Sale of DaimlerChrysler Finance Unit a Possibility

Southfield, Mich .— DaimlerChrysler is considering breaking away from its Chrysler Financial auto loan and leasing unit if the company decides to sell the automaker, Dieter Zetsche, the chief executive, told the Bloomberg News.

"We have the option to do the same with the financial arm, or not," if the company decides not to keep Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler, Zetsche told analysts at the Merrill Lynch Global Automotive Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Zetsche is under investor pressure after a loss of $1.5 billion at Chrysler last year.