In an interview, Thomas LaSorda, chief executive officer of Chrysler, told the Chosun Ilbo, a Korean newspaper, that the company will launch an aggressive marketing campaign overseas in 2007. The plan calls for Chrysler to sell cars from China’s Chery Automobiles in the United States.
Other highlights included Chrysler’s push the of the minivan, that the company will continue ties with Hyundai to sell cars such as the Atoz and Accent under the Dodge name in Mexico, and buying chassis modules from Hyundai Mobis. Note that the auto maker to export about 10 new car models exclusively to Korea alone.
The interview also revealed that Chrysler will push more into the alternative energy market with technology developed by the company’s affiliate, Mercedes-Benz.LaSorda said that Chrysler will be launching a Dodge Durango hybrid and added that Chrysler will continue to offer alternative fuel cars that can run on ethanol blended gas or biodiesel.
Chrysler is also looking to develop ways to produce small and midsize cars that can better compete with Japanese and Korean auto makers.
Our take? While Chrysler’s plans look extensive, it will be interesting to see if LaSorda will be around to watch their fruition. The CEO has been under heavy scrutiny from his bosses in Germany, and rumor has it he may be one of the casualities as part of DaimlerChrysler’s restructuring plansto be officially detailed next month.
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