Chrysler Corporation
Chrysler Group is an American company controlling several car manufacturers: Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. It belonged to the German group DaimlerChrysler between 1998 and 2007, then was repurchased on May 14th, 2007 by the funds of American investment Cerberus. This repurchase was devoted on August 6th, 2007 with the presentation of " The New Chrysler" and the return of Pentastar (star with five branch) like new logo.
Marks of Chrysler
Current marks
Old marks (disappeared or yielded)
Models of the Chrysler mark
Contemporary models marketed in France
- Pt Cruiser: between the station-wagon and small the monospace, with the paces retro
- Sebring: family truck
- 300C: road truck
- Crossfire: half-compartment or roadster
- To travel: the monospace
Contemporary models not marketed in France
- Aspen : the imposing 4X4, for the US market
- Pacifica: a SUV for the US market
Disappeared models
They are numerous and remain to detail. Let us quote the Stratus, the Baron, the Horizon for the model seen in Europe, New Yorker, the Imperial one, the Saratoga or Town & Country.
History
The years 1920: Birth of a mark
The first car of mark Chrysler , the six left in 1924 and was presented to the Commodore hotel of New York. Its creator, Walter Percy Chrysler wished that its car be presented to the New York Automobile Show but he saw himself refusing the entry knowing that its vehicle was not yet in production. Avid of Marketing, it thus had the idea to expose to the potential investors the six in this large hotel of Manhattan. This alternative strategy paid, a banker of the Chase Securities subscribed a participation of 5 million dollars in the Maxwell Motor Corp. (Company of W. Chrysler). The six was thus quickly marketed and was the first car with the affordable price. This car brought other evolutions like the four hydraulic brakes or an engine six cylinders.
June 6th 1925, W. Chrysler repurchased the remaining capital of Maxwell Motor Corp. in order to create the Chrysler Corporation. The development of this new business was of a considerable speed.
Thus beginning 1926, Chrysler holds close to 3 800 concessions on the territory of the the United States with a gigantic benefit of 17 million dollars. The prosperity of the company continued during the decade which followed with the launching of many vehicles which will be a certain success, in particular Imperial the 80 in 1927. Not only this car was the first conveys really convertible of Chrysler, but it was also the first model of the mark to be the subject of a publicity campaign colors.
In 1928, Chrysler founds the mark Plymouth for the line entry, the DeSoto for the midrange and buys the company Dodge Brothers. The purpose of this strategy was to offer a complete range of vehicles to the image of the production of General Motors.
This program took its fine logical in 1955 with the installation of the mark Imperial (instead of models). On this date, Chrysler proposed like GM five makes of car.
The years 1930: Great depression
During the years 1930, Chrysler is noticed for at the same time its periodic technical qualities and its financial crises. At the end of the decade, the DeSote marks and Dodge will compete with the ranges of other divisions on their own markets.During the great depression, W. Chrysler refuses to let die its company. In 1934, the company launches the Chrysler Airflow , a revolutionary model including/understanding a body with the very slim forms which was among the first vehicles to use the principles scientist of the Aérodynamique. The Airflow , with its regained shapes of aviation was a great technological success (reduced body, speed records). Chrylser develops also the first Soufflerie to test this new model. Unfortunately the Chrysler Airflow was not well accommodated by the public and they are modest divisions Dodge and Plymouth which allowed Chrysler perdurer during the Grande depression thanks to conventional models and a little more popular.
Plymouth was one of the rare marks which increased their sales for this period. The company launched a division spare parts also at that time named Mopar ( Mo tor By ts) with which the name remains associated with certain products with the firm.
The years 1940: The Second world war
The failure of Airflow have a cooling effect on the sales departments and promotion of Chrylser which left the mark without real innovations lasting the years 1940 and 1950. One can note the exception of the installation of retractable headlights on certain vehicles of the production of DeSoto of 1942. It is the military division of Chrysler with famous the Jeep which especially carried the company at that time.During American engagement in the Second world war, Chrysler Corporation had already taken part in the preparations and provided tanks of 25 and 28 tons to the allied forces in Europe. Fortunately for the American motor mechanics, the effort of war did not slow down the automobile production of Chrysler - at least during a moment. The most characteristic model launched to beginning of the year 40 was the van of luxury Town & Country which started in 1941. This precursor of the minivan modern Town & Country made it possible to transport to 9 people. It had a back panel and was the first van to integrate authentic panels outside of wood. Without surprise, new the " woody" a nice success near the public gained, in particular during the post-war period with the popular convertible version over the highways as of 1949. The reasonable starting price was of 3.970 dollars.
The years 1950
Technological advances continued however and in 1951, Chrysler launches the first of long series, the Hemi V8.
