Chrysler Group LLC's iconic aftermarket parts division turns 75 today. But it doesn't just belong to Chrysler anymore.
Since Italy's Fiat SpA took over the bankrupt automaker in 2009, Mopar has been transformed into a global brand that not only provides parts for Hemi-powered muscle cars and mud-splattered Jeeps, but also more refined Alfa Romeos and diminutive Fiats.
"When you have two companies coming together like Fiat and Chrysler, and you start having a significant sharing of platforms, components, processes and systems, that has a significant impact on the aftermarket sales business," says Pietro Gorlier, president of the Mopar division and the global head of parts, service and customer care for the Fiat-Chrysler group. "You need a single organization to manage the after-sales business in an integrated way. That is what Mopar is providing to the partnership."
CEO Sergio Marchionne decided to make Mopar the global parts brand for Fiat-Chrysler because it was already a well-known brand in its own right. And not just in the United States. Jeep enthusiasts, for example, had already established Mopar clubs around the world, from Sweden to Saudi Arabia.
Gorlier says his job is simply to build on the brand's legacy. Mopar's legacy dates back to 1937 when Chrysler trademarked the name — a contraction of "motor parts" — to market its proprietary antifreeze blend. From that humble beginning, Mopar expanded into a full-line replacement parts provider for the company's brands.
Mopar came into its own in the 1960s when it began marketing the performance parts that would help drive the American muscle car craze. The name became synonymous with burning rubber and beer bellies, but the party came to an end with the advent of fuel economy standards in the 1980s.
Mopar shifted its attention to service before losing its way in the dark days before Chrysler's 2009 bankruptcy filing. "In the nightmare of all the problems the company had, the brand was sort of neglected," Gorlier acknowledges. "Everything was driven by the short-term view."
But Marchionne made resurrecting Mopar a top priority after Fiat took over in Auburn Hills. He elevated the division to the top level of the new global organization he forged out of the two automakers' disparate parts, making it co-equal with vehicle brands like Dodge and Fiat.
Today, Mopar's emphasis has shifted to customization. At a time when consumers embellish their cellphones with sequined cases and custom ring tones, Marchionne believes allowing motorists to do the same with their cars and trucks will give his company a competitive advantage.
So Mopar sells kits that allow Jeep owners to transform their Wranglers into pickups that bear a strong resemblance to the Tonka toys that many of them played with in their youth. It offers 150 different accessories for the new Dodge Dart alone and is providing similar support to Fiat's newest models.
"This is something we are exporting to the rest of the company," Gorlier says. "The future is definitely about the globalization of our activities."
Mopar already boasts more than 6,000 employees, 20 call centers and 50 parts distribution facilities worldwide. Together, they offer more than 500,000 different parts for 10 Fiat and Chrysler brands. Only Maserati and Ferrari provide their own parts. The rest are now packaged in the same blue-and-white boxes bearing the Mopar logo and the phrase "genuine parts" in 28 different languages.
"Mopar is a unique case in the automotive industry," Gorlier says, noting that no other automaker has a global parts brand like it. It is making money, too. Gorlier will not say how much, but he will say this: "If I'm still here after three years, we must be delivering some good results."
BY BRYCE G. HOFFMAN
From The Detroit News:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120831/AUTO0101/208310339#ixzz257dwmnaU
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