The New Chrysler: In-Alfa Romeo/Fiat Models; Out-Dodge Caravan & More

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by Perian

NOTE: The article only states the Dodge Grand Caravan will be phased out.

It does not say anything about the Chrysler Town & Country...we can thus assume it will remain in the portfolio.

Yup Perian. You are right. The article says that the Town & Country will live on and only the Caravan will die.

I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly that they only need ONE minivan instead of two.

However, I don't know if I agree that it should be the Town & Country that lives on. In my eyes, Dodge should continue to be all things to all people and a proper mainstream brand. Marchionne seems to have a different intention and now the vehicle that started the minivan's popularity will die.

Maybe they should rechristen it the Chrysler Caravan instead? I don't know, but this seems like a risky move to me...

[Exploder]

Chrysler midsize sedan based on Fiat underpinnings (In 2012)

What happened to the 200 concept?

Jeep Commander

Not sure about this. Maybe they should at least try to cram a third row as an option into the Liberty/Grand Cherokee.

Dodge Grand Caravan

I agree this is not a good decision...to kill a nameplate for a vehicle which is one of the first of their goddamn kind.

But then again, I guess the question is, under which brand does a minivan fit better, the performance-oriented Dodge or the luxury Chrysler?

I seriously hope not more than 40% of Chrysler's lineups consist of rebadged Fiats/Lancias/Alfas.

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by Exploder

What happened to the 200 concept?

Indeed. And what of the idea of taking the LY platform and shrinking it enough for a series of mid-sized RWD products slotted below the Charger/300/Challenger?

Furthermore, a report a few weeks back said that Chrysler Group was planning refreshes and updates to their current range as hold-overs til new Fiat-based models come to market in the 2012/2013 range. Is this now completely off the table? Is Chrysler expected to soldier on with nothing but their current crop of un-refreshed/un-updated cars til 2012?

If that's truly the case then they either have to sell them at a deep discount or slash production even more cause there is NO way they'll survive til then on just the current batch of products. Most of those models were in need of an update when they were launched (Caliber) and others should have been killed on the drafting board (Sebring).

At the very LEAST Chrysler should be looking for front/rear fascia and powertrain updates to keep them viable in the short term. Failing that and I can see their sales diving off a cliff in anticipation of when their new products finally arrive.

[skylark68]

No real surprises here except for maybe the Grand Caravan. Glad the Charger and Challenger are remaining.

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by nadepalma

Yup Perian. You are right. The article says that the Town & Country will live on and only the Caravan will die.

I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly that they only need ONE minivan instead of two.

There are actually three. VW gets it too.

The T&C used to be upmarket only, but now it overlaps the Dodge so much that it's redundant. No need for one of them... it's easier to sell a loaded T&C than a loaded Caravan, so there you go.

[zete]

Well, that's odd. The Caravan is more utilitarian, which is what people buy vans for. And if Chrysler goes up market, then so will the van? That may price it out of many people's consideration.

I'm not really getting what's up with Fiat and Chrysler. But I'll just sit back and watch.

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by nadepalma

Indeed. And what of the idea of taking the LY platform and shrinking it enough for a series of mid-sized RWD products slotted below the Charger/300/Challenger?

Furthermore, a report a few weeks back said that Chrysler Group was planning refreshes and updates to their current range as hold-overs til new Fiat-based models come to market in the 2012/2013 range. Is this now completely off the table? Is Chrysler expected to soldier on with nothing but their current crop of un-refreshed/un-updated cars til 2012?

well said - Chrysler is dead if they have to wait until 2012 for new product!

Originally Posted by nadepalma

If that's truly the case then they either have to sell them at a deep discount or slash production even more cause there is NO way they'll survive til then on just the current batch of products. Most of those models were in need of an update when they were launched (Caliber) and others should have been killed on the drafting board (Sebring).

At the very LEAST Chrysler should be looking for front/rear fascia and powertrain updates to keep them viable in the short term. Failing that and I can see their sales diving off a cliff in anticipation of when their new products finally arrive.

Exactly! In fact I'm working on a thoery here: http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f...concept-85394/

[Bravada]

WSJ is not TERRIBLY good on guessing Chrysler's future moves from the info they get. They were the ones who started the "Ram brand" craze.

Though this would present an interesting, if a bit terrifying vision. I hope Marchionne knows better than to kill Dodge and make it a "niche brand".

[ARCANGEL]

Originally Posted by Bravada

WSJ is not TERRIBLY good on guessing Chrysler's future moves from the info they get. They were the ones who started the "Ram brand" craze.

Though this would present an interesting, if a bit terrifying vision. I hope Marchionne knows better than to kill Dodge and make it a "niche brand".

I said it in another thread where you an I were Discussing this, this purchase was for the eventual arrival of Alfa, and possibly Fiat. That was their intention from the beginning.

