Buy used:

$8.87

FREE delivery May 14 - 20. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Hawking Books

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (17) from $8.87 & FREE Shipping

Follow the authors

Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off with Chrysler Hardcover – September 1, 2000

by Bill Vlasic (Author), Bradley A Stertz (Author)

4.6 99 ratings

See all formats and editions

The biggest industrial merger of all time said the Wall Street Journal of the 1998 merger between Chrysler - a resurgent, deeply American company famous for its minivans, and Daimler - maker of Mercedes-Benz cars; and a merger that created a global mega-company with $130 billion in annual revenue. The intent was to marry Daimler's sophisticated style and international reach with Chrysler's PR savvy and proven ability to produce appealing, inexpensive cars quickly, and it seemed a perfect match of strengths to weaknesses. But in the 18 months that have followed, ugly questions have arisen: has Chrysler retained the equality it sought in a merger? Has Daimler joined a Chrysler bereft of talent and leadership? Can two such different cultures realistically be combined? This work offers an account of the merger process in action, and is also a cautionary blueprint of the perils of going global.

Print length

382 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Wiley
Publication date

September 1, 2000
Dimensions

2.45 x 0.43 x 3.64 inches
ISBN-10

0471497320
ISBN-13

978-0471497325
See all details

Bill Vlasic
252
Paperback
33 offers from $2.24

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vlasic and Stertz a riveting tale about gentlemen at play in the decidedly ungentlemanly game of high-stakes, international boardroom piracy. A supercharged, 200-mph read all the way." - Brock Yates, Outlaw Machine "This is a clear-eyed expose of how the car business works-with a narrative that speeds you through the intrigue with all the velocity of a Dodge Viper. It plunks you right on the filing cabinets as the motor titans clash."- Robert Lacey, "Taken for a Ride is without a doubt entertaining, readable and strong journalism." - Financial Times

"An excellent book."--"Washington Post"A fascinating, page-turning read."--Larry King, "USA Today"Superb."--"Newsweek"Filled with new information and gives a masterful portrait of all involved."--"Barron's

From the Back Cover

It was the deal heard round the world. In May 1998, a stunning $36 billion merger was announced by Chrysler, the all-American automaker, and Daimler-Benz, the German manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans. The Wall Street Journal christened the deal "the biggest industrial merger of all time." The marriage of Daimler and Chrysler promised to rock the global auto industry and draw up a blueprint for international consolidation on an epic scale. But the union of Chrysler, the blue-collar maker of Jeeps and minivans, with Daimler, the crown jewel of German industry, didn't turn out to be a merger made in heaven. When the dust settled, Daimler had bought Chrysler, and the shock waves reverberated on both sides of the Atlantic. An American icon lost its independence, and a German giant grew in power and influence. The DaimlerChrysler deal brought together two automotive superpowers and triggered a chain reaction among competitors seeking partners around the world. In a gripping narrative ripped from the daily headlines, Bill Vlasic and Bradley A. Stertz of the Detroit News go behind the scenes of the defining corporate drama of the decade. With groundbreaking reporting, they reveal the untold story behind the unsuccessful attempt to take over Chrysler by its biggest shareholder, the reclusive billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, and its legendary retired, Lee Iacocca. Their startling grab for the smallest of Detroit's Big Three automakers sparked secret talks between Chrysler and Daimler on a massive joint venture. The first deal collapsed, but it set the stage for the final intense negotiations between Chrysler chairman Robert Eaton and Daimler chairman JUrgen Schrempp. It was hailed as a historic "merger of equals," but the euphoria evaporated amid a clash of cultures, identities, and personalities. The action moves feverishly around the world with larger-than-life characters in the high-stakes arena of international automaking. Taken for a Ride follows the twists and turns in the road to DaimlerChrysler and, in the end, emerges as a cautionary tale of the risks and rewards of going global.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0471497320
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0471497325
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.56 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 2.45 x 0.43 x 3.64 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.6 99 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Bradley A. Stertz
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
See more on the author's page
Bill Vlasic
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

99 global ratings

1 star

0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Eighch Dot

LOVED IT. The author does a wonderful job of ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Bought this book used from Amazon a couple years ago. LOVED IT. The author does a wonderful job of bringing you into that space and giving spirit and personality to names you may (if you're a gear head) known for years. It's eye-opening. It's intriguing. And best of all, it's a real page-turner. I found myself taking this book with me even when I was in the bathroom!!!LOL But I think what I loved learning the most was how deeply the old-guard truly cared and loved their companies. No, they didn't always make the best decisions for a good outcome, but they were passionate and damn if I don't miss that in American business, now. Oh, for the good old days.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Benedict Park

