Foto: Screenshot / YouTube
Nobody wants their name dragged through the mud. If you ask Chrysler scion Frank B. Rhodes, Stellantis is doing just that to the eponymous company founded by his great-grandfather. However, his passionate offer to buy Chrysler, Dodge and Mopar from Stellantis was coldly rejected.
Stellantis owns as many as 14 active brands, but many of them are in very poor condition. Thus, Chrysler currently produces only one model with sales that are not even a shadow of former values. Because of all this, there were rumors during the summer that Stellantis would sell or shut down some of its brands, but in the end Carlos Tavares denied everything. However, the situation in the American part of Stellantis is far from a fairy tale, and morale is further depressed by the layoff of 2,450 workers at the factory in Detroit due to the discontinuation of the Ram 1500 Classic model. Jutarnji.hr.
Last Monday, Frank B. Rhodes got involved in the whole story with the aim of saving what was left of his automotive heritage. Walter P. Chrysler had four children: two sons and two daughters. Bernice, his second daughter, is Rhodes’ grandmother, and Rhodes appears to be the only remaining great-grandchild of Walter P. Chrysler today. According to Automotive Newsuhe interfered before, when he tried to stop the formation of Stellantis.
This time, Rhodes wrote a 17-page proposal to Tavares, which was posted on Mopar Insiders. In it, he talks about the need to refocus on innovation, reinvigorate customer enthusiasm and return to American roots. Interestingly, he did not mention any financial details about the purchase, but it is suspected that Rhodes does not even have close to the funds for this transaction. Namely, he is just a small furniture manufacturer who certainly does not have enough money to buy global car companies.
Despite this, Rhodes also made a YouTube video to complement his impassioned plea. The six-minute clip features footage of Rhodes waxing poetic about what Chrysler means to him and the world, followed by a quick collage of Chrysler’s 99-year history.
The company sent a response to all of this, but instead of addressing him directly, a press release was sent:
“Stellantis confirms interest in its North American brands and reaffirms the Company’s commitment to its entire portfolio of 14 powerful, iconic brands, each of which has been given a 10-year timeline to build a profitable and sustainable business,” it said in an Aug. 30 statement. . “Like the Jeep and Ram brands, Chrysler and Dodge are at the forefront of Stellantis’ transformation into clean mobility. The company does not seek to divest any of its brands.”
Unsurprisingly, Rhodes was disappointed, but more in the way the communication was handled than because he was rejected. “Since I sent the proposal to Carlos Tavares and Chrysler and Ram CEO Christine Feuell, I expected their response to come directly to me. Instead, I learned about their comments from the media,” Rhodes said.
Source: Jutarnji.hr / Automotive News
Source: autoblog.rs
