Chrysler to open office in downtown Detroit

Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler plans to open an office in downtown Detroit with room for 70 employees that's expected to include space for the automaker's CEO Sergio Marchionne.

The company announced Monday that it would lease the top two floors of the 23-story Dime Building, which is owned by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert's Rock Ventures LLC. The building is being renamed Chrysler House to mark the presence of the automaker, which has its main offices in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills.

Chrysler Group LLC's Marchionne says in a statement that the company is opening the office in part because the future of Chrysler and the City of Detroit are "inextricably tied."

Gilbert's Quicken Loans also is based in downtown Detroit. Gilbert also owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.