In 1955, the things were cleared up after the heavy style post-war period with the launching of the models and the publicity campaign Forward Look of Virgil Exner. This countryside continued until 1961. With these new models, Chrylser taken the advantage on its competitors in the field of the automobile desgin and produced some authentic traditional of which the Plymouth Fury of 1956 and the Chrysler 300C of 1957.
The second generation of vehicles Forward Look in 1957 saw the launching of the Torsion-Surface. It was not a suspension with air but a system of suspension to indirect action by torsion of the spring which reduced the not suspended masses drastiquement and downwards moved the Center of gravity vehicle and the back returning control more flexible and ensured. However an surge in production caused problems of quality control (mainly related on the carrrossery and final causing a faster degradation by the rust). These problems, additions with an American recession, pushed the company about a new period of waiting.
The years 1960
With the beginnings of the year 1960, the company made goods and bad investments.
In 1960, Chrysler launched the construction of the frame monocorps and was the first of the three large car manufacturers (Chrysler, Ford and General Motors) to propose it. All the Chrylser products were thus standardized except for the models of the Imperial mark. This technique gave a greater rigidity to the frame, doing it less “brinquebaler”. This system quickly became a standard of auto industry.
The new line of Truck Valiant, started quickly in the years 1950 and continued to gain market shares during more than one decade. This mark became a divison with whole share before being integrated into Plymouth in 1961. The alternators replaced the generators in the Valiant one since 1960 and were then proposed out of standard in all the models of 1961, a first in industry.
The DeSoto mark was stopped after the launching of the models of 1961 partly because of the broad range of Dodge and the major general abandonment. The same problem impacted the Plymouth mark when Dodge encroached on the range of price that its colleague. (That seems to have caused the disappearance of the mark a few decades later.) An badly-advised reduction of the entirety of the ranges of Dodge and Plymouth in 1962 made fall the sales and the profitability of Chrysler during several years.
In April 1964, Chrysler launched the Plymouth Barracuda, which was a under-series of Valiant. The enormous back window out of glass gave the impression of a truck with back forage ladder with a style “like it--or-hate it”. Beating the Ford Mustang on its market segment during nearly two weeks, it would be possible to name it as being the first standard car of gonflette. However, unlike Mustang, this model did not steal the sales of the models of other divisions. In spite of a better quality of construction for the Barracuda, Mustang was always sold in greater quantity than the Barracuda with a ratio of 10 compared with 1 between April 1964 and August 1965.
In 1966, Chrysler extends in Europe, by buying the British group of Rootes Group, and marks it French Simca to form Chrysler Europe . This purchase proved to be an important error for the company because of the principal problem of the labor relations which have affected the British motor-car industry at that time. Moreover, Rootes had antiquated factories and a product range out-of-date. Chrysler withdrew all the marks of Rootes in favor of the only name Chrysler. Simca division succeeds better, but the various problems which overpowered other divisions pushed Chrysler has to be disengaged some. Chrysler sold the capital of Chrysler Europe of which Simca and Talbot with PSA Peugeot Citroen in 1978. PSA will re-elect the entity under the single name of Talbot as of July 1979.
With more success, at that time the company helps to create the standard market of the cars of gonflette in the United States, initially by producing a version of street of its Hemi including/understanding an engine of race, then by proposing a legendary line of accessible but high performance vehicles such as the Plymouth GTX, the Plymouth Road Runner and the Dodge Charger. Success which gallops of several of these models on the circuit of NASCAR forged the reputation of the company for high technology.
The years 1970
The Seventies they also brought success and the crisis. The growing old ones but solid trucks saw their sales climbing because of the strong demand of small cars after the Oil crisis of 1973.
However, a heavy investment in an any complete new range of vehicles was largely made vain when at the time of their exit in 1974 the oil prices reached tops and the sales of big cars fell. The same year was remembered by the stop of the production of the Barracuda 10 years afterwards, day for day.
In the middle of the decade, the company obtained a remarkable success with the Chrysler Cordoba, its first entry on the market of the personal luxury cars. However the output of the twin models Dodge Aspen/Plymouth Volare in 1976 did not reproduce the success of the disappeared lines Valiant/Dodge Dart. The company had to delay its entry in the market maintaining very important the town ones. The problems multiplied also abroad when Chrysler Europe effronda in 1977. It was taken again and reinflated by Peugeot the following year, ironically just after having helped with the design of the news Plymouth Horizon and the Dodge Omni on which the company, in increasing depression, placed its hopes.
Shortly after the company, Chrysler Australia which then produced a dissociated version of the Japan ease Mitsubishi Galant, was sold with Mitsubishi Motors. The truck Horizon had just started to enter on the US market when the second oil crisis struck, reducing to nothing the sales Chrysler big cars and trucks, and the company did not have any more a strong line of trucks to catch up with itself.
