Changes in Chrysler Group Management

-- Jim Schroer is leaving to focus on new Marketing career -- Joe Eberhardt to head Sales, Marketing and Service organization -- Peter Rosenfeld is named Executive Vice President of Chrysler Group Procurement and Supply, as part of company's succession planning

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 30 -- The Chrysler Group today announced changes in the company's senior management. Jim Schroer, 51, who has been Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing and Service since February 2001, has informed the company that he will be leaving at the end of this month, in order to pursue a new career in a marketing intensive business. The company has named Joe Eberhardt, 39, to succeed Schroer as the head of the Chrysler Group Sales, Marketing and Service organization, effective June 1, 2003.

In addition, as part of its succession planning, the company made a further appointment, related to a previous announcement in January, concerning DaimlerChrysler Board of Management member Thomas W. Sidlik, who will assume responsibility for DaimlerChrysler's Global Procurement and Supply, succeeding Gary C. Valade, who will retire at the end of the year. In this connection, Peter M. Rosenfeld, 45, has been named Chrysler Group Executive Vice President for Procurement and Supply, effective December 16, 2003. Eberhardt and Rosenfeld will both be members of the Chrysler Group Executive Committee.

"I am proud to have been a part of the terrific team that has been transforming the Chrysler Group these past two and one-half years," said Schroer. "It has been very gratifying to work with a Sales, Marketing and Service organization that is one of the best in the industry, and well equipped to take on the tough challenges ahead. This is the right decision for me to make at this time. There are other areas of the business world that also interest me, and I want the time and freedom to pursue them."

"Jim Schroer has made a key contribution to the dynamic direction we are taking with the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep(R) vehicle brands as well as with the Mopar parts name," said Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer.

"His talent and energy, along with his expertise in world-class marketing, have been very important in leading our professional Sales and Marketing team and dedicated dealer organization in critical times. On behalf of the company, I would like to thank Jim for his tireless efforts and commitment to the Chrysler Group. We wish him well in his new business endeavors."

Joe Eberhardt, 39, has been the President and CEO of all DaimlerChrysler U.K. operations (Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles, smart, Chrysler and Jeep, and Mitsubishi Canter) since October 1999. Under his leadership, DaimlerChrysler passenger vehicle unit sales in the United Kingdom have more than doubled in a stable market. Through industry leading retail network initiatives across all brands, dealer profitability has improved at the same time. Eberhardt had previously been in sales leadership positions at Mercedes-Benz in the United States for over ten years, including heading up that unit's entire Sales, Marketing and Service organization and running the Mercedes-Benz Manhattan dealerships in New York City for two years. During that 1988-99 period, Mercedes more than tripled its sales volume in America. He also led the product marketing and development area for the Mercedes-Benz passenger car business both in the United States and on a global basis.

Joe Eberhardt was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on August 26, 1963. He joined the company in 1982. He received his BA and MS degrees in Germany, and earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the respected New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business, in Manhattan, in 1992. His wife, Kate -- who is from Chestnut Ridge, New York -- is expecting their third child in June.

"The current competitive climate in our industry is more intense than it has ever been," said Zetsche, "and we do not expect it to get any easier. With his years of experience and proven track record for success in the auto industry in the United States and abroad, Joe Eberhardt is the right man to take on the challenge to profitably grow our business in this demanding environment. He knows the American vehicle market inside and out, and is a product guy through and through."

Peter Rosenfeld has been in charge of Chrysler Group Procurement since April 1999. He joined the company in 1982, and has held positions of increasing responsibility in the Procurement and Supply area for over twenty years. Rosenfeld, who was born in Los Angeles, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business from Georgetown University, in Washington, DC, in 1979, and his Master's degree in Finance from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, in 1982.