Harpo Jaeger dot com

Chrysler's holiday gift

Beginning Friday, Chrysler is shutting down production for a month. This is big. A huge automaker is not just announcing layoffs, production reorganization, or cutbacks in employee pay or benefits, they are shutting down entirely. Clearly they will still be selling (or trying to sell) new cars, and advertising, and such, but their actual supply is grinding to a halt. I am curious to see how this goes. I suppose they will save a lot of money; it costs a lot to build a month’s worth of cars, but the disruption to their workflow could have larger effects. It may not be able to start up again smoothly. Plus, it is as yet unclear what kind of money the government will be throwing at them, and when. A lot is up in the air.