Lee Iacocca takes on the Press 1991

In 1991 Lee Iacocca defends Chrysler's quality, and his boast that Chrysler can sell cars in Japan.
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[@bchapman7937]

I would love to see a movie based on his career.

[@briannavarrete49]

Jeff Daniels playing Iacocca

[@alexandroibauri4003]

Perfect for my movie

[@Talkwithtina808]

He said 50 million dollar in Marketing every month. Wow that’s crazy.

[@redkap5816]

Yes

[@hotfraulein]

That would be a good idea.

[@richierich398]

I love this man. What’s crazy is that what he saying back then about the Japanese market is still true today. He also tried to enter the Chinese market well before other US auto makers did with the jeep. The Chinese said they could sell jeeps only if they are built in China, the Chinese government gets to steal the technology and also build an identical vehicle at a plant next-door with a Chinese name on it. Lee told them to go screw themselves. Unfortunately basically every US company sold out and allow China to do exactly that with their own products just to get into their market just to make a buck.

[@polian78]

Good lord I miss this straight shooting marketing. You can't find it anywhere today

[@KingRoseArchives]

He was the best salesman and knew how get things done.

[@papaike2]

There was only one Lee Iacocca and never be another R.I.P. Mr. Iacocca and thanks for everything.

[@kathyguinto4585]

I always admired Lee Iacocca.Henry Ford 2nd in my opinion When I read Iacocca's book,from what I read was in my opinion,a meathead,dead from the neck up!.John M Guinto

[@musicfan6575]

A no nonsense Leader. We need somebody like him around today. You will be missed Sir.

[@harleyanderson8429]

Loved this guy. Bought our first ever Chrysler in 1980 on his say, have bought nothing else since.

[@supreme2005]

Lee Iacocca is thre man. NO ONE was more charismatic than him

[@jondoe8423]

hi, o yeah he was. Only, that is also a job for itself. =>>>>> That's why I decided to not go into car buzz. His english was very correct for a car guy, the economists usually are talking a very colloquial english at least since around 2000. "...our aim and only aim is... to be the best what else is there?" Lido "Lee" Iacocca + RIP Yes, what else is there? To stay well and alive...so if he can do it, can we? Please after a CoViD desease, three weeks no sports like Winstopn Churchill (which might not hav been true)... The reason is that a myocasrditis will opccur in 15- 20 % of all CoViD-19 cases afterwards, and if you make sports you can die of that instantly... That sh'te Mr. Iacocca won't have to deal w/ anymore...just don't forget and then I will return and wite nioce words whne the reader of theois dies w/ >95 an d not before please. There are already only ~ 240 million americans, every one counts! Regards Doe Monster

[@effend446]

Tell that to those who worked for him.

[@Jimmy-Volmer]

Chrysler should have brought him back in like 06 before the recession.

[@FrankBullitt390]

In 07 or 08 then Cerberus briefly owned the company they did bring Iacocca back to give him recognition, you can find the video on here, but it was short lived as Cerberus bankrupted them and Chrysler was given to Fiat, who fixed it and got it running again. And AGAIN they brought Iococca back and fellow Italian CEO Sergio Marchionne gave recognition. That video is also on here. (RIP Sergio Marchionne and Lee Iacocca)

[@Jimmy-Volmer]

@@FrankBullitt390 l have no memory of what you said happening. l'm gonna chalk it up to not really having internet access back then. lf l wanted to use the internet, l had to go either to a relatives's or a friend's house.

[@FrankBullitt390]

@@Jimmy-Volmer Daimler sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007. They hired Bob Nardelli to be CEO and he brought in Iacocca to give some glass trophy to. It was a far better commemoration to Lee when Marchionne did it a couple years later when Chrysler was under Fiat control. As I said, both videos are on here

[@SteelRhinoXpress]

he would have made a great military general.

