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Should Geely buy Chrysler?

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We now know that Geely made an offer to buy FCA a few weeks ago. Before investing billions in Daimler.
Apparently, this time, crazy Sergio didn’t want to sell. Why? Probably because he thinks FCA might be worth more next year. Which means more money in his pocket.

Either way, let’s take a look at what Geely is offering these days…

The GC9 is their large sedan . ( I could actually see this as a large Chrysler sedan)  It is only a couple of inches shorter than the Chrysler 300. Even though it was introduced at an Auto show in 2013, it still looks quite nice… Better than the weirdo Avalon Toyota just introduced.

They also have this newer GS compact SUV (About 5 inches shorter than the CR-V)
Which also looks pretty good. At least as nice as many others offered in the US.

They even had a new “compact” sedan. The GL. (Which seems to be sharing at least its dashboard with the GS SUV)
This also dent’ look worse than many compact sedans we have here… (It even reminds me of the new Jetta.)

The X7 is just a little bit longer than the GS, but seems more upscale.
I also think this could compete with models like the RAV-4, Tucson etc…

Of course, I have zero idea how any of these cars actually drive. Or feel.
All I know is that Geely took over Volvo and turned it around.
Volvo is now again a contender in its segment. They have gotten great reviews from around the world.
And they not only look great, they look great as Volvos.

I am not saying any of these cars pictured above could become Chryslers of Dodges right away.
But I think Geely would actually put the money and effort in making good cars and bring great designs back to Chrysler. (Like they did with Volvo)

Anything is better than the accountant they have now….

Conversation 6 comments

  1. I think Geely should buy FCA if possible. Especially Chrysler if they can. We know that if they did, they would be more than happy to build here in the States.

    The best thing could also be what they did for Volvo. Silent partner, just right the checks, & let the moral & roots of the brands come back to life. Hence why Volvo is amazing again.

    Sometimes we just need a push

  2. So Geely might be the next white knight to ride into Chrysler headquarters with a suitcase full of case, fund one generation of cars and then bail out, leaving being an empty husk. Super.

  3. That might be a tough task for Geely (or anyone at this point). Chrysler has been thorough destroyed by Daimler, Cerberus and good old Sergio. Back in the 90's they had such potential…. so sad. While I would hate to see Chrysler die, maybe its just more merciful at this point.

    Other then Jeep, I just don't see many other Chrysler products on the road. Maybe a Dodge and Ram occasionally.

    I know this isn't going to happen, but I wish Sergio would sell Jeep to someone (preferably an American company) who respects the heritage and doesn't keep diluting the brand (like the new Commander and the Cherokee that doesn't live up to its origins).

    Maybe combine it with Ram? A independent Jeep/ Ram would be nice… but probably not that likely.

  4. Chinese auto companies shouldn't be allowed to purchase FCA or build vehicles in the U.S. till U.S. companies can fully own Chinese companies and they're allowed to own their factories in China.

  5. I could see Geely wanting to purchase the Chrysler brand so it can market its mainstream vehicles in the US (to me, Chrysler would be the FCA brand best suited for this purpose). I could see Geely wanting Jeep and Fiat because it would give Geely access to global brands and manufacturing facilities. I could see Geely wanting RAM for its truck and the fact that it’s an outlet in the US for Fiat’s commercial vehicles. I don’t see Geely wanting Alfa Romeo, Lancia, or Maserati, which are three struggling premium brands that don’t have much to offer to Geely (Geely already owns Volvo and Lotus, in addition to recently purchasing shares in Daimler). I’m not sure how attractive Dodge would be to Geely considering it’s a performance brand with aging vehicles based on an ancient platform. If Geely could possibly somehow pair development between Lotus and Dodge or if RAM could be reintegrated back into Dodge, then I could see Geely possibly being interested in Dodge.

    As far as the vehicles pictured in the post:
    1) The Geely Emgrand GL sedan would be marketed as the Chrysler Sebring in the US.
    2) The Geely Emgrand GT sedan would be marketed as the Chrysler Concorde in the US.
    3) The Geely Emgrand GS crossover would be marketed as the Chrysler Java in the US.
    4) The Geely Emgrand X7 Sport would be marketed as the Chrysler Voyager in the US.
    5) Chrysler would adopt Geely’s “water ripple” grille as its new grille design. Chrysler’s winged badge would be incorporated into or onto the new grille. The current Pacifica minivan would be restyled to incorporate the brand’s new grille.
    6) Geely would need to create a midsize Chrysler Nassau crossover on the Emgrand GT/Concorde platform with optional third row seating.
    7) Geely would need to create a large Chrysler Aspen crossover on the Pacifica platform with standard third row seating.
    8) I’m not sure what to do about the 300 sedan. It’s an aging vehicle on an ancient platform in a rapidly shrinking segment. I’m not sure if it would be financially feasible to redesign it.

    Just exploring the possibilities…

    It would be great to see the Chrysler brand offer a fuller lineup again. 🙂👍🏻

  6. If the vehicles you posted are well built and can meet US regulations, then I don’t think Chrysler would do any worse under Geely’s ownership than it has under Fiat’s. I don’t disagree with the decision to make Chrysler a mainstream family vehicle brand, but the brand definitely needs to offer more than an aging full-size sedan and a minivan.

    As far as I can tell from recent surveys, Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/RAM quality and dependability hasn’t improved under Fiat’s ownership. If that is the case, then I don’t think Geely ownership would be a downgrade at all.

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