become very enthusiastic about cars and brands, following suite I found Chrysler to be that brand of automobile manufacturer to be my favorite of the, “BIG THREE”. I love the Chrysler group especially the brands Iv grown up to love Jeep, Dodge Ram Chrysler.
This video caught my attention for both history and personal attraction towards the brand it entails.
Great video, Roman. Absolutely fascinating. A true credit to the channel. Come for the info, stay for the humour... long live RegularCars!
you show the 200, which was just a reworked sebring, the REAL 200 is a pretty good car, but people still want fugging suvs
Holy shit I just watched my first 30min youtube video in my life, it was great
To be fair, I think that if we ask Sergio Marchionne - alas, in a seance - what would have been his ideal plan, he would have answered
1) Ditch the FIAT brand - the marque has negative market value, since the 80s
2) Ditch as much of the FIAT management culture as possible - it basically is short-term penny-pinching for the sake if it, no matter the long term effects.
3) Resurrect Alfa Romeo with the FR layout and, when the eventual kinks are worked out, tweak it to build the next generation of Dodges (the only way "Giorgio" makes sense)...
Alas, the dude died way too early.
It's funny to me that Americans see Fiat as a maker of literal garbage despite being one of the top selling automakers in Europe for a long time now. After leaving America in the early 80's, they kept improving. The main reason the reintroduction has gone poorly has nothing to do with the quality of the cars and everything to do with poor management of the brand itself, as well as American sentiment towards the brand that laid dormant for 30 years. It simply can't get enough traction to hold dealership interest, and there hasn't been a "big hit" that gets consumers excited. The 500 has been loved by its owners, but its a car that Americans by and large aren't interested in. The 500L was a disaster due to the transmission unit that they sourced, and sunk their reliability scores and ranking in a crucial time. And the lack of dealerships = lack of trained technicians to do warranty work, which further alienates buyers. Shitty situation all around. Chrysler is doing very well under Fiat though. They've been setting record profits the last few years, although a lot of it is just a strong SUV poker hand that obviously won't last forever.
Yes, you found a story you wanted to tell. And then there's the real story. Mercedes had a problem because they were selling taxi cabs in Europe and trying to sell the same cars in the US as luxury cars and it was getting harder to do. You presented a very N. American view of Mercedes, forgetting that world wide they were not exclusively or primarily a luxury brand. They had luxury models but a very broad selection of cars of all classes. Commercial trucks are a big part of the company but models like the 190D were common taxi cabs in Europe being sold as luxury models in the US. The N. American market was the only one where they were exclusively a luxury car and that suited the US dealers fine.
The modern Chrysler had problems rooted in the late 1950's when they tried to change their image in one great leap in 1957 and produced some very exciting cars that sold very well and fell apart just as quickly. The ended up with a large number of very unhappy customers and sales crashing in 1959 and 1960 with cars that had become cliches for dated styling and poor quality. They spent the 1960's playing catch up. Chrysler was always stretched thin and nothing shows this more than the fact that the Chrysler 6, only slightly updated was still the standard engine in the 1960 Plymouth and Dodge trucks. It was a great engine in 1925 but every other US maker had retired their flat head engines years before. This was also when De Soto was dropped. Plymouth was a problem as the dealer agreement restricted what Chrysler could sell that might compete with Plymouth products. Dodge wanted a pony car but Plymouth tied their hands to protect the Barracuda. When Challenger came out it had to be 10 inches longer than the Cuda. The design of similar platform cars was made more difficult because of this. Chrysler had no money for a subcompact design and left the market to Pinto and Vega while trying to argue that the Valiant or Dart was a better choice, and maybe it was. They also sold the imported Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi) and Plymouth Cricket (British Leland Hilman). Chrysler had kept the large Plymouth and Dodge smaller than the Fords and Chevys until the 1974, just in time for the first oil embargo. The 1974 Fury was a one year model. They spent the rest of the 70's trying to recover from that and working on a new small car with some design help from the French Simca subsidiary for the Omini and Horizon which were troublesome but provided the basis for the K car and that for the minivans. By the late 1980's they had become a niche player and the subject of jokes like on the show "WKRP in Cincinnati" where the station manager says 'I am a patriotic American! I drive a Dodge!" That really caught my attention because my Father was looking for a new car in 1979 and I told him to by a Honda Accord but he wanted to help Chrysler and bought a Dodge Omini, that he regretted. Chrysler had a hit with the 1994 pickup and Jeep sales were good but company's health was only one bad stock market away from disaster.
I see a pattern in your stories. You really don't have a good grasp on the importance of things that happened before you started to pay attention to the subject. The 1960's was a period of recovery for Chrysler and it was incomplete when the gas shortage hit them. It wasn't the image they wanted to project but it was the truth. If the people running AMC had been running Chrysler they may have succeeded.
Roman, I thoroughly enjoyed this! Learned quite a few new thing in the process.