[@Phenom98]

I can see him giving orders to me in a military shooter videogame lol

[@jondoe8423]

Hello, my father would have been one and yes, in officer's ranks (staff officer here), it is a manager's job...and fits to mechaincal engineers somehow...Regards from Ol' germany... my job at the moment is fighting w/ a corrupt police chief in our little town Gauting, where we also have one sledge roof manufactirere...and we imported covid-19 to Germany here officially... Never worry too much folks I mean do not let horoor come into your imagination (that wouldn't be christian). Regards Jon Dose, D- 82131 Gauting ( i want to get the f**** out of that little town near Munich here...but only becuase of two corrupt and imho slightly stupid police officer imho (only the chief)/ 1 criminal would- be- officer (a woman ;-) in an office regarding the field of work. But in germany everybody calls teh police when it comes to being mad- Mr, Iacocca had studied psychopathology 1 semester.../ 1 class/ course...good idea!)

[@craigjorgensen4637]

Lee wrote a great book. “Where have all the leaders gone?” Highly recommended!

[@erickrobertson7089]

I will always admire a fighting underdog. To do what he did took a lot of moxie. The fact that the company survived and thrived is a testament to his skill and acumen as chairman. The workers were also on board with a willingness to save the company. Rare traits today? I've owned and driven Plymouth and Chrysler cars and Dodge trucks from 1974 to 2007 and own a Jeep now. Yeah, some problems for sure but not like some people make them out to be. Its just not true. They have been by a good margin decent and easy to own for me. I really like how he calls out the press bias. No bull here.

[@deckertone]

Man i wish he was around and was President!

[@fixitdad1955]

Sry 4 the long comment Chris lol I'm Stoned 2 The MuthaFuckin BONE 🤣

[@encomanenco7347]

A great American Icon. Rest in peace Lee.

[@arathinath6334]

Like his Mustang, he was really one of a kind. RIP Mr. Iacocca, I know you're selling American cars to St.Peter in the hereafter!

[@Trance88]

Iacocca is so brash! He's a very "no bullshit" type guy.

[@JonathanMoosey]

Sounds like Trump!

[@Trance88]

Except, Iaccoca actually did something right, unlike Trump.

[@zyxzyx3030]

@@Trance88 You're not a big enough person to actually say anything worth anything.

[@zyxzyx3030]

@@Trance88 So where does that leave Obama, Bush, Clinton and Biden?????? Oh they did stuff, like wars and fleecing Americans.. TDS is a real disease.

[@AskWlat]

@@zyxzyx3030 he’s right. Iacocca actually succeeded in business

[@angelabell6205]

RIP Lee Lacocca - You were such an entertainer.

[@aloyad71]

I'm not American but I know Lee Iacocca back in the late 80's reading about his biography and I never heard him speak till now and I can assured you his voice is just perfectly match with his whole personality. The way I imagined him speak with his commanding voice is just perfect.

[@gregmarshall1538]

IF someone in the USA is thinking...which i doubt, they will take this guys brain and store it for someday to put to good use in the future. He was one of the smartest sobs hands down that ever graced our land.

[@jeffsfleet]

This is what a real leader is. I'd like to know his opinion on how Chrysler has been mishandled over the past decade.

[@sensiblebabyandreality6804]

You mean the last 2 decades, since the Mercedes merger.

[@brianmilidrag2240]

There is an interview out there where he says appointing Bob Eaton Chairman was the biggest mistake of his life. Bob Eaton allowed Mercedes to ruin Chrysler.

[@matrox]

LOL....BMW and Mercedes...for boutique snob appeal! He is right on!.

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

in america yes but europe no, they're like buick and mercury lol

[@gfunk63901]

BULLSHIT!!!! Find a BMW and Mercedes Benz from when he said this and see how they are still holding together and see how the Chrysler cars he sold are holding together and still on the road.

[@jondoe8423]

@@gfunk63901 hello, US cars are said to be welded easier...dunnmo? had a 1971 Benz 3.5 litres V8...was great ;-) regards from ol' germany

[@jondoe8423]

@@gfunk63901 my dad drove a buick 2- door in 1970...it was pink metallic w/ white roof...

