WORLD> America
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WORLD> America
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Unpaid bills mount for top Chrysler executive
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-19 20:40 No one answered the door on Friday at the mansion in Birmingham, Michigan, and it appeared to be empty, as was the circular driveway, which was flanked by pink and white flowers. The lawn was well-tended. A statue of a dog sat on the porch. 'WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN LIFE' Press said he wanted to restore an American icon when he joined Chrysler, but his term at the No 3 US automaker corresponded with deepening financial problems, stalled product development efforts and a controversial decision to slash Chrysler dealerships. During his career at Toyota, Press became the first non-Japanese person elected to Toyota's board of directors. The Kansas native was known for a soft-spoken manner that seemed a perfect match for the self-effacing style of corporate Japan. At Chrysler, however, Press ran into criticism from the automaker's struggling dealers for what many saw as an attempt to get them to take on more inventory than they could afford just on the cusp of the automaker's bankruptcy. Divorced with four grown children, Press married his Thai-born wife in 2006 just as his career at Toyota was winding down. In last year's interview with the New York Times, Press said, in reference to the string on his wrist: "This is actually from my wife's grandfather. It reminds you that in life, you just need enough to get along. What's important in life isn't what you have, but how you live."
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