Chrysler is Chrysler no more. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the Netherlands-based parent company of what was Chrysler Group LLC, said today that it has changed the name of its U.S. affiliate from Chrysler Group to FCA US LLC. The change is effective immediately.
The parent company also said Italy's Fiat Group Automobiles SpA has changed its name to FCA Italy SpA.
The letter-only new name removes the name of Walter P. Chrysler from the company he founded in 1925 for the first time in its history.
In a statement, the automaker said the name change “does not affect the company's headquarters location in Auburn Hills, Michigan, its holdings, management team, board or brands.”
The statement also noted that FCA US LLC “remains proud of its joint heritage” and that the company “continues to build upon the solid foundations first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 as well as a rich Fiat heritage that dates from 1899.”
The corporate name change doesn't affect the names of the company's U.S. automotive brands: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, or their marketing efforts.
In a commentary posted on the company's media website, Ed Garsten, FCA US's head of digital media, explained that the name change is “all part of the changes underway since our parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles [NV] came into being in October.”
Garsten continued: “When you think about it, when someone changes their name from Smith to Jones for personal or professional reasons, they're still the same person. The change just makes sense for them. In that vein, our commitment to quality, style, performance and service hasn't changed, we just have a new name to reflect our role in our new company, and that makes sense.”