FACTBOX - Five facts about Chrysler
(Reuters) - Chrysler, the No. 3 U.S. based automaker, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Thursday to complete a debt restructuring and help it cement an alliance with Italy's Fiat.
Chrysler, about 80 percent controlled by Cerberus Capital Management, has been operating with $4 billion (2.7 billion pounds) of emergency U.S. government loans since the beginning of 2009 under its second bailout. Under its first bailout in 1980, Chrysler received $1.5 billion of loan guarantees.
Walter P. Chrysler established Chrysler Corp in 1925 and three years later laid the cornerstone for the Chrysler Building in New York City. The Chrysler Building was for a short time the world's tallest building and is still unmistakable in the New York skyline.
Here are five facts about Chrysler, which is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
* OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE: Cerberus Capital Management acquired an 80.1 percent stake in Chrysler in 2007 from Daimler AG, which retained 19.9 percent. When finished with its current restructuring, Fiat will hold 20 percent equity in Chrysler, the United Auto Workers healthcare trust will hold 55 percent and the U.S. and Canadian governments will hold 10 percent.
* RESULTS: In 2008, Chrysler had an $8 billion loss, and
U.S. sales fell 30 percent to 1.45 million vehicles.
* BRANDS/KEY VEHICLES: Its brands are Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep, while key vehicles are the Dodge Ram pickup truck, Dodge Charger, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Caravan minivan, and Chrysler Town & Country minivan. It has 3,215 U.S. dealers.
* EMPLOYEES/RETIREES: Chrysler had about 54,000 employees in December 2008, including more than 40,000 hourly and 13,000 salaried. The hourly workforce includes 26,801 in the United States, 8,652 in Canada and 3,862 in Mexico. Continued...
Can I have one for Christmas?
The hottest toy in the U.S. this Christmas is an interactive hamster. It does not come from one of the major toy brands or from a movie but a small, seven-year-old company from Missouri. Full Coverage

UK
US