With just two years in the position, Eberhardt can take little credit for development of the successful LXs, but he came on in time to lead the cars' marketing. The 300's success took him by surprise: "Part of its success is where we ended up positioning the vehicle, between some luxury competitors where you have the same product features and the same driving dynamics, but at a significantly lower price. We have the ability to conquest from entry-luxury or even mass-market vehicles, where we offer at the same price a significantly more rounded vehicle."
Throw in work on a new Grand Cherokee, the Stow-N-Go minivans, and the elevation of the Hemi engine as its own franchise, and there's much speculation that Eberhardt is the man-in-waiting when Zetsche eventually replaces a retiring Juergen Schrempp as chief of the whole DCX shebang. Chrysler Group chief operating officer Tom LaSorda is another candidate for Zetsche's job. Eberhardt refuses to discuss any of this. Soft spoken with a lyrical German accent, Eberhardt is nevertheless a figure not to be messed with--though he certainly won't lose a promotion by talking about it. It's the same with the Mercedes problem: Mercedes quality is credited with helping the LX models and the Chrysler Crossfire, just as Mercedes quality problems have become a huge issue worldwide. Eberhardt says the press has overblown the Mercedes-Chrysler contribution and describes it as Chrysler engineers using Mercedes's experience to develop a rear-drive platform. "It's not like we took the suspension from the old E-Class and plopped it into the LX. We looked at the basic infrastructure and adapted it for the requirement in the 300 or the LX platform."
As for Mercedes, "I'm confident that in a year's time, the headlines will be different. The auto business is difficult. So you know, there are times when a lot of events come together that result in an unsatisfactory profit situation. And I think with the focus on some of the other areas that need to be addressed, Mercedes will be as strong as ever, over a short period of time."
Eberhardt's move to the Chrysler Group is punctuated by his participation in the Mille Miglia exhibition races in Italy. He drove a Gullwing Merc in 2003. This year, it was a 1951 Chrysler Saratoga with a Hemi and fluid-drive transmission. Last year, after his arrival at the Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chrysler headquarters, it was a more challenging 1929 Chrysler: "No power anything, no top, nonsynchro three-speed manual." Eberhardt (who lists skiing, rollerblading, and music--"anything from classic to metal"--as his hobbies) was assigned an Italian journalist as a co-driver. After two minutes in the passenger seat, the journalist "decided that was not for him," so Eberhardt drove the 1000 miles solo.
"It was physically challenging. I remember getting out of the car in Rome, and I couldn't grab a cup or plate or glass. I was physically shaking, so it was really a lot of work." That kind of drive earns him car-guy stripes.
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