Auburn Hills, Mich. -- TOLEDO, OH – The Chrysler Group dedicated its Toledo North Assembly Plant (TNAP) today and celebrated the production launch of the all-new Jeep® Liberty produced there. Zetsche was joined by Ohio Governor Robert Taft, U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, about 2,000 Toledo Jeep employees and other company, union and community leaders. During the event Tom Sidlik, Executive Vice President for Procurement and Supply, and General Manager of Jeep Operations for the Chrysler Group, along with hundreds of employees presented Zetsche with the silver "Job One" Jeep Liberty – the first customer-level vehicle to roll off the production line. Zetsche "test drove" the vehicle on a virtual tour that included off-roading at Camp Jeep, a snack break and visits to all 15 Chrysler Group powertrain and component plants that support the Jeep Liberty. After the drive, Zetsche praised the high quality of the vehicle and declared that it was ready for customers. Shipments to dealers will begin this week. Toledo
North Assembly Plant At full production, TNAP will employ more than 2,100 team members, and has the capacity to produce approximately 800 units per day, or over 200,000 units annually on a two-shift operation. TNAP will produce right and left-hand-drive 2.4-liter, 3.7-liter and 2.5-liter diesel versions of the new Jeep Liberty for more than 90 countries.
"The production launch of the new Jeep Liberty at our new Toledo
North Assembly plant has set a benchmark for high quality," said
Gary Henson, Chrysler Group Executive Vice President – Manufacturing.
"As our newest assembly plant, 'New Toledo' is the culmination of
the latest manufacturing best-practices from our operations worldwide,
and like all our plants, it is a learning field for innovative processes.
We designed the facility to be flexible and lean, and we have 'error-proofed'
our processes to ensure top quality. It's also a great example of
incorporating new technology from our colleagues at Mercedes-Benz."
Chrysler Group Plants That Support Jeep Liberty
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"Today's
event celebrates the opening of this state-of-the art facility,
the high quality production launch of the new Jeep Liberty, and
the hard work and dedication of the entire Jeep team," said Dieter
Zetsche, Chrysler Group President and CEO. "The people, product
and plant that we celebrate today are great examples that will ensure
the success of this company. Our roots run deep in Toledo, the home
of the Jeep. Our partnership with the community and our suppliers,
and all the hard work of the launch team helped make today a reality."
After
building more than 1,200 pre-production vehicles to validate top
quality throughout the manufacturing process, the $1billion facility
is ramping up production of the all-new 2002 Jeep Liberty ahead
of schedule to prepare for a summer market launch. 