<![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler! - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler! - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> I have no doubt Press will be handsomely rewarded, if Chrysler recovers. But I don't think he's doing this just for the money. Today's Wall Street Journal speculates that Press wasn't happy with his new role at Toyota, which entails more lobbying in Washington than actual involvement with selling cars. (Toyota thought they needed an American face to help their image in the US as they blow by Ford and GM.) Press also knew he'd never make it to the top of Toyota -- look how long it took for them to put him on the board, which they should have done 10 years ago. This is a loss of face for Toyota -- it may be years before they appoint another American director.

TokyoMarc

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @toyotaboy:
I honestly believe that Mr. Press's departure from Toyota is financially motivated. Mr. Press may have signed a non-compete, however, depending on the state he signed the document in, it may be unenforcable. For example, in California, there is no such thing as non-competes, there are non-disclosure aggreements. For the most part, non-competes are unenforcable. As a last note, you do realize the ideology for quality control came from Americans after World War 2 (Deming Award anybody)? Here's the link [www.skymark.com] You may ask if I lean towards domestics or imports, I choose whoever suits my needs. And yes, Chrysler has always hired outside people, Lee Iacocca is an excellent example.

M0L0TOV

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @toyotaboy:

Toyotaboy, Chrysler is known as the company where outsiders come in to run the place. Name me a Chairman or President of Chrysler in recent memory who started with Chrysler at the very beginning of their career and ended up with the top job there? I could be wrong but the last one was K.T. Keller

allenparkpete

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @toyotaboy: You're kidding, right? Toyota isn't going to sue anyone. Their quality processes are not secret.

Solo_Racer

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @Big Ron: Made me laugh.

SwatLax

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> This is a complete conflict of interest, I wouldn't be surprised if toyota sues him (especially if chrysler magically start implimenting quality processes that toyota uses). Didn't chrysler sell it's company to some holding company for like 2 billion dollars? He HAD to have gotten a HUGE hiring bonus to leave toyota because there's no other reason, just goes to show you how desperate american car companies have become. Before you know it, chrysler will just start buying rolling chassis' from toyota and slap in their own interior and bodies.

toyotaboy

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> Toyota sent him over there to get a feel for the place before they decide to buy Cerberus in its entirety.

Automanic

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @pjsammy: With Cerberus involved you can bet Jim got a piece of the action. Or a promise of a piece depending on his performance. The man has more money than he can possibly need, so it's all about the challenge.

And the upside associated with the piece of the action.

TinaChow

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> There is no doubt that Lasorda is a wealthier man now than even a year ago thanks to the UNMERGER OF UNEQUALS but guys at that level in the car profession have big ego's or grow them rapidly. This has to hurt. Ford needs to deepen their bench but for Lasorda to go there he's dealing with an even nastier outfit than Chrysler. He's 54 and still has some good years ahead of him but look at it this way...if he stayed with GM, would he ever have gotten to the same level? He may have had greater success than he ever imagined.

My guess is that if he does stick with the car industry it will be with a supplier.

Press will bring a few others with him but Chrysler still needs a product development czar.

allenparkpete

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> I'm really curious what kind of signing bonus they threw his way. You can't just take one of the biggest guys from one of the biggest companies for chump change!

I still can't believe he doesn't have a non-compete clause!

pjsammy

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> Weird. They take Toyota's weakest link - Demand generation (no I don't give them credit for growing into their sales with a smaller dealer body, just credit for restraining the dealer count growth) and Chrysler's weakest link - Supply and somehow you've got world leaders?

They'd have been better off to get a supply guy from Toyota, a sales guy with dirt under his fingernails from one of the great Demand stories like Lexus, Hyundai or Saturn, and a product guy from BMW.

Also, Lasorda has to got be doing at least 10 job interviews a day. The writing on the wall is Las Vegas-subtle by now.

Daga

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> This is good side of private equity...

Most people equate PE with slash/burn and turning things around for a quick buck. That happens a lot. But the essence of it is identifying a good company that is mismanaged and turning it around. Chrysler's once-a-decade flashes of brilliance (Hemi, mini-van, 90s design renaissance, 300C) shows that it can do good things... it just needs the right management.

It doesn't matter if they gave Jim $50 million. If he does his job right, he'll earn that back for the company several times over.

a2r

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> "World-class supply and demand leaders"

That still doesn't make sense.

Is it possible that Toyota's recent quality problems, and the lackluster sales on the new Tundra, were all going to fall on Press? And he's getting out while his name is still untarnished?

Just spitballin'

Always great to get a post from Allenparkpete.

Seth L

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> Wow. Didn't see this one coming. Hadn't he been with Toyota since 1970?!?
Mullaly-type money must have been involved in this!

SwatLax

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @allenparkpete: Maybe. Remember that Lasorda's key expertise really is labor and manufacturing. He was clearly in over his head as a CEO, and I think he knew it. I'm not quite convinced he's gone... it's possible that they just "rightsized" his portfolio and are paying him enough to keep him from getting upset about it. We'll see.

I agree that the old way is toast, and they want the UAW to know it. THAT'S clear.

jacflash

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @jacflash:

Jacflash, consider Lasorda "finished" at Chrysler. Do you recall when "THE MERGER OF EQUALS" took place at Daimler and Chrysler? Schrempp and Eaton announced they were Co-chairmand and would operate that way. The biz school pundits said ..nada. Won't work. And the DaimlerChrysler brass insisted it would. Six months onward Eaton announced he would eventually step down making himself a lame duck instantaneously. Tell me that wasn't staged. (Bob did escape to Naples, Florida with $70M so his ego took a softer blow). Same thing here....they will tell the media and employees that the two guys, Press and Lasorda will co-exist. Horseshit. Lasorda will not accept a demotion to Labor Relations....they have John Franciosi running that area. And he has more manufacturing experience than Lasorda. What surprises me is that the announcement came before talks wrapped up........or did the boys in NYC do this on purpose to send the UAW a message....the old way is toast?

allenparkpete

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> @FLB: Labor relations is still going to be Lasorda's job, looks like.

jacflash

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> I hope Mister Career-Transportation-Appliance-Pusher... gets on board with the whole clouds-of-Hemi-powered-tire-smoke... deal. He's not exactly Lutz, is he?

jacflash

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> SlimFast.........is GoneFast.

allenparkpete

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> Has he ever dealt with the UAW?

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[BREAKING! Jim Press Leaves Toyota, Takes Vice-Chairman Seat at Chrysler!]]> lol @ "token 'merican"

-chet

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