- 'We will be the coolest cars on the road,' pledges Schroer -
-- Mopar is the Fourth Brand for Chrysler Group
-- Mopar Speedshop in Every Chrysler, Jeep(R) and Dodge Store
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Chrysler Group executives
turned out in force this week at the annual Specialty Equipment Market
Association (SEMA) automotive aftermarket industry trade show to scoff at the
idea that car culture is dead.
With more than 100 vehicles on display and more than 4,000 Chrysler,
Jeep(R) and Dodge dealers in attendance, the Chrysler Group laid out its goal
to be the first manufacturer to catch the next wave in automotive enthusiasm.
Coolest Vehicles On the Road
Chrysler Group, the 2002 Manufacturer of Show, used the event-opening SEMA
Innovations Day Luncheon to roll out its new product and aftermarket focus:
to make Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles the coolest and most aspirational
ones on the road.
Chrysler Group Executive Vice President - Global Sales, Marketing and
Service Jim Schroer highlighted three initiatives aimed at helping the company
meet that goal.
1. Hot factory custom niche vehicles designed in-house by Chrysler
Group's Performance Vehicle Operations. Examples include the Dodge SRT-4, Ram
SRT-10 and Viper SRT-10. More Dodge, as well as Chrysler and Jeep models will
follow
2. Work with top aftermarket customizers, like those displayed at the
SEMA Show, to increase preference for Chrysler Group vehicles as the best
choice for modifications
3. Enhance the visibility and availability of factory Mopar Performance
Parts and Accessories from Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers so that hands-on
customers can add their own personal touches
"We've got a three-pronged approach for developing aftermarket and
performance enthusiast interest in our cars and trucks," said Schroer. "One
way is cool -- or perhaps we should say 'sweet' for the benefit of the next
generation of buyers -- limited-edition vehicles we do ourselves, like the
three Dodge SRT vehicles. The second way is that there are some great
customizing companies out there that do the image vehicles for us for the
shows. And the third way is supporting performance enthusiasts with Mopar
parts that they can get at their dealer. And frankly, we'd like to build on
all three."
Mopar Announcement Prioritizes Fourth Brand
Chrysler Group used the 2002 SEMA Show to announce the important role that
Mopar, the company's parts and accessories brand, would play in creating
aspirational vehicles.
Mopar is moving back into the center of the performance parts spotlight
with the introduction of Mopar Speedshops, a concept for in-dealership
accessorization and customization stores.
Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brand dealerships will begin to display the "Look
of Pride" with appearance upgrades and a new designs for multi-branded vehicle
showcases. Mopar Speedshops will be a part of dealerships as a store-within-
a-store concept.
"One of the secrets to success is having the proudest looking stores,"
said Schroer. "One way to do that is to have some cool vehicles on display.
We'd like our dealers to put a Mopar Speedshop in their stores, stocked with
both Mopar Performance Parts and Mopar Accessories that people can use to
trick up vehicles.
"Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers already have the basic tools necessary
to become involved with the tuner trend," added Schroer. "Combining our
annual dealer show with our Manufacturer of Show presence at SEMA allows us to
demonstrate just how they need to go about catching this next wave. In the
end, it will be profitable for them, profitable for Mopar, and we end up with
a lot more cars out on the road that people aspire to. And that in turn helps
us in the business of selling cars and trucks. The whole thing fits together.
We're very excited about it. Hopefully, we'll deliver something back to the
show by being a manufacturer that fuels even more interest in tricking
vehicles up through the aftermarket -- and that helps SEMA members.
"We want to further enhance the lines of both performance parts and
accessories under Mopar," said Christine Cortez, Chrysler Group Senior Vice
President - Service and Parts. "We want to make it easy for customizers and
enthusiasts to buy parts -- both performance and accessories -- from Mopar and
personalize their vehicles their way. This will also be a great program for
our dealers, pulling people into their stores to hang around and see what's
new."
"We'd love to have customized vehicles on dealer showroom floors to draw
customer traffic. Seeing all the tricked-up vehicles at the show, I think our
more progressive dealers will say, 'Wow, I should do some of this stuff in my
showroom.' They'll leave the show charged up to help us build our business in
ways even they haven't thought of before."
Catching the Next Wave
"We're catching the next wave," said Schroer. "We're going after a new
generation of tuners and appealing to the compact performance market. Vehicle
personalization is hot, and Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are out to be the coolest
vehicles on the road."
Chrysler Group began working early in the year to encourage aftermarket
parts companies and customizers to push the envelope with the entire line of
Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products. They were challenged to create vehicles
that not only demonstrated speed and the traditional SEMA Show customization
projects, but also that connected the vehicles to a new generation of buyers.
Chrysler Group's newly re-named Vehicle Excitement Team (VXT, formerly
Image Team) helped the company funnel 40 cars, trucks, SUVs and even a minivan
to SEMA members to customize and display at this year's show.
The idea, Schroer adds, is to do things that connect Chrysler, Jeep and
Dodge vehicles to a new generation of buyers aged 12 to 25 years old.
"We want to be the company that connects to the next wave," added Schroer.
"Our new, unprecedented teaming of our marketing organization and product
development processes is an example of how Chrysler Group is structuring
itself to best identify consumer needs and lead availability of supplying the
best automotive products.
"What you're going to see, for example, are a lot of tricked-up four-
cylinder engines," said Schroer. "We really challenged our VXT people to be
very flexible and find new ways to work with the aftermarket. You're going to
see some pretty interesting things here that are going after the next wave,
the next generation of buyers."
SOURCE Chrysler Group
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