Stellantis Continues The Dimming Of Chrysler’s Most Important Star

Stellantis Continues The Dimming Of Chrysler’s Most Important Star

Pentastar window at the top of FCA headquarters, Auburn Hills, Mich.



FCA

As someone who worked at three different iterations of the automaker over the course of 10 years and 11 months, I can tell you with great confidence that from the Chrysler side, holding on to its name and logo is of paramount importance. 

I arrived in 2005 while it was still the junior partner in the disaster then known as DaimlerChrysler AG. The logo during that time eliminated Chrysler's well-known Pentastar. That hurt. A saving grace was the logo was an integral part of the Chrysler headquarters building in suburban Detroit as it formed the shape of a giant window on its top floor. But the Pentastar was nowhere to be seen on company letterhead or sign. This was something that gnawed at longtime Chrysler employees who viewed the Pentastar as a symbol of the company's legacy. 

Things changed in 2007 when the Germans served divorce papers on their American spouse and the company was eventually sold to Cerberus Capital Management, which had no previous experience running a car company. But the upside was the Chrysler name would stand alone as