The Chrysler Group will introduce 11 new vehicles in the 2002-2004 time period, as part of a five- year, $30 billion investment plan in new products and programs, Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said late last week at the National Press Club.
Calling quality the automotive equivalent to “blocking and tackling” in football, Zetsche proclaimed that Chrysler quality was already rapidly improving, but added, “We will never rest until we match the world’s benchmark.”
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Regarding the financial strength of the Chrysler Group, Zetsche said the company was “building on the strengths of an American icon.” He said that in 2001, Chrysler Group over-achieved on all its cost targets to allow the company to save $3.3 billion, and “the efficiencies are starting to pay off.” He also said that the $30 billion program spending over the next five years was far less than the previous plan of $42 billion, but actually added five more products to the pipeline.
While saying that Chrysler Group was “American to the core,” Zetsche added that the company has been able to take advantage of new resources gained from its DaimlerChrysler partners to make itself stronger. “We are now part of a larger organization, and that has many more benefits. It’s a formula that none of the other domestic automotive manufacturers are able to tap into … including access to the cutting-edge European technology of Mercedes-Benz.”
Zetsche cited the Chrysler Crossfire sports coupe — due next year — as a symbol of the opportunity for Chrysler. “It will blend American design with German technology and engineering,” he said. “We like to say it is Route 66 meeting the Autobahn — moreover, delivered to the market in two years from concept to production.”
