Report: DaimlerChrysler opens call center for Spanish-speaking customers

DaimlerChrysler AG, seeking to build brand loyalty, opened its first auto-loan call center today for Spanish-speaking customers in the U.S. and Mexico, Bloomberg News reported.

The $6.5 million center in Monterrey, Mexico, will work with borrowers from DaimlerChrysler Financial Services. When buyout firm Cerberus Capital Management LP completes its purchase of Chrysler Group from Stuttgart, Germany-based DaimlerChrysler, the center will serve Chrysler alone.

Executives say the center will help Chrysler retain Spanish-speaking customers in the U.S. and reach consumers in Mexico, one of the five fastest-growing markets in the world for car loans.

Mexican borrowers account for $2.7 billion of DaimlerChrysler Financial's $106 billion global portfolio, spokesman Stephan Koller told Bloomberg. Chrysler Group cars and trucks represent 85 percent of the financed vehicles.