OUR EDITORIAL Chrysler makes Product drives Detroit...

The Detroit News | Sunday, January 8, 2012 | 21A

OPINIONS

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Workers put the finishing toucheson displays for the auto show.

T here’s no better way to open the North American International AutoShow at Cobo Center than with the news fromChrysler that it isstarting a third shift at the JeffersonNorth Assembly plant, and

adding 1,100 workers. It comes at the same time that Italian automakerFiat meets its last goal for taking over Chrysler— the production of a 40-mile-per-gallon vehicle.

Fiat, which was handed Chrysler by theObama administration as a condition of theDetroit automaker’s government bailout, hasbeen a better fit for Chrysler than could havebeen hoped.

Chrysler sales increased26 percent last year, and thecompany is at last postingreal profits.

And while theWhiteHouse had hoped Fiat’s arrayof small vehicles would saveChrysler, the rebound isriding on the automaker’straditional strengths —Jeeps, SUVs, trucks andminivans.

In fact, the Italian automaker, whichcountsMaserati and Ferrari in its family, willuse a Jeep platform to build an SUV forMaser-ati.

SergioMarchionne, who is CEO of bothFiat and Chrysler, has been smart to let Chrys-ler be Chrysler.

Chrysler’s last attempt to adopt a foreignparent — the disastrous Daimler merger —followed a different course, with the Germanstrying to reshape Chrysler into a Europeanautomaker.

Daimler managementmodels, productdesigns andmanufacturing strategies were

forced on Chrysler, and the failure was nearlyfatal.

Fiat has brought efficiency to Chrysleroperations, but without a wholesale change ofthe automaker from top to bottom, and with-out booting those with an understanding ofthe North Americanmarket.

The payoff is stronger revenue and expand-ed product lines for Fiat, andmore jobs forAmerican auto workers.

Chrysler has been to the edge of the abyssmore often than any other automaker.

It had no business surviving the industrycollapse of 2008-09.

That it did is a tribute to themanagementskills of Marchionne and to the resilience ofthe Chrysler team.

Fiat is an Italian company and it now owns58.5 percent of the AuburnHills automaker,butMarchionne respects that Chrysler is anAmerican icon, and recognizes the importantrole the company plays in Detroit.

He has become part of this community,agreeing to chair the next UnitedWay fun-draising drive.

Chrysler, the automaker nearly everyonethought was terminal, has risen from itsdeathbed and is creating jobs in Detroit.

And it has an Italian CEO to thank.Viva la Italia!

Now majority-owned by Italian automaker Fiat,the company’s American products drive profits

OUR EDITORIAL

Chrysler makesanother comeback

Marchionne

Please see Page 8A in Monday’sDetroit News for answer grid.

W alking frommy officeto Cobo Center Thurs-day— the first of a

couple of dozen back and forthsto the Detroit auto show I’llmake over the next two weeks— I felt the familiar antici-

pation build-ing, theeagerness topushthrough thedoors andjoin theexcitement.

I’ve cov-eredmaybe30 of these

auto shows duringmy timehere. It never gets old. It neverfails to revmy engine.

Maybe it’s the Detroit inme,but I love automobiles. I canspend a full hour at the showexploring a single car or truck,circling the exterior, running ahand across the curve of afender, sinking into plushleather, staring at an enginecompartment crammedwithparts I can no longer identify.

That doesn’t change even inthe bad years. And there havebeen some very bad years forthe North American Interna-tional Auto Show, years wheneven the brightest spotlightscouldn’t chase the gloom.

Years like 2009. The Amer-

sitting on the Cobo Centerfloor.

These are some of themostexciting andmarketable vehi-cles I’ve ever seen from the BigThree. All three automakershave winningmodels in nearlyevery category, from tiny cartsto behemoth trucks.

I’ll admit to being a homer,but it makesme proud to seethree companies that had beenso recently written off stickingit to the global competition.

I’m particularly eager tospend time with the newDartfrom Chrysler. The Plymouthversion of the Dart wasmy firstnew car nearly 40 years ago.

It’ll be good to reflect onwhat’s happened to this indus-try during the four decadesbetween those two vehicles.

And it will be reassuringthat through all the turmoil,the near-death experiences, therestructurings and retreating,Detroit and it’s automakers arestill here, and look like they willbe for another 40 years. If youdon’t believe that, come to theshow and spend some timewith the cars.

They’ve never been better.

nfinley@detnews.com(313) 222-2064

Nolan Finley is editorial page editorof TheNews. Readmore at

detnews.com/finley.

ican automobile industry wassuch a pariah then that nobodyfrom outside of Detroit wantedto attend, and the press corpsspent far more time speculat-ing on the Big Three’s demisethan it did reviewing the prod-ucts on display.

That was the year theycouldn’t give away CharityPreview tickets because no oneclose to the industry dared tobe photographed laughing ordrinking champagne.

Three years later, the autoindustry is roaring again.Washington types will beknocking each other over try-ing to get through the showdoorsMonday. Charity Previewticket sales are up 20 percent ormore.

Ford, Chrysler and GeneralMotors just posted stunningsales gains, and are edgingcloser to recapturing half of theNorth Americanmarket. An-other year like this, andmaybewe can lay to rest that gratingDetroit Three label and callthem the Big Three again.

A lot of folks, particularly inWashington, want to take cred-it for Detroit’s relatively quickcomeback. And some of themdid help.

But the reason we’re smilingand raising our champagneglasses again here is what’s

NOLANFINLEY

Product drives Detroit revival

Pistons of the pastI wish Bill Laimbeer, Isiah

Thomas and RickMahornwere themanagers of thePistons (“Year of rebuildingfor lowly Pistons,” Dec. 31).They would slap some ofthese big egos out the door.

TomMiller,Davison

Stronger unions neededI find it interesting that

some people say the only wayto save Detroit andMichiganis to go after union benefits(“Concessions alone won’t fixcity,” Jan. 1). I was raised inthe 1950s when unions werestrong and aman could raisea family on one paycheckwhile mom stayed home andtaught the kids family values.I don’t see what’s changed.Maybe the unions need to bestronger.

TomTheeke, Plymouth

End oil subsidiesCongress did not go far

enough in ending just theethanol subsidy (“Gas pricesup statewide,” Jan. 4). Thecombined profits of Exxon-Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Shelland BPwere in the billions,yet these companies are stillreceiving subsidies and taxbreaks. If it is right and prop-er to kill the ethanol subsidy,I see no reason to retain themfor Big Oil.

Patrick Flannery,Detroit

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