Chrysler dealers asked to buy more cars

In a closed-door meeting at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in New Orleans, Chrysler president Jim Press asked dealers to continue ordering vehicles.

In the kick-off to a nationwide tour of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealerships, Press and other company executives presented the case for Chrysler, sharing information about the viability plan the automaker will present to the federal government next month and discussing future products. Press told the assembled dealers that ordering the requested allocations, totaling about 78,000 vehicles, will be vital to the plan.

After the meeting, a number of dealers said Press got his message across and that they were far more upbeat about Chrysler’s prospects than they were before the presentation. Press received a standing ovation at the end of his speech.