I need bigger brains

[Mad4Macs]

All over the automotive press, I see stories of how Daimler wants to sell off Chrysler. Now, I fully understand how one company can buy another one, but wasn't Chrysler once an independant company (rhetorical question), standing on its own? Why does it need outside ownership? And if Chrysler can't stand on its own, why should it be in business?
If it were proven that the US (and global) marketplace couldn't support Chrysler in its pre-buyout (and current) form, perhaps Chrysler could survive as a much smaller automaker than it currently is? Maybe a niche player? It isn't as if they aren't selling cars... as a matter of fact, they've seemingly excelled in areas that Ford and GM walked away from, proving that there's a demand for front engine, rear drive cars with Big American V8 engines.
So... why couldn't Chrysler become a large volume "specialty car" maker, kicking out Vipers, Chargers, Challengers, 300's, Jeeps and such, instead of being in a position where everyone thinks that "what they need is a new owner", when not even Daimler can sustain the company in its current form?
I ask, because if a company with as much resources as Daimler has, can't keep Chrysler afloat "as is", then Chrysler, as a company, was dead before they were purchased, maybe even as far back as the day our government bailed them out. I don't want to see Chrysler go away, but in the world today, I don't see them as a global player, or even a company that could place a car in everyone's garage.
Anyways...
It makes my brain hurt :D

[Vortex]

The biggest problem with GM/Ford/Chrysler isnt really the lack of sales, its the lack of sales compared to Toyota and other newcomers. The Big Three have hundereds of thousands of retirees they are paying pensions, the newcomers do not. The playing field isnt level to begin with. I saw where there are possibly 100,000 employees getting the axe soon. These arent burger flipper wages, these are good jobs that are lost forever and sometimes intervention is needed. It worked for the motorcycle industry when the market was flooded with cheap japanese bikes and Harley was going down. Also, we are being kept out of the overseas markets by giant import taxes, dont tell me the Japanese wouldnt buy Corvettes if they cost the same as a japanese high dollar sports car in that market (though Ill admit most cars sold in the US are made for US roads, thats why there is a US Accord and an everywhere else Accord). Maybe we should level the field a bit.