Andreas Schell, a top Chrysler executive and the man who was to oversee the development of the small car program for the company and who also held the title, Chief of Innovation and Pre-Program Concepts, quit the company and is headed for another, unnamed manufacturer.
This is an odd story because he had literally just been promoted to these two important positions. As an engineer it seems like a dream gig to be in charge of developing an entire platform of car to fit a market.
Schell was an employee of Mercedes-Benz coming up in his career and decided to stick with Chrysler once that company cashed out of its “merger of equals” with Daimler in 2007. His departure is a shocker to say the least, as there has been considerable buzz about the ability for Fiat to bring their tiny 500 model here to the States where it is expected to be a hit among the youth market. Apparently he saw otherwise.
You’ve probably heard the term, “getting kicked upstairs.” It’s used to describe what happens to an elder executive when he’s outlasted his welcome. It means that he has been promoted to an important sounding job that has no actual bearing over the operation of the company. This is the opposide of that.
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