Chrysler LLC Viability Plan Submitted Today to The U.S. Treasury Department

AUBURN HILLS - Chrysler LLC today submitted its viability plan to the U.S. Treasury Department, outlining the Company’s plans to: enhance its product lineup; complete its ongoing aggressive restructuring; and achieve cost reducing concessions from stakeholders. The Company’s plan is required to be finalized by March 31. The submission outlines significant progress towards meeting the terms of the U.S. Treasury Department’s loan agreement related to achieving competitive costs and increasing fuel economy.

“On behalf of the men and women of our extended family, we thank the Administration and the Congress for the opportunity to continue the process of requesting federal loans to assist Chrysler LLC in the restructuring necessary to achieve long-term viability,” Chrysler LLC Chairman and CEO Robert L. Nardelli said. “We fully understand the need to adapt to significantly reduced annual U.S. sales and to national concerns over energy security and climate change.

“We believe that Chrysler LLC will be viable based on the updated assumptions contained in this submission, and that an orderly restructuring outside of bankruptcy, together with the completion of our standalone viability plan, enhanced by a strategic alliance with Fiat, is the best option for Chrysler employees, our unions, dealers, suppliers and customers. Today, our people are eager to re-establish Chrysler as an iconic American company and, in the process, repay the U.S. government and taxpayers for their faith in our future. We believe the requested working capital loan is the least-costly alternative and will help provide an important stimulus to the U.S. economy and deliver positive results for American taxpayers. This plan will ensure the continued provision of health care and pension benefits to our active employees and retirees, while continuing to protect hundreds of thousands of middle class, quality American jobs at Chrysler, our dealer network and our suppliers.”

To help meet customer needs and increased federal fuel economy standards, Chrysler plans 24 vehicle launches in 48 months, and announced electric technology as a primary strategy for developing fuel-efficient, low emission vehicles, including an electric-drive vehicle in 2010. The viability plan shows compliance with current federal fuel economy requirements as set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Going forward, Chrysler supports the development of a uniform national standard that reflects the input of all constituents.

To reduce costs, UAW, dealers, suppliers and 2nd lien lenders’ concessions have been implemented or fundamentally agreed upon. The signed term sheets for the Labor Modifications and VEBA modifications fundamentally comply with the requirements set forth in the U.S. Treasury Loan and once realized would provide Chrysler with a work force cost structure that is competitive with the transplant automotive manufacturers.

Since Chrysler LLC’s original $7 billion submission, there has been an unprecedented decline in the automotive sector. The continued lack of available credit affects consumers and dealers, leading to reduced wholesale orders for Chrysler. Due to this continued lack of consumer credit, we are revising our Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) forecast in the plan submitted today, which is conservatively based and reflects the reality of a declining automotive industry. We are now projecting a SAAR level of 10.1 million units for this year, (which is a 40-year low for our industry) and an average SAAR level of 10.8 million units for 2009-2012. This is a reduction from our original December submission of 7.2 million units, or an average 1.8 million units annually during the four years. For Chrysler, this represents a sales decline of approximately 720,000 units, (or an average 180,000 units per year) assuming a 10 percent market share. For Chrysler, this results in approximately $18 billion in lost revenue and a $3.6 billion decline in cash inflows during the four years.

Based on this, we will require incremental financial support to continue our orderly and effective restructuring and are therefore now seeking an incremental $2 billion in addition to the remaining $3 billion that was within the scope of our original December 2 plan submission.

Chrysler LLC Viability Plan Highlights

Strategic Alliance
Chrysler has signed a non-binding agreement to pursue a strategic alliance with Fiat that represents significant strategic and financial benefits to stakeholders. The written and oral testimony Chrysler submitted to the U.S. House and Senate in 2008 stated the Company’s intent to seek the benefits of global partnerships and alliances. The proposed Fiat Alliance would enhance Chrysler’s viability plan and would provide the Company with access to competitive fuel-efficient vehicle platforms, distribution capabilities in key growth markets and substantial cost-saving opportunities.

Products
Chrysler’s product line is a key component