Platform teams at Chrysler Group

Robert Lutz, at the time of writing a General Motors Vice Chairman, describes the motivation of platform teams at his prior employer, Chrysler Corporation before a merger made it DaimlerChrysler. The formation of these teams is often cited as the centerpiece of a Chrysler, now Chrysler Group, turnaround from a weak to a strong competitive position. 

In the automotive business, platform refers to a family of related products or principal components. These are sold under well-known brand names such as Jeep, Chrysler, and Dodge. At Chrysler Group, there are platforms for several product categories, plus one platform oriented to a major component system. Table 16.5 lists the Chrysler Group platforms. 

Styling Decides what features the car will have 

Development of platforms at Chrysler was a response to a late-1980s downturn in business. It had become apparent that Chrysler s traditional stmcture was not speedy enough in producing new products for fastchanging automobile markets. In the traditional structure, each function made decisions for all the platforms. The functions include those shown in Table 16.6. 

Platform teams rose because competitors were winning the race to market with new and fresh designs. The old Chrysler had a once-size-fits-all process. How innovative could one department be in trying to serve a diverse range of brand names, each with its own goals and identity  

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