Oh, and I love the Ferengi rules. :)
I was there where Chrysler was a huge money making machine and had $10 BILLION in a" rainy day fund". Daimler snatched that $10 BILLION as soon as the take over papers were signed. The hated Bob Eaton had so many death threats that he had to hire serious body guards ! Chrysler was the stronger of the two companies and the sellout enraged those who had worked so hard to make the company that it become, they left in droves. Daimler picked Chrysler's bones clean and sold off the skeleton when there was nothing left. Now this FIAT thing has become a joke yet Chrysler once again become a money machine but for FIAT. Will there ever be another Chairman Lee or Bob Lutz to save Chrysler from the European's with their narrow outlook of the auto business ??
Finally, Roman found his voice. Good job!
My favorite era of Chrysler...although I think I'm biased here because this era was more or less my childhood.
Yes, this was the era when Plymouth was retired, and my jury's still out on whether the PT Cruiser was a good car or not. But at least they were making cars in this era...the company's practically invisible to me since merging with Fiat.
The “Smart Car” cost was forced on Chrysler by Daimler even though they were told repeatedly that’s not a car for the American market. That car was built in Germany in a highly automated expensive manufacturing plant. I think we all know about the success of the “Smart Car”.
Whenever I play these podcasts, my gf falls asleep. I love it!
Oh boy 5 a.m.
I don't think the merger was necessarily a bad idea, it was just that neither culture understood or respected the other, it was however doomed when Mitisushibushi got forced out. Yes this production ignored the ties between Mitsubishi and Chrysler. Had they pulled it off they would of had the first truly global automotive company. Maybe German managers should of cut Chrysler and Mitsubishi a little more slack and allowed them to take over over of the responsible for the cheaper mass-market cars world wide, separated the cheaper cars in Europe under a different name to distance them from Mercedes Benz and use Chrysler as a market tool for Mercedes-Benz to make further inroads into the US market.. And allowed technology and innovation to flow between the companies.
Love the effort you put into this, this is a story more people need to be familiar with.
How odd that Cerberus is pronounced like that in English and not Kerberus. It was always quite clear to industry people that the merger wasn't of equals because Mercedes was and is a better brand. This is why they can sell crappy cars in 2017 and still make a nice profit.
Great feature Roman! Thanks so much for working on it.
I drive my mom's old pt cruiser, she bought it new, it has 301,000 kilometers on it and it's only had oil changes and plugs. it's slow and heavy but wow what a truck
You really missed the impact of the LS400 on Daimler. They took one apart and concluded there was no way they could build as good as car and sell it for anywhere near the same price. This led to a lot of panic in the top management and a lot of knee-jerk reactions like the A-class, the W210, and the Chrysler merger.
True, but keep in mind the LS400 was a loss leader for Lexus, meaning they lost money on everyone they sold. My father had one for years, a tank, solid, incredibly smooth engine.
Thomas De Doncker but that loss leader made the lexus brand they executed it neat perfectly
Can you imagine what would have happened if Chrysler ended up becoming a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz? I have been a big Chrysler girl all my life.
make a history of Buick
greatest ever yeeeeee
Yes! If there's one American brand I know I can trust, it's Buick.
greatest ever Buick is GMC
I have no idea why Mercedes continues to use the Daimler name in any form since it hasn't produced any of its own cars since 1960, and those that were sold as Daimlers were nothing more than rebadged Jaguars.
I'm digging the several Rules of Acquisition thrown in there! Excellent touch!
As well, the whole thing was well put together and perfectly narrated. I love you guys' work and can't wait for more!
Chrysler are probably liking Fiat more than MB but deep down they're regretting its tumultuous relationship with MB in that they should not have been difficult to them.
i worked for Plymouth during the merger years it was strange even at the dealer level
The merger worked for Chrysler because they benefited from better designs/looks. Chrysler products are crap and since the split it has gotten even worse. Are they even still around 😂 😂
Is there a way you guys could make these long form, "story of" videos audio only podcasts? Perhaps on shout engine? I love listening to them, and they would be perfect for peoples morning commutes.
And look at Mercedes now... Putting the three-pointed star on a Nissan pickup and charging Mercedes money for it
they are the only brand that sells RWD v6 or v8 big cars for starting of 20k, and any smart person will rather buy a v6 300hp rwd charger over a camry that costs as much or more and get fwd lighter smaller body with a i4. the 300 charger and challenger and even magnum are the best cars for the money. and they have no competition the closest are the mustang and camaro and both have become smaller and offer i4 that people don't want
if ford and chevy are smart they must bring back the falcon and chevelle offering a big 4 door sedan in v6 and v8 rwd and starting at 20k for a v6 base and in nice bright colors and aggressive blocky front end non of that aerodynamic shit
Mkhitar Aboolian Chevy has the ss.
Random Guy that's 40k
Fiat Chrysler should really just drop all FWD vehicles. It's where all their failures are at. A car brand that sells nothing but RWD, AWD, and 4WD vehicles will be very compelling.
if you check on Huntington beach dodge in California they have brand new base model V6 chagers with the 8 speed 0-60 in 6.1 sec they are on sale for 18 grand thats such an amazing price if i had the money if pick up 2 of them and in nice colors too specially the torred
i can attest to how terrible chrysler products are in general. I have a 2004 lexus with 150k miles. gf has a 2013 jeep with 40k miles. my car is like driving on a cloud. hers is like riding a train car down a gravel road... I would never buy a POS Fiat Chrysler product the same way I'd never throw money into a trash can.
