Chrysler through the years

June 24, 2013 3:24 PM

After resigning from his post as first vice president of General Motors in 1920 because of a dispute with the company's chief executive, Walter P. Chrysler was hired to turn around both the Willys-Overland Co. and Maxwell Motor Company. One year later Chrysler became chairman of Maxwell-Chalmers Co. and in 1925 it was renamed the Chrysler Corporation. By 1929, the automaker had solidified its place as one of America's "Big Three," thanks largely to the purchase of Dodge Brothers, Inc. and the launch of the DeSoto and Plymouth brands.

Today, the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based company retains that position, although it is partly owned by Italian manufacturer Fiat S.p.A., which allied itself with Chrysler during the company's 2009 financial struggles and bought shares previously held by the U.S. Treasury in 2011.