Daimler-Chrysler Auto Group History
Chrysler was an independent automobile manufacturer until 1998 when it was brought out and put under the Daimler-Benz banner. It is now known as Daimler-Chrysler. The Chrysler corporation first started in 1925 and was formed by Walter Percy Chrysler.
Chrysler is the company that created the Plymouth brand of automobiles. That brand was manufactured from 1928 all the way to 2001 with significant design changes and technology advances in between. Plymouth is one of the longest serving brand of car ever manufactured.
The Chrysler brand also includes the legendary Dodge automobile company which it acquired in 1928 from the Dodge Brothers. The Chrysler group also owns the DeSoto and the Imperial brands.
Chrysler were also one of the first automobile companies to design cars with aerodynamics in mind. They created one of the first ever wind tunnels for their cars. However at the time, the new slim line design did not go down well with the public, but thanks to the Dodge brand and Plymouth work horse, Chrysler managed to stay profitable during the great depression.
In the 50’s the Chrysler group launched its second generation of cars, including cars with V8 engines. The classic Chrysler 300 C was created in 1958. The 60’s brought much of the same. They released the much loved Valiant in the 60’s that sold well all over the world, particularly well in Australia.
By the late 70’s, things were not looking good for Chrysler and they had to petition the United States government for 1 billion dollars in loans.
In 1998 the company merged with Daimler-Benz to form the new company Daimler-Chrysler Auto Group. This was a direct buy out of Chrysler by Daimler-Benz. One of the big changes to the company was that the Plymouth brand ceased to exist.
In its place, they came out with the Chrysler Crossfire, a sporty automobile was produced. It was heavily influenced by the Mercedes. Sales took a sharp turn upwards and with the release of the Chrysler 300, it became a major player in the partnership.