Chrysler 2011 Annual Report Download - page 9

8
Letter from the Chairman
Dear Shareholders,
The results presented in this Annual Report are a source of great satisfaction. What has been
achieved during the year has strengthened the Group and opened up attractive prospects for
the future.
This is the first year that Fiat has been able to focus exclusively on the automobiles business
and, with the separation of the capital goods activities and the integration with Chrysler, we
made significant progress that was reflected immediately in our financial performance.
Revenues grew, trading profit doubled, net profit increased and net industrial debt decreased.
Improvements in these financial indicators are the most concrete evidence that the road
embarked on a few years ago is yielding the desired results. The difficulties registered in
Europe during the second half of the year – which are expected to continue throughout 2012
– didn’t cause us to alter our strategy, but rather they spurred us to continue implementation
of our plans with even greater conviction. Expanding our activities in major markets around the
world and increasing our competitiveness have been and will continue to be our central focus.
The management team, beginning with CEO Sergio Marchionne, is working diligently to
leverage opportunities for further growth. With the contribution of everyone at Fiat and the
support of my family, we will continue in pursuit of our principal objective: to create a company
that is a leader in the global automobile sector, oriented toward innovation, secure in its values
and dedicated to sustainable long-term development.
/s/ John Elkann
John Elkann
CHAIRMAN
Letters from
the Chairman
and the Chief
Executive Officer
“Revenues
grew, trading
profit doubled,
net profit
increased and
net industrial debt
decreased”