If you want to get to the heart of Daimler-Chrysler's ills, it's easy to blame the merger, since mergers rarely result in immediate economic gains. However, the Mercedes operation was already losing marketshare before the merger; Daimler's failed investment with Mitsubishi; quality issues with the M-Class and passenger cars. Perhaps Daimler should be counting their lucky stars that the Chrysler sales helped float the company in 2004.