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- <text id=91TT2521>
- <title>
- Nov. 11, 1991: Business Notes:Cars
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1991
- Nov. 11, 1991 Somebody's Watching
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- BUSINESS, Page 73
- Business Notes
- CARS
- Auto Exhaustion
- </hdr><body>
- <p> How would you describe a loss of $82 million? Chrysler's Lee
- Iacocca calls it "an outstanding performance." And the tragedy
- of the U.S. auto industry is: he just may be right.
- </p>
- <p> The third-quarter deficit announced by Chrysler last week
- joins even worse figures from its domestic competitors. Ford's
- losses from July through September hit $574.4 million, while
- during the same time GM's cash tank leaked $1.1 billion. All in
- all, the Big Three have seen losses since the beginning of the
- year of $5 billion--equivalent to the GNP of Luxembourg.
- </p>
- <p> Chrysler is aggressively scrambling for cash. A recent
- stock deal should raise $330 million. And last week the
- perpetual American underdog announced the sale of its
- half-interest in Diamond-Star Motors to Japanese joint-owner
- Mitsubishi Motors for $100 million. Chrysler may give up its 12%
- interest in the foreign firm, which would not only replenish its
- coffers but add a bit more credibility to Chairman Lee's Japan
- bashing as well.
- </p>
-
- </body></article>
- </text>
-
-