Chapters 22-23 Summary and Analysis

The K-car had been on the drawing board before Iacocca had arrived at Chrysler, and it is what they pinned their hopes for the future on. These cars were the Dodge Aries and the Chrysler Reliant. Other cars were built off the platform from these models, which is the standard practice in the auto industry today.

The launch of the K-cars wasn't as spectacular as Chrysler had hoped. They didn't produce enough basic models and had too many with luxuries and options, which added several thousand dollars to their price. The company quickly corrected these problems. The problem of high interest rates was not met with rebates. By early 1981, cars were selling well, but the company still had huge losses. Sales dropped further from the publicity on the third loan drawdown.

Chrysler considered the possibility of a merger with...