DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group has been keeping mum about the automaker’s future product lineup, but company executives tipped their hands this week, confirming plans for three new models for the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands.
In a meeting with financial analysts Wednesday, Chrysler executives said they plan to revive the famous Dodge Charger fastback as a sedan and build a new full-size sport utility vehicle called the Jeep Commander. The company also provided details about the replacement for the Chrysler Sebring sedan, which is being developed with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and could be sold under a different name.
While speculation has been rampant about the Commander and Charger, Wednesday marked the first time that Chrysler publicly said the vehicles will be produced.
Analysts say the automaker is also working on new entry-level SUVs for the Jeep and Dodge brands, as well as a small sport wagon for Dodge to replace the Neon compact car.
The new products are part of a campaign to bolster sales after three years of cost-cutting by giving Chrysler much-needed competitors in fast-growing segments. In 2001, Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche set a goal of increasing global car and truck sales by 1 million units to 4 million by 2011.
Chrysler is introducing nine new vehicles this year and has promised 16 more new cars and trucks by the end of 2006. Though the company will not discuss product plans for 2005 and 2006, analysts who follow the automaker are crafting a picture of what is on the way.
Michael Bruynesteyn of Prudential Equity Group in New York described the Charger, Commander and Sebring replacement in a report released Thursday. He attended the analyst meeting Wednesday at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills.
The Jeep Commander is 4.5 inches taller than the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee and more square and upright, “bearing some resemblance to GM’s Hummer H2,” Bruynesteyn wrote. It will share the same underpinnings as the Grand Cherokee, but will have three rows of seats and should debut during the third quarter of 2005, he said.
The Sebring replacement, expected in 2006, is taller and wider than the current model, with notable “cat eye” headlights and “employs some styling cues from the Chrysler Crossfire” sports car, Bruynesteyn said. The mid-size passenger car is being jointly developed with Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors, which is partly owned by DaimlerChrysler.
The Charger has the same interior and underbody as the Dodge Magnum wagon, “but the exterior sheet metal is completely different,” he said.
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In a meeting with financial analysts Wednesday, Chrysler executives said they plan to revive the famous Dodge Charger fastback as a sedan and build a new full-size sport utility vehicle called the Jeep Commander. The company also provided details about the replacement for the Chrysler Sebring sedan, which is being developed with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and could be sold under a different name.
While speculation has been rampant about the Commander and Charger, Wednesday marked the first time that Chrysler publicly said the vehicles will be produced.
Analysts say the automaker is also working on new entry-level SUVs for the Jeep and Dodge brands, as well as a small sport wagon for Dodge to replace the Neon compact car.
The new products are part of a campaign to bolster sales after three years of cost-cutting by giving Chrysler much-needed competitors in fast-growing segments. In 2001, Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche set a goal of increasing global car and truck sales by 1 million units to 4 million by 2011.
Chrysler is introducing nine new vehicles this year and has promised 16 more new cars and trucks by the end of 2006. Though the company will not discuss product plans for 2005 and 2006, analysts who follow the automaker are crafting a picture of what is on the way.
Michael Bruynesteyn of Prudential Equity Group in New York described the Charger, Commander and Sebring replacement in a report released Thursday. He attended the analyst meeting Wednesday at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills.
The Jeep Commander is 4.5 inches taller than the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee and more square and upright, “bearing some resemblance to GM’s Hummer H2,” Bruynesteyn wrote. It will share the same underpinnings as the Grand Cherokee, but will have three rows of seats and should debut during the third quarter of 2005, he said.
The Sebring replacement, expected in 2006, is taller and wider than the current model, with notable “cat eye” headlights and “employs some styling cues from the Chrysler Crossfire” sports car, Bruynesteyn said. The mid-size passenger car is being jointly developed with Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors, which is partly owned by DaimlerChrysler.
The Charger has the same interior and underbody as the Dodge Magnum wagon, “but the exterior sheet metal is completely different,” he said.
Full Story HERE
