Behind The Wheel At Chrysler: The Iacocca Legacy - Hardcover

Levin, Doron P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0151117039 ISBN 13: 9780151117031

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995

Synopsis

Exposing the truth behind the fairy-tale of Chrysler's recovery under Lee Iacocca, a reporter reveals that "new" models were remodeled chassis on outmoded platforms; Iacocca spent lavishly while preaching restraint for others; and power struggles undermined productivity. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Doron P. Levin has been a journalist who's work has been printed in the Detroit Free Press and the New York Times.  He lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Reviews

In a hard-hitting, demythologizing portrait of former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, Levin dismantles the public image of Iacocca as a shrewd, can-do executive and the savior of Chrysler. A Detroit Free Press business columnist, Levin paints Iacocca as a self-aggrandizing, fame-obsessed car man who hogged credit for rescuing Chrysler from bankruptcy in 1979-80, when, in fact, the bailout was a collective effort, with key roles played by Chrysler honchos Steve Miller and Gerald Greenwald. In Levin's scathing portrait, Iacocca injected flair into Chrysler models, making superficial rather than substantive changes and demonizing Japanese automakers instead of learning from their stunning leaps in efficiency and quality. According to Levin, Iacocca's bungling, blindness and preoccupation with celebrity nearly drove Chrysler once again into bankruptcy, causing the board to force him into retirement in 1992. This meticulous expose lays bare the gaping holes in Iacocca's bestselling 1984 autobiography.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An account of how Iacocca got Chrysler back in the fast lane.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the recent past, no one has been more successful at creating a positive public image than former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca. His bravado-filled commercials were as much about self-promotion as about selling cars. His two best-selling books were his attempt to set the record straight regarding the events leading to his departure from Ford. Peter Wyden's The Unknown Iacocca (1987) hinted at flaws, but his subject's reputation remained intact and untarnished. Now Levin, a New York Times business reporter who earlier profiled a similarly mythic figure with ties to the automobile industry in Irreconcilable Differences: Ross Perot versus General Motors (1989), reevaluates Iacocca's record. He charges that Iacocca failed to grasp the implications of the new global economy and almost drove Chrysler back into bankruptcy. Levin suggests that Iacocca claimed credit for the success of others and made Japan a scapegoat while trying to cover over the inferiority of his company's product. He also documents Iacocca's personal extravagances and petty, tyrannical management style. Given Iacocca's recent teaming with financier Kerk Kerkorian and their failed Chrysler takeover attempt, Levin's book is a timely one, shedding light on why the buyout bid was less than enthusiastically received. David Rouse

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0151117039
• ISBN 13: 9780151117031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 354