A man who spoke plainly
With his dishevelled hair, lack of suit and ever-present wool sweater, the late Sergio Marchionne cut a unique figure among captains of the global auto industry.
But the former CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles wasn’t merely eccentric in his appearance.
He built a reputation on bluntness and decisive action.
The possessor of three university degrees, an MBA, professional qualifications as a lawyer and an accountant, and fluency in three languages, Marchionne never lacked for intelligence or reason in his public comments.
At the same time, his direct nature made him prefer plain speech to corporate jargon — for better or worse, as seen in this random collection of quotes published in the Star over the years.
OCT. 16, 2005
“I came here, stayed and loved the place,” Marchionne told an assembly of students after receiving an honorary degree at the University of Windsor — where he previously received his commerce degree in 1979 and his MBA in 1985.
“I spent about one-third of my time in university here. And it was the best part of my university education.”
APRIL 15, 2009
“Absolutely, we are prepared to walk. There is no doubt in my mind,” Marchionne warned the Canadian Auto Workers union on the cusp of Fiat acquiring a 20 per cent stake in Chrysler. According to Marchionne, the deal was being jeopardized by the resistance of the union to lower Chrysler’s labour costs to the level of other Canadian manufacturing facilities run by Japanese and German carmakers.
MAY 29, 2009
“We fully realize what we have here,” Marchionne said about Chrysler’s assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton. After a speech in Montreal, Marchionne spoke with reporters and praised the Canadian facilities inherited by Fiat in the deal with Chrysler. “There is a collective view that these are operations with a high standard of quality. And their ability to compete is in good shape.”
JAN. 11, 2010
“This is true America,” said Marchionne as he showed off a black Dodge Challenger SRT-8 to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“This is a 6.1-litre Hemi engine. I understand what it’s not from a fuel-consumption standpoint. But, we’ve done a lot of work on this car in terms of the engine performance. It’s actually quite reasonable given what its aspirations are.”
JAN. 11, 2010
“The only thing I tried to do is to make (governments) understand that it was money well spent,” said Marchionne about the U.S. and Canada bailout of the auto industry. “I think we’re on our way back; I just think we need to keep our heads down, remain absolutely humble throughout this process. Just keep on pushing, that’s all.”
JUNE 4, 2010
“I want to make it clear that Chrysler strongly supports the proposed DRIC (Detroit River International Crossing),” Marchionne said in a speech at a policy conference in Michigan.
“The need for an additional crossing to handle current and future trade flows is widely acknowledged and it is imperative that this new crossing be completed as soon as possible.”
FEB. 4, 2011
“I want to pay back the shyster loans,” Marchionne told an industry conference, referring to government interest rates on the bailout money borrowed by Chrysler Group LLC.
“When we did this deal back in 2009, we couldn’t have borrowed a buck from a 7-Eleven store. The banking system was shut.” Marchionne used the word “shyster” three times during the conference. He issued an apology the next day. “I regret the remark, which in hindsight I consider inappropriate.”
JAN. 9, 2012
“I would like to have our people make a lot of money when I make a lot of money at the corporate level,” Marchionne said on the tradition of automatic annual wage increases for Canadian auto workers. “Let’s distribute the cash; let’s also get rid of the entitlement notion that’s associated with these structures.”
According to Marchionne, automatic increases “that are not connected in any way, shape or form to productivity and positioning ... are outdated measures.”
OCT. 8, 2012
“Doing a commercial for two minutes with that kind of money attached, and not showing any of our cars would have been a bit difficult,” Marchionne said about Chrysler’s dramatic Halftime in America commercial that ran during the 2012 Super Bowl broadcast.
In a speech to students at Ohio State University, Marchionne revealed that the commercial’s narrator — Clint Eastwood — didn’t want vehicles shown in the commercial. “I told him, Clint, I love you dearly, but I sell cars.”
MARCH 4, 2014
“It is clear to us that our projects are now being used as a political football, a process that, in our view, apart from being unnecessary and ill-advised, will ultimately not be to the benefit of Chrysler,” Marchionne declared in an announcement that FCA would invest billions of dollars in Chrysler’s Canadian operations — regardless of any federal funding.
The move, which stunned most in government and the industry, directly resulted in FCA’s $2-billion retooling of the Windsor Assembly Plant and the hiring of at least 1,200 additional workers there. Marchionne said the decision meant Chrysler could operate “in an unfettered fashion with its strategic alternatives ... and will fund out of its own resources whatever capital the Canadian operations require.”
OCT. 8, 2014
“I’ll undoubtedly do something else,” Marchionne said as he revealed his desire to retire at the end of 2018 — the completion of FCA’s five-year plan.
“I am not going to do anymore turnarounds. I’m done; Let some of the young punks do it.”
APRIL 26, 2016
“You are totally underestimating the relevance of minivans,” Marchionne said in response to a reporter’s suggestion that FCA would eventually become almost entirely focused on trucks and SUVs.
In a conference call with analysts on FCA’s first-quarter results, Marchionne said the Windsor-built Pacifica would continue to “receive a lot of attention” in FCA’s ad spending that spring.
MAY 6, 2016
“The Pacifica will redefine the role of Windsor Assembly Plant,” said Marchionne at a launch ceremony for the minivan at the Windsor manufacturing facility he described as “the pulse of the city.” “I promise you, we’ll do our best to ensure this pulse continues to beat strong.”