Chrysler turned a profit last year

Chrysler Corporation said that it made money last year. The announcement surprised a number of industry analysts here who had been predicting further losses for the nation's third-ranked automaker. High interest rates and a weak economy caused the company to lose nearly $500 million in 1981, when federal help and union concessions bailed it out. Chrysler plans to spend more than $6.6 billion on new products over the next five years.