Big week ahead for Chrysler

Chrysler’s international management includes (l. to r.): CEO Sergio Marchionne, who holds dual Italian and Canadian citizenship, Parisian Olivier Francois, CEO of Chrysler Brand, and Italian Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Mopar brand. Photos courtesy of Chrysler Group LLC.

This is the week for which Chrysler fans and company watchers have been waiting. Tomorrow, Chrysler reports October light vehicle sales and Wednesday, CEO Sergio Marchionne will host a six-hour briefing outlining his plans for Chrysler through 2015.

A panel of auto analysts polled by Bloomberg News predicted Chrysler sales would be down an average of 29 percent. Individual forecasts ranged from a 27 percent drop foreseen by Christopher Ceraso of Credit Suisse to a 34 percent plunge envisioned by Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds.com, which is currently engaged in a dispute of over the auto site’s botched call on the “Cash for Clunkers” program.

The five-year plan will cover product changes, resource adjustments and the integration of Fiat technology into Chrysler’s product line and production methods. Early reports indicate the alliance is working much more smoothly than the early days of the Daimler-Chrysler “Merger of Equals.” Investment firm Morgan Stanley said that it expects Chrysler to post a positive 1.9 percent margin next year and hit a 4.8 percent EBIT margin by 2011.