Chrysler history
Automotive brand stories

Chrysler history

Chrysler is an American automobile company that manufactures passenger cars, pickup trucks and accessories. In addition, the company is engaged in the production of electronic and aviation products. In 1998, there was a merger with Daimler-Benz. As a result, the Daimler-Chrysler company was formed.

In 2014, Chrysler became part of the Italian automobile concern Fiat. Then the company returned to the Big Three of Detroit, which also includes Ford and General Motors. Over the years, the automaker has experienced rapid ups and downs, followed by stagnation and even risks of bankruptcy. But the automaker is always reborn, does not lose its individuality, has a long history and to this day maintains a leading position in the world car market.

Founder

Chrysler history

The founder of the company is engineer and entrepreneur Walter Chrysler. He created it in 1924 as a result of the reorganization of the company "Maxwell Motor" and "Willis-Overland". Mechanics have been Walter Chrysler's great passion since childhood. He went from assistant driver to the founder of his car company.

Chrysler could have built a good career in rail transport, but the purchase of a car got in the way. Usually, the purchase of a car is combined with driving training. In the case of Chrysler, everything was different, because he was more interested not in the ability to independently drive a car, but in the peculiarities of its work. The mechanic completely disassembled his car to the smallest detail, then put it back together. He wanted to learn all the subtleties of his work, so he repeatedly disassembled and assembled it.

In 1912, a job at Buick followed, where a talented mechanic first showed himself, he managed to quickly achieve career growth, but due to disagreements with the president of the concern, which led to his dismissal. By this time, he already had a reputation as an experienced mechanic and easily got a job at Willy-Overland as a consultant, and Maxwell Motor Car also wanted to use the services of a mechanic.

Walter Chrysler was able to show an extraordinary approach to solving the difficulties of the company. He insisted on releasing a completely new car model. As a result, the Chrysler Six appeared on the car market in 1924. The features of the car are hydraulic brakes on each wheel, a powerful engine, a new oil supply system and an oil filter.

The automobile company exists to this day and does not concede its positions. The founder's extraordinary and innovative ideas are still reflected in new Chrysler cars today. Certain financial difficulties in recent years have affected the position of Chrysler, but today it can be said that the automaker has regained a stable position. Installation of high-quality engines in cars, great attention to new technologies are the main goals of the company today.

Emblem

Chrysler history

For the first time, the Chrysler emblem, resembling a seal, appeared on a Chrysler Six. The name of the company passed through the stamp obliquely. Like many other automakers, the emblem is periodically modified. Chrysler updated the logo only in the 50s, before that for more than 20 years it remained unchanged. The new emblem resembled a boomerang or moving rockets. After another 10 years, the emblem was replaced with a five-pointed star. In the 80s, designers decided to leave only the Chrysler lettering, focusing on the use of different fonts. 

The rebirth of Chrysler in the 90s was accompanied by a return to the original emblem. Now the designers gave the logo wings, added a pair of wings to the print that are located on the sides of it. In the 2000s, the emblem changed again to a five-pointed star. As a result, the logo tried to combine all the variants of the emblem that existed before. In the center is the Chrysler wordmark against a dark blue background, and flanked by elongated silver fenders. Sophisticated shapes, silver color add grace to the badge and embody the great heritage of the company.

The Chrysler emblem has a very deep meaning. It simultaneously reads a respect for the company's heritage, which depicts the wings, and a reminder of the renaissance that Chrysler's lettering recalls. Designers have put a meaning in the company logo that conveys the entire history of the automaker, focusing on turning points and significant moments.

Automotive brand history in models

Chrysler was first introduced in 1924. This was done in an unusual way due to the refusal of the company to participate in the exhibition. The reason for the refusal was the lack of mass production. Having parked the car in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel and interested many visitors, Walter Chrysler managed to increase the scale of production to 32 cars. A year later, a new Chrysler Four serial 58 car was introduced, which at that time developed a very high speed. This allowed the company to take a leading position in the car market.

Chrysler history

By 1929, the company became part of the Big Three of Detroit. Development was constantly carried out aimed at improving the equipment of the car, at increasing its power and maximum speed. Some stagnation was observed in the years of the Great Depression, but within a few years after that the company was able to overtake its past achievements in terms of production scale. The Airflow model was released, characterized by a curved windshield and a streamlined body.

During the war years, tanks, aircraft engines, military trucks, and aircraft guns rolled off the assembly lines of the company. Chrysler has been able to make good money over the years, which has made it possible to invest several billion in new factories.

In the 50s, the Crown Imperial was introduced with disc brakes. During this period, Chrysler focuses on innovation. In 1955, the C-300 was released, which earned the status of the most powerful sedan in the world. The 426 Hemi engine in the C-300 is still considered one of the finest engines in the world.

Chrysler history

Over the next decades, the company began to rapidly lose ground due to rash management decisions. Chrysler has consistently failed to keep up with current trends. Lee Iacocca was invited to save the company from financial ruin. Managed to get support from the government to continue production. The Voyager minivan was released in 1983. This family car became very popular and was in good demand among ordinary Americans.

The success of the policy pursued by Lee Iacocca made it possible to regain the former positions and even expand the sulfur of influence. The loan to the state was repaid ahead of schedule and the company invested in the purchase of several more car brands. Among them are Lamborghini and American Motors, which owns the rights to the Eagle and Jeep.

In the early 90s, the company managed to maintain its position and even increase its revenues. The Chrysler Cirrus and Dodge Stratus sedans were produced. But in 1997, due to a massive strike, Chrysler suffered significant losses, which pushed the company to merge.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the Voyager and Grand Voyager models were released, and three years later the Crossfire car appeared, which had a new design and brought together all modern technologies. Active attempts to enter the European market began. In Russia, Chrysler began to be sold only in the late 90s. After 10 years, ZAO Chrysler RUS was founded, acting as the general importer of Chrysler in the Russian Federation. The level of sales showed that in Russia there are also many connoisseurs of the American automotive industry. After that, there is a change in the concept of produced cars. Now the emphasis is on the new design of the car, while maintaining the high quality of the engines. So the 300 2004C received the title of "best luxury car" in Canada a year after the release.

Chrysler history

Today the head of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance, Sergio Marchionne, is betting on the production of hybrids. The focus was on improving fuel efficiency. Another advancement is the improved nine-range automatic transmission. The company's policy has remained unchanged in relation to innovation. Chrysler does not give up its position and continues to embody the best engineering and technical proposals in its cars. The automaker is predicted to succeed in the crossover market, where Chrysler has managed to gain a leading position thanks to its focus on driving comfort. The focus is now on Ram and Jeep models. There has been a significant reduction in the model range with an emphasis on the most popular models on the market. It is planned to revive the 30s Airflow Vision sedan with aerodynamic body shapes.

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