Division of FCA US LLC | |
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | June 6, 1925 |
Founder | Walter Chrysler |
Headquarters | Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
Key people
|
Sergio Marchionne (Chairman and CEO of FCA US LLC) |
Products | Luxury vehicles |
Parent | Chrysler |
Website | chrysler.com |
Chrysler is an American luxury car brand and the longstanding premium marque of automaker FCA US LLC.
Before the 2014 creation of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles by the merger of Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler, FCA US was known as Chrysler Group LLC, named after its founder Walter Chrysler.
The Chrysler brand was originally a premium luxury position competing with Cadillac, Packard, Duesenberg, Cord and Lincoln. 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. Chrysler's positioning of the Chrysler brand towards a mid-price brand caused Chrysler to kill DeSoto after 1961 and merge most DeSoto vehicles into the new Chrysler Newport. After the Imperial brand was dropped in 1975, Chrysler once again became the top brand.
Chrysler-Plymouth was a division that sold cars with both Chrysler and Plymouth brand names. The Chrysler models emphasized luxury, while the Plymouth cars stood for practicality. The division also sold the high-luxury Imperial brand until 1975.
During the 1980s the Chrysler division expanded its product line by marketing upscale versions of the Chrysler K platform. The Chrysler brand took on a similar role as Oldsmobile, Buick, or Acura by offering entry-level luxury cars of various types and sizes.