‘Brands are king’ is the credo for Chrysler engineering

Senior VP of Engineering Mark Chernoby reveals what makes his revitalized team so effective, why it's unique-and what's missing in its connection with Fiat.

Is the engineering department at an automaker basically a bunch of engineers doing math and physics for a common employer? Or are they in some metaphysical way “Chrysler engineers,” “Volkswagen engineers,” “Toyota engineers,” etc.?

To get to the heart of what it means to be an engineer at a particular automaker, AEI turned to Chrysler, host of the SAE 2013 World Congress in Detroit, April 16-18 (see www.sae.org/mags/aei/11890 for details about the company's leadership role and general involvement in the event). Few at the company are better positioned to address the matter than Mark Chernoby, who was hired as a powertrain engineer in 1985. He has made an indelible mark in the intervening 29 years and now serves as Senior Vice President, Engineering. He also holds the position of Vice President, Product Committee Coordinator.