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Youth market sought as Chrysler seeks to pump up Mopar performance-parts brand
By DIANA T. KURYLKO | Automotive News
Chrysler group CEO Dieter Zetsche introduced Mopar Speed Shops to members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association last week.
LAS VEGAS - The Chrysler group moved to burnish the recognition factor of its Mopar aftermarket division here last week, designating it as a brand and urging dealers to use it to get back into the youth-oriented, performance-parts business.
Although Mopar retains an identity among owners of old Chrysler muscle cars, said Christine Cortez, vice president of global service and parts, it has little recognition among the young performance-oriented buyers portrayed in the hit movie The Fast and the Furious.
"It is the rallying cry of the muscle group, but we have not reached the Fast and Furious crowd, the XXX crowd, the youth and the new buying public," she said.
More than 3,000 dealers attending the Chrysler group's national dealer meeting here were shown the prototype for an in-showroom performance-parts operation.
To be called Mopar Speed Shops, they will stock such parts as turbo kits for the PT Cruiser and emphasize performance enhancements for current vehicles, not prior-generation ones, Cortez said.
"They are for today's vehicles, rather than our heritage," she said. "They include suspension parts and partnerships with exterior specialists to help fuel the passion of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge ownership."
The new shops, designed by Peter Arnell, creator of the Niketown and Donna Karan stores, should be in about 100 dealerships in 2003, she said.
Mopar also will be tied for the coming year to an Internet racing game called Nitto.com, where 1 million users are registered, said Cortez.
The attempted Mopar revival is tied to the launch of new vehicles from Chrysler's Performance Vehicle Operations, a unit that develops high performance models of production vehicles.
The unit will introduce a Neon-based SRT-4 late this year, followed by the Dodge Ram SRT-10 in 2003. Parts used on the high-performance vehicles will be sold through Mopar so owners can create their own versions of the Performance Vehicle Operations vehicles piece by piece.
By DIANA T. KURYLKO | Automotive News
Chrysler group CEO Dieter Zetsche introduced Mopar Speed Shops to members of the Specialty Equipment Market Association last week.
LAS VEGAS - The Chrysler group moved to burnish the recognition factor of its Mopar aftermarket division here last week, designating it as a brand and urging dealers to use it to get back into the youth-oriented, performance-parts business.
Although Mopar retains an identity among owners of old Chrysler muscle cars, said Christine Cortez, vice president of global service and parts, it has little recognition among the young performance-oriented buyers portrayed in the hit movie The Fast and the Furious.
"It is the rallying cry of the muscle group, but we have not reached the Fast and Furious crowd, the XXX crowd, the youth and the new buying public," she said.
More than 3,000 dealers attending the Chrysler group's national dealer meeting here were shown the prototype for an in-showroom performance-parts operation.
To be called Mopar Speed Shops, they will stock such parts as turbo kits for the PT Cruiser and emphasize performance enhancements for current vehicles, not prior-generation ones, Cortez said.
"They are for today's vehicles, rather than our heritage," she said. "They include suspension parts and partnerships with exterior specialists to help fuel the passion of Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge ownership."
The new shops, designed by Peter Arnell, creator of the Niketown and Donna Karan stores, should be in about 100 dealerships in 2003, she said.
Mopar also will be tied for the coming year to an Internet racing game called Nitto.com, where 1 million users are registered, said Cortez.
The attempted Mopar revival is tied to the launch of new vehicles from Chrysler's Performance Vehicle Operations, a unit that develops high performance models of production vehicles.
The unit will introduce a Neon-based SRT-4 late this year, followed by the Dodge Ram SRT-10 in 2003. Parts used on the high-performance vehicles will be sold through Mopar so owners can create their own versions of the Performance Vehicle Operations vehicles piece by piece.
