Chrysler

Established in 1925 under skillful guidance of Walter P. Chrysler, the company began gradual transformation into one of the leading American automotive giants. A Kansas-Born manager had served previously at the GM’s Buick, Willys-Overland and Maxwell Motor Corporation. In 1924 he presented his first car – the Chrysler Six at the New York Auto Show. The vehicle had a warm public acclaim which inspired him to form the Chrysler Motor Corporation.

In 1928 Chrysler integrated the three American marques: Dodge, Plymouth and DeSoto. The two latter nameplates were to meet the demands of low-priced and mid-priced segments of the market respectively. Thanks to Chrysler’s brilliant aptness to manage affairs of a huge corporation he overcame the Depression of the 1930s. The 1929 Plymouth Model U Coupé was an affordable vehicle powered by four-cylinder 2,874 cc engine which actually helped Chrysler to surmount difficulties during the crisis. By 1939 Plymouth sold more than 3 million of its cars. In 1934 the new Chryslers were unveiled featuring the so-called Airflow styling with streamline forms and powerful straight-eight 5 liter engine. Cars looked effectively but had certain quality issues. In 1940 Walter P. Chrysler passed away leaving the company to prepare for the wartime. In 1942 Chrysler suspended car production and began manufacturing military vehicles. The 1946 Chrysler Windsor Club marked the renewal of Chrysler's activities. Three years later Virgil Exner left General Motors and became Chrysler's designer. He elaborated the “Forward Look” styling and the 1957 Chrysler New Yorker with V8 6,424 cc engine won Motor Trend's Car of the year.

Despite Exner’s resignation in 1961 Chrysler went on creating competitive and attractive vehicles. The 1960 300 F badged as “Letter car” distinguished itself as a high performance car with the top speed of 190 km\h and 6.7 liter V8 engine. Another reputable model of its time was the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda sporty coupé. It was one of those fledgling models branded as “pony-cars”, featuring compact body with a powerful engine inside, capable of 170 km\h.

Chrysler entered the époque of muscle cars, presenting its two models to rival prominent Mustangs: the 1968 Dodge Charger R\T equipped with V8 5.211 cc engine and the 1970 Dodge Challenger R\T 440 powered by 300 bhp engine with optional 7.2 liter 385 bhp motor. The 1970s was a tough decade for the company with Lee Iacocca’s strict measures, including job cuts, to safeguard Chrysler from oil crisis. This helped to resuscitate the brand and in 1983 it presented the first minivan in history – Dodge Caravan, which is now in its fifth generation.

Now Chrysler functions within Fiat – a European car manufacturer, and produces an impressive lineup of cars marketed as Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, Mopar and SRT. The brand offers modern luxurious SUV’s, sedans, muscle sports cars, minivans and medium-duty trucks.