History of Chrysler

In 1925, one of the largest American automobile companies, Chrysler, was founded. At the origins of the brand, which eventually grew into a real conglomerate, was Walter Chrysler, who did not plan to connect his life with the automotive industry. His career began as a machinist at age 17, and by the age of 35 he was manager of the American Locomotive Company. In the same 1910, he purchased his first Buick car. Walter became interested in machine design and spent the next five years studying mechanical engineering processes in his spare time.

In 1915, Walter Chrysler resigned from his job and moved to the position of a sales agent in Buick, and already in 1917 he took the positions of president and CEO of Buick, within the General Motors concern. By 1919, he had taken the position of managing vice president of General Motors, but after only 10 months he quit. Thus, Chrysler considered that he was able to develop cars with his own hands. Initially, he took the position of crisis manager in the dying firm of Willis, and a year later he took a similar position in the Maxwell concern. The first model aimed at saving Maxwell was the compact Chrysler 6, which, with the help of three company engineers, was personally developed by Walter Chrysler. In the first year of sales, 32 thousand copies of this model were sold, which served as the best recognition for Walter himself.

So in 1925, the Chrysler company appeared, based on the basis of Maxwell Motors. Walter Chrysler headed the company, planning the release of several models at once. In 1925, the Chrysler 4-58 was introduced, with a top speed of 58 mph, one of the highest on the market. Thus, the future concern managed to take fifth place in the ranking of American manufacturers of civilian vehicles. Following the 4-58, a new modification was introduced, which already developed a speed equal to 88 miles per hour.

The commercial success of the young company led to the fact that in 1928 the Dodge company was bought out. Sales of new Dodge models ensure Chrysler’s presence in the budget car market, which is especially important given the beginning of the Great Depression, when the country’s economy fell sharply. In 1929, the company entered the top three largest automobile concerns in the United States, competing with Ford and General Motors. However, financial difficulties befell the auto giants.

Having achieved a serious reduction in the cost of manufacturing cars, Chrysler was able to outsell all major competitors by 1933, thus becoming the largest automaker in the world. And in 1934, the Airalow model was introduced, which received the world’s first curved windshield and automatic transmission.

With Walter Chrysler always looking to invest in science, by 1939 the company was able to quickly switch to the production of military equipment, becoming the largest supplier to the US and British armies. Chrysler produced not only engines for aviation equipment, but also military trucks, Sherman M4 light armored tanks, equipment for B-29 attack aircraft and heavy weapons for bombers and fighters. The net profit received from military equipment amounted to billions of dollars. Due to financial well-being, in 1945-1947, Chrysler bought 11 new plants throughout the country. However, the founder of the concern did not see the success of his offspring – Walter Chrysler died in 1940, a year after the start of World War II.

Nevertheless, in an effort to produce the most technologically advanced cars, Chrysler did not have time to maintain high production rates, losing the palm to General Motors. In 1951, the first Chrysler car was introduced, which received power steering, and all models of the company began to be equipped without fail with an ignition key. In the same year, the Chrysler Hamie V8 power unit was developed, but the engine was used only to create the next generation of sports engines. The power unit under the Chrysler 426 Hemi brand, with a capacity of 400 horsepower, brought victory to Chrysler cars in many international competitions, and in 1963 it was installed on the Chrysler Turbine. As the name implies, the main feature of the car was a turbocharged engine, which already developed more than 500 horsepower. However, the developments attracted the attention of the US government, all work on the engine was curtailed and transferred to the government, which classified all further research.

The sixties of the twentieth century marked the appearance of the first crisis conditions within the Chrysler company, which were caused by miscalculations in the management. Gradually, the crisis spread to the technological component of production, which negatively affected the quality and reliability of all manufactured cars. However, this did not prevent the company from becoming a top seller again in 1972 and 1973.

The next crisis time came in 1979, when the release of new models decreased significantly, and the company suffered serious losses. As a result, Chrysler was threatened with bankruptcy, but the US government took the side of the automaker, which provided substantial subsidies to the main supplier of the army. In 1983, in collaboration with the Japanese Mitsubishi, the first Chrysler minibuses were introduced. The economic situation of the concern gradually improved, and in 1987 a high-profile deal was made to acquire the Italian company Lamborghini, which specializes in the creation of sports cars. In the same year, the shares of American Motors were bought out, such well-known brands as Eagle and Jeep passed under the control of Chrysler.

However, two years later, in 1989, another crisis left Chrysler again with a broken trough, market share fell to a record low, and the company suffered huge losses. Attempts to improve car maintenance did not help either; since 1990, all cars of the concern received a seven-year warranty.

The completed construction of a new technology center, which was opened in 1992, allowed the company to dramatically increase the competitiveness of its vehicles. However, five years later, after the colossal losses of Chrysler, the merger of the American company with the German Daimler was announced. Years of cooperation with the German auto giant paid big dividends. Models such as the Jeep Cherokee and Dodge Viper, Chrysler 300 were presented. The company began to increase its presence in auto racing competitions. However, the alliance with Daimler quickly fell apart, and in 2008 the company declared itself bankrupt. Chrysler shares were bought out by the US government, Canada and the Italian concern FIAT, which kept the automaker. In 2011, Chrysler began to re-increase its production and is now on an equal footing with two other American giants – Ford and General Motors.

From 2011 to 2014, the company actively produced the Chrysler 200 Convertible, a convertible model. This is a car with a capacity of 173 horsepower (depending on the modification, it can be paired with a four- or six-speed automatic transmission), as well as a 283-horsepower 3.6-liter six-cylinder unit of the Pentastar family.

In 2014, the Chrysler 200 model, a class “D” sedan, entered the market. The Chrysler 200 is longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, although the axle spacing has been reduced. All this has a significant impact on aerodynamics.

In 2015, the Chrysler 300 is produced – a class “E” sedan with rear or all-wheel drive – an improved version of its predecessor. Completely revised instrument panel with a large central display. The model is characterized by a new steering wheel design and a redesigned climate control unit.