????周二，克萊斯勒將像鳳凰一樣從破產(chǎn)的邊緣浴火重生，在新的全球汽車(chē)制造業(yè)聯(lián)合中成為菲亞特的重要合作伙伴。很大程度上，這兩家公司的生機(jī)和活力得益于一個(gè)人的遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)卓識(shí)：那就是塞爾吉奧?馬爾基翁。只有他看到了合并的好處，并力排眾議，成功重組了克萊斯勒。

????這是一項(xiàng)非凡的成就。短短兩年前，克萊斯勒還命懸一線，存亡取決于美國(guó)總統(tǒng)的贊成或反對(duì)票。據(jù)史蒂芬?拉特納在《大檢修》（Overhaul）中的報(bào)道，總統(tǒng)奧巴馬反對(duì)其部分經(jīng)濟(jì)顧問(wèn)的建議，下令向克萊斯勒提供足夠的貸款助其維持運(yùn)營(yíng)。

????在國(guó)家經(jīng)濟(jì)極其脆弱的時(shí)期，總統(tǒng)的這一舉措保留了克萊斯勒38,500個(gè)直接工作崗位，也保留了克萊斯勒供應(yīng)商和經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商提供的成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)?；蛟S這些工作機(jī)可以在別處進(jìn)行重新分配，但是過(guò)程必然十分麻煩。馬爾基翁接手后，克萊斯勒對(duì)新設(shè)備進(jìn)行了30億美元的投資，額外創(chuàng)造了2，000個(gè)就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)。

????克萊斯勒已還清所有政府貸款，并于上周根據(jù)馬爾基翁的指示，購(gòu)回了美國(guó)和加拿大政府持有該公司的剩余股票。本次交易對(duì)克萊斯勒的估值為83.3億美元。這與戴姆勒在1998年為收購(gòu)克萊斯勒支付的390億美元相去甚遠(yuǎn)，但與Cerberus資本管理公司2007 年收購(gòu)克萊斯勒時(shí)的花費(fèi)大致相當(dāng)，遠(yuǎn)超破產(chǎn)的克萊斯勒本應(yīng)大幅折價(jià)后的價(jià)格。

????7月26日，馬爾基翁將透露他對(duì)公司的未來(lái)的規(guī)劃。他傳遞的信號(hào)表明，變革將涉及公司的會(huì)計(jì)核算、管理和治理等眾多領(lǐng)域。

汽車(chē)業(yè)：2011 年的贏家和輸家

????隨著第二季度的結(jié)束，克萊斯勒的財(cái)務(wù)業(yè)績(jī)和資產(chǎn)負(fù)債表將與菲亞特合并。馬爾基翁的目標(biāo)是，至 2014 年，合并后的公司收入達(dá)到1，400 億美元——在2010年約920 億美元的基礎(chǔ)上實(shí)現(xiàn)大的飛越。

????馬爾基翁還宣布，他希望通過(guò)對(duì)25名高管的任命對(duì)兩家公司的管理進(jìn)行整合。這一舉措不僅會(huì)將馬爾基翁的直接下屬削減一半，還會(huì)是規(guī)模經(jīng)濟(jì)的實(shí)現(xiàn)變得更加容易。

????并且，他有望剔除克萊斯勒董事會(huì)中六位由政府指派的成員，從而加快公司的決策過(guò)程。

????目前，克萊斯勒已在合并中取得先手。分析師預(yù)計(jì)，在周二宣布結(jié)果時(shí)，這家底特律汽車(chē)制造商的經(jīng)營(yíng)利潤(rùn)將是菲亞特的2.5倍。由于吉普（Jeep）汽車(chē)的帶動(dòng)，克萊斯勒 2011 年上半年在美國(guó)的銷(xiāo)售額上升了21%，而菲亞特同期在歐洲的銷(xiāo)售額則下降了12.7%。

????克萊斯勒銷(xiāo)售額的激增并非來(lái)自低價(jià)銷(xiāo)售。專(zhuān)業(yè)汽車(chē)網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的資料顯示，克萊斯勒六月份銷(xiāo)售每輛汽車(chē)的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)支出為3,768 美元，而這一做法的先驅(qū)福特（F，財(cái)富 500 強(qiáng)）在其新型小轎車(chē)全線火熱上市時(shí)每輛車(chē)的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)支出也僅為 3,647 美元。

????馬爾基翁在克萊斯勒計(jì)劃中未明確的是首次公開(kāi)募股的時(shí)間。上市計(jì)劃原本預(yù)計(jì)在今年下半年進(jìn)行，現(xiàn)在看來(lái)已經(jīng)無(wú)限期延后。馬爾基翁曾在六月份告訴媒體：“我們需要更持久的業(yè)績(jī)表現(xiàn)，同時(shí)或許也需要等待股市進(jìn)一步向好?！?/p>

