Driving Sports

As another data point in the growing importance of the Chinese market to the worldwide auto industry, consider that Porsche has announced that they will unveil the new Panamera for the first time at the Shanghai auto show in April, 2009.  The Panamera is Porsche’s new four-door, V8-powered grand touring car. China’s emerging middle class is likely to be a major market for the new Porsche. Contrast that with decisions by Ferrari, Land Rover, Nissan, and other upscale brands to pull out of next week’s Detroit auto show.

Is this how Chrysler will be good stewards for the massive truckload of cash they just received from the fed? Spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on newspaper ads? Apparently the public at large isn’t very pleased, can you blame them? This comment on the Chrysler blog sums it up nicely, “Your resignation and the resignations of senior executives who have mismanaged the business would have been much more appropriate.”