DaimlerChrysler Canada Adds Employee Scholarship Program to Employee Pricing Incentive

Like the execs in Auburn Hills, DaimlerChrysler Canadas Windsor, Ontario office across the river is thrilled with the reaction of new car buyers to its Employee Pricing Plus promotion, a preemptive reaction to a similar initiative launched by General Motors U.S. division in June. While the self proclaimed "minivan company" - a designation the automaker may want to change to "muscle car company" due to its successful HEMI-powered lineup - was first to offer employee pricing in Canada, GM and Ford followed suit shortly thereafter and the race for new buyers has taken on an unprecedented pace.

But the Employee Pricing Plus promotion,on either side of the 49th parallel, is only one small step by an automaker which has recently been making giant strides in new customer conquest sales and retaining the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep owners it currently has.

"We see an industry that has been very volatile, I dont know if this is going to make it any less volatile, but we fasten our seatbelts, we bring our best products to the market and say to our customers, bring it on," commented Mark Norman, DaimlerChrysler Canadas young, enthusiastic President and CEO.

And who could knock Norman for his willingness to be bold about Chrysler Groups prospects. He currently has the most exciting product lineup in the history of the three brands he oversees, and some would argue, in the North American automotive industry at large.

But among clear home run products such as Chryslers 300 and Dodges Durango, Ram and expectedly, Charger, there are a number of models that, while still competitive in their various niches, hardly offer as much appeal and therefore, as much traffic to dealer showrooms.

With these models in mind, the Employee Pricing Plus promotion has taken care of reducing the 2005 stock, and to keep the momentum going DaimlerChrysler Canada has enhanced the offer with a unique scholarship program that should be intriguing for parents and students alike who are faced with stiff tuition fees prior to the 2005/2006 school year.

Currently, within DaimlerChrysler Canadas employee benefits program,

workers are eligible to win one of twelve $4,000 CDN scholarships each August/September. The Windsor, Ontario-based automaker has

therefore extended this program to include its customers, as part of its Employee Pricing Plus promotion.

"Chrysler Group has thrown an interesting twist into its Employee Pricing program," Norman added.

Indeed it has. The addition of the employee scholarship program, a cash award dubbed DaimlerChrysler Canada Employee Scholarship Plus and designed to help those preparing to pay for tuition or school supplies, not only enhances the salability of Chrysler Groups products, but allows DCX some highly visible goodwill within the community.

"Parents spend hundreds of dollars annually getting each of their children ready for the new academic year with back-to-school supplies and tuition," commented Mike Accavitti, Vice President, Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Canada. "Thats why, for a limited time before school starts, DaimlerChrysler Canadas Employee Scholarship Plus program will give consumers an opportunity to take advantage of one more employee perk without necessarily having to put in the long hours that go with the job. This promotion is just as clear and simple as the DaimlerChrysler Employee Pricing Plus that it stems from."

As Accavitti says, the short-term program will be final before the school year starts. While it began August 1, it will finalize September 6, 2005, prior to the doors opening in schools across the country.

Therefore, in addition to the DaimlerChrysler Employee Pricing Plus program, which can save consumers up to $5,500 CDN when purchasing most 2005 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge vehicles, now theres a chance to reduce the price of tuition by $4,000 CDN too.

And even before scholarship winners are to be announced, those who have taken part in the Employee Pricing Plus promotion so far, by purchasing a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep product, were invited to their local dealerships for an Employee Appreciation Day, a celebration that lasted from Thursday August 25th through to Saturday, the 27th, in all provinces but Quebec. Quebec will be able to take part in DaimlerChrysler Canadas celebration from today, August 29th, until Wednesday, August 31st. Of course, the Employee Appreciation Days are open to all new and used car shoppers.

"Our dealership employee appreciation events are all about pride at DaimlerChrysler.  We are proud of our people, we are proud that we have the strongest product lineup in our history and we are proud of our strong presence in Canada," commented Norman. "We want our customers and dealers to share in that pride."

While employee discount programs have been under some scrutiny from the automotive press for only moderate increases in conquest sales and the question of how such strong immediate demand may parasitically affect future sales, Chrysler Group, with its arsenal of competitive new products, may fare better than its domestic rivals at the end of the day. This is true on both sides of the border, but a scholarship program available to American students might be a good way for Chrysler Group to hedge its bets.