Menu
Industry

Chrysler 300 to Be Produced in Europe

By ,

Will Chrysler's All-American Powerhouse be as Popular Overseas as It Is Here?

It's no surprise to see that Chrysler's 300 luxury sedan is selling well in North America. It embodies unmistakable presence,

The 300 is much more than just a pretty face, it's controlled and refined to a degree that comes close to most high-end European sedans. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)
boasts American automotive values with its gleaming, upright chrome grille, acres of interior room and available HEMI V8 power. It's a real-live piece of 1960s American history, complete with a warranty.

But to the surprise of enthusiasts around the globe the 300 is much more than just a pretty face, it's controlled and refined to a degree that comes close to most high-end European sedans thanks in part shares componentry with the previous generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The demand for the 300, and its twin Dodge Magnum wagon, is so great that not only has DaimlerChrysler announced it will be adding a third shift at its home-base 'Chryco' assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, but that it will be contracting Austrian affiliate Magna Steyr to begin production in Europe.

Magna Steyr is a renowned coachwork company and third-party assembly firm for many American-designed, European-specification

Chrysler Group announced that it will add a single shift at its Graz, Austria facility in the second quarter of 2005 to build the 300 sedan and the European-only 300 Touring station wagon for European and Asian markets. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
vehicles. Magna's broad list of clients include DaimlerChrysler, having built Euro-spec versions of the Dodge Caravan, dubbed Chrysler overseas, and Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it also has contracts with BMW to produce its compact X3 SUV. Chrysler Group recently announced that it will contract Magna-Steyr to add a single shift at its Graz, Austria facility in the second quarter of 2005 to build the 300 sedan and the European-only 300 Touring station wagon for European and Asian markets. The Austrian facility will make the 300 sedan and Touring in left and right hand drive, as well as assemble the high-performance SRT-8 version, and a turbodiesel variant powered by a Mercedes-Benz sourced 2.7-liter CRD motor.