[MyImpalaSS]

Originally Posted by Perian

According to the article the following are in:

Fiat 500 (In 2011)
Alfa Romeo MiTo (In 2012)
Alfa Romeo midsize sedan (In 2012)
Alfa Romeo Milano (In 2012)
Chrysler midsize sedan based on Fiat underpinnings (In 2012)
Chrysler compact sedan based on Fiat underpinnings
Jeep compact based on Fiat underpinnings

According to the article the following are out:

Jeep Commander
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler Sebring sedan
Jeep Compass
Jeep Patriot
Dodge Grand Caravan
Dodge Caliber
Dodge Nitro
Dodge Avenger sedan

The Dodge Charger and Challenger will remain in production.

So they are elliminating the best-selling domestic van and one of the best offered on the market.

Other than that and the Avenger, the rest can go. Seeeeeeeeee ya.

[ARCANGEL]

Originally Posted by MyImpalaSS

So they are elliminating the best-selling domestic van and one of the best offered on the market.

Other than that and the Avenger, the rest can go. Seeeeeeeeee ya.

well they are keeping the town and country, which in a way makes sense, the odyssey and sienna are pretty high end as far as mini vans go so why not just leave that one

[Bravada]

So they are elliminating the best-selling domestic van and one of the best offered on the market

Actually, for the most part of 2009, the T&C has been outselling the Caravan. They are now going head-to-head.

I said it in another thread where you an I were Discussing this, this purchase was for the eventual arrival of Alfa, and possibly Fiat. That was their intention from the beginning.

If that was only for that, they'd have bought Saturn. See how even by WSJ's extreme version, they aren't eliminating the profit centres - Ram, larger Jeeps, large RWD cars, the minivan. The current Mitsubishi-based platforms are indeed disposable, with what and how to replace them may be up for discussion, but I wouldn't rejoice if they suddenly announced the Sebring stays for yet another generation with the same underpinnings.

[ARCANGEL]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Actually, for the most part of 2009, the T&C has been outselling the Caravan. They are now going head-to-head.



If that was only for that, they'd have bought Saturn. See how even by WSJ's extreme version, they aren't eliminating the profit centres - Ram, larger Jeeps, large RWD cars, the minivan. The current Mitsubishi-based platforms are indeed disposable, with what and how to replace them may be up for discussion, but I wouldn't rejoice if they suddenly announced the Sebring stays for yet another generation with the same underpinnings.

I still think there is some speculation in this article, and we will find out in nov what the whole story is from marchionne's mouth

[PontiacBixler]

There is only one problem I have with the Jeep list and that is killing the Patriot.

The Compass was a failure as soon as it left the drawing boards and went to production.
The Commander was only designed to go after the "bigger is better" Hummer, Navigator, Escalade demographic. Sure a lot of them sold but you could sell these people into a Grand Cherokee instead.

If you ask me the Liberty is getting out of hand. It is roughly the same size, if not bigger in some cases, as the Grand Cherokee.

The auto industry has been making these stupid choices of making smaller cars bigger but keeping the full sized cars the same size.

Jeep could use a line up like this:
- Small Hurricane-like styled 2 door soft top (Rugged)
- Patriot 4 door (CUV)
- Wrangler 2/4 door (Rugged)
- Liberty 4 door (CUV)
- Grand Cherokee 4 door (Rugged)

[jfibs]

Fiat to make Chrysler into . . . Fiat
The Italian carmaker expects to reintroduce Alfa Romeo to the US market and add many models that work in Europe. Many old US models will be phased out.
Posted by Charley Blaine on Monday, October 26, 2009 7:25 PM
Four months after exiting a U.S.-funded bankruptcy reorganization, Chrysler Group is about to unveil a product roadmap that relies heavily on vehicles from Italian partner Fiat (FIATY) while abandoning many of the U.S. carmaker's own models.



The plan, due to be unveiled Nov. 4, involves the reintroduction of Fiat's premium, sporty Alfa Romeo brand to the U.S. starting in 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported this afternoon.

Bing: What is Chrysler's future?
Chrysler also will introduce the 500, Fiat's tiny car that is popular in Europe, to Americans. It won't, however, attach the Fiat name to it.



Chrysler meantime is preparing to phase out many of its current models, particularly Dodge cars, the Journal said.



Fiat and Chrysler are working to create several new vehicles with Fiat technology for the U.S. market, including a midsize Chrysler-brand sedan to be released in 2012.



The sweeping changes, due to play out over the next two to three years, represent a big gamble for Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who has staked his reputation on the turnaround.



Marchionne, who successfully revamped Fiat, appears to be creating a vehicle lineup that stays true to Chrysler's blue-collar muscle-car and pickup roots while adding European-style vehicles to attract a new, more white-collar customer.



But in the short term, Marchionne's task is to keep the company afloat until 2012 when the bulk of the new offerings will come to the U.S.



Chrysler is faced now with shrinking market share and few new models coming to market. While it doesn't disclose its finances, Fiat has said repeatedly it won't inject any money into Chrysler despite receiving a 20% ownership stake in the company's reorganization.



"They are going to have a hard time maintaining market share, let alone increasing it."

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com..._blg=1,1337558