In an apparent criticism of his predecessor Peter Lambert, who left the company last October, Elliott said the group had failed in the past two years to offer a cohesive model line-up or clearly define the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

He said the retro-styled Chrysler PT Cruiser was being dropped as part of a review of the existing model mix but would not disclose which other models could go.

At one point the company was selling 120 model derivatives in the UK. “I was fairly shocked at what I inherited,” said Elliott. “Dealers were not making enough money and we want to ease the burden of stocking charges and are going to take a significant knife to the range.” He suggested the UK arrival of Dodge had not been handled well. “We just imported some cars,” he said.

Elliott, who oversaw Chrysler's successful 1990's return to Britain , spearheaded by the Cherokee, said that despite the company posting poor financial figures since its de-merger from Mercedes his marketing budget had increased. He claimed that the latest Cherokee 4x4 was 'dynamically superior' to its predecessor, which failed to capitalise on the sales base enjoyed by the model in the 1990s. He also believed the Patriot would find a ready British market, and claimed the Grand Voyager would be popular as it occupied an almost unique market niche. Currently Chrysler's best selling model is the executive 300C.