In despair, the Chrysler Corporation signed the September 7th 1979 with the US government, for 1 billion $, of the guarantees of loan to avoid the bankruptcy. At the same time, Lee Iacocca, a former director of Ford, was brought to replace executive director-general (CEO) and to prove that he was an effective spokesperson for the company. A congress, somewhat reticent, approved “the Law of guarantee of loan of the Chrysler Corporation of 1979” (public law 96-185) the December 20th 1979 (signed by President Jimmy Carter the January 7th 1980), which was décriée by the workmen and the salesmen of Chrysler in each congressional district because of the fear of losing their employment. With the assistance of these people and some innovating vehicles (such as the Chrysler K platform), the invention of the Monospace whose Chrysler remains still an engine of the market, the company avoided the bankruptcy and starts to take again forces.
The years 1980
With the beginning of the year 1980, the loans were refunded at sharp intervals and the new models based on the platform of K-car were sold well. A joint-venture with Mitsubishi called Diamond Star Motors reinforced the presence of the company on the market of the small cars. Chrysler acquired American Motors Corporation in 1987 near Renault, mainly for its mark Jeep although the declining mark Eagle First was used thereafter basic for the trucks Chrysler LH platform. This supported the company further, although Chrysler was always weakest of the three large American manufacturers.
The years 1990: The Mercedes adventure
With the beginning of the year 1990, Chrysler makes its first experimental attempts for a return in Europe, installing a factory of production of car in Austria where are assembled Voyager on the same lines of assembly as of the 4x4 Mercedes, and while starting in 1993 the manufacture of certain models of Jeep with wheel on the right to mark its return on the British market. Popularity continues jeep, with new daring models for the interior market such as the pickup Dodge RAM, the sport scar Dodge Viper, the Plymouth Prowler, and the new nose gear wheel trucks motor coaches placed the company in a strong position while the decade arrived at its end.
It is on this date that Chrylser negotiated a new adventure, a fusion with German Daimler-Benz.
Fusion with Daimler-Benz (1998)
In 1998, the Chrysler company amalgamates with German Daimler-Benz AG and forms the company DaimlerChrysler. This fusion is initially described as of equal footing but at the end of a few years the truth is obvious: it is a purchase of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz which becomes the partner dominating of the couple. Like a proof, Chrysler fell down in one of its financial vexations just after fusion, making largely fall the course of the united action and causing a serious alarm within the German head office, which dispatched the new CEO Jürgen Schrempp to take again the reins.
The years 2000: Return to the USA
The Plymouth mark was stopped in 2001 and of the reduction projects of costs thanks to divisions of technologies (component and platforms) were launched. The Chrysler Crossfire strongly influenced by the Mercedes was one of the first results of this program.
In 2002, the company joins again with its technical innovations, it was the first to propose the adjustable brake pedals.
A return to the propulsion postpones is announced and in 2004, the news Chrysler 300 using this technology as well as new a Hemi V8 appears quickly becoming business successes. The financial performances started to improve with Chrylser providing a significant share now of the profits of DaimlerChrysler while Daimler launched out in efforts of reorganization of the branch Mercedes. However the partnership with Mitsubishi Motors was reduced when DaimlerChrysler sold its 34% of action following a scandal on dissimulated defects having led to financial problems.
However, the difficulties of Chrysler carried it on its dynamism, the losses accumulating because in particular of the enormous social costs due to the reprocessed personnel (fresh medical, retirements…). This weight strongly penalized the course stock exchange of the campagnie. The April 7th 2005, a legal decision was proclaimed by the judge of district Joseph Farnan Jr., chairing the Court of Appeal of Wilmington the Delaware with the subject a business between Kirk Kerkorian and DaimlerChrysler relating to the declarations of Jürgen Schrempp of Daimler Benz, before the fusion of 1998, which would have lied and handled the Security Exchange Commission as well as the shareholders of Chrysler Corporation (of which the main thing was the Tracinda Corporation of Kirk Kerkorian) by announcing that it was a levelling fusion and not an acquisition. The judge established his verdict in favor of Daimler, thus protecting Jürgen Schrempp. However, another business implying the other shareholders of Chrysler and with the same loads was judged in 2003 in favor of the minority shareholders of Chrysler with a fine of 300 million $ against DaimlerChrysler.
End of the adventure Daimler (2007)
Sealing the failure of fusion, the funds of American investment Cerberus repurchased 80,1% of Chrysler 5,5 billion euros for the resumption of Chrysler. Daimler, which preserves the remainder of the capital and the common technical development projects with the American manufacturer, should be renamed “DaimlerAG”.
See too
| Random links: | Presidents of the Lebanese Republic | Murasson | Leia Organa | Colette Camil | Future ILL BILL Is The Volume 2: I' m has Goon! | Yomogita,_Aomori |