????另一個(gè)問(wèn)號(hào)主要圍繞阿爾法?羅密歐汽車(chē)重返美國(guó)的問(wèn)題，汽車(chē)網(wǎng)站Alfistas對(duì)這一舉動(dòng)早有預(yù)測(cè)，而且它對(duì)馬爾基翁的長(zhǎng)期計(jì)劃至關(guān)重要。馬爾基翁最近將其回歸推遲至 2013 年，原因顯而易見(jiàn)，他對(duì)該品牌車(chē)型處子秀的設(shè)計(jì)不太滿(mǎn)意。

????馬爾基翁即將開(kāi)啟與美國(guó)汽車(chē)工人的合同談判，這將是一個(gè)巨大挑戰(zhàn)?！兜滋芈尚侣劇罚═he Detroit News）周六報(bào)道稱(chēng)，克萊斯勒將不會(huì)簽署包括生活費(fèi)用調(diào)整或類(lèi)似自動(dòng)增加工資等條款在內(nèi)的任何合同。依其行事風(fēng)格來(lái)看，預(yù)計(jì)馬爾基翁將親自參與談判。

????鑒于馬爾基翁在克萊斯勒取得的成功，他現(xiàn)在完全有資格躋身獨(dú)立高管的名人堂，與尼桑（Nissan）的卡洛斯?戈恩和福特（Ford）的艾倫?穆拉里平起平坐，他們都使瀕臨破產(chǎn)的汽車(chē)企業(yè)起死回生?；蛟S，本地的汽車(chē)業(yè)人士也能夠從他們身上學(xué)到些什么。

????On Tuesday, Chrysler will emerge phoenix-like from the fires of bankruptcy as a vital partner of Fiat in a new global auto manufacturing alliance. To a remarkable extent, the vitality and strength of the two companies is the result of the vision and energy of one man: Sergio Marchionne. He alone saw the benefits that would come from a merger and then overcame enormous skepticism to rebuild Chrysler and make it possible.

????It is an effort that is all the more remarkable when you remember that just two years ago, Chrysler's survival hung on a thumbs-up or thumbs-down vote by the president of the United States. As reported by Steven Rattner in Overhaul, President Obama went against the advice of some of his economic advisers and ordered that Chrysler be advanced enough money to stay afloat.

????The President's actions preserved 38,500 direct jobs at Chrysler and hundreds of thousands more at suppliers and dealers at an especially fragile time for the nation's economy. Those jobs may have eventually been redistributed elsewhere, but the process would have been messy. Since Marchionne took over, Chrysler has created 2,000 more jobs by investing $3 billion in new facilities.

????Chrysler has paid back all its government loans, and last week under Marchionne's direction it bought the remaining shares held by the U.S. and Canadian governments. The deal values Chrysler at $8.33 billion. That's a far cry from the $39 billion Daimler paid for Chrysler in 1998 but roughly what Chrysler cost Cerberus in 2007 and a lot better than the pennies on the dollar that a bankrupt Chrysler would have brought.

????Tomorrow, Marchionne will reveal more of his future plans for the company. He's already signaled that changes will be coming in accounting, management, and governance.

Autos: 2011's winners and losers

????With the close of the second quarter, Chrysler's financial results and balance sheet will be integrated with Fiat's. Marchionne aims to have the combined companies generate revenue of $140 billion by 2014 -- a big jump from the roughly $92 billion they did in 2010.

????Marchionne has also declared his intention to merge the management of the two companies with his 25 top executives. Besides cutting the number of his direct reports in half, the move should make it easier to realize economies of scale.

????And he is expected to replace the six government appointees on Chrysler's board of directors, which should allow him to move faster in decision-making.

????Right now, Chrysler holds the upper hand in the merger. When results are announced on Tuesday, analysts expect the Detroit automaker's operating profit will be two and a half times Fiat's. Led by Jeep, Chrysler's U.S. sales rose 21% in the first half of 2011, while Fiat's European sales fell 12.7% in the same period.

????Chrysler's sales surge has not required fire sale prices. According to Edmunds.com, Chrysler's incentives spending in June was $3,768 per vehicle sold, while much-heralded Ford (F, Fortune 500), with a lineup of supposedly hot new small cars, was $3,647 per vehicle sold.

????One part of Marchionne's Chrysler plan that isn't on schedule is an initial public offering. Originally expected in the second half of this year, it now appears to have been put off indefinitely. "We need an additional track record of performance and probably a better equity market than I'm seeing today," Marchionne told reporters in June.

????Another question mark revolves around the return of Alfa Romeo to the U.S., a move long anticipated by Alfistas and vital to Marchionne's long-term plans. He recently pushed it back another year to 2013, apparently because he wasn't happy with the design of the debut model.

????Marchionne faces an upcoming challenge with the opening of contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers. The Detroit News reported on Saturday that Chrysler will not sign any contract that includes cost-of-living adjustments or similar automatic pay increases. As is his style, Marchionne is expected to directly involve himself in the talks.

????Given his success at Chrysler, Marchionne now deserves to join the pantheon of outsider executives alongside Nissan's Carlos Ghosn and Ford's Alan Mulally who turned around failing auto companies. Maybe there is something the local car guys can learn from them.