SAN FRANCISCO — Chrysler released a cryptic public announcement on Friday, timed to coincide with the annual National Auto Dealers Association convention, that it is launching Project Genesis, which the company maintains is "intended to align the needs and wants of the customer with the product portfolio and the dealer network."

Reading between the lines, we'd interpret this to mean Chrysler plans to cut more products and shrink its dealer body, as fewer customers walk into the company's showrooms.

Jim Press, Chrysler's vice chairman and president, added: "At this point, we have not made any final decisions regarding our dealer optimization or future product plans, nor has the company set any firm timelines." He added that the Genesis project is intended to "drive profitability and build franchise value."

As part of the ongoing dealer consolidation effort, Chrysler said it intends to see more facilities with all three corporate brands — Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep — under a single roof.

In an interview with industry publication Automotive News, Press said Chrysler is looking to trim duplicate products from its portfolio — but also plans to add products in niches and segments that it does not currently cover.

What this means to you: Cutting through the corporate double-talk, the bottom line is a smaller Chrysler, in terms of products and dealers. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

 

Ok.. so just how is this going to save the customer more money is what I want to know.

P.S. joeyr.. what is IVA?

 

Oh, you mean Kiva. It’s a not-for-profit organization that was started to help the working poor entrepreneurs in third world countries receive business loans from people. For as little as $25 you can loan to an business owner of your choosing.

For example I made a loan to a guy in Azerbaijan who wanted to buy some equipment for his auto repair business. Another Lady in Niagara needed money to so she expand and start selling sweets in her grocery store. Another guy in Africa used his money to help buy a dirt bike for his messenger service to support his family. You don’t have to make the entire loan your self (although most are less than $500 US). Most people make just make the minimum loan amount ($25) and it is eventually fulfilled in a matter of hours, and many cases minutes.

The loans are repaid with no interest in 6-12 months; your money is then transferred back into the account were you originally loaned the money where you are free to reuse the same money to invest in someone else. Most impressive is the payback rates of the loans, over 99% of loans are repaid. They choose hard working people, many of which are just a few hundred bucks away from sure economic footing. I found out about the site watching CNN (It was also featured on Oprah, and President Clinton talked about them in one of his books) and I loved the idea. I provided a link for anyone who wants to know more.

http://www.kiva.org/about

 

Should be called Project Revelations. Getting rid of dealers is not the best idea. I'm sure that dealers in smaller towns are certainly on the list to be demised instead of ones in large cities where you can find at least ten listings in the yellow pages. Some of the backbone of the brand loyalty for people in small towns is having the dealerships there. Even if sales aren't what keeps them loyal to the Big Three, it is having the service locally. I know lots of people that state that the only reason why they stay with the Big Three is because Toyota and Honda dealerships are an hour's drive away and are too inconvenient for regular service. This is an example of cost cutting, or as I like to call it, corporate suicide. Chrysler has been under the dilution for years that if they just cut a little more, things will be hunky-dory. They need to stop cutting costs, and start investing in the company again.