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Chrysler (division)
Encyclopedia
Chrysler is the flagship brand of Chrysler Group LLC
, named after founder Walter P. Chrysler.
and Lincoln
, owned respectively by Chrysler Group's Detroit rivals, General Motors
and Ford Motor Company
. Chrysler was the top brand in the portfolio of what was then known as Chrysler Corporation, led by its top model, the Imperial
. After the corporation decided to spin Imperial off as a separate brand in 1955 to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler became the corporation's number two brand, but still offered luxury and near luxury products. After the Imperial brand was dropped in 1975, Chrysler once again became the top brand, with range of products competing with both luxury and near luxury brands such as Buick
.
During the 1980s the Chrysler division expanded its product line and target markets by marketing upscale versions of the Chrysler K platform
. The Chrysler brand took on a similar role as Oldsmobile
, Buick
, or Mercury
by offering entry-level luxury cars of various types and sizes. After the Plymouth line of cars (which were sold in car dealership
s alongside the Chrysler brand) were discontinued, the Chrysler division marketed everything from economy cars such as the PT Cruiser to the Prowler
sports car alongside the brand's traditional upscale models such as the 300C
and LHS
Following Fiat
's acquisition of a 20% stake in Chrysler LLC, Fiat set a long-term goal of differentiating the Chrysler brand from Dodge
by remaking Chrysler into a full luxury brand to compete again with Cadillac and Lincoln. The company stated in October 2009 that future plans for Chrysler brand vehicles include closer cooperation and shared development between Chrysler and Lancia
, an upscale Italian
automaker within the Fiat Group. In April 2011, Chrysler announced that its plans to market the Lancia Ypsilon
in the U.S. under the Chrysler brand is unlikely due to the U.S. launch of the similar Fiat 500
, while the plan to sell a Chrysler-branded Lancia Delta
in the U.S. is said to be "under review". In 2011, the brand's winged emblem was modified, eliminating the historic blue ribbon center which dated from the 1930, replacing with a blue backed "Chrysler" nameplate.
International line-up:
*Note: if a vehicle was sold in different size classes over its lifetime, the most recent is listed
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
, named after founder Walter P. Chrysler.
Overview
The Chrysler brand was originally a premium luxury position competing with CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
and Lincoln
Lincoln (automobile)
Lincoln is an American luxury vehicle brand of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln vehicles are sold mostly in North America.-History:The company was founded in August 1915 by Henry M. Leland, one of the founders of Cadillac . During World War I, he left Cadillac which was sold to General Motors...
, owned respectively by Chrysler Group's Detroit rivals, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
. Chrysler was the top brand in the portfolio of what was then known as Chrysler Corporation, led by its top model, the Imperial
Imperial (automobile)
Imperial was the Chrysler Corporation's luxury automobile brand between 1955 and 1975, with a brief reappearance in 1981 to 1983.The Imperial name had been used since 1926, but was never a separate make, just the top-of-the-line Chrysler. In 1955, the company decided to spin it off as its own make...
. After the corporation decided to spin Imperial off as a separate brand in 1955 to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler became the corporation's number two brand, but still offered luxury and near luxury products. After the Imperial brand was dropped in 1975, Chrysler once again became the top brand, with range of products competing with both luxury and near luxury brands such as Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
.
During the 1980s the Chrysler division expanded its product line and target markets by marketing upscale versions of the Chrysler K platform
Chrysler K platform
The Chrysler Corporation's K-cars were compact-to-midsize cars designed to carry six adults on two bench seats and were aimed not only to replace Chrysler's nominally-compact F-body Aspen and Volaré, but also to compete with intermediates like the Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fairmont...
