Mother of 2 loses everything in early morning fire ? Rebuilding fund established
Gwen Olson, single mother of 2 boys, lost her home and all their belongings in an early morning fire May 21st. In order to help them rebuild, Richmond Chrysler Dodge Jeep has established a ?Gwen Olson Family Fund? at Seaway Community Bank in Richmond. Dick Huvaere of Richmond Chrysler Dodge Jeep has deposited an initial $1,000 to the fund to get it started, with the hope that the community will rally behind him and collect enough money for the family of 3 to start their lives over. Checks can be made payable to the ?Gwen Olson Family Fund?, in care of Seaway Community Bank, 66550 Gratiot Ave., Lenox MI 48050.
In addition, Main St. Caf? located at 68095 Main Street, Richmond Mi 48062, 586-727-9118, is having ?A Brand New Start Shower? as Gwen is their kitchen supervisor. Main Street Caf?will be collecting new household items and gift cards on Gwen?s behalf. The 2 children, boys age 18 and 15, can use size 34 pants and large shirts.

Cerberus buys Chrysler: The Continuing Saga of a Dependent Chrysler
Cerberus took ownership of about 80% of Chrysler Group, including Chrysler Financial, on May 14, 2007. Cerberus paid $7.4 billion, $5 billion of which goes to Chrysler Corporation LLC and $1.05 billion to Chrysler Financial Services; Daimler gets the remaining $1.35 billion, but loans back $400 million of it. Daimler retains all debt from Chrysler Group, costing Daimler a net $650 million plus prepayment compensation of $878 million and transaction costs. Chrysler?s pension fund is currently overfunded by about $2 billion but the health care costs are a major issue. Closing of the deal is expected by July 14.

The five key reasons for choosing Cerberus were "a sustainable, successful future for Chrysler; minimal risks and liabilities for Daimler in the future; the certainty of the transaction; speed; and the value of the transaction." Other reasons suggested by Allpar readers include being able to keep a chunk to continue to profit from Chrysler; realization that Mercedes would never integrate money-saving Chrysler technologies, outside of certain assembly processes adopted early on; that Mercedes was unwilling to share any current technology, and that Mercedes-priced components and architectures made cars below the $30,000 level uneconomical; needing the cash; wanting to be free from the health-care liabilities; and realizing that Daimler was completely unable to run Chrysler, any more than BMW was able to run Rover. Chrysler owes Dieter Zetsche a debt of gratitude. It would have been easy for him to keep downsizing until there was nothing left, to try to break the UAW in a massive showdown, to sell off assets piecemeal and let the company declare bankruptcy, or to spin it off as a separately traded corporation with no capital.

Reactions
Several people have noted that Tom LaSorda seems very excited by the sale; not only that, but according to several accounts from different people, employees, dealers, and potential buyers are also excited. The CAW's Buzz Hargrove said that Chrysler was set to grow again, though it'll shrink first. Ken Lewenza, CAW negotiator, quoted Stephen Feinberg as saying, "Chrysler is not just another manufacturing company, it's an icon, and we want to grow the business."

Allpar has experienced an unusually favorable response to the buyout - with many breathing a sigh of relief that the Daimler nightmare is nearly over. Reactions have been overwhelmingly positive on other forums, with the most notable dissenter being autoextremist.com. It is surely reasonable to maintain some doubts, but overall, the situation is better than it has been since 1998.

What Daimler gets out of the deal
DaimlerChrysler can change its name to Daimler AG (what happened to Benz?) and run their bus, van, and car companies without distraction, while raking about 20% off of Chrysler?s profits. At the same time, Mercedes? dependence on Chrysler for volume discounts and royalties on less than ideal parts can continue for the near term, at least; joint purchasing and drivetrain development will continue, and no doubt Chrysler will keep paying royalties for five-speed transmissions while Mercedes will get free access to next-generation V6 engines. A Joint Automotive Council of board members from each company will be established so both sides can decide on new and current projects.

The new company
An affiliate of Cerberus, Chrysler Holding LLC, will own 80.1% of Chrysler Holdings LLC, while Daimler will own 19.9%. Chrysler Holdings LLC includes Chrysler Corporation LLC and Chrysler Financial Services LLC. Tom LaSorda, Eric Ridenour and Tom Sidlik will leave the Daimler Board of Management, which will go down to six members.

Cerebrus gets a company with a history of profitability, next-generation technology waiting to be implemented, some of the world's most advanced, flexible auto plants, a huge number of dedicated, experienced, intelligent employees, and the consistently-profitable former Chrysler Credit (which may actually have a surprise loss soon due to a number of less than ideal loans in the recent past), all for agreeing to put reasonable sums of money into their own businesses and for making a relatively small payment to Daimler.