A Book About Leadership

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2000

Verified Purchase

Being an automobile fan, I became intrigued at how car companies manage to pull off age-defining cars like VW Beetle or Citroen DS, or be mired and be brought down like that of current Nissan. Overall, most of the car companies do make excellent cars, but their prosperity is not always guaranteed - Nissan was and still is a considerable technological force in the automobile industry, yet failed to gain market share; its share in Japan declined for more than 26 years.
So what does this book show the readers? Simply, leadership. Although I too was familiar with the DaimlerChrylser merger story, the loss of Chrysler leadership during the vital merger process was not known to me before to this detail. The Chrysler side was "acquired" regardless of its huge profit because there failed to be sufficient Chrysler executives who would fight Daimler-Benz side for the Chrysler's benefit during the merger process . If there were any, they were subdued by the silent and moody chairman of Chrysler. Even the head of Daimler-Benz, Juergen Schrempp, is said to have been surprised to see lack of the vibrant leadership that made surprising cars like Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler during early 90s. This is a very vital point, as I am reminded of what Bill Gates is said to do in MicroSoft; he likes to see people stand up for their views even if it is right or wrong. I believe that the word meant here is 'guts', and that requires a lot - plenty of knowledge, right attitude and high self-esteem.
Alas, it seems that as Chrysler lost too many people that had guts - ironically, that was the same title for the book written by a former Chrysler vice chairman, Bob Lutz, under whose command cars like Viper, Prowler and PT Cruiser were born -, so was its once outstanding leadership just in time for the merger. Like some black-and-white pirate movie, the floundering Anglo-Saxon ship loaded with gold were aboarded by some Teutonic warriors whose ambitions are to conquer the title of the leader - fuehrer? - in world transportation.
It was more sad to see that people with such 'guts' who left Chrysler were somewhat victims of internal politics, but I came to acknowledge that the merger was more inevitable as Chrysler lost many of its excellent crew anyway.
All in all, this book manages to unravel a breathtaking story that portrays an industry's dilemma, clash of two gigantic companies and two national and continental cultures, confict of interests, human behavior and betrayal, lust for money, a rise of German icon at a loss of an American icon.
If you do not know much of what happened during the DaimlerChrysler's birth and is interested in any field of business, this is a book you could read during this Summer at a breeze's pace.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rick Spell

Excellent business analysis similar to the RJR takeover

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2001

Verified Purchase

An excellent in-depth analysis of the takeover of Chrysler by Mercedes. As in so many other business stories, it seems to boil down to egos and personalities. In this case, the Chrysler chairman is not an aggressive outgoing leader like Bob Lutz, his second in command. Eventually, this character flaw may have led to the takeover of Chrysler as he didn't feel they could go it alone.
But personalities are really the key on the Mercedes side where their outgoing chairman loved his job and all the perks that came with it. Including the opportunity to make his mark in German history. Clearly, he out negotiated Chrysler.
But there is a third party to this story and that's how the book opens with an analysis of Kirk Kerkorian's takeover attempt with the famous ego maniac, Lee Ioccoa.
With all these egos in one story, it's just a matter of time till a blow-up with billions of dollars lost by shareholders. Particularly, Kerkorian who has lawsuits pending.
Yes this is a long book which can get bogged down in detailed analysis of negotiations. But the business case study is exceptional and worth the read if you enjoy cars or exceptional business stories.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Andrew

Piercing the Corporate Veil

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2002

Verified Purchase

You know the old saying, you don't want to know how frankfurters and laws are made because it would make you nauseous. This fascinating book adds corporate mergers to the list.
America is unique place. In any other country on the planet, if a foreign firm was able to gobble up a leading and very healthy automaker under false pretenses, it would be a national scandal. Yet, when DaimlerBenz took over Chrysler in 1997 and later proclaimed that it was not a merger of equals as promised to the American shareholders, but that Chrysler would be assigned a rung in the Daimler empire, it was news only in American auto industry circles.
Reporters Vlasic and Stertz have done a herculian task detailing how the deal was done and a great American company undone in the process. Their account focuses on the characters of the dealmakers, giving the book the feel of something between a Robert Altman film and a Shakespearean comedy. They interview scores of leading auto industry execs, as well as getting numerous insights from off-the-record sources. Always they maintain their objectivity: the authors do not condemn the two men at the heart of the deal, Chrysler CEO Bob Eaton and Daimler head Jurgen Schrempp: the facts do.
Bob Eaton, the career engineer thrust into a leadership role of America's No. 3 carmaker comes off as a good man and a dangerous leader. He is weak, uncommunicative, soft at the wrong times, hard at the wrong times and maddeningly opaque most of the time. It is not clear why he pushes so hard for the deal, which presents more unknowns than benefits. Clearly, a big premium on his stock options and a fat bonus were in it for him. The authors catch the cracks in Eaton's personality by detailing the numerous times he breaks down and weeps while addressing his troops. Why was he always weeping? Was it guilt? Love? Shame?
Schrempp, though the authors seem to fight against such an easy characterization, was the villian. He himself, to his own detriment in one of the great PR gaffes in corporate history, admitted that he approached Chrysler for a partnership, when in fact all he was interested in was adding another jewel to the Daimler crown. After the deal is done, in passsages that I found painful to read, the American executives get a taste of the real Schrempp, when they get treated with less respect than Daimler washroom attendants. Schrempp comes off as a rapacious German cowboy and reckless CEO, more interested in doing deals than creating value.
This book is a compelling account of how the personality foibles and shortcomings of our corporate chieftans impact our lives and the wealth of our society. While it wasn't enough to turn me into a rabid Naderite, it has opened my eyes to the need for greater accountability of CEOs in America.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful