NO, NO, NO Chrysler was saved by Mercedes no questions.
Saved? No I don't think so. Nobody buys a failing company (the size of Chryco) to "save" it. Not even Santa Claus is that generous (or stupid). Daimler bought Chrysler because they saw a great potential for making money, period. At the time Chrysler was coming out with some spiffy ideas, their cars went from bleh to hmmm-that's-kinda-cool so all was great. And let's not forget the Jeep brand that was lumped in with it. Also, IIRC, Chrysler was not exactly broke at the time, quite the opposite.
Hard to say what would have happened w/o Daimler in the mix but I must say, I see little to no benefit of this "merger". Yes there are some cool Chryslers on the market (300, Charger, Magnum, RAM etc) but I really don't see a supposed "quality" and engineering hand of Mercedes in any of them. Not that this was their intent in the first place. According to many they handle just as "bad", and the interiors have definitely gotten worse since the Chrysler's rebirth era, at which time, they have actually gotten noticeably better and nicer than a traditional American lump of molded, squeaky plastic throughout. We're clearly back to square one now as anyone who sat inside of one of these cars can attest. They do look pretty well appointed but feel like utter crap still.
I sincerely doubt that design-wise Mercedes is contributing anything either. Though fine automobiles, sans few gems, MB is probably one of thee most boring, bland and uninspiring cars made today (and for a long time before that). Maybe they themselves saw an opportunity to be more "adventurous" w/o meddling in their own affairs but benefits? Oh please. The benefits became quite apparent with the release of the Crossfire and continue on with the likes of Jeep Compass. I mean even puke gets sick at the sight of those fine examples.
I think Ford has proven a good and generous parent for Aston, Land Rover, Volvo and the likes. They clearly decided on the hands-off approach. Be a sugar-daddy but let them do what they do, 'cause whatever it is they're doing, they're doing it well. And it shows. Should Aston be sold to anyone else, I think they will suffer given the freedom to do their thing while "owned" by Ford. Similarly I think they would not survive being on their own.