CHRYSLER: DEALER COMMUNICATION GETS A TUNE-UP

Genesis Project: Consolidating brands

February 10, 2008—Chrysler dealers were upbeat after their make meeting, especially about Chrysler LLC vice-chairman and co-president Jim Press’s ability to listen to dealers and involve them in every step of the effort to bring Chrysler back to prosperity. “It was totally different from Daimler,” said Woodville, Ohio, dealer Michael Rouen. “Press speaks to us as a partner.”

Press addressed the Genesis Project, which he had already described as going beyond consolidation of dealerships in metro areas as three-brand stores (Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep) to the trimming of brand lineups to eliminate badge engineering and overlap; only dealers carrying all three brands will actually have a full vehicle lineup. Rouen, who has all three Chrysler LLC brands, said, “Genesis makes a lot of sense. It will allow us to have something for a family of customers [without duplication].”

Monroe, N.Y., dealer Marc Treiber, who also carries all three brands, said, “[Chrysler] seems to be doing all the right things; [it] has to make hard decisions.” Treiber also considered the meeting upbeat. The company is in for the long haul, he said, but “who knows what tomorrow is? It is going to be a challenging couple of years.”