Dodge crossover coming

[nadepalma]

Source: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../60731001/1041

Dodge crossover coming: Vehicle, targeted for early '08, will be built on new Sebring sedan platform
By BRADFORD WERNLE | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
AutoWeek | Published 07/31/06, 7:22 am et


The Dodge crossover will be built on the same platform as the new Chrysler Sebring sedan, above.

Dodge dealers will get a new mid-range crossover vehicle in early 2008 to compete with the likes of Ford's upcoming Edge and the Toyota Highlander.

The model, called JC49 internally, will be built at Chrysler's Toluca, Mexico, factory starting in December 2007.

The Dodge crossover will be built on the same platform as the new Chrysler Sebring sedan. Sources say DaimlerChrysler estimates volumes of 150,000 a year. Industry analysts forecast an entry-level price of about $20,000.

Chrysler has kept the JC49 under wraps, but a company official confirmed plans for the vehicle. Chrysler is calling it a "new concept crossover," trying to set it apart from other entries in an increasingly crowded segment.

In March, Chrysler said it will spend $1 billion to increase flexibility at Toluca so that it could make various derivatives on a single line. The investment includes two new supplier parks. Toluca last year turned out 177,370 PT Cruisers and PT Cruiser convertibles.

A Chrysler version may arrive in 2010, says Erich Merkle, director of forecasting for IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, Mich. That vehicle is code-named JZ49. The Chrysler official would not confirm the JZ49 plans.

Merkle expects the Dodge crossover to bear the same relationship to the Dodge Avenger sedan that the Ford Edge has to the Fusion sedan on which it is based. The Avenger is the Sebring's Dodge twin, due late in 2007 as a 2008 model.

Suppliers say the JC49 also will be assembled in the east China province of Fujian, where DaimlerChrysler has several van assembly plants through a joint venture and a licensing agreement.

Supplier sources say the start of production in China for the JC49 is scheduled for mid-2008.

[Driver99]

That sounds interesting. That would be cool if it was something like the Dodge Kahuna concept from a couple of years ago.

[91z4me]

Could it be the next PT cruiser? It has room to grow a little bit since the Caliber now fills almost the same role.

[jbartley]

so is this going to be a little bigger than the compass and caliber, and PT Cruiser, but smaller than the patriot and nitro?

I see a problem already...

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by jbartley

so is this going to be a little bigger than the compass and caliber, and PT Cruiser, but smaller than the patriot and nitro?

I see a problem already...

I don't know if its necessary any of that. I think they'll probably just come out with a crossover vehicle that mimics the Edge to some extent. Plus, we don't know how versitle the Sebring/Avenger platform is -- it could very well be lengthend and widened considerably. But seeing as how crossovers like the Equinox, Pilot, Highlander have been in the very recent past, I think it's about time that Dodge jumped into the fray as well. They're already late to the mid-sized SUV market with the Nitro, but these products will each serve different types of customers so I don't think there will be any issues.

[SVTKAR3]

The Dodge crossover will be built on the same platform as the new Chrysler Sebring sedan, above.
Lets just hope that it isn't as ugly as the new Sebring.

[01cavalier]

Originally Posted by SVTKAR3

Lets just hope that it isn't as ugly as the new Sebring.

I'm with you there, don't like the looks of the Sebring at all.

[Hudson]

The new Sebring and the Caliber (and the Patriot and Compass) all share the same basic platform. And there are TWO Chrysler versions. All three (Dodge and the two Chrysler versions) will be larger than the PT Cruiser by smaller than the Pacifica. These vehicles have been on the books for quite some time now...I'm amazed that it took the media this long to talk about it.

[chevydlrmn]

expect a lot of cross shopping on those, that is a lot of overlapping.

[kenman923]

Now I wonder what it will be called. How about the Dodge Javelin?

[Michael]

Dodge Javelin actually sounds good...interested to see what the Avenger and this thing turn out to look like. Yes, it will be a crowded market, but the new products coming out (from many companies) look to be promising. I hate to say it, but I even like the Ford Edge and the Mazda CX-7.

[asim]

Thats good...I like the hear about more automakers getting REALLY serious about the crossover market.

[cincygoblue]

Sorry to be off topic, but with that Sebring picture there . . . How many different lines can you put on the side of a vehicle? Between cutlines between doors and panels and fascias and moldings and crease lines, all running in different directions, that Sebring is a mess! It looks amateur.

[Hudson]

I don't see the problem with the Dodge (and Chrysler Group) lineup. Dodge will have two SUVs (in the traditional sense) and crossover (and crossover-like) vehicles in the compact (Caliber) and mid-sized (JC49) segments. Jeep buyers want the Jeep name, so there's going to be very little cross shopping with Dodge. Chrysler's PT Cruiser is distinct enough from the Caliber to have its own buyers...the JZ49 buyers will want something higher-end than a "Dodge"....and they've got the Pacifica at the top of the linup. I don't see the overlap.

Chevrolet will have the Captiva (if they decide to import it), the Equinox, and Lambda. And that's in addition to two Saturn crossovers, the Torrent, and two other Lambdas...plus all of the SUVs.

There was a time when a truck like the Dakota seemed redundant, but today everyone recognizes the "mid-sized" pickup class. There was a time when Chevrolet and Ford had "compact" SUVs...which are now known as "mid-sized" allowing for even smaller "compact" SUVs.

Originally Posted by cincygoblue

Sorry to be off topic, but with that Sebring picture there . . . How many different lines can you put on the side of a vehicle? Between cutlines between doors and panels and fascias and moldings and crease lines, all running in different directions, that Sebring is a mess! It looks amateur.

Honestly, it looks better in person.

[Bornfromparents]

If DCX is in to compete with everyone. Their staragy is working, so well
that their biggest competition is with them selves