Improved quality helps boost Chrysler Mid East performance

Glorius, the Vice President and Director of the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands in the Middle East, said that internationally-benchmarked quality is now firmly at the forefront of DaimlerChrysler's long-term sales strategy.

"When I joined Chrysler in 1987, Japanese manufacturers were setting the quality yardstick," said Glorius. "We have had to catch up but we now compare very favourably with the top international car brands, and in some cases are well ahead."

Middle East Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sales from January to September 2001 increased by 12 % compared to last year helped by buoyant August year-on-year results which were up 14 %.

"With customer confidence in our products increasing I am extremely confident of achieving our 30 % increase target by the end of this year in what are traditionally the strongest sales months," Glorius added. "There is no doubt that our internationally-acclaimed quality standards should postitively impact results.

"It's not just Chrysler that is trumpeting our quality success story, independent worldwide experts are singing our praises and their independent survey results prove it," he added.

Briefing Middle East journalists in Dubai today, Glorius demonstrated that surveys and automotive trade magazines are increasingly praising Chrysler products for quality, performance and value.

These include an independently-funded report from JD Power and Associates, the industry assessor for automotive quality, which publishes industry opinion studies.

In its 'Initial Quality Study,' JD Power surveyed over 54,000 owners of U.S., Japanese and European vehicles and ranked the vehicles on the number of faults over the first three months of ownership.

"In this 'Oscars' of surveys, our second-generation Chrysler Concorde won the full-size segment, an important segment for this region's Arab families. And the Chrysler LHS luxury sedan tied with the BMW 3 Series to finish third in the Entry Luxury Category," explained Glorius.

He added that Chrysler has also received JD Power recognition for its 'icons' such as the Jeep Wrangler, which finished second in the Entry SUV category and the best-selling Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was nipped to the wire in the Mid-Size SUV category.

The survey also noted an 18 % rise in Jeep brand quality and gave Chrysler production plants a 'better than average' ranking for quality.

"Chrysler was one of only six manufacturers to have a minimum of half its products ranked above segment averages," added Glorius. "This means we are now keeping company with firms like Porsche and Saab as well as a few of the leading Japanese brands."

An 'ownership satisfaction' survey from independent automotive industry commentator Strategic Vision gave top marks to four Chrysler vehicles: the multi-award-winning Minivan; the luxurious LHS; the segment-busting PT Cruiser and the rugged Dodge Dakota pick-up.

With four wins, DaimlerChrysler was also the only American manufacturer to win top places and was second only to Toyota, which had six wins.

"Other quality proof points came from Consumer Reports, America's leading consumer protection magazine, which rated 78% of our vehicles as 'good' or 'very good' with the top-of-the-range 300M sports sedan receiving a 'Recommended' rating," said Glorius.

Chrysler vehicles also finished first and second in a satisfaction survey carried out by AutoPacific, America's leading marketing and product consultancy for the automotive industry.

"The 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee narrowly beat our own Dodge Durango into second spot in the mid-size sports utility 'Best in Class' award leaving many well-known Japanese and American SUVs trailing in its wake," revealed Glorius.

"The world's leading automotive magazines are also giving us top awards," Glorius added. "Magazines like Four-Wheel and Off-Road, America's leading 4x4 publication, voted the Jeep Grand Cherokee as its '2001 4x4 of the Year' and the American Automobile Association's magazine reported that the Chrysler Sebring, the PT Cruiser and Minivan were their 'top-tipped buys' offering the best combination of performance, design, quality and value in their segments."

In the Middle East, the Chrysler Grand Voyager recently won the 'Minivan of the Year' award for the fifth consecutive year at LBC /Sport Auto magazine's infuential 'Car of the Year' awards following a poll of nearly 30,000 readers of leading regional newspapers and magazines.

"In what is increasingly becoming a competitive segment, the seven-seater Grand Voyage continues to set the standard in this region for versatility and luxury," said Glorius.

Glorius revealed that the continuing success of DaimlerChrysler was based on the combination of three key dynamics within the company.

"The merger between Chrysler and Mercedes Benz has given us unparalleled access to the technological expertise of Mercedes Benz. But this has been a two-way street with both companies now having the potential to share technology and improve quality at all levels.

"The Chrysler Group has been at the forefront of product design for years. Future products will embrace advanced design and manufacturing principals as shown with the PT Cruiser, while striving for new levels in overall quality and refinement.

"And finally, continued synergies will also drive down costs in the Chrysler Group, Mercedes Benz and Mitsubishi, but not at the cost of quality."

Glorius revealed that some of these synergies included the new
US $ 1.2 billion Jeep Cherokee plant in Ohio, which was started before the merger between Chrysler and Mercedes Benz.

"By incorporating some world-calls Mercedes Benz production techniques, the factory sets a new standard for American-produced vehicles. During each section of production, vehicles are error-proofed to ensure top quality. We've just raised the bar.

"You will not have to wait long for the all-new Jeep Cherokee. It's not just for traditional Jeep owners. It is also for a new generation of Jeep buyers who want a combination of on-road refinement and off-road ruggedness. True to the 60-year heritage and reputation of the Jeep brand, the new Cherokee is a 'can do' vehicle that stands far apart from the new generation of less capable 'make do' 4x4s on the market.

"Once our customers test drive our current range of vehicles they will quickly realise that they are not the same as they were 10 to 15 years ago. Today, they stand proudly with the top marques in terms of performance, design and quality," said Glorius.

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