. The Chrysler brand took on a similar role as Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
, Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, or Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
by offering entry-level luxury cars of various types and sizes. After the Plymouth line of cars (which were sold in car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
s alongside the Chrysler brand) were discontinued, the Chrysler division marketed everything from economy cars such as the PT Cruiser to the Prowler
Plymouth Prowler
The Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a "retro" styled production car built in 1997 and 1999-2002. The Prowler was based on the 1993 concept car of the same name.- Design :...
sports car alongside the brand's traditional upscale models such as the 300C
Chrysler 300
The Chrysler 300 is a full-size upscale car first shown at the 2003 New York Auto Show as a concept car. Sales in the U.S. began in the spring of 2004 as an early 2005 model year car. Designed by Ralph Gilles, the new 300 was built as a high-end sedan while the SRT-8 model was designed to be the...
and LHS
LHS
-Science and mathematics:*In astronomy, the Luyten Half-Second catalogue, a star catalogue system*In statistics, Latin Hypercube Sampling*Lawrence Hall of Science interactive museum in Berkeley, California*Left-Hand Side of an equation...
Following Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
's acquisition of a 20% stake in Chrysler LLC, Fiat set a long-term goal of differentiating the Chrysler brand from Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
by remaking Chrysler into a full luxury brand to compete again with Cadillac and Lincoln. The company stated in October 2009 that future plans for Chrysler brand vehicles include closer cooperation and shared development between Chrysler and Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
, an upscale Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
automaker within the Fiat Group. In April 2011, Chrysler announced that its plans to market the Lancia Ypsilon
Lancia Ypsilon
The Lancia Ypsilon is a supermini produced by Italian automaker Lancia since 1996. It is the replacement of the Y10, although larger and more expensive...
in the U.S. under the Chrysler brand is unlikely due to the U.S. launch of the similar Fiat 500
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
, while the plan to sell a Chrysler-branded Lancia Delta
Lancia Delta
The Lancia Delta is a small family car produced by Italian automaker Lancia with the first generation being produced between 1979 and 1994, the second generation running from 1993 until 1999, and the third generation Delta entering production in 2008. It was first shown inFrankfurt Motor Show in 1979...
in the U.S. is said to be "under review". In 2011, the brand's winged emblem was modified, eliminating the historic blue ribbon center which dated from the 1930, replacing with a blue backed "Chrysler" nameplate.
Current Chrysler line-up
The current Chrysler line-up consists of:- Chrysler 200Chrysler 200The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan and convertible produced by Chrysler, being introduced for the 2011 model year. The Chrysler 200 is an update and new nameplate for the outgoing 2010 Chrysler Sebring....
(2011–present) - Chrysler 300Chrysler 300The Chrysler 300 is a full-size upscale car first shown at the 2003 New York Auto Show as a concept car. Sales in the U.S. began in the spring of 2004 as an early 2005 model year car. Designed by Ralph Gilles, the new 300 was built as a high-end sedan while the SRT-8 model was designed to be the...
(2005–present) - Town & Country (1941-1988, 1990–present)
International line-up:
- Chrysler Ypsilon (2011-present; UK and Ireland only) (rebadged Lancia Ypsilon)
- Chrysler Delta (2011-present; UK and Ireland only) (rebadged Lancia Delta)
Past models
Past Chrysler models sold in the United States*:- 300 letter seriesChrysler 300 letter seriesThe Chrysler 300 "letter series" were high-performance luxury cars built in very limited numbers by the Chrysler Corporation in the U.S. from 1955-1965...
(1955–1965) - 300MChrysler 300MThe Chrysler 300M is a sports sedan produced by Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. Chrysler Corporation revived the 300 name on the 300M. This time it was a front-wheel drive, V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. While not technically part of the famous "letter series" of the 1950s and 1960s,...
(1999–2004) - 300Chrysler 300 non-letter seriesThe Chrysler 300 was a full-size automobile produced by Chrysler from 1962 until 1971. It was the replacement for the 1961 Chrysler Windsor, which itself filled the place in Chrysler's line previously occupied by the Saratoga just the year before that .For 1970, taking a cue from Oldsmobile, a...
