Chrysler Says It Will Weather 2009

The company, Press said, is confident that it hasn't gotten the potential sales out of its existing products.

"It validates what we can do with products," he said.

The company has spent $500 million improving its vehicles' interiors, and its quality has improved so much that its warranty costs are at their lowest level ever, the executives said.

But quality concerns still haunt Chrysler. The company's vehicles, including the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands, saw their scores fall sharply from 2007 in Consumer Reports' annual vehicle reliability rankings last year. Nearly two-thirds of its model lineup were below average, and the Chrysler Sebring sedan was the worst-rated car.

"We've got a plan. We're viable. We're alive and well," Press said.

Nardelli also said a 25% reduction in white-collar staff last year is not a sign that the company is preparing itself for sale.

The company, he said, has adequate cash flow and a solid plan to remain viable as an independent company.

Chrysler Chief Financial Officer Ron Kolka said the company is counting on another $3 billion in government loans to implement a four-year plan. Chrysler received $4 billion in government loans Jan. 2 after finishing the year with $2 billion to $2.5 billion in cash, Kolka said, right at the minimum amount needed to run the company.

The company currently has about $13 billion in debt. That figure includes $7 billion in first-lien debt, $2 billion in second-lien debt from Cerberus and Daimler, and the $4 billion from the government.