[@landyachtfan79]

RIP to a TRUE American businessman if there ever were one. I am so proud to say that I grew up in the Lee Iacocca Era. Lee truly proved that you could take pride in American products WITHOUT taking a White Nationalistic/xenophobic approach. This was reflected in his "If you can find a better car, buy it." tagline that he always used. Not only did he acknowledge that many people still believed that American vehicles were inferior copies of their European & Japanese counterparts instead of taking a "BUY AMERICAN OR DIE!!!!!!!!" approach, he went to great pains to assure the American buying public that Chrysler REALLY had something to offer over the competition. And he did this by finding product niches that other manufacturers were ignoring & filling them with models that could be designed & built at modest cost.

[@markmoretti9122]

Love how he talks to the media, he absolutely owns them.

[@peachyclean93]

absolutely one of the smartest man on earth and should have been president

[@KingRoseArchives]

Definitely a smart guy but am betting he might not have been able to make the transition to the oval office. I'm sure the process of governing would have worn him out. Not that there aren't politics in corporate life.

[@chuckselvage3157]

Mr Iacocca is the man.

[@johnsumner6185]

Great conversation!

[@paulstevens2839]

RIP Lee Iacocca (July 2, 2019)

[@jmin8400]

This is May 18, 1990, which ended a 6 city tour.

[@SandyMcInnesMagicMemories]

An American icon. He'd have made a great President!

[@matrox]

Trump/Iacocca 2020!!!!

[@kascnef]

Without lee there would be no chrsyler

[@davidsanford6084]

Chrysler needs Mr. Lee Iacocca now.

[@dontelindsey5846]

Rest in peace sir.

[@intuitive7274]

Iacocca was the best car salesman ever

[@Mds9608]

This man makes me want to buy a Chrysler.

[@tonyavila2517]

FACTS 100%..ZERO BULLSHIT...EPIC...

[@EdgyNumber1]

That AMC long arm 6 they used in the Cherokee was a brilliant engine. Never seemed to go wrong.

[@ic1815]

“What it means is *’OPEN UP YOUR GOD DAMNED MARKET’,* the way we opened up ours” 😂

[@findingnino]

He was great

[@bookmania5055]

Brought here from a case study on his work with Chrysler. He really was a charismatic pragmatic, huh?

[@MS-wb5mf]

I think he's terrific , I would love to have seen that first press conference in it's entirety.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Make good cars for the mass's that was his philosophy and why bought them!

[@kennethg5460]

Michael Shank One the smartest things ever said about that era. The Dodge Daytona,Spirit,Lancer,Shadow and Lebaron were fast,fun, sporty,practical, and affordable. They also blew the doors off of high end luxury cars that costs thousands more. Something we have not seen for a long long time.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Your absolutely right. That was the idea during that time. Bang for the buck!!

[@mrjasonwhite73]

I love how he schools the press here.

[@rahulgautama87]

where is the full version or the original source

[@1993spirit]

The best Chrysler cars were from Iacocca long live the K-Car

[@matrox]

Wrong the 50s through 70s were pretty rugged cars.

[@TheCheryl99]

I love these archived clips. Is it possible to add the date that the interviews and/or speeches took place? (The date above seems to be the date the clip was uploaded.)

[@mrtrek64]

Too bad he never became President. It's clear he would have worked for ALL the people.

[@amartinjoe]

"..what we need is reciprocity; the Bush administration calls it 'S.I.I.'; Structural Impediments Initiative; it sounds fancy and it gets confusing. What it means is OPEN UP YOUR GODDAMN MARKET! " LOL!!! I love this man. Straight to the point no nonsense bullshitter.

[@danaj50]

He would’ve made a great President. I wonder if there was any talk of him running but I think he wouldn’t have like being scripted or not speaking his mind about the issues at the time.

[@jmin8400]

He said this. Unlike Trump, he just saw so many of the cons and limitations, wisely choosing not to run. He should've, as he had a much palatable temperament.

