Sergio Marchionne's five-year restructuring plan for Chrysler Group is as ambitious as the plan he presented for Fiat Group in November 2006. But there seems to be less wishful thinking in the Chrysler plan.
For example, from the day the Fiat plan was unveiled, I doubted that either Alfa Romeo or Lancia could more than double their sales to 300,000 units a year by 2010 -- not relying on product portfolios that wouldn't be expanded much.
This year, Alfa, planning for 115,000 units, and Lancia, planning for 120,000, each are further away from 300,000 sales than they were in 2006.
Similarly, Marchionne's plan to multiply Fiat sales in China tenfold by 2010 -- again, to 300,000 units -- never materialized. Fiat is starting over in China for the third time in 10 years and currently doesn't produce a single car in the world's fastest-growing market.