With a trove of new models, Daimler-Chrysler Corp. is expecting a boost in sales from its U.S. unit, Chrysler Corp. According to a Reuters report, nine models from Chrysler and its Dodge and Jeep divisions will debut this year, the first group of a 25-vehicle expected over the next three years. “I think in the second quarter we should start to see some lift there,” said outgoing COO Wolfgang Bernhard. “Things are taking off at this point in time.” Bernhard referred to the Chrysler 300, a new flagship sedan, as one of the new The next-generation models will give the automaker “some air under its wings,” Bernhard said, particularly referring to the Chrysler 300, a new flagship sedan. The division suffered major setbacks by a second-quarter loss last year due to lower model sales and rising incentives. In 2003, its operating loss was $623.3 million. Bernhard joined Chrysler in November 2000, and has called the branch “a mess.” Recently appointed head of DaimlerChrys-ler’s Mercedes-Benz, Bernhard stated he, along with other executives, saved the long-standing manufacturer from near ruin. “It gives me great satisfaction to say the company survived,” he said. “We made this company survive and brought it through a time that was pretty difficult.” Bernhard will be succeeded by Tom LaSorda, a former General Motors Corp. manufacturing chief.