[@williambrown4090]

President Iacocca would have been nice!

[@jackmcgrew5272]

Twice the rate in Michigan now than it is in California that’s insane lol

[@gc6888]

Lee should have run for president of the United States

[@intuitive7274]

" if you can find a better quality car, for the price buy it" Lee A Iacocca

[@jaydoeslife4307]

Chuck Norris needed a CEO...he called Lee

[@peterironrope]

One of few men back then in a strong leadership position who cared not about making money, but cared for making good American products, Iacocca cared about the American workforce and families, the companies he worked for and promoted the American dream.

[@damoncaravanman]

too bad he never ran for president

[@stevemtc1]

damoncaravanman we needed him in 1992

[@andrewps84]

I truly love this guy. RIP Mr. Iacocca.

[@jayxj7785]

The most badass auto executive ever!

[@jorgehuerta9593]

God.... This dude poured his heart and soul for Chrysler..... Stellantis?;?!??? Zero fucks given!!!!!

[@josephballweg6361]

Lee should have never retired/left Chrysler. I bet many of us who grew up as kids riding in the Chrysler vehicles as kids wish we could go back in time and prevent Lee from leaving and showing him the future of Chrysler and how its barely holding on now. That man is the reason why we have minivans and other nice vehicles out there. Imagine what would be available and possibly more affordable if he would have stayed on at Chrylser until his death.

[@AdamG1983]

Henry Ford II fucked up

[@andrewps84]

To quote my dad, “Lee Iacocca was a genius; you know why he got fired from Ford? Jealousy!”

[@ronhoover5516]

Say what you will about Chrysler-we need men like this today more than ever.

[@waggitnshaggit6592]

What a boss!

[@michaelj.savino9627]

He was the man

[@paulcarter2907]

I like this guy..straight talker...

[@jondoe8423]

Good morning Ladies & Gentlemen I mean : hi, Mr. Iacocca said: "don't mess w/ the press, be friendly and willing to coop, and you'll have a "good press". Sorry, did I write the meaning of his expression/ sentence correctly? Of course I did! ...personally, wanted to repeat that he run a huge business- as a mechanical Engineer, not a studied "Micro economy scientist". Seems like I mus improve m yenglish a bit, especially for automotive industry... am impressed too much by the economists and their colloquial english. Will the Book "Where DId All The Leaders G"o fulfil the expectations of an engineer as I am one please? I've read the books of the 1980ies o/ course... There is a song called "I've read the book". Maybe that is Detroit Techno, but rather it is deep house music. Dunno if he would have been a good army general- I mean, the best one of course- but if so then one who had representative functions as the CINCUSAREUR of the 7th Army in Germany (I know nearly all of them and spoke to three of them personally in Hedieldberg, south wetsern germany- there are still troops in central germany (I meant the 7th Army and the Nato Central HQ in Wiesbaden, but in Heidelberg and the region there were multiple as many US soldiers- and Nato soldiers. It was, ahm, not really sh*te, men. thanks for these days of understanding. US still rules in everything w/ science and education. but only fpr people who know hoigh schools...if people have no clue they think the german system is best...spreading this ignorance is my job as a teacher ;-)). Regards John "Big Automatic" Doe

[@murrynathan]

I wanna drink some of that Lee Iacocca-Cola!

[@TheTempleKid]

Every time I've heard him talk, he makes me want to be the best I can be. lol

[@chrispnw2547]

@0:51 OMG - You could hear the laughter from the press in attendance. 'They saw a lot of Jeeps in WW2'. Lee was a 'say it like it is kinda guy'. He is missed.

[@Whiteboytripping]

Hero

[@barryspaar3538]

Iacocca was "The Man"!!

[@deansapp4635]

Lee was The Man !!!

[@lot6129]

STILL waiting for Bruce Springsteen to reply to him

[@effend446]

Lee Iococca wasn't exactly the working man's best friend.

