About Chrysler
The company can trace its American roots to the Maxwell Motor Company established in 1904 and was reorganised into the Chrysler Corporation by Walter Chrysler in 1924 when he launched the well-received Chrysler automobile.
The first Chrysler was a 6-cylinder car which was designed to provide customers with an advanced, well-engineered car, all of this at a price which was far below what might have been expected for such an advanced car of the time. Always at the forefront of developments in the early days of the motor industry, Chrysler developed items such as; air filters for carburettors, high compression engines, full pressure lubrication, and an oil filter, at a time when most cars came without these features.
Among the innovations in its early years would be the first practical mass-produced four wheel hydraulic braking system which although nearly completely engineered by Chrysler, had patents which were assigned to the Lockheed company, also rubber engine mounts to reduce vibration form engines that are not as smooth running as today’s are. Chrysler also developed a road wheel with a ridged rim, designed to keep a deflated tire from flying off the wheel. This safety wheel was eventually adopted by the auto industry worldwide. During the inter war years, the company went from strength to strength and following the buyout of American Motors an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company, it was to become one of world’s motor giants.
In 1998, Chrysler and its subsidiaries entered into a partnership dubbed a “merger of equals” with German-based Daimler-Benz AG, creating the combined entity DaimlerChrysler AG. The marriage did not prove to be a happy one and on May 14, 2007, DaimlerChrysler announced the sale of 80.1% of Chrysler Group to American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., therefore being known as Chrysler LLC, although Daimler continued to hold a 19.9% stake.
The name behind some of America’s most famous and favourite cars Chrysler is now firmly established in Britain, providing UK motorists with distinctive US automotive styling. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is good looking and well equipped enough to give its prestige German counterparts a run for their money; whilst the Chrysler Sebring provides an alternative for buyers seeking something different from the usual suspects in the smaller mid-saloon range.
A mission statement reports: “Chrysler’s primary goal is to achieve consumer satisfaction. We do it through engineering excellence, innovative products, high quality and superior service. And we do it as a team”.
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