AUBURN HILLS, Michigan — Privately held Chrysler LLC has wooed a top executive from Toyota's Lexus Division to head its global marketing and advertising.

Deborah Wahl Meyer was named vice president and chief marketing officer at Chrysler, where she will be responsible for the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands while providing strategic direction for the company's global marketing activities.

Meyer, 44, had spent the past six years at Toyota Motor Sales, most recently as marketing vice president of Lexus Division. Before that, she held a variety of positions in marketing and brand strategy at Ford Motor Company, including Lincoln Mercury marketing communications manager and Ford de Brasil brand manager.

A Detroit native, Meyer received a bachelor's degree in economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. She began her career at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York.

In 2005, Meyer was named one of the "100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry" by Automotive News.

What this means to you: New CEO Bob Nardelli has hired his first "car guy" — from Toyota, no less — to oversee global marketing. Smart move.

Inside Line

Maybe Cerberus is really serious about turning Chrysler around. Now, please give this poor woman some new, exciting, awesome products to market. Let's get Chrysler LLC up and rolling in the right direction!

Edited August 18, 200718 yr by cire

Car guy?