Chrysler Gets Its Miracle? Not So Fast

In previous posts (see Chrysler Still Needs a Miracle or Chrysler/Fiat Update) I suggested that the Fiat/Chrysler deal looked increasingly like a longshot. Fiat (FIATY.PK) was asking for deep concessions from both the auto union and Chrysler’s creditors, and it seemed unlikely that Fiat was going to receive those concessions.

But over the past few days, the Obama Administration, the auto union, and Chrysler’s creditors seemed to have come to some sort of understanding (see Treasury Close to Deal with Chrysler Creditors, Chrysler Reaches Agreement with UAW, and UAW Gets 55%).

Hallelujah??

Maybe, but not so fast. Several issues remain:

1. Creditors must agree to the debt cancellation.

According to the NY Times:

Chrysler has about $6.9 billion in secured debt owned by big banks like Citigroup (C) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and a group of hedge funds. Under the proposal, all of the debt would be canceled in exchange for $2 billion in cash…

The Treasury drew up the latest proposal in consultation with Chrysler’s biggest secured creditors, which hold about 70 percent of the company’s secured debt. It requires approval by almost all of the secured lenders. That could be difficult as some lenders, including several hedge funds, may hold their ground and reject it.

2. The issue of pay for union workers must still be resolved. Although Chrysler, the federal government, and the union have come to terms with respect to pension and benefits, my understanding is that they have not yet reached a meaningful agreement to reduce wages. Just how important are wage reductions to Fiat? That remains to be seen. According to the Michigan Messenger:

The new agreement does not cut wages, but it does apparently reduce Chrysler’s commitment to pay into the UAW-run retiree health care fund.

3. According to the latest accord, the auto union will get a 55% equity share in Chrysler. The US government will get a 10% share. Fiat would get a 20% share. Where does the other 15% go? Is this 15% set aside for Fiat depending upon whether it meets performance goals? Will this 15%, or a portion of it, get doled out to Chrysler’s creditors? This was not entirely clear to me.

4. Ultimately, Fiat needs to agree to be party to the alliance. Until that happens, there is no deal. Time will tell if these concessions are enough to convince Fiat that the deal is worthwhile.

Nevertheless, given the concessions that all parties have made to help Chrysler avert bankruptcy, a Fiat alliance seems far more likely today than it did as little as one week ago. Chrysler is no longer looking for a miracle. Perhaps now just a random act of kindness.

But assuming a Fiat/Chrysler deal goes through, the question then becomes: Is this the best outcome for Fiat, Chrysler, and the auto industry? It is not entirely clear. The global auto industry continues to be plagued by massive overcapacity. Keeping a weak competitor around will certainly not resolve systemic overcapacity.

For Fiat, it might be a bit premature to re-enter the U.S. market (the most competitive auto market in the world) and sign on for a complicated global expansion/integration (see Fiasco for Fiat?). Let’s also not forget that Fiat is a firm that, as little as two years ago, was on the verge of bankruptcy itself.

Finally, for Chrysler, it is not clear that its products (even with technology infusions from Fiat) can improve quickly enough for it to once again become a profitable enterprise. For this reason, and as I’ve mentioned before, Chrysler likely needs more than Fiat and an additional $6 Billion infusion from the federal government to survive.

So even if the deal goes through this week, it is entirely possible that Chrysler might end up right back in the same place - on the verge of bankruptcy.

And we wait…

Comments

[Flamecoach:]

UAW-built Chrysler-Fiats will take at least two years to come to market. During that time, Chrysler will still have its non-competitive product line that they have now. And once the UAW-built Chrysler Fiats hit the market, they'll be competing against new versions of successful cars from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, etc.

In the best case scenario, Chrysler's new customers will be sympathy buyers who look for the union label, but don't have friends and relatives working for GM or Ford.

Apr 29 08:10 AM

[Mike InMich:]

Ford is also bringing the all new Fiesta to North America. It is a nice car but will be a hard sell with $2.00 gas. It is outrageous that the Federal government is subsidizing Fiat to enter an already saturated US car market, especially small car market, to compete with non-bailout FoMoCo.

Besides this outrage, there is another interesting item to play out. I'm sure Fiat would prefer to build the 500 in non-UAW Mexico. If forced to build in the US by their majority UAW owners the value equation is even more out of whack. Look for more federal money over the next few years.

Obama should realize that there it is a zero sum game. UAW jobs lost in a liquidated Chrysler would be offset by fewer losses at GM and Ford. Shoot this dead horse.

Apr 29 09:10 AM

[altaman:]

The POSs that are Chrysler and GM should be pushed into bankrupcty where there is at least a small possiblility that something economically rational will be done with all parties and assets. Otherwise we will end-up with some Frankenstein-like, socialist creation of the UAW/Obama/bank partnership that will wreak further havoc on our economy that is already reeling from a flurry of radically bad polices.

Apr 29 02:57 PM