Chrysler Optimistic Despite Dismal Auto Show Presence

DETROIT, ,Jan. 14, 2010— -- For Chrysler Group LLC, the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the public this Saturday, could not have come at a worse time.

New products and positive publicity helped Chrysler's U.S. rivals, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, earn favorable reviews among analysts at the show.

Chrysler's appearance, on the other hand, was more of a car wreck, critics said during press previews this week.

Already reeling from its worst sales in 47 years, the bailed-out company came to the show with only one new car, and that was from Lancia, a division of Italian carmaker Fiat, which now owns 20 percent of Chrysler.

About the only other high point for Chrysler in Detroit this year was an electric version of the Fiat 500. A gasoline version of the popular European minicar will go on sale in Chrysler showrooms in the U.S. later this year.

Otherwise, Chrysler's exhibit on the convention floor is dramatically scaled back from previous years. It's even sharing space with a Masarati and a Ferrari, also part of the Fiat family.

The lack of new products, Chrysler said, was the reason they took the usual move of not holding a news conference. The company has said its new policy is not to show new cars until they are close to coming to the market. Auto insiders wondered about the company's health.

"Right now, there would be no reason to believe that the turnaround efforts are going to be successful for them based on what you saw at this show," said Karl Brauer, editor and chief of Edmunds.com. "They really needed to look more vibrant and look like they were in turnaround mode."

The show opened to the press Monday and Tuesday, but Chrysler had little to say. Despite repeated requests for an interview, Chrysler did not make anyone available to ABC News. The company cited scheduling conflicts.

In a public relations disaster, a scheduled question and answer session between television media and CEO Sergio Marchionne was canceled about 10 minutes before it was to begin. A producer for ABC station WXYZ-TV said the cancellation and lack of access during the first day of the show was "professionally discourteous."

New Leadership and Ownership for Chrysler

Fiat SpA chief executive Sergio Marchionne took over Chrysler in June when the company emerged from bankruptcy. Unlike GM, President Obama's automotive task force concluded that Chrysler's only chance at survival was with a partner.

As part of Marchionne's turnaround plan, Chrysler is to launch small cars designed by Fiat in 2011 and 2012. But with sales of Chrysler brands in the tank and the company burning through cash, there is concern the automaker could go under.