Chrysler boss affirms comeback

"The Chrysler Group is coming back to Taiwan," Tom LaSorda, chief executive of the Chrysler Group, told a media gathering in Taipei yesterday.

Entering his third week as president and CEO of the group, Tom LaSorda was in Taiwan yesterday to reiterate his commitment to the local market and discuss the automaker's aims to make a comeback with the upcoming launch of a minivan.

He said that Chrysler's collaboration with China Motor Corp (中華汽車), the nation's No. 2 automaker, on the "Town & Country" minivan model will cater to local demand, as synergizing with domestic automakers will be the key to beefing up their local presence.

After taking up the new positions on Sept. 1, LaSorda embarked on an Asian tour of various markets, making Taiwan his first stop.

He paid a visit to China Motor's minivan production plant in Yangmei (楊梅) Township in Taoyuan County yesterday morning to check on the first minivan prototype, and met Kenneth Yan (嚴凱泰), chairman of the Yulon Group and vice chairman of China Motor Corp, to discuss the progress in the local market as well as possible partnerships in China.

LaSorda, who left for China yesterday evening, refused to offer details on upcoming plans across the Taiwan Strait.

China Motor's connection with DaimlerChrysler began in 2003 through a three-way joint venture with Fujian Motor Industry Corp, in which the company agreed to start producing and distributing Mercedes-Benz vans by the end of this year.

"The fact that Tom chose to visit Taiwan and China Motor so early in his new role as CEO of the Chrysler Group underscores the importance of Chrysler's plans in Taiwan, and the expansion of the cooperation between China Motor and DaimlerChrysler," Yan said in a statement.

Last December, the German-US automobile giant granted China Motor permission to assemble the 3.3-liter Town & Country minivan in Taiwan, which is expected to roll off production lines early next year and hit the local market in April, China Motor spokesman Hsu Li-min (許利民) said.

Hsu added that shipments of the minivan will be around 5,000 to 6,000 units in the first year. The price tag will reportedly be less than NT$1 million, which is below the price of imported models, which sell for about NT$1.4 million.

According to LaSorda, Chrysler has plans to launch 10 new models for international markets next year, which will make it the biggest launch year in the company's history.

"I believe there is tremendous potential to grow the brands of the Chrysler Group in Taiwan," he said, adding that the group is continuing to look for opportunities to make eye-catching models available locally.

Meanwhile, Chrysler Group Sales Taiwan Ltd, a joint venture between China Motor and DaimlerChrysler Taiwan Ltd, is expected to expand Chrysler retail outlets from 11 to 33 within the next two years.

With paid-in capital of NT$1 billion, the venture will start operations next month and is 51-percent owned by DaimlerChrysler Taiwan. China Motor owns the remaining 49 percent.