Intro: At one time, Chrysler was one of the "Big Three" in North America. Although the company in its homeland never exceeded the sales of General Motors (GM) and only topped Ford Motor Company in the late 1940s-early 1950s, it was always nibbling around close enough to either of its main competitors to ensure that the rest of the car buying public would consider its image. However, the American car industry hit particularly hard times during the 1970s and Chrysler suffered a lot of damage.
Lee Iacocca, a former Ford Chief Executive, joined the North American firm in 1978 and revived it, prior to "The Two Bobs" (Eaton and Lutz) taking over the reins in the 1980s. In 1987 Chrysler Corporation acquired American Motors.
Chrysler-Jeep is now known as a style innovator and represents the American arm of the immense DaimlerChrysler Corporation, following its merger with Daimler-Benz in 1998.
Daimler-Benz pumped in billions of euros into the company which now looks a bit healthier. The first Mercedes-derived product, the Crossfire went into production in 2003. |
