The new Chrysler 200 S Special Edition was developed in cooperation with Carhartt.

It may be the smallest of the big three automakers but Chrysler has some big ideas to extend its reach – and its borrowed some of its ideas from marketing powerhouses as diverse as Nike and Starbucks.  Credit limited production runs, coupled with targeted partnerships and clever ads with helping Chrysler deliver 34 consecutive months of sales gains on a relatively small budget.

Speaking at a meeting of the Automotive Press Association, Chrysler brand President Saad Chehab outlined Chrysler’s maverick approach to automotive marketing. He also confirmed the next generation Chrysler 200, which is based on technology from Chrysler’s Italian partner Fiat, will debut at next year’s North American International Auto Show.

The automaker could use some new product because it has been struggling to build sales without the support from new models. However, Chrysler has succeeded in offering unique versions of the 300, 200 and Town and Country. For example, a version of the Chrysler 200 designed specifically for the California market helped the brand boost its sales in the normal domestic-averse market by 200%.

Up next, a mid-year version, the Chrysler 200 S Special Edition, which will be featured at the New York International Auto Show.  It will be powered by the 283 horsepower Pentastar V-6 engine and features a “sinister style” with rugged appointments designed with help from Carhartt, the Detroit-based maker of rugged work clothing, Chehab said.

The new version of the Chrysler 200 follows on the heels of the Chrysler 200 “S” packages which have brought a younger buyer to the Chrysler brand and offered customers a unique, more menacing style together with an incredible amount of standard features including 18-inch aluminum wheels with polished face, perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel and a Boston Acoustic premium sound system and much more.

The 2013.5 Chrysler 200 S Special Edition builds on the S package with a little more attitude, and additional standard features intended to “reward hard-working customers” with a well-crafted, well-equipped midsize sedan at a great value.

Chrysler also has brought out a string of special editions based on the full-size Chrysler 300. The list now includes the Chrysler 300 Glacier and special editions celebrating Motown founder Barry Gordy and another developed with help from fashion guru John Varvatos.

“The ‘Imported From Detroit’ tag line continues to resonate,” said Chehab, who added Chrysler also has remained true to its blue-collar roots. “Chrysler’s not necessarily a luxury brand. It’s for hard-working people who want a little more. It’s blue-collar in a suit,” he said.

Chrysler’s approach is underscored in its partnership with Carhartt, a 120-year-old Detroit company famous for producing clothing used in blue-collar occupations, said Chehab, a son of Lebanese immigrants who was raised in Detroit.

Hard work, perseverance, determination, never letting go of your dreams – all values that could describe Carhartt and Chrysler, he said.

The Chrysler 200 S Special Edition celebrates the traits that both companies share – hard work, ingenuity, perseverance and a “never say die” attitude, proclaimed Chehab

With a starting price of $28,870, the 200 S Special Edition brings style and customization in the mid-size sedan market to a whole new level, Chehab said. That includes a new gloss mesh grille, platinum chrome fog light “spears,” a sport suspension and a body-color decklid spoiler.