Speaking at a forum about the global auto industry, former auto czar Steven Rattner said publicly for the first time that a major aim of Chrysler ’s restructuring plans was to replace the management team.
Rattner believed that Chrysler ’s survival would depend on replacing the existing top management personnel as appointed by Cerberus Capital Management LP.
“We wanted to have a completely fresh management team (at Chrysler).” Rattner also said, “You can’t come to any conclusion that management is not a huge ingredient, a huge detriment of success.”
Rattner went on to clarify that the principal driving force behind the government supporting a Chrysler-Fiat alliance was, “frankly to get new management and to get what we thought was one of the two or three best management teams in the world.”
Rattner’s latest comments seem to be in direct conflict with a story Leftlane brought just two days ago in which President Obama told Fox News, “We have specifically said that we are not in the business of running a car company. We’re not getting involved in day-to-day management.”
At this time Chrysler has declined to comment in regards to Rattner’s comments.
