J. White's video of Bob Nardelli Q&A at the 2008 New York Auto Show
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assuming there's a recession Andy with
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one do you accept that there is a
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recession on the economy what would you
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what a baby would you be doing
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differently well it's a great question
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and I mean it set a backdrop Jim Tom and
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I myself got together towards the end of
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last year and as I said in my comments
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we really think reality we face reality
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in the economy and reality in the auto
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industry as a result of that we broke
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with somewhat of a traditional view on
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both sides and we identified quite
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honestly a very aggressive conservative
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plan for 2008 we kind of take the
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industry at about 15.5 long before I
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think the rest of the industry got there
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as a result of that we were able to do a
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number of things tom lasorda was able to
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resize the footprint we went through
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some agonizing the tough decisions any
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time you have to downsize and effect
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loyal dedicated employees but we did
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that really taking a realistic look at
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what the economy and the industry might
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bring jim was again in a similar fashion
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we were quick to move on reducing some
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of our products within the product
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portfolio he went out and talked yet a
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fireside chat and all of our dealers I
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think in eight cities talking about the
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importance of justice so in our plan our
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base plan we think we really
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incorporated and thinking of the service
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at ism for 2008 we did not build in a
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second act recovery if it happens we
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couldn't be happier to change the volume
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up and drive the leverage
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productivity if we were wrong and more
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conservative enough and we'll be quick
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to adjust as be good for at the end of
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the port for tasting 2008 I think that's
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the economy some of the consumer
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confidence and so forth is out there is
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it permeates throughout everything we do
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our job is to can you see to make our
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dealerships the attraction in the
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community our job is to make sure that
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our product differentiates from the
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competition and represent all the
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aspirational desires of consumer wants
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the gear shoot them dead puts down their
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hard-earned money for our vehicle so we
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think that we're as well positioned as
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one could be will face continue to face
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the reality will make the Justice
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accordingly thanks
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most of you mentioned design and clearly
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Chrysler has scored very well with some
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good signs of recent years such as a 300
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you also been hit pretty hard we're
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designed a lot of new models from the
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sum of the jeeps to the Japanese to
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adventure vehicles like receiver talk
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about the challenge you face is storing
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your design reputation particularly with
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your design reputation on the line why
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you cut the Pacific of studio in
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California which will come up with some
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of the most creative designs you ever
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had well because the three or four
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questions in their first of all let me
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say that just as we face the reality in
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the economy in the industry I think we
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have faith the reality of our consumer
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feedback and that's why I generally
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we're first in the industry that having
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keep customer officer and we meet
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regularly and repetitively on that
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feedback so we're we are not in denial
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we are not arguing with some of the
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customer feedback we have I think in my
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experience my 38 years you're usually
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never as bad as people write about and
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yours you're never as good as people
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write about so I think what I would say
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is that our quality in some of the
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vehicles in this where we want it to be
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and I can assure you will be a lot
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better in the future and evidence in our
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commitment and our resolve to make line
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items in fruits point number one point
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number two I couldn't agree with you
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more I mean the most exciting part of
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this this opportunity for me is to be
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able to work with really high and select
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engineers who really are on the leading
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edge of
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advances in our beautiful and then to
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take that engineering and wrap it
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artistically in the design I didn't tell
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you is it's certainly a lot more fun
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when I was building power plants high
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technology not to appeal but very well
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you know so the opportunity to work with
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these brilliant people has been exciting
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for me your question about the design
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center I think goes right to the part of
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my comment about globalization and
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bringing globality Chrysler it is it is
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certainly not a result of the excellent
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work that the men and women have done
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there whom we're working with closely to
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make sure they continue to have gainful
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employment and challenging assignments I
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think the challenge for us on a much
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broader scale is how do we how do we
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search the world looking at our global
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centers of excellence and look for more
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of a learning in our design I think if
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you look right here at home in North
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America and you look at how consumers
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are voting with their dollars relative
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to international design international
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features international fit and finish we
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need to make sure that our view is this
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broad as the customer in the market base
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so it isn't about abandoning design it's
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about reaching
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our design use on a more global basis
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I'm mr. jelly a great verse we're not
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wearing my old car speaking regional
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correspondent at which you're trying to
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live an age where we're trying to take
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at cut out of driver distraction and
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confidence or import company why I'm so
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hard than to find a car from the US car
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maker where you can get a manual gearbox
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I never thought I'd live long enough see
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and carpet dodge challenger kind of
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market without one and I probably went
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over 300 or a charger in my skin manual
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gearbox in a car Nina v8-powered sedan
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like that maybe there's an opportunity
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there that you know the edge of it don't
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work now probably audience is going to
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think that we we planet that question
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with you so if you'll join Jim pressed
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at the reveal will put you first in line
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to sign up for one
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I want to build an EVO thunder but be
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assured happier and check for it hi I'm
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Rick doing the US News where you're born
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here intelligence but what's your target
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for when pressure becomes profitable and
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we're no marriage that you have to be in
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there okay you're right I can't tell you
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that but i will i will give you some
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pretty clear direction I think it's
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public knowledge that the price 13 met
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or exceeded every one of the performers
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that was presented to our investors for
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2007 we also ended here with a billion
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dollars more in cash in liquidity that
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the turnaround plan identified we are in
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our 2008 plan continuing to move in the
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direction of returning to profitability
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and just as we delivered last year early
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in the year but we are on plans through
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the first two months and that plant
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again continues to drive the company to
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profitability and so we are very pleased
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with the progress we've made I couldn't
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be prouder of the team your grazing the
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initiatives that we've had from a market
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focus customer-centric we're working
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very hard on driving efficiencies in our
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business we are allowing our engineers
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again demonstrate their inspiration in
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our design team to again demonstrate
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their operational capabilities and i
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would say again within within the not
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too distant
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future chrysler will return to
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profitability
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