Chrysler Group LLC will soon start construction on one of the most unlikely plants in the company's 86-year history.

Located in St. Petersburg, Russia, not far from the former summer palace of the czars, the factory will make Jeeps, the four-wheel drive vehicles made famous by the U.S. Army in World War II. The driving force behind the deal? Not Chrysler itself, but Italy's Fiat SpA, the U.S. auto maker's majority owner.

April 30 marks the three-year anniversary of Chrysler's rescue by the U.S. government, an endeavor that many expected the auto maker would be unable to survive.

Today, the plan to build a plant in Russia stands as a symbol of how far Chrysler has come—and of the new auto maker that Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne is trying to create.

"Jeep has potential as a global brand because of its unique DNA," said Mr. Marchionne, who earlier chose the Jeep Grand Cherokee as the basis for a Detroit-built Maserati SUV. A distinct identity gives it "the traction needed to become a global brand."