No New Youth Oriented Brand for Chrysler's Future?
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| Toyota's Scion brand has been created to target a new generation of buyers. Chrysler Group will not be creating a separate brand to attract this market, at least not from scratch (2003 Scion xB shown). |
Toyota's unorthodox answer to the need to attract a new younger generation of buyers has been the launch of Scion, an entirely separate car division. It's creating quite a buzz in the auto industry, much like Japan's largest automaker did over a decade ago when it unveiled the Lexus brand and concurrently revolutionized the luxury car market.
Chrysler Group hopes to win over more youthful buyers too, but don't look for America's number three to follow in Toyota's footsteps and launch a distinct youth-oriented brand.
"It's not about creating new brands. It's about staying relevant with the brands we have," Chrysler Group CEO Dieter Zetsche said.
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| Fortunately DaimlerChrysler doesn't have to create a bargain-priced small car division to attract the next generation of young adults, it already owns European subcompact startup Smart. According to Chrysler Group CEO Dieter Zetsche, it's coming to North America in the next couple of years (Smart Roadster concept shown). |
Expect both Dodge and Jeep to take aim at the newest 'millennial' generation - one down from generation X - while the group's Chrysler brand will continue to target 30 year-olds and older, according to marketing chief Jim Schroer.
While the Chrysler Group won't be adding new brands, especially after just killing its Plymouth nameplate, it will bring Europe's Smart division to North America within the next two years, confirmed by Zetsche. That said which DaimlerChrysler retail outlets will sell the tiny subcompacts is not being announced just yet.