Company, and thereafter the corporation Chrysler, was founded June 6, 1925 engineer Walter Percy Chrysler (Walter P. Chrysler, 1875 - 1940), as a result of the reorganization of companies «Maxwell Motor» (Maxwell Motor) and belonged to the «Chalmers Motor» and « Willis-Overland »(Willys-Overland).
Prior to founding his own company, Walter P. Chrysler had time to work on the railway and the assistant driver, mechanic, manager and president of the company «Buick», and vice-president for production in the «General Motors». Such a turn in the career of Walter called the purchase a vehicle in 1910. Before W. Chrysler mastered wisdom control car, he reviewed it before the screws, studying design.
After leaving GM in 1920, Walter Chrysler took over the reorganization and financial improvement «Willys-Overland» and «Maxwell Motor», living in deep crisis (the debts of the company, John Willis were about 50 million and losses of Jonathan Maxwell - 26 million ).
The main emphasis was placed on the release of new models of «Chrysler Six», developed by Walter with three engineers.
It was a coup, and in 1925 a newly established company Chrysler produces a new model - «Chrysler Four serial 58», four-seat car, in full accordance with its name developing in those times, mad speed - 58 miles per hour (93 km / h ). The car was so successful that in 1926, it sold about 4,000 dealers, enabling Chrysler for the year to climb from 57 th to 5 th place among American car manufacturers. And in 1928 the profit of the company will open two new units - «De Soto» and «Plymouth», and buy a competitor - the company «Dodge Brothers».
Not bad earning on delivery of military equipment during the Second World (the corporation produced tanks Sherman M-4, trucks, engines and cannons for the B-29), after the war, Chrysler bought 11 plants. Nevertheless, in the early 50's the corporation falls to third place among American car companies. Limiting range, Chrysler is moving towards improving their cars, while supporting the company's reputation for innovative technologies and advanced design: in the 1951-m the first car with power steering, and then all the machines are equipped with the ignition key is changed in the suspension of vehicles.
In the 1980's Chrysler Corporation opened a new market sector, having started production of minivans - the coup has allowed corporations to take a leading position in the United States and produce about 20% of the European market. Corporate profits have been invested in the creation, together with the «Mitsubishi» Company «Diamond-Star» and acquisitions in 1987 «Lamborghini» and «American Motors» (Brands AMC - «Jeep» and «Eagle»).
It should be noted that Chrysler did not just buy shares «competitors», but willingly ally: in 1970 under the Chrysler brand vehicles produced midget «Mitsubishi», in the late 70's guidance office «Chrysler Europe» transferred concern «Peugeot-Citroen », in the 80's, together with« De Tomaso - Maserati »develops and produces Chrysler TC (Chrysler Turbo Convertible Built by Maserati). With the participation of Chrysler created and made supercar - Lamborghini Diablo.
In the early 90's Chrysler divided his model: under the Plymouth brand vehicles produced in the most simple and cheap equipment, Dodge promoted the idea of «the people's car», a brand Chrysler produced the most expensive set (on the European market under this brand were sold to all vehicles except Jeep). Eagle, brought to a joint project with Mitsubishi, has become the sports line. The same cars that were released under different brands, in addition to slightly different configuration and appearance. The exceptions were Viper and Tomahawk, issued to America under the Dodge brand and the Prowler, submitted under the name Plymouth.
In the 90's in the United States after a period of rapid development of a period of stagnation. American market, unlike the Japanese, is not closed, and competition from overseas manufacturers with each year becoming tangible. In 1995, the American gambling tycoon Kirk Kerkoryan, who was at that time the largest private investor in Chrysler, offered to purchase the whole company, because its investment in the early 90's (about $ 1.4 billion), helped Chrysler to stay afloat after the next crisis. But Robert Iton rejected the proposal, he had other plans: he Helmut Werner discussed the partnership between Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Daimler-Benz CEO Juergen Shremp already tried to create a transnational avtomonstra with Ford, but the deal did not materialize: Ford family did not want to lose control of the company and the acquisition of the third-largest U.S. automakers, disguised as a merger, to insert in his plans as well as possible better. Kirk Kerkoryan supported the merger, which although it reduced the stake owned by him, but carried a significant increase in dividends, it was enough in favor of the transaction, and other favored investors.
And finally, in 1998 was the merger of two leading international automobile giants - «Daimler-Benz AG» and «Chrysler Corporation». The newly created company «DaimlerChrysler AG» became the largest car in the world.
After two and a half years after the «merger» German and American automakers in an international corporation, it became apparent that the once powerful empire of Chrysler from the transaction is lost. As a result, shares of DaimlerChrysler, the value which in January 1999 reached the highest mark of $ 108 apiece, have fallen in price to $ 46,4; Chrysler sales fell by 14%, 6 factories, which once owned the Chrysler had been closed, Plymouth and Eagle brands are buried, a mass exodus of top managers from the American side has confirmed only guess about hostile takeovers. All this spodviglo Kerki Kerkoryana appealed to the court with the claim, in which he claims that his deception was forced to approve the deal. If Kerkoryan knew that there was no "merger of equals" will not, he never would have given him his voice. Kerkoryan requires the payment of his $ 9 billion, or cancellation of a merger. However, until the position is determined by its two current largest shareholder of the corporation - Deutsche Bank and the Committee on Investment of Kuwait, speaking on the future of giant early.
unwittingly aid the Soviet Union
In the 30's of the Red Army needed to command and staff vehicles high road, as the Soviet «ford» GAS GAS-A and-AA had little four cylinder engine and the design of little use for the Soviet roads. The choice fell on the model of «Dodge» Series D, but talks with Chrysler's technical assistance had reached an impasse, and the decision of the party decided at their base to make your own car, stupidly copying all the technical solutions. A dedicated team of Soviet engineers disassembled to screw the best at the time the engine «Dodge D5» lifting the metric dimensions of each part (in the original engine has been designed to «inch system») and adapting the technology under the existing technical capacity of gas. Engine with an index assigned to the GAZ-11 was declared a «an outstanding achievement of Soviet design ideas» and with the six-cylinder volume of 3,485 liters gave 76 hp (v. 78 hp from the original).
On the basis of engineering decisions Dodge were created broneviki, light tanks of type T-38, GAZ-MM truck, fitted with an engine GAZ-11. Gorky plant uses this engine to the model of GAZ-51, and wanted to put it in the «victory» - but at the presentation of the machine Stalin decided that the 6-cylinder engine is too raskoshen for cars postwar devastation and engineers gas ... cut off from the cylinder 2 ! At the same time making the design of some rationalization proposals that have accumulated over decades of production. So the development of Chrysler late 20's lived up to our days.
few figures
In 1937, Walter released the empire 1,000,000 vehicles under the brand «Chrysler» and 2,000,000 vehicles under the brand «Plymouth». But in 1965 the volume of cars produced was such: Plymouth - 14,000,000; Dodge - 10,000,000; Chrysler - 4,000,000.
Now DaimlerChrysler vehicles are manufactured in 17 countries and sales of the group with more than 200 countries, so in 2004, DaimlerChrysler sold more than 4.7 million vehicles, while turnover amounted to more than 192 billion dollars.
In 2000, Russia was opened «The Moscow House of DaimlerChrysler», and in 2002, JSC «DaimlerChrysler Automotive ENG» became the general importer of products of the group in Russia.
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