DaimlerChrysler AG has said the next big Chrysler-brand cars may use electronics and other parts from one of Mercedes-Benz's most exclusive models to save money and improve quality at the unprofitable U.S. unit, according to a March 8 Bloomberg News story by Brian Lysaght. The new Chryslers also might use the steering systems, rear axles and transmissions from the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a car that's twice as expensive as the U.S. brands, said Chrysler Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard in an interview with Bloomberg. A Chrysler model using major Mercedes components would be the most significant parts-sharing project yet between the German luxury brand and the U.S. cars, analysts said. The German-American automaker has previously resisted the idea of using Mercedes parts on Chrysler vehicles, saying it wanted to avoid diluting the luxury image of its Mercedes brand. The automaker aims to cut spending as it tries to turn Chrysler from a 2.6 billion-euro ($2.4 billion) loss this year to a profit next year. Installing a Mercedes rear axle would mean the Chrysler cars -- known as LH models including Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde, LHS and 300M -- would switch to rear-wheel drive from front-wheel, a major change for the brand. All large Mercedes sedans, along with those of BMW, are rear-wheel drive. The carmakers maintain it offers better performance. Chrysler produced 292,000 full-size cars last year. Mercedes built about 250,000 E-Class. An E-class starts at $48,500 in the U.S., while the LH line starts at $21,000 for the Dodge Intrepid. DaimlerChrysler also is studying further alternatives to share among Mercedes, Chrysler and Japanese affiliate Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Bernhard told Bloomberg News. Using Mercedes parts in Chrysler could also lower development, warranty repair and other costs, according to industry analysts. The company said last month it's reducing the number of platforms -- the underbody and major components of a vehicle's basic structure -- produced by Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Mercedes to 13 from 29. To do this, it said the next generation Chrysler and Dodge Neon compacts would be developed jointly with Mitsubishi. The Neon and Mitsubishi Lancer would use the same underbody, while the Mitsubishi Galant and Chrysler's Cirrus/Stratus cars also would be planned and built together. Chrysler's Belvidere, Ill., Neon plant and the Sterling Heights, Mich., Cirrus/Stratus plants likely would produce Mitsubishi cars, while Mitsubishi's Normal, Ill., plant, and possibly, one of its Japanese plants, would build Chryslers. The compact and midsize cars would be built in three to five years, according to Lysaght's Bloomberg News story. Chrysler has developed and built cars with Mitsubishi for the past 18 years. Mitsubishi's Normal, Ill., car factory currently builds Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus coupes, along with Mitsubishi Eclipse and Galant. DaimlerChrysler bought a 34 percent stake in Mitsubishi last year. The four-door Smart car that Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler are jointly developing could be the basis for the next Neon, according to industry sources. That car is to be built at Mitsubishi's plant in the Netherlands. Producing several vehicles from a single platform is a common practice in the auto industry. Volkswagen AG, for instance, produces the VW Golf, New Beetle, Audi A3 and Audi TT using the same underbody. DaimlerChrysler has said it would want the Chryslers to look differently than the Mitsubishis from the outside, though the most of the parts underneath would be the same.