Celine Dion to Sing for Chrysler Cars

By Stephen M. Silverman

11/05/2002 at 12:00 PM EST

Celine Dion is hoping to do for struggling Detroit carmaker Chrysler what Britney Spears has done for Pepsi: give it a voice.

The New York Times reports that the French Canadian pop diva, who is currently in Brussels preparing for her Las Vegas extravaganza set to open in March, is entering into a broad-based partnership that will include her appearances in automotive ads, cross promotions of her music with the cars and even a special Chrysler song that she will belt out in her inimitable high soprano.

Although terms of the three-year pitchwoman deal were not disclosed, Dion, 34, will be paid in the tens of millions of dollars, The Times reports.

"I did some commercials for Chrysler 14 years ago, I was a spokesperson for Chrysler in Canada in French and in English," Dion tells the paper. "When they came back to me this time, it felt very natural."

So natural, she adds, that she might even give her chauffeurs a break.

"Soon I'll be driving a Town and Country minivan, which is going to be a family thing," she says. "I'm ready to pick my own tomatoes with my son (Rene-Charles Angelil) and my husband (Rene Angelil). That's my goal. Forget the limousines. "

George Murphy, senior vice president of global brand marketing at Chrysler, said: "Can you imagine putting her with her baby Rene in the back of one of our minivans and having her sing one of her love ballads? We'd have all of America crying. Seriously."