Chrysler product developer quits after 2 months on the job
Twenty-four year Chrysler employee Mike Donoughe has left the company after two months in his new post. Named to head Project D in January of this year, the program is creating new mid-sized cars that would replace the Sebring and Avenger and have actually have a chance against the Camcordimabu.
Chrysler says that there was no conflict, but other outlets have reported that Donoughe clashed with CEO Bob Nardelli and so-called Acting Chief Innovation Officer Peter Arnell. Arnell is an outside marketing consultant who also worked with Nardelli at Home Depot, and apparently came up with the Celine Dion/Pacifica campaign (does anyone remember that?). Project D is tasked with developing Chrysler's next-gen midsize cars and also investigating ways for the automaker to be more competitive. (Not allowing demonstrably inferior product like the current Sebring and Avenger to ever see the light of day would be a great starting point.)
We know Chrysler has the talent to get this right, it's only a matter of how much upheaval it will take to do so. And since the new Sebring and Avenger aren't due until 2010 or 2011, whatever Chrysler comes up with better be awfully good, since most people's experience with them will be via the rental fleet gulag. Mark Chernoby has replaced Donoughe as vice president and chief engineer for Chrysler's future mid-size product team.
[Source: Wall Street Journal via Autoweek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brent 11:17AM (3/30/2008)
After reading the title, I knew Bob Nardelli would be mentioned.
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Ben 11:48AM (3/30/2008)
He's not a car guy. Chrysler is going down the tubes.
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DC 11:48AM (3/30/2008)
No real surprise here - and I can't believe they're listening to Peter Arnell.
"We know Chrysler has the talent to get this right, it's only a matter of how much upheaval it will take to do so."
It really doesn't matter, the writing is on the wall, in 5-10 years there simply won't be room for garbage like Chrysler and Dodge. If they wanted to survive they'd be focusing on overseas sales and small cars...they're destined to be sold off, the only question is how Cerberus is going to try to make them appear valuable so they can swindle someone and turn a profit. It might be worth the investment for overseas players to break into the North American market however. Too little, too late guys.
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Mike 5:37PM (3/31/2008)
You are an idiot and have no idea what you are blabbering about.
Chrysler is FAR from out.
Within two years you will be feasting on crow.
DC 9:00PM (3/31/2008)
OK Mike, why don't you enlighten my idiocy. I look forward to the laugh. The fact that you think they'll turn it around in 2 yrs just shows how detached from their reality you must be, as that is just about impossible given their current sorry state.
You claimed I don't know what I'm blabbering about, but you don't either since I didn't get into the specifics. I'll give you a hint: many of the reasons are beyond Chrysler's control, and have nothing directly to do with the company.
I would love to hear your reasoning, a different perspective never hurts.
spacegravity4me 1:06PM (3/30/2008)
chernoby.... chernobyl! :)
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John 2:47PM (3/30/2008)
You got that right. He was still in middle management when I was at Chrysler. Seemed kind of like a phony to me.
Frank 1:10PM (3/30/2008)
This is hearty helping of Not Good for the Mopar faithful. It's always a bad sign when upper mgt interferes with the product development guys.
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Don 1:19PM (3/30/2008)
There's the first of many casualties. That's what you get when you pull a bonehead stunt in hiring Nardelli.
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Spike 1:39PM (3/30/2008)
Tata will buy Chrysler. Sebring will be the name of their $2500.00 car.
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Harrison 1:57PM (3/30/2008)
Huh. I guess that life doesn't imitate art after all, since Project D failed to dominate the scene.
(shameless Initial D reference)
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wompa164 3:20PM (3/30/2008)
プロジュエケト D!!!!!!
Hank 12:09AM (3/31/2008)
First task from Project D: develop a rwd tofu delivery vehicle.
zamafir 3:09PM (3/30/2008)
Talk to anyone who's worked with home depot and the course chrysler is headed on is clear. It's a pity the gold ol' boys club even brought Nardelli into chrsyler, perhaps after all is said and done, the big 2.whatever will start following the lead of every other profitable automaker out there and hire people inside the industry with proven track records. It takes a lot more then a charismatic, if not oft misguided, figurehead (GM) or barely capable CEO (Chrsyler) to truly solve the deep quagmire these companies are in.
giggidy giggidy.
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John Starnes 4:35PM (3/30/2008)
If Nardelli actually CARES about quality cars once again being built and sold by Chrysler, then Dick Cheney would look hot in red, white and blue sequin speedo. Hey, the cold souled bozo shafted Home Depot and its people and got rewarded by being given just one third of a BILLION dollars when he got fired...maybe he is hoping for another chunk of change by decimating Chrysler, or perhaps is simply predatory by nature and finds gutting companies and trashing loyal employees "fun".
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Mallory 5:43PM (3/30/2008)
If there was a conflict with Bob Nardelli I'd have to side with whoever isn't Bob Nardelli.
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Random Task 4:55AM (3/31/2008)
Chrysler is dead company walking.
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Frank 8:28AM (3/31/2008)
But it's come back from the dead more times than the zombies in a George Romero movie.
Really, the pronouncements of death are more in the eyes of the media and the pundits than in reality. That's why they came back from "death" so many times. I.E. they were down but not out.
Iridium 11:53AM (3/31/2008)
More proof that the majority of CEOs in America have no business being where they are. Today they just play a shell game, ruin companies, and walk away with millions. Then they move on to the next. It's insane.
If I sat down with Nardelli and asked him to give me an answer on how he is going to fix Chrysler would he actually give me a straight answer of "build better cars people want to buy" or would he launch into a two hour speech filled with more BS than any politician in Washington. I think it would be the BS because that is what impresses people today.
There is nothing that worked with Home Depot that could be applied to the auto industry. Maybe squeezing your suppliers and ripping people off, paying people minimum wage while promising bonuses that never materialize, running a stock scam to net you millions while your shareholders foot the bill. Strike that then, nothing of value that has anything to do with actually building cars to sell for a profit and keep your company running.
Lutz went to GM and actually brought cars out that people want to buy. Although GM is still in a heap of trouble they at least look like they have life.
If Chrysler wants to learn something all they have to do is study the Mazda 3. The Protoge was a decent car but wasn't a top seller. Mazda redesigned the car into one of the most compelling cars in its class, priced it right, and it has sold unbelieveably well.
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Martman 5:45PM (4/18/2008)
Why is that in american business a person like Bob can get hired to do a job he can not do, and then bring dead beat ex co-workers with him.
I wonder what kind of signing bonus Bob gave him???
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