Milestones of Chryslers History - Research Paper Example

? It is valuable to that the motor industry forms one of the largest industries and competitive of all industries in the world that deal with manufacturing. However, this competition turned out to be disastrous to the once flourishing industry, and resulted into congestion that subsequently led to the consolidation of almost forty two automobile manufacturers to only 17 in a span of forty years (Schein, 2004). Chrysler cooperation has travelled through both good and bad in its long journey since 1925 when it was established. The latest change to occur to this company was when Daimler Benz Company decided to sell it to a personal firm. This decision came ten years after the two companies had tried to merge the two corporate cultures of Mercedes Benz and Chrysler, but to no avail (Yanik, 1995). According to Schein (2004) it is difficult to merge two companies of different cultures, but this difficulty is further enhanced when the companies to be merged come from diverse cultures as well as unlike geographical regions. History of Chrysler Chrysler Company is an American automobile organization that was founded in 1925. This is a point in time when Walter Chrysler decided to establish his namesake automobile company with foundation values of distinction in engineering and novelty. This company has its headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, with thirty three manufacturing facilities in four different countries that have employed workers exceeding fifty two thousand. The core values that were established by the founder have done a great deal of task in stirring the company towards the creation of firsts in both extraordinary numbers of sectors as well as innovations in engineering (Mueller, 2006). These core values have, in part, functioned to transform the motor industry to the current status. How the company started Walter Chrysler founded the Chrysler Company after the halting of Maxwell motor company that he had worked for a couple of years. Chrysler’s entry into this company was ill timed because the problems the company faced were beyond repair. In the head of operations position, Chrysler’s efforts did not turn out as expected as when he was called in at Willy’s Automobile Company to bring it to life owing to the same problem in which he succeeded. This is because his arrival at the company was delayed, for his skills were minimal for a company that was ailing from troubled operations. After the collapse of the company in 1923, Chrysler took over as the president, and launched the first vehicle ever after his name Chrysler Six B-70 (Yanik, 1995). This car was a cheap, and six cylinders automobile that could reach up to speed of 70mph. Later own, this car was to help in the establishment of the strength of Chrysler Brand in engineering. Given the fact that the company was no more in 1924, Chrysler resorted into launching of Chrysler Automobile Corporation in 1925 after the manufacture of his first automobile (Mueller, 2006). The assets of Maxwell Motor Corporation were, thus, absorbed into the new company, and this signaled the start of the long journey of Chrysler Corporation. The kind of cars sold Before the adoption of this company by Chrysler, the cars that used to be manufactured were known as 30 Touring, 30 Coupe and 30 Roadster both of which were very expensive cars of the timed. These were known as Chalmers cars, and without forgetting other brands such as Black, Brush Runabout, and Western’s Gale Model (Yanik, 1995). These cars had a wheel base of 115 inches with big wheels measuring to approximately 34 inches. However, Chryslers first brand Six B-70 was a six cylinder car that had been designed for customers such that they were affordable, and exhibited an advanced level of engineering. This original Chrysler that was launched in 1924 was characterized by a carburetor air filter as well as an oil filter, an engine that was highly compressed, and a full pressure engine (Adler, 2000). Chrysler Brands Sunbeam This is a small mini tailgate vehicle that has three doors, and it was manufactured by Chrysler Europe. The manufacture of this vehicle was rushed with the duration between conception and production lasting less than two and a half years. This model was based on the Avenger platform other than its own platform (Anonym, 2011). This was entirely because of a need to develop one of their own supermini models to compete with others in a field that was experiencing extreme competition. This development started in 1976, and was of a supermini class whose body style depicted a 3-door hatchback with an FR layout. It had a wheelbase of ninety five inches. Its length totals to 150inches with a width of 63 inches and a height of approximately 60inches. Plymouth The first production of Plymouth brand began in June 1928, and it lasted until 2001 when it was forced out of market. This is a low valued end of the market brand that result from the modification and improvement of the unique Chrysler of 1924. Even though, it had standard features, it sold at a higher price than its competition (Adler, 2000). The feature that made it extensive than the rest was the hydraulic brakes that expanded internally, a feature that its competitors were missing. Throughout its existence it was an expensive car, but its final years of 1970s were marked by its many different models that had overlapping features. This eventually led to the loss of its unique features and a subsequent removal from the market in 2001. Eagle This model was formed in 1987 after Chrysler bought the American Motors cooperation. It did not last in the market for long due to the 1980s financial difficulties of Chrysler Corporation and the changeover that had a great effect on the product recognition (Schein, 2004). This led to a drop in the sales for almost a decade that translated into its discontinuation in 1997 and its final bow in 1998 after the merger of Chrysler with Daimler. Dodge Brand In 1928, Chrysler adopted the Dodge Brothers Company which was an automobile and truck company. This subsequently led into the establishment of Dodge line of cars as well as trucks of the Fargo range. This seemed to be a bright move, for this division versus the Desoto brand were to develop into stiff competitors in the cooperate hierarchy nearing the end of the 1930s (Young, 2007). The first Dodge Company to be developed was K-Car. This was developed as a sport utility car that was just a foundation of a succession of high performance as well as styled models such as Daytona. Currently, this brand is used in the manufacture of vans and pickups too, in addition to, the Sport Utility cars. Jeep Brand It seemed that the incorporation of new brands was still a fashionable thing to Chrysler Company when it introduced a new brand known as the jeep in 1984. This jeep brand has a history to tell that is evidenced by many owners it has passed through to its present Chrysler Group LLC that now holds its trademark status. The jeeps have their distinctive grille design that has a 7-sloted front (Anonym, 2011). This brand is still in existence, and the Chrysler Group still uses it in the manufacture of jeep wranglers, Jeep Grand Cherokee and concept vehicles such as Jeep j8. RAM Brand This brand characterizes pickup tracks that range from light to middle weight, and were established in 2009. This brand was a result of the merger of Chrysler with Fiat which is an Italian automaker, and they have been made exclusively for real customers other than those who are buying it for style or image for that matter Anonym, 2011). They used the name of Dodge Ram line of pickups to sell, however, at the moment they are selling them under ram banner. Currently, the company boasts of a full line brand of Dodge with the Chrysler brand involved with the marketing of expensive cars. Moreover, the jeep brand functions to offer Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) with RAM offering small commercial vans as well as pickup trucks (Young, 2007). List of references Adler, D. (2000). Chrysler. Minneapolis, Motor Books International. Anonym (2011). Chrysler: Chrysler Building, Jeep, Dodge, American Motors, Overland Automobile, Eagle, History of Chrysler, Chrysler Valiant, Duisenberg. Memphis, General Books LLC. Mueller, M. (2006). Chrysler Muscle Cars: The Ultimate Guide. Krause Publications. Schein, E. (2004). Organization Culture and Leadership, 3rd edition. New York. Wiley Publishers. Yanik, A.J. (1995). The Birth of Chrysler Corporation and Its Engineering Legacy. Warendalle, PA. SAE. Young, T. (2007). Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth Muscle. Minneapolis, MBI Publishing Company. Read More