(1962–1971) - AirflowChrysler AirflowThe Chrysler Airflow is an automobile produced by the Chrysler Corporation from 1934-1937. The Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for building a sleeker automobile, one less susceptible to air resistance...
(1934–1937) - AspenChrysler AspenThe Chrysler Aspen is a full-size sport utility vehicle from Chrysler. Launched for the 2007 model year, the Aspen is essentially a rebranded Dodge Durango SUV...
(2007–2009) - Chrysler AirstreamChrysler AirstreamThe Chrysler Airstream was an automobile produced by the Chrysler division of the Chrysler Corporation in 1935-1936. The Airstream was a conventional looking automobile that was trimmed to evoke a feeling of streamlined design...
(1935–1936) - Chrysler CenturaChrysler CenturaThe Chrysler Centura was a midsize car built by Chrysler Australia, based on Chrysler Europe's Chrysler 180 but also available with larger Australian made Hemi Sixes...
(1975–1978) - CirrusChrysler CirrusThe Chrysler Cirrus was a mid-size 4-door sedan, introduced for the 1995 model year as direct replacement for the aging Chrysler LeBaron sedan. Based on the new midsize JA platform, the Cirrus was sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil for the 1995-2000 model years; DaimlerChrysler ...
(1995–2000) - ConcordeChrysler ConcordeThe Chrysler Concorde was a large four-door, full-size, front wheel drive sedan produced by Chrysler from 1993 to 2004. It replaced the Chrysler Fifth Avenue on the lineup. One of Chrysler's 3 original Chrysler LH platform models derived from the American Motors/Renault-designed Eagle Premier, it...
(1993–2004)
- ConquestMitsubishi StarionThe Mitsubishi Starion is a two-door, turbocharged four-cylinder rear-wheel drive four-seat sports car that was in production from 1982 to 1989. It was also marketed in North America as the Conquest under the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth names; both the Starion and Conquest came to an end in 1989...
(1987–1989) - CordobaChrysler CordobaThe Chrysler Cordoba was an intermediate personal luxury coupe sold by Chrysler Corporation in North America from 1975-1983. It was the company's first model produced specifically for the personal luxury market and the first Chrysler-branded vehicle that was less than full-size.-History:In the...
(1975–1983) - CrossfireChrysler CrossfireThe Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive sports car marketed by Chrysler as both coupé and roadster and was built for Chrysler by Karmann of Germany.-Design:...
(2004–2007) - E-ClassChrysler E-ClassThe Chrysler E-Class was a mid-size car produced by the Chrysler Corporation. Introduced in 1983 on a stretched version of the Chrysler K platform, the E-Class was a less expensive, less equipped version of the identical 1983 New Yorker. It was targeted at those who wanted Chrysler luxury, but...
(1983–1984) - ExecutiveChrysler ExecutiveThe Chrysler Executive was a car offered by the American automobile producer Chrysler from 1983 through 1986. The Executive was a stretched version of the Chrysler LeBaron aimed at the then booming market segment of limousines. The Executive and Cadillac's Series 75 were the only factory-offered...
(1983–1986) - Fifth AvenueChrysler Fifth AvenueWith the R-body out of production and the LeBaron name transferred to the Chrysler K platform for 1982, the New Yorker was downsized once again, becoming a mid-sized car ....
(1983–1993) - ImperialChrysler ImperialThe Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was the company's top of the range vehicle for much of its history. Models were produced with the Chrysler name until 1954, and again from 1990 to 1993. The company tried to position the cars as a prestige marque that would rival Cadillac and Lincoln...
(1926–1993) - LaserDodge DaytonaThe first car that carried the Daytona name was a sporty version of the Studebaker Lark which was produced from 1963 to 1966 with standard bucket seats and available with an optional Studebaker Avanti V8 high-performance engine....
(1984–1986) - LeBaronChrysler LeBaronThe Chrysler LeBaron was originally a classic luxury car of 1930s manufactured by Chrysler which competed with other luxury cars of the era such as Lincoln and Packard....