Tom LaSorda, Dieter Zetsche, and Cerberus managers (including CEO Steve Feinberg and Wolfgang Bernhard) met with senior management on May 15 (a single day after the announcement). The Pentastar will be the corporate logo, saving a considerable glazing fee for the Chrysler Technical Center. Dieter Zetsche said that his years at Chrysler were the best years of his career and his life, but that the differences between Mercedes and Chrysler made real integration impossible. The two companies will continue to share items like diesel engines, 4x4 components, hybrids, and fuel cells, he said.

MOVEMENT 2007, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival - This Weekend!
This is the last in a weekly series of previews featuring artists who will perform at the 2007 Detroit Electronic Music Festival. Visit the press room at demf.com for weekly news updates, artist profiles and images. The 2007 Detroit Electronic Music Festival is sponsored by Motor City Dodge Dealers and Chrysler Jeep Superstores.
  Claude VonStroke
www.dirtybirdrecords.com
www.myspace.com/claudevonstroke
www.sumimanagement.com
  Discography:
http://e.discogs.com/artist/Claude+VonStroke

  Hailing from San Francisco, artist, producer and club owner Claude VonStroke will perform at the 2007 Detroit Electronic Music Festival on May X from X pm to X pm on the X Stage.
 After selling through 10 pressings in 2005, Claude VonStroke?s first hit record ?Deep Throat? quickly put him on the map as an up and coming artist.  The success of the single was followed up by ?Who?s Afraid of Detroit?,? another international hit championed by Richie Hawtin who called it the ?best track of 2006? in DJ magazine.  Soon after that Claude released his full length debut album, ?Beware of the Bird? to excellent reviews, further establishing him as an original talent in the world of underground dance music. Since then, Claude has done remixes for a very diverse group of top artists ranging all the way from the indy rock band, The Rapture (Vertigo,) to Jeff Samuel. (Pokerflat.) 
 Claude VonStroke is better known to locals, as Barclay Crenshaw, the owner of San Francisco?s quirky tech-funk label, dirtybird.  The label consists of Crenshaw (VonStroke,) fellow producer Justin Martin, and a diverse assortment of top remixers from around the globe such as John Tejada, Audion, Diplo, 3 Channels, Dj Assault, and Kevin Saunderson.
 The idea for dirtybird began in 2003 when Crenshaw was producing an intense 5 hour DVD about electronic music called, ?Intellect.? The project was a labor of love, taking almost 2 years to complete and starring over 35 top producers and legendary DJs such as Derrick May, Swayzak, Derrick Carter, Deep Dish, Paul Van Dyk, Theo Parish, and many more.  The main goal of the ?Intellect? project was to make an informative dvd that could help DJs advance their careers in electronic music. The result was Crenshaw himself starting dirtybird records and a production career under the alias, Claude VonStroke.
 Since 2005, dirtybird has managed to solidify a reputation for releasing oddball classic techno and house tracks. The outdoor dirtybird parties in San Francisco?s scenic Golden Gate Park have also become a legendary summer destination point for both locals and international travelers.
In addition to production and label management, Claude VonStroke has an intense regimen for preparation and a great ear for song selection. His DJ sets are always inspiring and surprising. You will never hear a set of monotonous music because Claude always takes time to find the special cuts that make for a completely original experience that is not to be missed. 

Chrysler to revive Imperial in 2009
The Chrysler Imperial revives a much-abused nameplate from the automaker's past. Built on a stretched Chrysler 300 platform, the Imperial is, of course, Hemi V-8 powered and rear-wheel drive. But the chassis tuning prioritizes ride comfort over handling. Not only is the Imperial nearly a foot and a half longer than the 300, but it's six inches taller as well, for a more upright seating package and greater interior space. The suicide doors and the shape of the side window opening are both a rather blatant ripoff of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. More than a mere flight of fancy, we expect that if the Imperial doesn't elicit too much giggling, Chrysler will add a full-luxury range topper like this to its lineup. Priced in the low $40,000 range, it would go up against the Cadillac DTS and Lincoln Town Car--and to try and extend Chrysler's celebrity cred beyond the 300C if it is ever approved for production, which would probably be in 2009.

:
Adrianna Tringali
Internet Sales Dept.

Adrianna is our newest addition to the Internet Sales Department.

Adrianna's family:
Adrianna has one son Anthony, age 11, who lives with her.

If she wasn't at work, Adrianna would be:
"In a pool somewhere. I love to swim"

 Adrianna's Hometown:
"Clinton Township"

 Adrianna's favorite place to travel:
"Hawaii"

 Adrianna's first job:
"Busgirl at LaScala's restaurant"

 Adrianna's favorite television show is:
"Will and Grace"

 Adrianna's favorite place to dine is:
"Olive Garden"

 Adrianna's favorite vehicle is:
"Mercedes 460, anything Mercedes!"

Something you may not already know about Adrianna:
"I've always wanted to own a really fast crotch rocket!"

Thank you Adrianna for being such an asset to The Huvaere Group!

Today's Motivational Quote
"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."
Moshe Dayan (1915 - 1981)