Meyer Ready for New Chrysler Challenge

Washngton DC August 23, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that for the past two years, while she ran marketing for Toyota's Lexus division, there was one thing Deborah Wahl Meyer never had to worry about: the quality of the product.

But the 44-year-old Detroit-area native faces a much different challenge now that she is moving to Chrysler. Like its Detroit rivals GM and Ford Motor, Chrysler has improved in quality but is struggling to overcome consumer perceptions that its vehicles aren't as reliable as import brands.

Ms. Meyer told the Wall Street Journal she plans to "look at our customer needs, listen to our dealers, and work with the team to focus our marketing approach" in hopes of building up Chrysler's three brands. Her main challenge will be crafting a clear identity for the Chrysler brand.

The Jeep and Dodge nameplates, she says, "have a lot of strength and equity in the market." Ms. Meyer says one of the major lessons she learned at Toyota and Lexus was the importance of a solid partnership with dealers, and she sees that as a priority at Chrysler as well. "My job is to help make them profitable," she says. "Good things happen after that."