Chrysler cutting prices in a new ad campaign

updated 11:01 a.m. ET Feb. 1, 2008

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Chrysler LLC said Friday it’s launching a new ad campaign that includes lower prices on 12 of its vehicles.

The campaign aims to cast the troubled automaker as a company that’s listening to consumers and responding with new features. In addition to the ad campaign, Chrysler plans to start an online customer advisory board in the next few months.

Advertising will start regionally with this Sunday’s Super Bowl and will be clustered around other events in February, including the Super Tuesday primaries, the Daytona 500 and the Academy Awards.

In addition, Chrysler lowered the prices of features such as entertainment systems and luxury packages on 12 vehicles starting Friday.

For example, the Chrysler 300 will now offer its Signature Series package, which includes 18-inch all-season tires, heated seats and side curtain air bags, for $2,580 instead of $4,330, and will throw in navigation, a MyGig multimedia center and two-tone trim seats for free.

The Dodge Grand Caravan SE will include Stow n’ Go seating at no cost for the first time, which Chrysler says is a $945 value. And buyers opting for the Chrysler Aspen Limited package will no longer be charged extra for a sun roof and rear parking assist camera.

“With all of the changes, we have the opportunity to really get back in step with the American public,” Chrysler Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Meyer said in a statement. “Our task is to challenge old perceptions and build a new image that is strong and relevant to today’s consumers.”

The automaker, which became a private company last summer when it was bought by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, is in the midst of a major restructuring. Quality problems are among the issues that have plagued the automaker in recent years.

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