[@NoNameNo.5]

American Icon

[@tom4150]

Open up your God damn market lol

[@rickhowell7117]

If you can find a better car , buy it !

[@howardbedford6075]

Lee Iacocca would have made the best president ever, much like Trump straight-to-the-point get the damn job done. A country should be run like a business!

[@jmin8400]

Trump is vastly inferior to Iacocca, who would've been a true statesman and not a divider. Trump should've listened to the same advice Iacocca got and never ran.

[@NOVEMBER5TH2024]

Definitely Republican, love it!

[@Sl1pstreams]

Iacocca was a Democrat; the Dems were begging him to run against Reagan in 1984.

[@leehancock2782]

This is what trump is after now.

[@peachyclean93]

No, this man is nowhere near that scumbag! Lee Iacocca is a self-made man not off his Rich Daddy and nor is he a five-year draft Dodger like the orange blob so please don't insult Lee Iacocca! He is what the true American is! Drop the mic!

[@Samuelfish2k]

Justin Wunder Shut up loser.

[@brianreardon7700]

Lol trump is nothing like lee lacocca

[@brianreardon7700]

Lee is the man!

[@jvarela965]

Australia is full of old American cars with RHD, Japanese would not buy K-Cars or Dodge Omnis because they were not competitive.

[@judethaddaeus9742]

James Varela Chrysler wasn’t trying to sell K-cars in Japan. The Omni had been out of production for about a year when this presser happened. If you listen to the video, they were trying to sell XJ Cherokees in Japan, the land of 4Runners, Pathfinders, etc.

[@rodneymorgan4211]

Nobody anywhere wants to buy Chrysler products

[@bobo0202]

Out of all American vehicles Dodge/Chrysler are the worst and that is saying something

[@ryanfrisque9760]

If you can find another one for the same price go buy it!

[@MohammedMohammed-bj7oj]

its your problem. if lee iacocca wants to sell cars in japan you need to buy land in japan. should the japanese give it to you for free?

[@dhaley8847]

lee sounds like he needed donald trump as president! Trade deals will make things fair for american products

[@Psergiorivera]

He likes to yell a lot

[@JonathanMoosey]

Trump/Iacocca 2016!!!

[@homeofthemad3044]

I don't want Trump ruining Iacocca's reputation with his delusional bullshit.

[@zyxzyx3030]

@@homeofthemad3044 What exactly is "delusional" you nerd?

[@bollweeval999]

he is as smart as donald trump

[@realazduffman]

What a crybaby. "Give some volume and we will make RHD." Uh, in the 1960s did Toyota say, "Give us some volume and we will build LHD?" No! They built the dealers and built the cars. Took them 20 years but they built sales.

[@justincowen441]

Did you miss the part from 1:27 to 1:37?

[@realazduffman]

+Justin Cowen No, I didn't. There is other land besides Tokyo. The Big 3 never really tried to sell in Japan or most overseas markets

[@realazduffman]

@Brian Miller I'd buy that if Detroit actually ever tried. How many GM Execs speak Japanese I wonder?

[@jeffc1347]

lol he's saying they don't sell cars in Japan because the cost of land is too high but that doesn't stop other companies from selling cars in Japan? IMO Chrysler shouldn't even bother trying to sell cars in Japan. Who the heck in Japan would want a big gas guzzler that doesn't last nearly as long as a Japanese car?

[@Jack908r]

Lee Iacocca didn’t save Chrysler. He barely brought it up to what the world expected, which was a Japanese level of quality. He gave Americans the bare minimum, and they flocked to it because of patriotism. K cars were garbage cars then and history hasn’t changed that.

[@anthonyab1984]

What about bringing the minivan idea from Ford and making that the mainstream, practical wagon that Chrysler still makes to this day? What about acquiring AMC and in turn getting the Jeep brand which is a cash cow for Chrysler? You sir have no idea what tf you’re talking about.

[@MyerShift7]

He saved it.

[@danielpassigmailcom]

He definitely saved it.