Chrysler: 2003 Will Be A Tough Year

FRANKFURT, Dec 15, 2002; Reuters reported that Dieter Zetsche, head of the U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler, was quoted on Sunday as saying that tough market conditions in the United States were set to continue next year.

"We had expected that the next year will be a bit easier," Zetsche was quoted as saying by the Stuttgarter Zeitung. "Now, we are expecting that competition will stay very tough also next year."

The remarks came in an advance copy of an article due for publication on Monday.

Zetsche blamed high incentives offered by rivals GM and Ford for the tough market environment, saying Chrysler's incentives were lower.

He said the carmaker was not prepared to fight for market share at any price but that it expected its share of the U.S. market to grow next year from a current 13.2 percent.