2^nd July, 2001

Two gold awards for design excellence

PT Cruiser and Jeep® Willys concept vehicle honoured
Chrysler Group was the only automotive manufacturer to drive home with coveted Gold Awards from the 2001 Industrial Design Excellence Awards competition, an annual competition co-sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and Business Week.

"It’s an honour to receive awards for the Chrysler PT Cruiser - a success story that we have on the road now - and the Jeep® Willys, a concept vehicle that we unveiled earlier this year," said Dieter Zetsche, president and CEO of Chrysler Group.

"We have a proud heritage of bringing concepts to reality and it’s gratifying for our company to be recognised for what we have in our dealerships now and for what could be available in the future."

A jury of 18 non-affiliated designers reviewed 1,260 entries during two and a half days of evaluation and debate. Only 44 designs received the Gold Awards, which are highlighted in the June 25 issue of Business Week.

"For sheer emotional appeal, the PT Cruiser from Chrysler Group is a grabber," wrote Business Week. "Its retro design from the 1940s makes for a crossover hot rod - one that has a sensible four-cylinder price and lots of interior space."

PT Cruiser has been called one of the most innovative vehicles produced by any automaker in recent history. To keep up with strong buyer demand, Chrysler recently announced plans to expand production capacity of the PT Cruiser in 2002 to 310,000 vehicles per year, up from the current capacity of 180,000 vehicles per year.

The 2001 Jeep Willys concept vehicle was also cited by the IDSA and Business Week.