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Chrysler 300M Wins Award

16 November 1998

Petersen Publishing Names 1999 Chrysler 300M Motor Trend's 'Car of the Year' And 1999 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee 4-Wheel & Off-Road's '4x4 of the Year'

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Nov. 16 -- Chrysler Corporation today
announced that two of its all-new vehicles have won two of the most
prestigious awards in the automotive industry.
    The Chrysler 300M was named Motor Trend magazine's "1999 Car of the Year",
while the 1999 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee was awarded Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-
Road "4x4 of the Year."
    "This is spectacular news," said Martin R. Levine, General Manager
Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep Division.  "We are thrilled to mark 1999 as the first
time Chrysler Corporation received both Petersen awards in the same year."
This is the ninth time for a Chrysler Corporation vehicle to be named Motor
Trend's "Car of the Year" and the seventh time for a Jeep vehicle to be
awarded Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road "4x4 of the Year" -- more than any other
manufacturer.  In fact, Jeep vehicles have won for the last four years
running.
    "These two highly respected and widely read publications are as different
in their mission and personality as the two vehicles they have honored, and
yet we can't help but recognize that the two awards together underscore the
brand distinction we have made in our entire product line-up," added Levine.
    Editors from Motor Trend magazine considered all-new or significantly
changed 1999-model year cars and minivans, weighing factors such as
technological advancement, value, performance, overall impact on the
automotive market, and how successfully each meets its class objectives.
From an intensely focused process that involves weeks of driving on a variety
of roads, exhaustive track testing, and plenty of time to get familiar with
the models in the competition, the Motor Trend editors choose one vehicle as
the most significant new car of the year.
    "This year, the all-new, stunningly styled, fun-to-drive, value-priced
1999 Chrysler 300M was the overwhelming winner," said Motor Trend's editor
C. Van Tune.  "The 300M is one of the freshest statements to come out of
Detroit in years.  It is a solid testament that America really can build a
machine that masterfully blends performance, luxury, styling and value into a
five-passenger sedan.  We are proud to commemorate our 50th year as an
integral part of the American automotive scene by naming the Chrysler 300M as
Motor Trend '1999 Car of the Year'."
    The 4-Wheel & Off-Road competition is open to all four-wheel drive
vehicles with significant updates and performance differences from the
previous year.  The vehicles were tested for a full month, both in various on-
road conditions and severe off-road use.
    "The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee rose above some extremely tough
competition," said Cole Quinnell, 4-Wheel & Off-Road editor.  "Whether it is
on-road performance and handling, or capability in treacherous off-road
terrain, the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee masters it all.  We were very impressed
how this vehicle combines a true car-like on-road feel with the off-road
capability of every Jeep vehicle.  The Grand Cherokee is still king of the
hill."
    In its inaugural model year, Jeep Grand Cherokee first won the 1993
4-Wheel & Off-Road competition, a second time in 1996 after its first
substantial redesign, and again in 1998 with the high-performance Grand
Cherokee 5.9 Limited.