That Just Happened — Feed My Twitter

Tweet from @natewhitehill…In case you didn’t know, Nate and his crew over at Unique Blog Designs designed helped design Derrich.com. His link was a video of Jon Stewart explaining Twitter.

Tweet from @tonyhawk…the Tony Hawk Foundation seeks to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. Through special events, grants, and technical assistance, the Foundation supports recreational programs with a focus on the creation of public skateboard parks in low-income communities. The Foundation favors programs that clearly demonstrate that funds received will produce tangible, ongoing, positive results. To support the cause, the THF is auctioning off a pair of Jeeps. To bid, visit this website.

Tweet from @TechCrunch…in conjunction with my heads up about Amazon VOD meets Roku, Michael Arrington shared the news today that Roku now supports Amazon VOD.

Tweet from @blellow…Mandi Leman is a San Antonio entrepreneur that started Blellow — its mission is to encourage open collaboration and the sharing of knowledge. If you’re scratching your head and want to learn more, see how it works and sign up for Beta, which closes today. So get movin’!

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Chrysler’s reGenesis Means Fewer Models & Dealerships

Jeep needs a turnover as well

Former “big three” cohort Chrysler will try to dodge (pun intended) disaster by carving out about half of its models as well as decrease its network of dealerships.

Shrinking the number of dealers will be difficult, however, because of laws in all the states protecting those businesses, analysts said. If Chrysler, with about 3,600 dealers, wants to move quickly, it likely will have to offer financial incentives.

Over the years, the automaker and its U.S. rivals, General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F), have tried to shrink their dealer numbers, often facing great resistance. However, analysts said some dealers may be more receptive now, given the weak U.S. economy, if the offers are generous.

Reuters

Forbes recently crowned five Chrysler cars as “Automotive Turkeys” on its list of 10 Poorest Performing Cars for 2007. Those models included Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Caliber, and Dodge Magnum. Factors included number of recalls, high depreciation, and NHTSA ratings below four stars. Not to mention they’re all ugly, so…um…that’s probably why also. In addition to the elimination of models — some of which are ineffectually duplicated and rebadged models — Project Genesis calls for the introduction of new, competitive models. The dealerships will likely be consolidated to include all three nameplates under one roof.

If I was a betting man, I’d go all in on the idea that Kirk Kerkorian and Carlos Ghosn will both be involved in preparing a gameplan that includes Chrysler LLC.

Large popcorn please…no butter.

A “fire sale” may not be enough.

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