Chrysler (brand)

Chrysler
Division
Industry Automotive
Founded June 6, 1925 (1925-06-06)
Founder Walter Chrysler
Headquarters Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Key people
  • Mike Manley (CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles)[1]
  • Steven Beahm (Head of Passenger Car Brands - North America)[2]
  • Brandon L. Faurote (Head of Chrysler Design)[2]
Products Cars
Owner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Parent FCA US, LLC.
Website chrysler.com

Chrysler is an American luxury car brand and the longstanding premium marque of automaker FCA US LLC.

Before the 2014 creation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles by the merger of Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler, FCA US was known as Chrysler Group LLC, named after its founder Walter Chrysler.

History

The Chrysler brand was originally a premium luxury position competing with Cadillac, Packard, Cord and Lincoln. Chrysler was the top brand in the portfolio of what was then known as Chrysler Corporation, led by its top model, the Imperial.

After the corporation decided to spin Imperial off as a separate brand in 1955 to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler became the corporation's number two brand, but still offered luxury and near-luxury products. Chrysler's positioning of the Chrysler brand towards a mid-price brand caused Chrysler to kill DeSoto after 1961 and merge most DeSoto vehicles into the new Chrysler Newport. After the Imperial brand was dropped in 1975, Chrysler once again became the top brand.

Chrysler-Plymouth

Logo of the Chrysler-Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation

Chrysler-Plymouth was a division that sold cars with both Chrysler and Plymouth brand names. The Chrysler models emphasized luxury, while the Plymouth cars stood for practicality. The division also sold the high-luxury Imperial brand until 1975.

During the 1980s the Chrysler division expanded its product line by marketing upscale versions of the Chrysler K platform. The Chrysler brand took on a similar role as Buick, Oldsmobile and Mercury by offering entry-level luxury cars of various types and sizes.

During the 1990s, more and more Chrysler-Plymouth dealers took on the Jeep and Eagle franchises as Chrysler Corporation began to consolidate its dealerships throughout the United States. The Eagle franchise was eventually discontinued in 1998.

Chrysler

When the Plymouth brand was retired in 2001, Chrysler became a stand-alone division of DaimlerChrysler AG, the company formed by the merger of Chrysler and Daimler-Benz. After DaimlerChrysler's divestment of Chrysler in 2007, however, the new Chrysler Group started making efforts to consolidate the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands into one sales unit, while maintaining separate brand identities.[3]

Following Fiat's acquisition of a 20% stake in Chrysler LLC, Fiat set a long-term goal of reviving Chrysler as a full luxury brand to compete again with Cadillac and other luxury brands.[4] The company stated in October 2009 that future plans for Chrysler brand vehicles include closer cooperation and shared development between Chrysler and Lancia, an upscale Italian automaker within the Fiat Group.[5] In 2011, the brand's winged emblem was modified, eliminating the historic blue ribbon center which dated from the 1930s, replacing it with a blue-backed "Chrysler" nameplate. In May 2014, Fiat-Chrysler announced it would make the brand a mainstream brand with premium features.[6]

Current North American Chrysler line-up

Chrysler 300C
Chrysler Pacifica
Model Years
300 1955–1971; 1979; 2005–present
Pacifica 2004–2008, 2017–present

Discontinued models

Model Years
200 2011–2017
300 letter series 1955–1965
300 non-letter series 1962–1971, 1979
300M 1999–2004
Airflow 1934–1937
Airstream 1935–1936
Aspen 2007–2009
Cirrus 1995–2000
Concorde 1993–2004
Conquest 1987–1989
Cordoba 1975–1983
Crossfire 2004–2008
Delta 2011–2014
E-Class 1983–1984
Executive 1983–1986
Fifth Avenue 1984–1989
Imperial 1926–1954, 1990–1993
Laser 1984–1986
LeBaron 1977–1995
LHS 1994–2001
Newport 1940–1981
New Yorker 1939–1996
Prowler 2001–2002
PT Cruiser 2001–2010
Royal 1937–1950
Sebring 1995–2010
TC 1989–1991
Town & Country 1941–1942, 1946–2016
Voyager 1988–2015
Windsor 1939–1961
Ypsilon 2011–2015

Slogan

Chrysler's prior slogan was "Imported from Detroit", which debuted in early 2011. The current slogan, in an effort to modernize and globalize the brand, has been changed to "America's Import".

References

  1. ↑ "Fiat Chrysler New CEO Shows Company Future Is All About Jeep". bloomberg.com. 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  2. 1 2 "Bios". FCA US Media Website. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  3. ↑ "Chrysler dealers OK with consolidation plan" in Automotive News, 2008-02-18. Accessed 2008-05-01.
  4. ↑ "REPORT: Fiat wants Chrysler to be a Cadillac Competitor". autoblog.com. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
  5. ↑ "Lancia, Chrysler to share products". Leftlanenews.com. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  6. ↑ Priddle, Alisa; Snavely, Brent; Walsh, Tom (2014-05-06). "Chrysler brand goes mainstream, adds compact". USA Today. Tysons Corner, VA: Gannett. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
« previous — Chrysler car timeline, 1970–present
Type 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
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Subcompact Sunbeam Ypsilon
Valiant Lancer
Lancer
Scorpion
Horizon
Compact Valiant Volare
Avenger LeBaron PT Cruiser Delta
Valiant Galant Galant Town & Country Town & Country ES / Shadow Neon Neon
Mid-size 150 / Alpine LeBaron / Phantom (2-dr) Sebring (2-dr) Sebring (2-dr)
Centura LeBaron conv. Sebring conv. Sebring conv. Sebring conv. 200 conv.
160 / 180 E-Class LeBaron GTS LeBaron (4-dr) Cirrus Sebring (4-dr) Sebring (4-dr) 200 (4-dr) 200 (4-dr)
2-Litre Fifth Avenue Spirit Stratus Stratus
LeBaron New Yorker Saratoga / Spirit
Hunter GTS / Lancer
Sigma Dynasty
Full-size Newport Newport New Yorker Concorde Concorde 300 300
New Yorker New Yorker New Yorker Fifth Avenue New Yorker 300M
Town & Country Imperial LHS LHS
300 Regal Regal Intrepid Intrepid
VIP Chrysler Chrysler Chrysler Vision
Valiant Valiant Valiant Valiant Valiant Valiant
383
Sports Laser Conquest Prowler Crossfire
Daytona Viper
Muscle car Valiant Charger Charger
Crossover Pacifica
SUV Aspen
Minivan TEVan
Voyager Voyager Voyager Voyager Grand Voyager Grand Voyager
Town & Country Town & Country Town & Country Town & Country Town & Country Pacifica
Limousine Executive
Personal luxury Cordoba
Hurst 300 300 Imperial
Coupe utility Drifter
GT TC
Notes Vehicles are available only in Europe
Vehicles are available only in Australia
Vehicles are available only in Africa
Vehicles are available only in North America outside US
Vehicles are available only in UK and Ireland
Vehicles are available as Chrysler only outside US, as Dodge or Plymouth inside US.
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