Chrysler makes "size matters" pitch for new SUV

DETROIT, Oct 14, 2003; Reuters reported that the Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler AG (XETRA:DCXGn.DE - News; NYSE:DCX - News) is hoping that a bit of bathroom humor will help boost sales of its all-new Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle.

In a new TV ad, due to begin airing next month, two men standing at bathroom urinals will be heard talking about how "size" matters, according to Chrysler spokesman James Kenyon.

A third man, perplexed as he listens from a nearby bathroom stall, will be unaware of the fact that the talk was prompted by a poster of the 2004 Durango.

The new truck, which Chrysler is counting on for a sorely needed increase in U.S. sales, is seven inches longer, three inches taller and three inches wider than the model it replaces.

Chrysler has taken heat for racy ads in the past, including one suggesting that owners of its Concorde sedan favored its spacious back seat for sexual trysts.

But Kenyon said the new Durango ad, while possibly controversial for some, would not be shown during prime-time viewing hours and had already scored well in Chrysler consumer research.

"If we try to please everyone we would never put any ads on the television," Kenyon said.

"Primarily males," he added, when asked about the main target of the Durango ad. "Consumers interested in getting a look at the new SUV, our bigger and better handling SUV."