Chrysler hoping Fiat’s flair will help turnaround, long wait though
Beleaguered US car maker, Chrysler, is hoping its new Italian partner, Fiat, will inject some much-needed life into vehicle sales. But it will have to wait until 2012 and 2013 for promising new vehicles based on Fiat technology. Chrysler’s sales fell the most of any car manufacturer in November, down 26%. The company’s market share also slipped, from about 11% in the months before its mid-year bankruptcy filing, to about 8% thereafter. Now Chrysler has fired its ad agency, radically altered its branding and is offering big incentives to clear dealerships of backed-up inventory. But after receiving nearly $13 billion in federal aid, it’s still struggling with market perceptions over the quality, styling and fuel economy of its vehicles. The firm is heavily marketing its Jeep brand during prime-time TV and at sporting events. But it needs to pull something out of the bag long before the Italians get round to it. Read more: New York Times
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