>high class
>standard of quality
And the tradition continues... F I A T
I love the insertion of the Rules of Acquisition.
Mr. Regular is the face of this channel. With that being said I'm more than happy to consume the Roman's content. I feel like I'm walking away from this video having learned a lot. Keep up the good work RCR dudes, and may you both be the faces of the RCR channel
Imagine making friends with someone doing much better than you, then refusing any help or advice from them.
Well done The Roman. And +1 for the Rules of Acquisition.
"Bugie, Benz, Bullshit" If that's not a bumper sticker waiting to be born, what is?
Current Chrysler 300s, Dodge Challengers, and Dodge Chargers, are based on a heavily modified version of the W211 E Class of 2002. And I guess you could say it works haha.
Samuel Abraham So had it not been for MB, in other words, Chrysler would have been as dead as AMC. So, even though Chrysler hated MB's parenting, Chrysler was better off with them than with its pen pal, Fiat.
Stefan Unson Yep. Chrysler stuck a 700hp Hemi into a 2002 E class... they haven't yet developed their own platform for their popular cars
Samuel Abraham wrong.
i feel like for any latecomers I should peoint something out not mentioned in this video when he talks about the recession
unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford didn't take the bailout, they soldiered on and people were still buying their trucks, granted not nearly as many 11th gen trucks were made as the 10th gen but still, also the Taurus, Focus, and whatever elses were pulling Ford through the recession
"They could do better"
Shows a Mitsubishi Starion....
Capitán Rastrero, lmfao
Anybody that says Mercedes have always been unreliable needs to come see my 1982 240D with 500,000 miles on the original motor and transmission.
More story like this please, Thank you.
He missed the AMC buy out which killed the 4th American car company. I happen to be from Kenosha,Wi where the old AMC plant was located.
Not 1.3 billion dollars lost by "the government". 1.3 billion dollars stolen from the taxpayers in favor of a dying name, to serve the execs and shareholders and no one else.
Also Mercedes is doing awesome since they sold Chrysler. Never was a good partnership for both. For good partnership, look at Toyota and Subaru.
Schmidt54 That might be because this was American and German cultures merging (and it was mentioned that they were in contrast) while the Toyota and Subaru were of the same culture.
I love what Fiat has done to Jeep! I got a Patriot but if I could get another Jeep I'd be a trail hawk Cherokee or Renegade
>The auto industry was blamed like every band with plug-in instruments was for Columbine
With the slight difference that every company in the auto industry was responsible for the environmental impact cars had and have
Why were Bands with plug-in instruments blamed for Columbine? Can you explain that expression to me?
@@Reparaturkanal After the April 20th, 1999 shooting at Columbine High School; allegations that the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold listened to Marilyn Manson began flying, which were ultimately determined to be untrue. Manson explained in an op-ed piece for Rolling Stone magazine titled "Columbine: Whose Fault is it?" that he should not be blamed for the Columbine tragedy as he was not responsible for the shooting. In Michael Moore's highly controversial documentary "Bowling for Columbine" Manson responded to the question of what he would say to Harris and Klebold if they were in the room that "I wouldn't say a single word to them. I would listen to what they have to say; and that's what no one did." As a true crime buff; I can easily say that the shooting at Columbine High School was the result of a very potent combination of bullying, mental illness, and a lack of intervention by the administrative staff of Columbine High School. When the lawsuits were filed after the tragedy; the plaintiffs were the families of the deceased and the injured with the defendants being the school board of Jefferson County, Colorado, the administrative staff of Columbine High School, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, and the Harris and Klebold families.
@@michaellovely6601 Thank you for this interesting explanation. I remember Bowling For Columbine, and I think Manson's answer was very thoughtful. I didn't knew his personality before, and he put himself into a different light.
@@Reparaturkanal You're welcome! I always remember the names of the thirteen innocent lives lost at Columbine High School. Cassie Bernall, Stephen Curnow, Corey DePooter, Kelly Fleming, Matthew Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Danny Rohrbough, Dave Sanders, Rachel Scott, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin, Lauren Townsend, and Kyle Velasquez. Gone, but not forgotten. I have a copy of the book "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Dylan Klebold's mother, Susan Klebold. It was interesting to get a new perspective of who Dylan was as a person, not a murderer. However, I do have issues with the questions posed to Susan Klebold by ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer. One question Diane asked was why didn't Sue Klebold wonder why Dylan wanted a trench coat. As though wanting a trench coat should be taken as a warning sign of mass murder. Another question Diane asked was if Sue "could have prevented what happened at Columbine." That is the stupidest question ever! Diane Sawyer also had a look on her face that suggested there was an awful smell under her nose. Or that she drank a whole bottle of lemon juice.
And somehow Jeep survived: Willes, American Motors, Chrysler, the Germans and now the Italians!?
Chrysler: Still selling us Mercedes' scraps in 2019.
They cut the AWD Hemi combo for the 300C in 2015 which is sad
18:15
So, the Merger of Equals statement was the automotive equivalent of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact?