As Chrysler pulls the wraps of some new signage at the Chrysler world headquarters in Auburn Hills Michigan, employees are greeted to a First Day celebration on the front lawn by Tom LaSorda and new Chairman Bob Nardilli. That’s right, there is a new chief in town. In fact, there is a lot of new happenings at Chrysler these days as the automaker tries to reinvent itself under the new ownership of Cerebus Inc.

This morning’s festivities included vehicle displays and state of the union type speeches from LaSorda and Nardilli. Perhaps more important then the motivation of thousands of employees in attendance are the actual changes that have been announced.

First off, the brand is returning to it’s roots visual, by resurrecting the Pentastar that identified the company from 1962 until 9 years ago. The new Chrysler has a lot riding on the heritage of the old Chrysler and they are hoping this will bring on some fond memories from consumers.

It was announced yesterday that Nardilli, ex of Home Depot will take over as Chairman and CEO, while LaSorda will stay on board as Vice Chairman and President.

In keeping with the rebuilding the brand theme, a new ad campaign is being launched today. The New Chrysler: Get Ready for the Next Hundred Years ties in strongly with the recent news of a lifetime powertrain warranty.

These are obviously exciting days for anyone in the Chrysler world. There is little question that many consumers who might not have given Chrysler products a second glance will be making a trip to their local Chrysler showroom. With that warranty, why wouldn’t they?
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While GM struggles to retain it’s market share, they may have just pulled a big furry bunny out of a hat. Learning from Hyundai, The General has completely revamped their warranty coverage for all 2007 models.

The new plan includes 5 year/100,000 mile (that’s 160,000 km up here in canada) powertrain coverage that is fully transferable. They’ve also extended the roadside service and even included a courtesy car program. This will apply to all vehicles GM builds under all 8 brands.

This is a good plan, provided their quality is good enough to keep them from going broke. One thing is for certain, that courtesy car program is going to open some eyes among the Traditional Imports. Many of the Traditional Imports only cover a replacement car if the consumer has bought an extended warranty. Good call on that one Mr. Wagoner.

GM press release after the break.

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