AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -

Most dealers and shoppers are familiar with the vehicle showroom — pristine, well-lit areas to show off nameplate’s newest models — but normally, these elements of the dealership stay put. That said, what if the showroom took off on wheels?

Chrysler Group has run with this idea and is hitting the road with its 2012 mobile showroom to visit employee, affinity partner and supplier sites over the next 19 weeks.

The traveling showroom will be touring the U.S. and features 16 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck, SRT and FIAT brand vehicles, officials noted, which are available for test drives at all the showroom’s stops.

"This extensive, cross-country tour offers great opportunities to test drive our all-new Dodge Dart and models from all of our brands," said Reid Bigland, president and chief executive officer – Dodge Brand and head of U.S. sales.

"We are bringing the showroom to you at your place of employment. Enjoy lunch, talk to our product and brand specialists, and most importantly, drive the models that make up our strongest product lineup ever,” he continued.

The lineup includes the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact car, the Fiat 500 Abarth and the Chrysler 300 Luxury Series.

The OEM has titles this mobile marketing event the "Chrysler Affiliate Rewards/Employee Advantage Road Tour.”

“This mobile marketing event is designed for thousands of employees who work for Chrysler Group, affiliated companies like Case New Holland, and suppliers like Republic Steel, in Canton, Ohio; Federal Mogul Corp., in Southfield, Mich., and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in Detroit,” the company explained.

Just last year, nearly 22,500 people participated, and 1,115 of them took a test drive, officials noted.

And on Monday, as the tour got underway, the showroom landed at the IAC Group in Southfield, Mich. And it will be on the road through late October.

Explaining the events in more detail, the company highlighted that the showroom will stop at a company’s headquarters for a half-day celebration where “employees eat lunch, take a test drive, talk to product specialists, learn about vehicle discount information and get their photo taken with a Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee that salutes the fun-loving past of Dodge muscle cars with its legendary 392 HEMI V-8.”

Moreover, the tour includes build-your-own-vehicle kiosks, brand immersion centers, Uconnect in-vehicle presentations, event giveaways and a daily grand prize.

“This year’s tour also features a lowered-floor Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan minivan demonstrating how Chrysler Group minivans are easily adaptable to meet the transportation requirements of special-needs drivers,” the company added.
 
DTAG Signs Long-Term Vehicle Supply Agreement With Chrysler Group

And in other news from the OEM released Monday, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. revealed that it signed a multi-year vehicle supply agreement with Chrysler Group.

The agreement will allow Dollar Thrifty to source a portion of its annual vehicle purchases through Chrysler Group’s 2015 program year, the companies noted.

"Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group and Chrysler Group have had a long and mutually successful history. We are pleased to secure a new, long-term vehicle supply agreement which will give us access to Chrysler Group’s very popular product offerings through the 2015 program year," said Scott Thompson, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group.

And Dollar Thrifty has similar relationships with other OEMs, as well.

Dollar Thrifty noted that it also has a long-term vehicle supply agreement in place with Ford Motor Company to source vehicles through program year 2013 and has historically sourced vehicles through a variety of other quality manufacturers, including General Motors, Nissan, Kia, Mitsubishi and Hyundai. 

For 2013, the Company reported two new supplier relationships, adding Mazda and Volkswagen products to its fleet.