(1977–1995)
- LHSChrysler LHSThe Chrysler LHS is a full-size, front wheel drive car based on the Chrysler LH platform.Having been praised throughout its production run as offering a blend of high-end features, along with solid performance, the LHS was marketed as a rival to other cars costing thousands more...
(1994–2001) - Neon (1994–2005)
- NewportChrysler NewportThe Newport was a name used by the Chrysler division of the Chrysler Corporation used as both a hardtop body designation and also for its lowest priced model between 1961 and 1981...
(1940–1981) - New YorkerChrysler New YorkerThe Chrysler New Yorker was a premium automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation from 1939–1996, serving for several years as the brand's flagship model. A model named the "New York Special" first appeared in the 1930s...
(1939–1996) - PacificaChrysler PacificaThe Chrysler Pacifica is a mid-size crossover wagon produced by Chrysler from 2003 to 2007, for the model years 2004 to 2008.The Pacifica was the first jointly engineered product of the 1998 Chrysler-DaimlerBenz "merger of equals."...
(2004–2008) - ProwlerPlymouth ProwlerThe Plymouth Prowler, later the Chrysler Prowler, is a "retro" styled production car built in 1997 and 1999-2002. The Prowler was based on the 1993 concept car of the same name.- Design :...
(1997–2002) - PT CruiserChrysler PT CruiserThe Chrysler PT Cruiser is a retro styled compact automobile launched by Chrysler as a 5-door hatchback in early 2000 and as a 2-door convertible in early 2005 ....
(2000–2010) - RoyalChrysler Royalthumb||right|300px|1938 Chrysler Royal C-18, four- door [[sedan |sedan]].The Chrysler Royal was an automobile produced by the Chrysler division of the Chrysler Corporation between 1937 to 1942 and 1946 to 1950. The Royal represented the entry-level Chrysler during its production, making it the most...
(1937–1950) - SaratogaChrysler SaratogaThe Chrysler Saratoga was a full-sized automobile produced by the Chrysler Division of the Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler first used the Saratoga nameplate on its 1939 models and continued to use the name through to 1952. The name was used again by Chrysler from 1957 until 1960 when it retired the...
(1939–1960)
- SebringChrysler SebringThe Chrysler Sebring is a line of mid-size cars that was sold by Chrysler from 1995 to 2010.The Sebring came in three generations. The first, from 1995 to 2000, was available first only as a coupe and starting in 1996 as a convertible. The two body designs did not share many components nor any...
(1995–2010) - TC by MaseratiChrysler TC by MaseratiThe Chrysler TC by Maserati was a "Q" body based on a Chrysler K platform grand tourer jointly developed by Chrysler and Maserati and introduced at the 1986 Los Angeles Auto Show...
(1989–1991) - Turbine CarChrysler Turbine CarChrysler Turbine Cars were automobiles powered by gas turbine engines that the Chrysler Corporation assembled in a small plant in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1963, for use in the only consumer test of gas turbine-powered cars...
(1963) - Town & Country (1941–1989)
- Voyager/Grand VoyagerChrysler VoyagerThe Chrysler Voyager or Chrysler Grand Voyager is a minivan sold by the Chrysler division of American automobile manufacturer Chrysler Group LLC...
(1988–2007) - ValiantChrysler ValiantThe Chrysler Valiant is a passenger car which was introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1962 with production ceasing in 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the U.S., the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as South Africa...
(1962–1981) - WindsorChrysler WindsorThe Chrysler Windsor was a full-sized car built by the Chrysler Corporation of Highland Park, Michigan from 1939 through to the 1960s. The final Chrysler Windsor as known to Americans was produced in 1961, but continued production in Canada until 1966...
(1940–1961)
*Note: if a vehicle was sold in different size classes over its lifetime, the most recent is listed