Mercedes 2006 Annual Report Download - page 103

Divisions |Chrysler Group |87
During 2006, shipments outside North America increased by
22% to 214,400 vehicles, with growth of 17% to 117,800 vehicles
in Western and Central Europe, the Chrysler Group’s biggest
overseas market. All Chrysler Group brands contributed to this
growth outside North America, including the Dodge brand
with sales of 39,300 units, up 57% from 2005. By the year 2010,
the Chrysler Group plans to nearly double its unit sales outside
North America.
To achieve this goal, the Chrysler Group is also pushing ahead
with activities in China. In 2006, DaimlerChrysler and Beijing
Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) opened a new
joint assembly plant, in which the Chrysler 300C as well as the
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class are built for the Chinese
market. And in April 2006, the Chrysler Group’s joint venture with
China Motors Company (CMC) began assembling minivans in
Taiwan. It plans to export a cargo van built by CMC in Taiwan to
Mexico as a Dodge vehicle. The Chrysler Group has also licensed
South EastMotors to manufacture minivans in Fouzhou, China.
Product offensive in 2006. The Chrysler Group launched
a record 10 new models in 2006 - the most launches in a single
year in its history.Dodge launched its compact five-door car
– the Dodge Caliber, as well as its first mid-size SUV – the Dodge
Nitro, and the newDodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab.
The expansion of the Jeep®brand portfolio continued with the
launch of the compact Jeep®Compass. This model aims to attract
additional groups of customers with its modern urban styling.
Other new models launched were the Grand Cherokee SRT8, the
newWrangler, the four-door Wrangler Unlimited and the Patriot,
which combines the legendary off-road capabilities of a Jeep®
with the handling and low fuel consumption of a compact vehicle.
The Chrysler brand launched the Aspen, its first full-size SUV,
while the new Chrysler Sebring is intended to strengthen
the Chrysler Group’s competitive position in the mid-size sedan
category. It combines attractive design, new customer-oriented
technology and safety equipment with performance and economy
at an attractive price.
Based on 2007 US Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy
ratings, four Chrysler Group models available with the new
four-cylinder World Engine feature estimated highway fuel
consumption of better than 30 miles per US gallon (8 liters per
100 kilometers): the Dodge Caliber, the Jeep®Compass, the
Jeep®Patriot and the Chrysler Sebring. Collectively, the Chrysler
Group’s 10 all-new vehicles, which open new segments and
address increasing concerns for fuel efficiency, will keep the aver-
age showroom age of Chrysler, Jeep®and Dodge vehicles
among the industry’s youngest, a metric which partly drives
market share and profitability.
Further quality improvements. Another key priority for
the Chrysler Group is to continuouslyimprove vehicle quality, and
further progress was achieved in this respect during 2006.
Internal measurements show that the quality of our vehicles is
better than ever before, a fact which is confirmed by external
quality studies: The Chrysler brand ranked in the top ten in the
2006 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. The Chrysler Town &
Country led the minivan segment and the Dodge Caravan placed
third. The quality of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Ram and Dodge
Dakota was also ranked above average.
All three Chrysler Group brands also made gains in the 2006
J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, showing that customer
perception of quality continues to improve as new vehicles
replace older models in the consumer fleet.
The four-door Jeep®Wrangler Unlimited is
the first Wrangler to offer seats for five
adults and a large loading space in combination
with best-in-class off-road ability and great
everyday utility.