The history of Chrysler automobiles begins in 1912, when 41-year-old Walter P. Chrysler joined Buick Motors. And three years later, he was appointed president of the campaign. For seven years at Buick, Walter gained all the necessary skills to establish his blossoming automotive brand.
In 1921, Chrysler convinced the company’s management to hand over the enterprise to him. As Chairman of the Supervisory Board, he took over most of the firm and started building his own cars. Three years later, the Chrysler Six model was introduced to the world. The vehicle found almost 33,000 buyers, becoming a hit on the automotive market. In 1927, the company was renamed the Chrysler Corporation. That’s how everything has started.
Table of Contents
The First Chrysler’s Success
At the beginning of its business activity, the company produced cars for the mass market in large quantities. In 1936, the Walter P. Chrysler enterprise became the second-largest automobile manufacturer in the United States. Behind the brand’s success were not only cutting-edge technological solutions but also smart business decisions.
In 1928, the Plymouth brand from Chrysler entered the market, offering more affordable cars for less affluent Americans. In a few years, the company acquired two brands—Dodge and DeSoto. With this move, Chrysler made it clear that it was targeting the biggest giant, General Motors.
In 1934, the Airflow vehicle lineup appeared on the automotive market. Cars with this label were distinguished by an exceptionally modern style for those times. The body line emerged as a result of smart aerodynamic design solutions.
Despite its significant level of development, Walter Chrysler’s company remained in the shadow of Ford and General Motors until the 1960s, when the company introduced unibody cars with a special rigid frame to the automotive market.
The debut of the Barracuda model was a blow to competitors. In 1964, a new car class appeared on the market: pony vehicles. Automobiles of this type were supposed to be compact, stylish, and have sporting features. The first representative of the segment should have been the Ford Mustang, but the Barracuda configuration debuted two weeks earlier. Unfortunately, the plan to dominate the segment failed—the Barracuda lost the hearts of buyers to the Mustang.
Expansion of the Foreign Automotive Markets
In the 1960s, Chrysler attempted to enter the European market. The British Rootes Group was created for the British market. Later, the company began cooperating with the Simca brand in France, and in Spain with the Barrieros company (in 1969, Chrysler took full control of the company). However, none of these enterprises delivered the expected profits, forcing them to search for new opportunities.
However, the foreign adventure of the Chrysler brand didn’t end there. In the 1970s, the company began collaborating to produce Talbot vehicles. Chrysler opened a branch in Australia. The company’s history also includes cooperation with Mitsubishi. Again, the effects were far from what was expected.
Success on the foreign automotive market came only in the 1990s, when Jeep appeared in Europe. In 1987, the AMC brand was acquired by Chrysler, which was supposed to be responsible for the sale of SUVs. As a result, Jeep production began in Austria in the early 1990s. It worked this time. American cars with outstanding off-road qualities are ideally suited to the tastes of Europeans.
The Most Iconic Chrysler Models
What cars are Chrysler famous for? All models from the American manufacturer were great in their own way, but the following configurations have their names written down in history:
- The Chrysler Airflow was the first model ever tested in a wind tunnel, and its body had to show the lowest possible air resistance.
- The Chrysler Turbine Car is a model with a gas turbine engine. It was quiet, fast, and perfectly suited to the Americans of the 1950s and 1960s, who loved it.
- The Chrysler 300 is the mother of all muscle cars. In fact, it was a road-legal NASCAR racer equipped with every comfort to make your ride enjoyable. This model was equipped with a 355-hp V8 5.4-liter engine. Eventoday, suchvehicleperformanceparametersleaveanimpression.
- The Chrysler Voyager—speaking of the most interesting models of the American manufacturer, one cannot ignore the car that started the era of minivans. The mentioned vehicle is the first model of this type in the world. It was designed to combine small dimensions, as for the US automobile market, a functional interior, and an attractive price. All the goals were reached. The Voyager configuration is one of Chrysler’s most successful vehicles in terms of sales.
Despite its ups and downs, the brand remains strong in the automotive market and can be found on car auction in the USA, particularly in the premium car segment.
Conclusion
The modern Chrysler vehicles are a perfect solution for people who want to stand out in the crowd of mass-market and popular automobiles, which you can see every minute on the road. Furthermore, the Chrysler automobile brand has a rich and exciting development history that will be fascinating for every car enthusiast.
