classic car

Okay, so Fiat has a deal with Chrysler for the bankrupt company to badge engineer the established Italian manufacturer's little microcar, the iconic 500. This tells us a few things.
One: Chrysler is so desperate that they've stepped down to the level of the failed Isuzu brand and many other tiny brands and gone to pure badge engineering. This tells us the company is so intent on pleasing the government that they don't care that the cars they're doing it with are little econobox Fiats. I'm not saying that Fiat doesn't make good cars and I wouldn't look forward to seeing 500s around town, this is just an observation on how low Chrysler has gone.
Two: I'm also glad Chrysler is taking these steps because some of the funding may go towards making homegrown Chryslers better. They could do a redesign of the Jeep Grand Cherokee that doesn't look exactly like the old one; they could improve the Viper and use high-quality materials in the 300 and other cars. So, in two ways, America would benefit.
And Three: If Chrysler gets enough money, they could start developing a whole new platform and technology, and do a K-car type thing and save their own bacon. Chrysler would be revitalized, and Fiat could launch itself as a full-model brand in the U.S. again once we see what Italy can cook up in economy cars. It's a win-win unless people like the Fiat cars better.
Photo of an imagined "Chrysler 500" is from www.rpmgo.com